May is National Strawberry Month. Fresh strawberries are one of the most popular and refreshing treats anywhere. Healthy too! And perfect for everything from cheesecake to mojitos to jam. Grown in all fifty states, their peak season lasts from April through June. Just like growing your own tomatoes, there’s nothing quite like having your […]
It’s National Strawberry Month! Read More »
Are your roses sporting new leaves that glisten in the sunlight and are slightly sticky to the touch? See a trail of ants crawling up the trunk of your plum tree? How about powdery black stuff on your camellia bush or the garden furniture next to it? All are indicators that sucking insects may have
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Do you find good-sized holes in the grass, or damage to your fruit and vegetables, but don’t see anything that might be causing it? If you think you have an animal pest but are not sure what it is, the UC IPM Wildlife Pest Identification Tool can help! This e-tool lets you narrow down potential
Who’s Digging in my Yard? Read More »
First you see them, then you don’t. Those glossy new leaves that cloaked the branches on your dwarf fruit tree seemed to disappear overnight! Same with the succulent mahogany-colored foliage on your prize rose plant, and the prickly leathery leaves on a large chunk of your California live oak. What’s up with that? Even your
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Ugh! Snails and slugs, the bane to most gardeners. Loosely related to octopi and oysters, they glide along on their muscular foot, secreting mucus to facilitate movement, leaving their trademark glistening trail behind. With similar biology, the snail carries an external shell while slugs have evolved without one. Both are most active at night or
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Weeds growing with abandon? In your vegetable and flower beds and in your lawn? Weeds, simply put, are plants growing where they aren’t wanted. Almost any plant – from grasses to trees to shrubs, under the right conditions, can be considered a weed. They come in a myriad of shapes, colors, sizes, and degrees of
Taming those Pesky Weeds Read More »
It’s now officially winter, and if you haven’t yet done your fall garden clean up, now’s the time. Spending a little time now removing plant material that can harbor pests and disease, you can reduce the potential for them in your garden next spring.
New Year Garden Clean-up Read More »
Have you been startled by a flurry of little flying beasts bursting out of the container of flour or corn meal you planned to use? If so, you’ve met one of the nasty “pantry pests.” Meal moths and pantry beetles are unwanted visitors to your food and dry goods stash. They can crawl through cracks,
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Many people associate pesticides with those things you see at the nursery or big box stores in the gardening isle like weed killer, insecticides, and mouse traps. But there are MANY items in your home that are pesticides that you might use daily without even thinking about it. Some examples: According to the U.S. Environmental
Know What’s Lurking under the Sink? Read More »
Ticks are sucking insects that can live all year round in our mild climate. If you’re planning to do some hiking around the holidays, learn how to protect yourself from having one hitch a ride on you. If you do get bitten, here’s how to properly remove the tick. These insects are not only a
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