Advice from the Help Desk of the
UC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa County
Generally, used appropriately, coffee grounds can be beneficial to your garden. And if you search the internet you can find lots of information on their use. As in all things “internet”, the question is “what is appropriate”.
The Master Gardener program attempts to provide the gardener with scientifically based advice on gardening. The use of coffee grounds is no exception. Recently, Washington State University's Dr. Linda Chalker-Scott (Extension Urban Horticulturist and Associate Professor, Puyallup Research and Extension Center, Washington State University) updated her earlier 2009 review of gardening use of coffee grounds with the publishing of her latest review of the scientific literature: “Use Of Coffee Grounds In Gardens And Landscapes” (http://cru.cahe.wsu.edu/CEPublications/FS207E/FS207E.pdf). This latest review has been peer-reviewed.
While it is strongly recommended that you read for yourself the short 6-page paper, below are the edited excerpts from her findings:
Action list for using coffee grounds in compost
- Use no more than 20 percent by volume of coffee grounds in a compost pile. A diverse feedstock will ensure a healthy diversity of microorganisms.
- Don't assume coffee grounds will make an acidic compost; pH levels will change over time.
- Be sure to allow coffee grounds to cool before adding them to your compost; heat can kill your beneficial microbes.
- Avoid adding coffee grounds to vermicomposting bins; they can injure or kill earthworms in these confined areas.
- Understand that disease suppression from nonpathogenic organisms found in decomposing coffee grounds has only been demonstrated under controlled conditions on a handful of crops, including bean, melon, spinach, and tomato. Their efficacy in gardens and landscapes is unknown.
Action list for using coffee grounds directly as a mulch
- Apply a thin layer (no more than half an inch) of coffee grounds. Cover with a thicker layer (four inches) of coarse organic mulch like wood chips. This will protect the coffee grounds from compaction.
- Don't apply thick layers of coffee grounds as a standalone mulch. Because they are finely textured and easily compacted, coffee grounds can interfere with moisture and air movement in soils.
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BLOG editor's addendum: Most of the comments on Dr. Chalker-Scott's latest review center around “avoid adding coffee grounds to vermicomposting bins…” with more than a few anecdotal comments that it is common practice to use coffee grounds in compost bins. I think there is some clarification needed between compost bins and vermicompost bins… Her response so far is that she is reporting what is in the scientific literature. Vermicomposters should take special notice of this finding and manage their composting accordingly. You might search for further updates and discussion on Dr. Chalker-Scott's Facebook page “The Garden Professors”
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Help Desk of the UC Master Gardeners of Contra Costa County
Note: The UC Master Gardeners Program of Contra Costa's Help Desk is available year-round to answer your gardening questions. Except for a few holidays, we're open every week, Monday through Thursday for walk-ins from 9:00 am to Noon at 75 Santa Barbara Road, 2d Floor, Pleasant Hill, CA 94523. We can also be reached via telephone: (925) 646-6586, email: ccmg@ucanr.edu, or on the web at http://ccmg.ucanr.edu/Ask_Us/ MGCC Blogs can be found at http://ccmg.ucanr.edu/HortCoCo/ You can also subscribe to the Blog (http://ucanr.edu/blogs/CCMGBlog/).
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Advice from the Help Desk of the
UC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa County
i confess ... I'm a garden blog junkie.
As an avid gardener, I'm also looking to the (many) blogs I subscribe to for ideas on how to enjoy my gardening even more. While I hope you find this blog interesting, there are many other UCANR blogs that you might be interested in as well. Many of the most informative are posted quite frequently, while most are only posted occasionally. You can find the full list of UCANR blogs at http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/blogroll.cfm?sort=a. You will probably have to do some looking around to find blogs you will be interested in… but you can easily change your subscriptions at any time.
A recent blog I subscribe to -- UC WEED SCIENCE had some great advice on getting rid of garden weeds:
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Control garden weeds in early spring
Posted by: Gale Perez
Published on: April 14, 2016....From the UCANR News Blog...
UC Cooperative Extension IPM advisor Cheryl Wilen recommends swivel hoes over herbicides for weed control.
Wilen recommends home gardeners use a swivel (or hula) hoe to scrape the surface and decapitate weeds. “It's a bit of exercise,” she said, "but you can do it so quickly, it's not a problem.”
Another weed control strategy is a thick layer of mulch, with does double-duty by reducing water evaporation from the soil surface, thereby conserving water.
Wilen suggests a three- to four-inch layer of mulch be spread in garden beds and landscape borders before the weed seeds have a chance to germinate. Mulch blocks the sunlight weeds need to push through the ground.
Fabric weed barriers are useful for controlling particularly challenging weeds, like nutsedge. Wilen suggests covering the fabric with mulch for an esthetically pleasing weed-free garden.
Though the common herbicide glyphosate (such as Roundup) kills weeds and is safe if used correctly, Wilen prefers using the swivel hoe. "It's just quicker and easier than pulling out the spray equipment," she said.
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No use re-inventing the wheel for this blog with this advice… time to get out my hula hoe… and I found the link to the LA Times article informative as well.
So… for all you garden junkies out there… you might consider perusing and subscribing to some UCANR blogs to get your full daily “garden fix”.
UC Master Gardener Program's Help Desk
Note: The UC Master Gardeners Program of Contra Costa's Help Desk is available year-round to answer your gardening questions. Except for a few holidays, we're open every week, Monday through Thursday for walk-ins from 9:00 am to Noon at 75 Santa Barbara Road, 2d Floor, Pleasant Hill, CA 94523. We can also be reached via telephone: (925) 646-6586, email: ccmg@ucanr.edu, or on the web at http://ccmg.ucanr.edu/Ask_Us/ MGCC Blogs can be found at http://ccmg.ucanr.edu/HortCoCo/ You can also subscribe to the Blog (http://ucanr.edu/blogs/CCMGBlog/).
/span>/span>Information from the Help Desk of the
UC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa County
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For the past several years, the UC MGCC Program has conducted the FREE Our Garden Speaker Series (almost) every Wednesday morning at Our Garden (map) April through October. In addition, last year we've added some Saturday Workshops, also free, at Our Garden... details and schedule are below... please note that while the schedule as shown is reasonably firm at this time, changes are possible. You can confirm all dates, times and speakers on our website http://ccmg.ucanr.edu/
2016 UC MGCC Program's
"Our Garden" Speaker Series
North Wiget Lane & Shadelands Drive, Walnut Creek (map)
Wednesday Speakers 10 AM – 11 AM
Saturday Workshops, see website for time
DAY / Date |
Program Title |
Program Speaker |
Wednesday, April 20 |
Growing Apples and Pears |
Darlene DeRose, UC Master Gardener |
Wednesday, April 27 |
Growing Veggies in Containers |
Terry Lippert, UC Master Gardener |
Wednesday, May 4 |
Drought Tolerant Landscapes |
Dawn Kooyumjian, UC Master Gardener |
Saturday, May 7 |
All About Soil Workshop |
various |
Wednesday, May 11 |
Herbal All-Stars |
Rose Loveall-Sale, Morningsun Herb Farm |
Wednesday, May 18 |
Home Composting |
Ashley Louisiana, Recycle Smart |
Wednesday, May 25 |
Plant Propagation |
Kathy Echols, Horticulturist |
Wednesday, June 1 |
Permaculture |
Marian Woodard, UC Master Gardener |
Saturday, June 4 |
Garden Structures Workshop |
various |
Wednesday, June 8 |
"Tool Time" Series – Pruning in Your Garden |
Keith Silva, UC Master Gardener |
Wednesday, June 15 |
No Till Veggie Gardening |
Kevin Marini, UC Master Gardener |
Wednesday, June 22 |
Vermicompost |
Linda Mizes, UC Master Gardener |
Wednesday, June 29 |
Irrigation |
Steve Griffin, UC Master Gardener |
Wednesday, July 6 |
CLOSED FOR HOLIDAY |
|
Wednesday, July 13 |
Summer Pruning of Fruit Trees |
Helen Erickson, UC Master Gardener |
Wednesday, July 20 |
Rodent Control |
Steven Griffin, UC Master Gardener |
Wednesday, July 27 |
tbd |
tbd |
Wednesday, August 3 |
Succulents |
Brian Kemble, The Ruth Bancroft Garden |
Saturday, August 6 |
Rethinking Your Lawn Workshop |
various |
Wednesday, August 10 |
Winter Veggie Gardening |
Janet Miller, UC Master Gardener |
Wednesday, August 17 |
Fermenting and Pickling |
Susan Mosbacher, UCCE Master Food Preserver |
Wednesday, August 24 |
What Went Wrong with My Veggie Garden |
Terry Lippert, UC Master Gardener |
Wednesday, August 31 |
Compost Tea |
Kevin Marini, UC Master Gardener |
Saturday, September 3 |
CLOSED FOR HOLIDAY |
|
Wednesday, September 7 |
Creating Harmony in the Garden |
Patrice Hanlon, Horticulturist |
Saturday, September 10 |
Get Dry Plant Sale |
various |
Wednesday, September 14 |
Building Healthy Soil |
Steve Andrews, UC Master Gardener |
Wednesday, September 21 |
Hugelkultur |
tbd |
Wednesday, September 28 |
Rain Gardens |
Roxy Wolosenko, UC Master Gardener |
Saturday, October 1 |
Habitat Creation Workshop |
various |
Wednesday, October 5 |
Cover Crops |
Janet Miller, UC Master Gardener |
Wednesday, October 12 |
Growing Citrus and Avocados |
Ed Laivo, Four Winds Growers |
Wednesday, October 19 |
Growing Roses from Seed |
Kathy Echols, Horticulturist |
Wednesday, October 26 |
Fall/Winter Care of Fruit Trees |
Janet Caprile, UCCE Farm Advisor |
Note: Schedule is o.k. as of the original post of this blog, but is subject to change.
You can confirm all dates, times and speakers on our website http://ccmg.ucanr.edu/
Help Desk of the UC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa County
Note: The UC Master Gardeners Program of Contra Costa's Help Desk is available year-round to answer your gardening questions. Except for a few holidays, we're open every week, Monday through Thursday for walk-ins from 9:00 am to Noon at 75 Santa Barbara Road, 2d Floor, Pleasant Hill, CA 94523. We can also be reached via telephone: (925) 646-6586, email: ccmg@ucanr.edu, or on the web at http://ccmg.ucanr.edu/Ask_Us/ MGCC Blogs can be found at http://ccmg.ucanr.edu/HortCoCo/ You can also subscribe to the Blog (http://ucanr.edu/blogs/CCMGBlog/).
- Author: Shannon Wolfe
East Contra Costa County Residents, this is your day! This Saturday, April 16, from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm at the Mangini Agricultural Museum at the Contra Costa County Fairgrounds in Antioch the Contra Costa County Master Gardeners will be hosting an East County edition of the 5th Annual Great Tomato Plant Sale. This is the first year we have brought our plants to Antioch, and we are happy to have an opportunity to meet and serve more East County residents.
For more information on the sale, please go here. For a shopping guide of tomato varieties that will be available in Antioch, please go here.
We hope the Antioch sale is a huge success, and we can't wait to see you there!
Garden Advice from the Help Desk of the
UC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa County
Client's Request: I have several citrus trees. I would like advice on why my citrus aren't producing. What's wrong? What can I do?
One possible cause of the non-fruiting could be the age of the tree. Many varieties of citrus do not produce fruit until their third year. I have a satsuma mandarin tree growing in a large container that took four years after planting to start producing. Some other citrus varieties (including, for example, Meyer lemons) may start producing at a younger age, but the fruit that is produced in the early years is often smaller than the tree will produce as it matures, and in the early years the fruit can also appear very rough and misshapen.
Another possible cause of non-fruiting could be a lack of sun or inadequate irrigation. Citrus performs best when it receives the sun for most of the day. Proper irrigation is also important. An under-watered citrus tree will produce few if any fruits. But it is also important not to overwater citrus which can also cause problems. This link from the UC Master Gardener Program of Orange County has some very good guidance on how to water citrus: http://mgorange.ucanr.edu/Edible_Plants/?uid=58&ds=530
Lack of soil fertility could also cause problems. Citrus does need to be fertilized. The Orange County MG site referenced above also has good information on how and when to fertilize citrus with guidance on how much fertilizer to use (which depends on the age and size of the trees).
Another possible cause for nonproducing citrus trees is a lack of pollination. While many citrus varieties are capable of producing fruit without bees or other pollinizers visiting the flowers, a few varieties do require cross-pollination. For example, some clementines and mandarin hybrids require cross pollination by another tree to produce fruit. (Other mandarin varieties can produce without pollinizers and commercial growers sometimes try to keep pollinizers away from the trees so that the fruit will not contain seeds.)
Finally, some citrus trees will produce well only every other year, producing a good number of fruits one year and only a few fruits (or none at all) the next year. So, if you've observed the trees for less than two full years, you may have seen them in their non-productive year.
Hopefully, with this information you can determine and correct the cause of the problem. If not, here's the type of information we would need to help focus on your particular trees.
- In what City or part of the County are the trees located?
- What varieties do you have?
- When were the trees planted? What was the size of the tree when initially planted? What is the current size?
- How many hours of sun per day do the trees receive in spring and summer months?
- How are the trees irrigated? How much water is provided and how often do you irrigate?
- Are the trees planted in the ground or in containers?
- If the trees are in the ground, what type of soil do you have (for example, is it heavy clay or are you one of the lucky souls who have more loamy soil? If the trees are in containers, what type of soil mixture was used to fill the container?
- Is the area under the canopy of the trees mulched (which helps the soil retain moisture)?
- How have you been fertilizing the trees? (frequency, amount and type of fertilizer used)
- Does the foliage on the tree look healthy? Are the leaves green or are they yellowing? If the tree does not look healthy or you have yellowing leaves, it would help to have some photos of the trees. Take some close-up shots of the leaves but also, send us some photos taken further from the trees so that we can get a better sense of the environment and the overall look of the trees. In fact, even if the trees look healthy to you, it would be helpful for us to have photos.
- Any signs of insect damage? (for example, holes in the leaves, curled leaves, sticky substances on the leaves which could be honeydew from insects, ants crawling in the tree)
- Do the trees have flowers in the spring time? (A few varieties of citrus are just starting to show signs that blossoms will appear soon; other varieties won't bloom for a few more weeks. Some varieties may bloom at other seasonal times…. Editor's note: This response was originally written in late February)
- If the trees have bloomed in past years, have you observed any bees or other pollinizers visiting the blossoms? Are there many bees or just a few?
In addition to answering these questions, feel free to add any additional observations about the tree that you think could be relevant.
We hope that this information is helpful in getting your trees in shape to produce. If not, we encourage you to provide the additional information described above so that we can focus more precisely on your particular problems.
Help Desk of the UC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa County (tkl)
Note: The UC Master Gardeners Program of Contra Costa's Help Desk is available year-round to answer your gardening questions. Except for a few holidays, we're open every week, Monday through Thursday for walk-ins from 9:00 am to Noon at 75 Santa Barbara Road, 2d Floor, Pleasant Hill, CA 94523. We can also be reached via telephone: (925) 646-6586, email: ccmg@ucanr.edu, or on the web at http://ccmg.ucanr.edu/Ask_Us/ MGCC Blogs can be found at http://ccmg.ucanr.edu/HortCoCo/ You can also subscribe to the Blog (http://ucanr.edu/blogs/CCMGBlog/).
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