Advice for the Home Gardener from the Help Desk of the
UC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa County
Dear Help Desk: I'm writing to try to figure out the best approach to “fixing” our front yard: 4 years ago we pulled up the lawn and laid down weed block and put redwood chips on top. The weeds still spring up, and this year has been particularly bad. The wood chip “lawn” has essentially been overtaken by weeds. We'd like to retain the wood chip “lawn” in this part of the yard. Do you have suggestions for a fix? Should we just pull up the weeds and add 6” more wood chips as has been suggested by a friend?
1) Removing all the weeds currently growing. This ideally would be done by hand weeding, but you may also consider the use of herbicides. Which herbicide would work best is going to depend on the specific weed. If you need help identifying specific weeds, you can use the link below and we can provide help as well.
2) You may then want to water the area, wait for the weeds to germinate and then remove them while they are small. Doing this repeatedly a few times will greatly reduce your weed population long term.
3) Once you have adequately prepared your site, you will want to install a weed barrier. Ideally you want to use something organic that will decay such as cardboard or burlap. However, you may also try landscape cloth again.
4) After applying your weed barrier you will want to cover the barrier with 1-5 inches of mulch. The amount of mulch needed depends on which barrier you select. Landscape fabric requires less mulch than organic barriers.
5) This will not prevent all weeds and will need ongoing management. You will want to continue to remove weeds as early as possible, ideally by hand weeding. As your mulch breaks down, it also creates an organic layer that is very amenable to weed growth. The mulch layer does need to be periodically refreshed.
The following references may be helpful as you revitalize your front yard. It is certainly understandable that you want just mulch and no plants in your front yard, but it may be worth considering that putting desired plants into your yard will also help decrease weeds by competing for resources (sun, water, nutrients). Once you have eliminated these weeds, you may want to consider putting in some succulents or low-water native plants which may reduce the maintenance you need to do long-term.
http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7441.html
http://sacmg.ucanr.edu/files/163135.pdf
http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/weeds_intro.html
Best of luck with your lawn and let us know if we can help further.
Help Desk of the UC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa County (SES)
Don't miss our 2019 Great Tomato Plant Sale - Antioch 4/13. Click here for more information>>: http://ccmg.ucanr.edu/tomato/ |
Note: UC Master Gardeners Program of Contra Costa's Help Desk is available almost year-round to answer your gardening questions. Except for a few holidays (e.g., last 2 weeks December), we're open every week, Monday through Thursday for walk-ins from 9:00 am to Noon at 2380 Bisso Lane, Concord, CA 94520. We can also be reached via telephone: (925) 608-6683, 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.
/table>Advice for the Home Gardener from the Help Desk of the
UC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa County
UC does not have any recommendations for the home gardener to deal with this. It will likely not damage the tree, but the lemons can look pretty bad and will not keep well. The infection does not penetrate beyond the rind. As you've seen, the inside of the lemon is still good.
The best advice is to remove all the fruit once the weather has dried and to remove and dispose (i.e., green can) of any fallen leaves and fruit from around the tree. This is to remove as much of the fungal material as you can. The spores were probably on the ground and were splashed up into the tree when it rained. Add fresh mulch in that area which will help to cover up existing spores. Do this after the weather becomes dry (be sure to leave the trunk area clear of mulch by 4”). You can also thin out some of the canopy to let in more light and air, but don't prune while it is wet. Dispose of the tree pruning into the green can too. With the recommended effort hopefully, you can stop this pest and have lemons next year.
Please don't hesitate to contact us again if you have more questions.
Help Desk of the UC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa County (SEH)
Don't miss our 2019 Great Tomato Plant Sale - Walnut Creek 3/30, Richmond 4/6, Antioch 4/13. Click here for more information:http://ccmg.ucanr.edu/tomato/ |
Note: UC Master Gardeners Program of Contra Costa's Help Desk is available almost year-round to answer your gardening questions. Except for a few holidays (e.g., last 2 weeks December), we're open every week, Monday through Thursday for walk-ins from 9:00 am to Noon at 2380 Bisso Lane, Concord, CA 94520. We can also be reached via telephone: (925) 608-6683, 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.
/table>Advice for the Home Gardener from the Help Desk of the
UC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa County
Client's Requests: I have these pests on EVERYTHING from my tomato plants to my Rose bushes & flowers to my Lambs Ear plant! I'm certain the green worms are eating these because I've seen them on the leaf undersides. However, I'm not certain if the beetles are eating as well. I have an infestation of both pests every year along with White Flies & Aphids!! 😬 We've sprayed with ALL the common treatments from Neem Oil to calling the pest control man. They continue to come back and destroy nearly every flower, or plant I have. Any thoughts??? Thank you, Very frustrated!
Help Desk Response: Thank you for contacting the UC Master Gardener Program Help Desk. You asked about insects in your yard. There aren't insects named green horned worm or red boxed beetles, but you probably mean the tomato hornworm (a green worm with a pointy "horn" on its rear) and possibly the box elder bug or the red-shouldered bug.
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The insect you refer to as red boxed beetles could be either box elder bugs or red-shouldered bugs, also known as golden rain tree or soapberry bugs. Neither of these bugs does much damage to ornamental or fruit trees. You might be seeing the red-shouldered bugs right now. They are out in numbers in my yard. They eat the seeds of the golden rain tree or other related plants, but nothing else. Both of these bugs are more of a nuisance than a pest that needs to be controlled. Here is more information about box elder bugs: http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74114.html.
You also mentioned problems with aphids and whiteflies which are very common pests throughout the County. The links below are to more information about both of these pests: http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7404.html and http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7401.html.
It is important to identify the pest before spraying. There are some pests that are controlled by natural predators that won't become more prevalent if the predators are indiscriminately killed by sprays. It is easier to deal with problems when they are caught early. As you notice something amiss, either damage from insects or disease, feel free to contact us. Photos of the problem/pest will help us diagnose it and enable us to send you information on what to do.
Please don't hesitate to contact us again if you have more questions.
Don't miss our 2019 Great Tomato Plant Sale - Walnut Creek 3/30, Richmond 4/6, Antioch 4/13. Click here for more information:http://ccmg.ucanr.edu/tomato/ |
Help Desk of the UC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa County (SEH)
Note: UC Master Gardeners Program of Contra Costa's Help Desk is available almost year-round to answer your gardening questions. Except for a few holidays (e.g., last 2 weeks December), we're open every week, Monday through Thursday for walk-ins from 9:00 am to Noon at 2380 Bisso Lane, Concord, CA 94520. We can also be reached via telephone: (925) 608-6683, 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.
/table>Advice for the Home Gardener from the Help Desk of the
UC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa County
Help Desk Response: As I said in our conversation today, your insect is not a bed bug, but rather a mite of some kind. From its appearance, I believe it is a rat mite. There are also bird mites that can invade homes and bite people, but its appearance is closer to the rat mite.
These mites need rodents to survive, but will come into homes when their preferred hosts die or decrease in number. They cannot survive for too long without their hosts, even though they feed on humans. If there is a large population of rodents (rats or mice) in your attic or crawlspace, you might see a continued presence of these mites.
Here is a link to information from Contra Costa Vector Control District: https://www.contracostamosquito.com/mites.htm and from
Alameda County Vector Control about biting mites:
http://acvcsd.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Mites.pdf.
I didn't ask if you had rodent problems in your home, but I would be surprised if you did not (rat infestations are very common in our area). These links below are to information about controlling rats and mice: http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74106.html;
http://ipm.ucanr.edu/QT/housemousecard.html.
More information can also be found on the Vector Control districts.
I hope this information is helpful and you're able to get rid of these pesky biting creatures. Please let us know if you have more questions.
Help Desk of the UC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa County (SEH)
Note: UC Master Gardeners Program of Contra Costa's Help Desk is available almost year-round to answer your gardening questions. Except for a few holidays (e.g., last 2 weeks December), we're open every week, Monday through Thursday for walk-ins from 9:00 am to Noon at 2380 Bisso Lane, Concord, CA 94520. We can also be reached via telephone: (925) 608-6683, 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.
Advice for the Home Gardener from the Help Desk of the
UC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa County
Help Desk Response: Thank you for contacting the UC Master Gardener Program Help Desk and for sending those good photos of the little white things on your soil. As I said in our conversation earlier today, they look like a type of slime mold and are not harmful to your garden. They eat bacteria and fungal spores, as well as organic debris and are not harmful to your garden They come in a wide variety of colors, shapes and sizes.
Slime molds are pretty interesting organisms. They start out as individual cells and join together into a moving, sometimes pulsating mass. I found a couple of articles and videos about slime molds you might find of interest:
From KQED Science: https://www.kqed.org/science/635319/this-pulsating-slime-mold-comes-in-peace
From Bay Nature magazine: https://baynature.org/article/ask-naturalist-mysterious-tiny-eggs/
Happy gardening! Please let us know if you have further questions.
Don't miss our 2019 Great Tomato Plant Sale - Walnut Creek 3/30, Richmond 4/6, Antioch 4/13. Click link for more info: http://ccmg.ucanr.edu/tomato/ |
Help Desk of the UC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa County (SEH)
Note: UC Master Gardeners Program of Contra Costa's Help Desk is available almost year-round to answer your gardening questions. Except for a few holidays (e.g., last 2 weeks December), we're open every week, Monday through Thursday for walk-ins from 9:00 am to Noon at 2380 Bisso Lane, Concord, CA 94520. We can also be reached via telephone: (925) 608-6683, 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.
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