- Author: Karey Windbiel-Rojas
Soil solarization is a method home gardeners and farmers can use to manage soilborne pests such as weeds, disease pathogens, nematodes and insects. Solarization can reduce help reduce pesticides used to control these pests.
Soil solarization is simple: prepare the site, water it a bit, then cover the soil with clear plastic for an extended period of time to allow the sun to heat the soil to temperatures lethal to a wide range of pests.
Learn more about this process in our recently updated Pest Notes: Soil Solarization for Gardens & Landscapes, by authors Jim Stapleton, Cheryl Wilen, and Richard Molinar of the University of California Cooperative...
- Author: Karey Windbiel-Rojas
Controlling weeds can be challenging, but UC IPM provides many resources to help home gardeners and landscape professionals.
The newly revised publication Pest Notes: Weed Management in Landscapes by Area IPM Advisor Cheryl Wilen, presents an integrated approach to weed management to help ensure weed control efforts are effective, environmentally-sound and economical. This science-based publication includes information on methods such as pre-planting considerations, the importance of weed identification, nonchemical practices such as using mulches and barriers, weed management recommendations in different types of...
- Author: Karey Windbiel-Rojas
![California burclover. [Credit: Jack Kelly Clark]](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/CCUrbanPests/blogfiles/50079small.jpg)
Weeds can be a real nuisance in gardens and landscapes, and even during the colder winter months, some kinds of weeds continue to grow and thrive. These are called winter annual weeds.
Most weeds are classified as annuals, biennials, or perennials. Annuals complete their life cycle (germinate from seed, grow, flower, set seed, and die) in one year or less, biennials generally complete their life cycle in 2 years, and perennials live longer than 2 years.
Examples of winter annual weeds include chickweed, little mallow, and annual bluegrass. They germinate and actively grow during fall and winter, then produce seed and die by the hot summer months.
If allowed to set seed, annual winter weeds can continue to grow...
- Author: Karey Windbiel-Rojas
![Dandelion mature plant. [Credit: G and B Corsi]](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/CCUrbanPests/blogfiles/49908small.jpg)
We've had some rain in our area lately so you are probably seeing some weeds starting to grow in your garden or lawn. Among the few new weeds poking out in my landscape is dandelion, my husband's least favorite weed on Earth.
Hopefully you are aware of UC IPM's YouTube video series, but if not, we have a few dozen short videos cover pest topics such as catching a spider, trapping snails and slugs, and how to remove dandelions.
The "How to Remove Dandelions" talks about different nonchemical tools you can use to pull out unwanted weeds and discusses the importance of getting as much of that tap root as possible.
