- 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
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
Welcome to my blog! I am Karey Windbiel-Rojas, Area Urban Integrated Pest Management Advisor for the University of California Cooperative Extension serving Sacramento, Yolo, and Solano counties.
I intend to use this blog to inform readers about local pest issues, pesticide safety information, as well as statewide pest-related topics that have local significance.
For information on various home, garden, turf, and landscape pests, please visit the UC Statewide IPM Program web site to find specific science-based pest management information.
Please visit my web page for local contact information and other...