- Author: Elinor Teague
The look of neighborhood yards has changed radically these last years. Landscape designs that feature highly-manicured, constantly trimmed, raked, and groomed lawns and planting beds are disappearing, by necessity. Traditional formal plantings (visualize rose beds inside boxwood hedges) are being replaced by drought and heat-tolerant California native and pollinator-friendly plants and trees better suited to our Central Valley climate and better able to survive extreme heat spikes as well as the high winds and heavy rainfall that come with atmospheric river 'bombs.'
Mulches are always recommended as covers for bare soil in the landscape for water conservation, soil temperature moderation and weed prevention, but the thinking on mulches is changing. Wood chip, straw and cedar shaving mulches are expensive and they release minor amounts of nutrients into the soil as they decompose. Leaf mulches from your own well-established trees or your neighbors' trees contain 50 to 80 percent of the nutrients the tree extracts from the air in a season.
The rapid composting method is one easy way to create leaf compost, but leaves that have not yet been composted can also be used as mulches. Leaves that fall from some deciduous large landscape trees (Japanese maples, liquid ambars, Chinese pistache) can actually be left intact to use as mulch underneath the trees. Lighter-weight leaves will break down fairly quickly during the fall and winter months.
Rake or spread the leaves to maintain an even depth of about two inches. Thicker layers of whole leaves can block water and oxygen as the leaves break down and become compacted. You can add more leaves as the leaf layer breaks down.
Leaves from evergreen broadleaf trees like Southern magnolia and California bay take longer to break down and should be shredded before being used as mulches. A three- to six-inch layer of shredded leaves is optimum underneath the trees' canopies.
Use a mulching mower to shred the leaves or a shredder. Shredders are now smaller, lighter and less expensive. The one-time cost of a shredder or mulching mower will soon recoup the repeated expense of buying mulches every planting season.
Shredded leaves can be used as a one-inch deep mulch layer on lawns. Spread the leaves thinly so that the grass blades show through. Add a two- to three-inch layer of shredded leaf mulch to cover your planting beds in winter, keeping the mulch a good four inches away from stems and trunks to prevent rot.
By spring the leaf mulch will have turned to nutrient-rich leaf mold that can be dug in as a soil amendment. Uncomposted leaf mulch will be host to many insects, insect eggs and pupae including butterflies, moths, spiders, ants and beetle species. Remember to leave some areas of bare unmulched soil in your garden to provide habitats for ground-nesting bees.
Leaves from trees that have had fungal problems (anthracnose, fireblight) or pest insect infestations (whiteflies, scale, aphids) should not be used as mulch. The wintertime decomposition process will not create enough heat to destroy fungal spores or pest insects and their eggs.
Sources:
www.familyhandyman.com/article/leaf-mulch
https://xerces.org/blog/midwinter-tasks-for-pollinator-gardening
- Prepared by: Judy Parker
Pick a bouquet of herbs in the early morning to retain flavor. Keep them in a vase and use them all week.
- Monitor soil moisture after rain and water if needed, especially for trees and shrubs.
- Renovate cool-season lawns – remove thatch and aerate.
- Hand pick snails and slugs in the early morning or use bait. Avoid baits that contain metaldehyde as they are toxic to all vertebrates.
- Monitor drainage after watering container plants to be sure plant roots are not standing
in water.
Pruning
- Sharpen your pruning tools in preparation for fall pruning.
Fertilizing
- Do not feed citrus and other frost-tender plants.
Planting
Fall planting continues
- Annuals: stock (Matthiola incan), forget-me-not (Myosotis), Iceland poppy (Papaver nudicaule), pansy, violet.
- Fruits and vegetable: Swiss chard, turnips, snow peas, plant from seed
- Perennials: Lupine (Lupinus), plant from seed.
- Trees, shrubs, vines: sago palm (Cycas), Ceanothus maritimus ‘Valley Violet', magnolia,
myrtle (Myrtus), flowering cherry (Prunus), oak (Quercus).
Enjoy now
- Annuals and perennials: dianthus, aster (fall-blooming), Mexican blue sage (Salvia
leucantha), pansy (Viola). - Bulbs, corms, tubers: spider lily (Lycoris), Sternbergia lutea.
- Trees, shrubs, vines: Texas ranger (Leucophyllum), sweet orange (Osmanthus), cape plumbago, snowberry (Symphoricarpos).
- Fruits and vegetables: apples, bok choy, cantaloupe, persimmon, snap peas, tomatoes.
- Fall color: goldenrain tree (Koelreuteria).
Things to ponder
- Use organic mulch around permanent plants, and add organic matter into soil to prepare beds for spring planting.
- Spray hedges and shrubs with water to clean and keep them free of dust to discourage spider mites.
- Author: Natali Johnson
- Author: Jeannette Warnert
With buy-in from her supervisors, support from the Clovis Friends of the Library, and help from library aide Angel Hernandez, a seed library was launched in March 2023 housed in a vintage card catalog cabinet in the foyer of the Clovis Library (1155 Fifth St., Clovis).
“Our seed library is pretty simple,” Johnson said. “We take donated seeds, package them into single-serving envelopes intended for small garden use, and then we let the public take what they want. We don't require a library card, there's no check-out, no due dates. The idea was to keep it simple and easy to use.”
Even with a second seed library at the West Fresno Library branch, 188 E. California Ave., the concept is ripe for duplication in mini libraries, churches, community centers and among groups of friends and neighbors.
The materials needed to start a seed library are minimal: seeds, packets or envelopes and a storage container. Other materials may include labels, a catalog and participation log sheet. Keep the cost low by reusing an old shoebox to store the seed packets or invest in a sorted storage cabinet.
What are the benefits of a seed library?
Variety and genetic diversity. Seed libraries promote the use of more types of plants, unusual varieties and greater genetic diversity than seeds found in commercial settings.
Lower cost. Seeds can be expensive. The seeds in a seed library are free.
Disease resistance. Compared to transplants, growing from seed reduces the risk of introducing diseases into your garden.
There are a variety of ways to harvest seeds, but it is important to always collect seeds from healthy plants and healthy produce. When choosing what to grow for seed saving, consider growing open-pollinated varieties. It is also important to note which plants self-pollinate and which cross-pollinate.
Let seeds mature on the plant before collecting. Clean and dry seeds, then store in a cool and dry environment. Label and date seed packets, keeping note of color, season, sun/shade preferences and other available growing information.
For detailed seed-saving instructions, see Seed saving: Connection to the past and a link to the future by Margaret O'Neill, UC Master Gardener coordinator for UC Cooperative Extension San Bernardino County.
The Clovis Library will host a Crop Swap from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 14, to give gardeners a chance to meet for trading seeds, sharing information and building community around a common interest.
“We're always on the lookout for opportunities to partner with other community organizations to bring new classes and programs to the library,” Johnson said.
Read more:
Saving seeds: Select, collect, store, sow, UC Master Gardeners in Marin County
Why Save Seeds?, UC Master Gardeners in Marin County
- Prepared by: Judy Parker
Enjoy the last flush of blooming roses along with the bounty of the fall harvest.
Tasks:
- Adjust watering systems as weather cools.
- Remove and dispose of any fruit and nuts that cling to the tree.
- Spray hedges and shrubs with water to clean and keep them free of dust to discourage spider mites.
- Water citrus being careful not to over water. Continuously wet soil risks root rot.
- Do not apply any treatments to pruning cuts or other wounds because these materials are ineffective and often are detrimental.
- Deadhead and shape rosebushes to promote a final fall bloom.
Fertilizing:
- Wait two weeks after planting new flowers and vegetables before feeding with organic or complete fertilizer.
- Add bulb fertilizer to planting hole before planting bulbs.
Planting:
This is the best time to plant shrubs and groundcovers.
- Groundcovers: Carpet bugle (Ajuga), Germander (Teucrium chamaedrys ‘Nanum').
- Perennials: Cyclamen, French tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus), cranesbill (Geranium).
- Fruits and vegetables: garlic, onion sets, lettuce, parsley. Before planting winter vegetables, turn a generous amount of compost into the vegetable bed.
- Trees, shrubs, vines: Acacia baileyana, strawberry tree (Arbutus ‘Marina'), hawthorn (Crataegus), sago palm (Cycas), desert willow (Chilopsis linearis).
- Annuals and perennials: vinca (Catharanthus), chrysanthemum, dianthus, coneflower (Echinacea), globe amaranth (Gomphrena).
- Bulbs, corms, tubers: dahlia.
- Trees, shrubs, vines: pineapple guava (Feijoa), morning glory (Ipomoea), crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia).
- Fruits and vegetables: almonds, lettuce, melon, nectarines, persimmon.
- Fall color: goldenrain tree (Koelreuteria), sweet gum (Liquidambar styraciflua).
Things to ponder:
- Do not replace vinca with pansies in the same bed due to a soil borne fungal root rot that affects these plants.
Source: Adapted from A Gardener's Companion for the Central San Joaquin Valley, 3rd edition, currently available from Fresno County Master Gardeners for $30. These can be purchased at our demonstration garden - Garden of the Sun (1750 N. Winery (McKinley/Winery), open Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9 am to Noon and via email at mgfresno@ucdavis.edu. Gardening questions answered as well at mgfresno@ucdavis.edu.
- Author: Jeannette Warnert
The opposite is true, according to UC Cooperative Extension Integrated Pest Management advisor Eric Middleton. The vast number of insects and other arthropods are either beneficial or neutral, he said. Middleton suggests putting away the pesticides and giving bugs the benefit of the doubt, in most cases.
To be sure, there are bugs that cause a lot of damage. The most common garden enemies in California are aphids, thrips, mealybugs, scales, spider mites and caterpillars.
Pests' natural enemies can dramatically reduce pest populations, while they do no harm to plants. Fungi, bacteria and other microbes can cause diseases that kills pests, but the beneficials you are most likely to see are insects. They work by eating or parasitizing pests.
“Natural enemies provide at least $13 billion in pest control services in U.S. agriculture,” Middleton said. They also offer untold benefits to gardens, yards and natural areas in California.
Predators and parasitoids help keep pests in check
Parasitoids live in close association with the pest host and end up killing it, often from the inside out. The most common parasitoids are tiny wasps, but parasitoids also include beetles and flies. These beneficials can be hard to identify because they spend so much of their lives inside the host. The most telling signs are mummified bodies of pests - small, hollow, hardened bumps attached to leaves.
“Parasitoids are very important for pest control,” Middleton said. “They are almost always more impactful than predators.”
Beneficial predator insects eat pests for food. Some are specialists and will only consume one type of pest, other are less picky.
Common specialists include the mealybug destroyer, black beetles that resemble their prey; spider mite destroyer, black beetles that voraciously feed on spider mites; and vedalia beetle, introduced from Australia to combat cottony cushion scale on citrus.
Lacewings are delicate, green generalist predators. They eat almost any type of living prey. Eggs can be spotted at the end of small stalks perched on leaves. Lacewing larvae look like small alligators with large sickle-shaped jaws. Some lacewing larvae are called trash bugs. The insects, which cover themselves with plant debris for protection, look like moving piles of garbage.
Syrphid flies are also important predators. Their larvae, very tiny green worms, feed on aphids, psyllids and other soft body insects. The adults look like small bees.
Other predator insects include big eyed bugs, minute pirate bugs, praying mantis, predatory thrips, ground beetles and soldier beetles. In addition, spiders of many types feed on larger and flying insects.
How to promote natural enemies?
Many types of predators can be purchased at home stores and garden centers, such as ladybeetles, lacewings, mites and minute pirate bugs. However, UC research has shown that their success in garden settings is mixed.
“You may need to frequently buy and release in order to control pests,” Middleton said. “If pests are a consistent problem, it's often better to improve conditions for natural enemies in your yard or garden.”
To make your garden or yard welcoming to natural enemies, reduce pesticide use. Most pesticides will also knock down natural enemies, even the organic options. If a treatment is necessary, use soaps, microbials, botanicals or oils.
Reduce mowing, tilling and removing debris.
“Stability is better for most natural enemies,” Middleton said. “Mowing and raking reduce habitat. Tilling can kill soil predators and predator larvae. Let your space be a little wild, the more wild, usually the better for natural enemies.”
Biodiversity also boosts natural enemy numbers. Flowers in particular are very important.
“Have a mixture of perennials and annuals, a range of 10 or 15 different species,” Middleton said. “It's good to have native flowers in the mix. They're better adapted to your area.”
For more information about beneficial insects, see the natural enemies gallery on the UC IPM website: https://ipm.ucanr.edu/natural-enemies/
Download a natural enemies poster from UC IPM here: https://ipm.ucanr.edu/IPMPROJECT/ADS/poster_naturalenemies.html
