- Author: Janet Hartin
Congratulations to our 52 San Bernardino County University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) Master Gardener graduates from all corners of the county! Please help Master Gardener Coordinator Maggie O'Neill, previously certified Master Gardeners and myself welcome these new volunteers who completed their 18-week training course and graduated on February 18, 2020 in Loma Linda.
What does it take to become a UCCE Master Gardener? Dedication, passion, a strong desire to help local residents and communities garden more sustainably. Each graduate completed an 18-week training session with weekly classes on sustainable landscaping, growing vegetables and fruits in home, school, and community gardens, pest management, and building healthy communities. Course requirements included passing a midterm and final exam and presenting a class (project to peers in a group setting. Most importantly of all, graduates each made a pledge to volunteer at least 50 hours of their own time over a one year period to help residents of San Bernardino County garden smarter.
Thanks to the continued dedication of over 150 previously trained Master Gardeners, San Bernardino County now has the talents of over 200 knowledgeable Master Gardener volunteer who you will very likely meet at local events and activities from Chino Hills to Yucaipa as well as in desert and mountain communities alone or in partnership with over 75 collaborating agencies, cities, schools, and county departments.
Since a picture can paint 1,000 words, we hope you enjoy living vicariously through a few graduation photos! Fiends and family members alike enjoyed an evening of celebration in honor of their Superstars who they are rightfully very proud of!
Thank you to each and every one of our new graduates! You helped UC Cooperative Extension in San Bernardino County reach over 30,000 county residents each year garden more sustainably through public workshops and classes, information booths,Farmers Markets, telephone and email helplines, develop school and community gardens, and many other activities throughout San Bernardino County communities.
Are you interested in becoming a UCCE Master Gardener? The next 18-week class will be held at the Chino Basin Water Conservation District in Montclair on Saturday mornings starting in late Spring 2020. Please contact Master Gardener Coordinator Maggie O'Neill at magoneill@ucanr.edu for a link to the online application. Residents of San Bernardino County over the age of 18 are eligible to apply. No formal college degree is required. However, Department of Justice background clearance is required by the University of California prior to participating in any volunteer activities.
Congratulations graduates!
- Author: Janet Hartin
The Goldspotted Oak Borer (GSOB) (Agrilus auroguttatus) continues to kill native oaks in several areas of Southern California. Susceptible oaks include coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia), canyon live oak (Q. chrysolepis), and California black oak (Q. kelloggii). In many cases, GSOB has damaged or killed mature oaks valued for their beauty, wildlife habitat, and shade. Areas with large numbers of native oaks are particularly at risk. Unfortunately, oaks that are injured over several years from multiple generations of the GSOB often die.
Although GSOB was first identified in San Diego County in 2004 it wasn't until 2008 that oak deaths were linked directly to GSOB. By 2010, GSOB killed over 20,000 oak trees growing in forests, parks, and urban areas in San Diego County. Later infestations occurred in Idlyllwild (2012), Orange County (2014), and Los Angeles County (2015). The three most recent outbreaks have all occurred in San Bernardino County. The first occurred in Oak Glen in 2018 followed by infestations in California black oaks in the Sugarloaf area of Big Bear in August 2019 and in Wrightwood in early November 2019.
The GSOB is native to southeastern Arizona where it is not destructive to otherwise healthy native oaks. This may be due to natural enemies and/or resistant oak species that have co-evolved with GSOB. Damage. Damage occurs from larval feeding on the vascular (water and nutrient conducting tissues) system inside trunks and branches. Infested trees have black stained bark and may ooze sap underneath red bark blisters. Adult beetles leave a distinctive D-shaped exit hole.
Damage from GSOB adults feeding on leaves is not a major concern. Insect Identification. GSOB larvae are about 0.8 inches long, white and legless with two pincher-like spines on the end of their abdomen. Adult GSOB are smaller (about 0.4 inch long) and are mostly black with six gold spots on their forewings. Soft-bodied pupae resemble adults in size and shape and are found in the outer bark from late spring to early summer.
Prevention is important since there are no known control methods once trees become infested with GSOB. Keeping infected firewood onsite is the most effective way to stop its spread. Wood should never be moved offsite since this is the major method by which GSOB is spread. No known natural enemies have been identified and insecticides are not generally effective. Monitoring susceptible trees species and identifying and reporting new infestations early are both important.
If you believe there is an infested oak on your property please submit photos of the entire tree, a close up of a leaf (to confirm the species), and a close up of the surface of the bark on the main trunk. If possible, include a photo of an unsharpened #2 pencil tip next to any visible exit holes since are both around .15 inches wide. https://ucanr.edu/sites/gsobinfo/Help_Monitor/Report_Goldspotted_Oak_Borer_Symptoms/ A team of scientists from UC, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, CALFIRE and the U.S. Forest Service and other agencies are working collaboratively to reduce the devastation from this insect and identify effective biological control agents.
- Author: Janet Hartin
With only a few short weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas and two very similarly looking plants, you may be wondering whether the gift a loved one gave you for Christmas is a Thanksgiving cactus or a Christmas cactus. (Many sold in local nurseries and large box stores this past Christmas season were actually Thanksgiving cactus, pictured below). While both are native to tropical regions of Brazil, host a wide array of flowers ranging from the more traditional pink hues to newer hybrids showing off white, red, yellow, and purple, they have different bloom periods. The Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera bridgesii), blooms about a month after the Thanksgiving cactus (S. truncata). The Christmas cactus also has slightly different projections on its leaves, which are more scalloped and less pointed that the projections on the Thanksgiving cactus.
Is yours still not in flower and not in the holiday spirit? Both species require cool temperatures and longer nights for about a month in advance of their flowering period. Both plants bloom optimally when grown outdoors when cool night temperatures dip`into the 50s and shorter nights reduce daytime light to 10 -12 hours in a 24 hour cycle. They can also be grown indoors in pots if kept in a cool dark area with no light between 5 pm and 8 am. During daytime, they prefer bright, indirect light. Full sun can cause the leaf segments to turn dark red.
Both species require good drainage but, even though they are in the cactus family don't let this fool you! They need adequate moisture - particularly during boom- and cannot make it through long, dry periods without supplemental water. Unlike most houseplants, they prefer to feel snug in their pots, almost to the point of enjoying being slightly pot-bound.
Cheers!
Janet
- Author: Janet Hartin
The University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners of San Bernardino County, along with our other UCCE programs (4-H, Master Food Preserver, and EFNEP), hosted an 'Open House' to ring in some holiday cheer! The fun (and delectable) event was attended by staff from neighboring San Bernardino County offices and a fun time was had by all.
Best wishes for a safe and joyful holiday season! Check our calendar for free half-day classes filled with great pointers on growing and preserving food in home, school, and community gardens and selecting and caring for beautiful, environmentally friendly landscape plants coming up in January! https://mgsb.ucanr.edu
- Author: Janet Hartin
The University of California Cooperative Extension San Bernardino County Master Gardener program is now accepting applications for the October 1, 2019 - February 18, 2020 Master Gardener class on Tuesday evenings in Redlands. (There are no classes on Dec. 25 and Dec. 31.)
The class provides 50 hours of training on sustainable landscaping and growing food in home, backyard, and community gardens and is taught by University of California experts and knowledgeable practitioners. Master Gardeners come from all walks of life and no college degree is required. What successful applicants have in common is a passion for sharing knowledge gained from the training class with residents of San Bernardino County. Accepted applicants agree to volunteer a minimum of 50 hours by June 30, 2021 via one or more outreach methods: answering email and phone helpline questions; making presentations at workshops and community events; staffing information booths at Farmers Markets and other non-profit events; writing blogs and promoting the program via social media; working with communities and schools to develop gardens; and working with Healthy Communities throughout San Bernardino County to encourage outdoor exercise and activities. Accepted applicants must pass two open-book exams, present a group class project, and pass a background check (approximately $30). The class fee (includes training materials) is $175. Visit our UCCE Master Gardener website for more information and to complete an online application: UCCE San Bernardino County Master Gardener Website. Applications must be received through the online system by or on August 31, 2019 to be considered.
There is a hybrid partially online option for residents of the high desert and mountains. Simply select this option on the application if this pertains to you. All costs and requirements remain the same as for in-class students.
Questions? Contact UCCE Master Gardener Coordinator Maggie O'Neill at magoneill@ucanr.edu
We hope to hear from you!
MG SB Application 2020 Redlands