Did you know that many landscape problems are not caused by either diseases or insects? In the majority of cases the culprits are poorly drained soils, irrigation issues, trees in too tight of quarters or improperly pruned, and other non-living (abiotic) maladies. The good news is that most of these issues can be prevented. Follow these suggestions to steer clear of common abiotic problems in your landscape. Following these suggestions will also help your plants stay healthy and better able to fend off insects and diseases they would otherwise be vulnerable to.

Select plants that grow well in your climate zone. Choosing the right plant for the right place is a sure way to green up your thumb and keep your plants healthy and attractive. The Sunset climate zone map is a great resource for finding out what climate zone you are in. These zones are more accurate for most areas of California than USDA plant hardiness zones since they are smaller and take into account more relevant factors than do the USDA hardiness zones. An exception are mountain communities in which case either resource works equally well. Click here to find your Sunset climate zone https://www.sunsetwesterngardencollection.com/climate-zones and here to locate your USDA plant hardiness zone: https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/.

Select plants that will grow well under various ‘microclimates' around your home. Microclimates are smaller areas within your larger climate zone that further determine the suitability of a plant for a specific spot. Typical microclimates are sunny or shady areas, sections of your yard that get splashed by chlorinated water from a pool or spa, narrow strips in side yards that are too small for a large-growing tree, and poorly drained soil with not enough air to support plant growth. While all plants need adequate space, trees need the most. While a beautiful shade tree like a ornamental fig, magnolia, or rosewood might be tempting, they all need about 3,000 cubic feet of space underground and 50 feet or more above ground clearance at maturity. Otherwise roots can buckle sidewalks and driveways and branches can interfere with utility lines. There are many smaller-maturing trees such as acacia, mesquite, crape myrtle, and dozens of other species that won't cause these problems and are good choices for smaller areas.

Be sure to do adequate research on the expected size of a tree you're interested in before making a purchase. Care tags, UC Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners, and nursery and garden center personnel are all good sources of help to match a plant's requirements regarding space, sun, and shade and their tolerance to salt spray, problem soils and other restrictions with conditions in your own yard. Three excellent searchable plant databases for finding suitable plants for your climate zone and microclimate conditions are: Urban Forest Ecosystems Institutes (https://selectree.calpoly.edu/); California Native Plant Society (https://calflora.org/); and UC's California Center for Urban Horticulture Water Use Classification of Landscape Species (WUCOLS) (https://ccuh.ucdavis.edu/wucols-iv).

Apply the right amount of water at the right time. Many newly transplanted landscape trees, shrubs, and flowers die from the soil drying out too much between waterings. Their root systems are small and need to be kept moist for the first few weeks in their new home (or a full season for a tree). This holds true for drought-tolerant species as well as those that require more water. Once plants become well-rooted they should be watered less often but for longer periods of time. Water slightly below their current root system to encourage downward growth. This practice is especially important for trees since it promotes deeper roots better able to support and stabilize above-ground growth.

Since tree roots spread outward as well as downward, water should be applied beyond the dripline of the tree as well. Some soils never fully drain leading to low oxygen levels than hamper tree growth and can eventually kill the plant. To test for adequate drainage before planting a tree, dig a hole at least one foot deep and one foot wide and fill it with water. If it doesn't drain in one day or less a tree should not be planted at that site.

Hydrozone (place plants with similar water needs together). If your landscape is irrigated on an automated system, you can save water and reduce your water bill by grouping plants according to their water need. Divide your landscape into very low, low and medium water use hydrozones at the design stage and remember to replace any dead plants with new ones requiring a similar amount of water. This allows you to fine tune how often and how long to water each zone. Hydrozoning also helps you stay within a medium or even low water tier even if you have designated high water use areas for vegetables and fruits that generally require higher amounts of water than most landscape plants.

Prevent soil compaction and poor drainage. Avoid adding soil amendments to tree planting holes. Trees need adequate underground support as they grow upward and become heavier. Trees in either too small of planting hole or in holes where compost or other organic soil amendments have been added may grow in circles around the hole, never venturing outward beyond the constraints of the hole. Trees may eventually topple, causing injury to people and nearby structures. Instead, dig a hole at least twice the width of the container and at the same depth the tree you will be transplanting came in, remove the soil, gently plant the tree, tamping the original soil around the plant. Remember to water the newly planted tree in well and keep the rootzone moist the first season as discussed above.

Add soil amendments (including compost) to soil before planting small ornamental plants and edibles. They add valuable organic matter to the soil, improving aeration and drainage in heavy clay soils and water-holding capacity in sandier soils. Compost also adds valuable microbes that break down the organic matter improving overall soil health. Mix enough soil amendments into the soil so that the final volume contains about 40% soil amendments and 60% original soil. Make sure that the soil amendment is mixed into the soil evenly and completely.   Do not add soil amendments to tree-planting holes to avoid circling roots.

Correct high pH (alkaline) soils. Southern California soils tend to be alkaline, with average pH ranges from 7.1 – 7.6. (Most plants prefer a neutral pH of 7.) Highly alkaline soils often tie up nutrients necessary for plant growth - such as iron, zinc, and manganese – making them unavailable to the plant. Once the pH is reduced, the problem is often resolved. 

Avoid salt damage. Damage due to too much fertilizer or water high in certain salts (such as chlorinated swimming pool water) can cause brown leaf margins and leaves that look scorched. Over time, the damage gets worse and sensitive plants may die. One way to reduce the chance of too many salts building up in your soil is to not over-fertilize. For instance, woody trees and shrubs do not need to be fertilized at planting time and older trees may get all the nutrients they need from fertilizer applied to neighboring lawns and plants. .If symptoms of nitrogen deficiency (yellow newer leaves) do appear, apply no more than .25 lb/actual nitrogen per inch of trunk circumference. Leaching salts out of saline soils (applying water over what may be a few hours very slowly so it can drain salt build-up below the roots) may be necessary to avoid damage to your plants.

Take Care of Your Trees. Trees are likely the most highly valued plants in your landscape. They provide shade, reduce temperatures in hot urban heat islands, add beauty, and even help clean the environment by storing carbon dioxide. Prune trees correctly.

Don't top trees! Topping a tree is the process of giving a tree a virtual crewcut by making one or more horizontal cuts across the top of the tree (add photo) to shorten it. Why is topping trees harmful? Topping trees results in unstable, unsafe, and unattractive trees. It also reduces the ability for trees to reduce high temperatures and provide adequate shade in urban heat islands, sequester (store) carbon produced by fossil fuels, and provide wildlife habitat. In some cases, trees are topped because a tall tree that should not have been selected in the first place is growing into utility lines. In other cases, topping occurs due to a lack of knowledge about the dangers of topping and/or simply wanting to save money by going with the lowest bid. In all cases, topping should be avoided. The combination of improper balance and weak, poor-quality growth following topping creates a much higher likelihood of personal injury and property damage than occurs from properly pruned trees.

Trees should be properly thinned and pruned rather than topped. Proper pruning involves maintaining the natural integrity and balance of the tree. (For detailed information on proper pruning visit the International Society of Arboriculture's (ISA) consumer website: www.treesaregood.org). Contact a Certified Arborist (https://www.isa-arbor.com/Credentials.) who is trained in tree health and care if you are in doubt about caring for your landscape trees. S/he will determine the proper pruning and thinning procedures and otherwise assess the overall health of your tree.

Prevent Circled and Kinked Tree Roots. Circled, kinked tree roots can lead to stressed trees that drop limbs or topple, causing injury to people and structures. They occur when trees are left too long in containers, are planted in too small of a planting hole, or when the planting hole is filled with organic matter such as compost. In the latter case, roots will often prefer the higher quality compost to the surrounding native soil and never grow beyond its bounds. In some cases, one or more condition exists. To avoid these problems, make sure roots are not overgrown at the time of purchase and do not add soil amendments to the planting hole.

Avoid Mechanical Injury to Tree Trunks. Remove staking ties before they cut off the flow of water and nutrients in the vascular system of the trunk. If the tree will not support itself due to high winds, loosen the ties and move outward any stakes that may rub the trunk as the tree grows. Add mulch around trees (but avoid contact with trunks) to prevent damage from mowers and weed trimmers. (Mulch also reduces soil evaporation and weed seed germination).

Avoid Soil Grade Changes. Grade changes from construction activities should be kept several yards from trees. Even small changes in the depth of the soil can result in serious root system injury. As little as four to six inches of soil applied on top of the root zone of a mature tree can dramatically reduce the amount of oxygen available to roots and can kill a tree over time. Lowering the grade can cause lower trunk and root injury and reduce the nutrient and moisture supply to the roots.

Landscape trees provide shade, reduce interior energy use and related costs, and beautify our communities. They also help clean our environment by absorbing carbon dioxide emitted by vehicles and other producers of fossil fuels. Taking care of your trees is an important way to maximize these benefits.

Here are some ways you can help ensure a healthy tomorrow:

• Remove any tree ties that are cutting into the trunk or branches of your trees. If trees must be staked due to windy conditions, make sure that the ties are loose enough to allow trees to gently flex in the wind. This helps trees develop the necessary lower trunk strength and stability to support the tree as it matures. Over time, you may be able to completely remove the ties and stakes once the lower trunk becomes stronger and self-supporting.

• Keep all plants and mulch several inches away from tree trunks.

• Keep tree trunks dry. They should not come into contact with water from sprinklers or hoses.

• Water mature trees infrequently and deeply. Watering too often reduces the level of oxygen in the rootzone and can lead to waterlogged soils prone to crown and root rots. During fall, trees require only about 15% of the water they required in the summer.

• Prune trees only as needed and avoid topping them. Invest in the services of a credentialed and knowledgeable professional to correctly care for your valued trees. Find a list of International Society of Arboriculture Certified Arborists in your area here: https://www.treesaregood.org/findanarborist

• Identify and correct problems due to diseases, insects, or non-living (abiotic) disorders early. Most of the time, these problems are due to poor drainage or other soil/water management issues rather than pests. Here is a lengthier article with additional photos I recently wrote for Parks and Recreation Business Magazine:

https://www.parksandrecbusiness.com/articles/2019/9/whats-wrong-with-my-trees Do you want to plant a new tree? Make sure you have adequate space. Large growing shade trees require up to 3,000 cubic feet of underground space and should not be planted under power lines. Smaller drought resistant trees that are better choices under these conditions include some cultivars of acacia, palo verde, redbud, and toyon.

For a more complete list of trees that best fit your individual situation consult one of the following free searchable plant selection databases.

- SelecTree: http://selectree.calpoly.edu. This searchable database is maintained by the Urban Forest Ecosystems Institute at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Users may search multiple criteria to select trees based on climate zone, ultimate height and width, above and below ground space requirements, root damage potential, water requirement, flower characteristics, disease, insect susceptibility, and other criteria.

- Water Use Classification of Landscape Species: https://ucanr.edu/sites/WUCOLS/Plant_Search/ This searchable database is maintained by UC ANR and classifies over 3,500 woody and herbaceous landscape plants into very low, low, medium, and high water-use categories based on the observations of regional committees consisting of knowledgeable horticulturist combined with research-based data when available.

- CalScape: https://calscape.org/. This searchable database is maintained by the California Native Plant Society and contains thousands of woody and herbaceous plants listed by city and other criteria such as plant type, flower color and season, water use, ease of care, use, and nursery availability.

For additional assistance with your landscape questions, contact:

UCCE Master Gardener volunteers in your county: http://mg.ucanr.edu/FindUs/

Local nurseries and garden centers in your area: https://plant.cdfa.ca.gov/nurserylicense/nlscanp.asp

I'd like to extend a warm welcome to the 56 newly accepted trainees in our UC Cooperative Extension San Bernardino County Master Gardener class that starts Tuesday, October 1st in Loma Linda.  We are excited to meet and greet those of you taking the class in person as well as our online desert and mountain students. The first evening we will go over the syllabus outlining the subject matter we'll be covering over the next 18 weeks, distribute training materials, and discuss expectations.  Our team is here to help you navigate the volunteer management system (VMS), become familiar with events and activities current Master Gardeners are involved in, and - most of all - to help guide you and to address questions and any concerns you have along the way. 

Thank you for choosing to become a UC Master Gardener volunteer. We look forward to helping you help your community  save water and reduce the impacts of urban heat islands through the incorporation of drought-resistant sustainable landscaping; enhance food security and health by expanding home, school, and community food gardens; and enhance the health, well-being and sense of community by promoting an appreciation of nature and outdoor activities.        

I also want to assure you that both the midterm and final exam are intended to help you help the public, not memorize endless facts and figures with little practical value.  Therefore both exams are open book, open notes.  Our main goal educationally during the class is to familiarize you with credible UC ANR resources to enable you to provide accurate information to the public.  Topics include the selection and care of fruits, vegetables, and landscape plants; integrated pest management stressing prevention; soil/water relations and irrigation to maximize plant health and minimize water waste; sustainable food systems; plant propagation; prevention and control of weeds and invasive plants; helping mitigate the impacts of climate-change with well placed trees; and more.      

Main contacts for the UCCE Master Gardener Program of San Bernardino County:

Master Gardener Coordinator:  Maggie O'Neill (magoneill@ucanr.edu)

Office/Promotion Manager:  Robin Rowe (rjrowe@ucanr.edu)

See you Tuesday!

Janet

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Janet Hartin,  UCCE Area Environmental Horticulture Advisor (San Bernardino, Riverside and Los Angeles Counties), Master Gardener Manager (San Bernardino and Riverside Counties), UCCE County Co-Director (San Bernardino County)

European Flower Boxes Provide Beauty and a Welcoming Ambiance. Many European countries pride themselves on colorful displays of geraniums, ivy, and other flowers adorning window planters of hotels, restaurants, and even train stations. I had always marveled at their use, particularly by Austrians and Germans whose love of these colorful planters seems equal to their affinity for weiner schnitzel. What a surprise to find them plentiful in Ireland, as well! As I strolled through picturesque cities in both Ireland and Northern Ireland the last few days, I noted the great care that both shopkeepers and plant care companies exercise in tending these lovely and delicate works of art. I walked by the same restaurant one morning and again in the late afternoon to find the same two horticulturists tediously fussing over a dozen or so planters sporting bright hues of blues, yellows, and reds with over twelve varieties of annuals. With plentiful natural rainfall, most are not on irrigation systems which reduces maintenance costs and time. I asked ‘Carol' (one of the crew) what she liked most about her job and she quickly answered “seeing smiles on so many faces from just seeing the flowers”. Well said! I hope these photos help brighten your day as well.

Forget the ‘Boom Box': Here's How to Create your Own ‘Bloom Box'.

1. Select a location where you can truly enjoy the fruits of your labor.

2. Select a box that has drainage holes and line wooden boxes with plastic (punch holes to match drainage holes) to prevent chemical leakage from certain types of wood.

3. Draw a rough sketch of what you hope your final box will resemble once mature.

4. Select annuals that won't outgrow the space and that tolerate the sunny or shady microclimate and that require similar amounts of water (eases hand-watering).

5. Select plants with a wide array of colors and forms. Adding trailing varieties with upright plants enhances the beauty and adds interest.

6. Fill the planter box half-way with loose garden soil or compost. An alternative is to use potting soil. Avoid heavy soils with poor drainage. Moisten the soil until it resembles a well rung-out sponge.

7. Take one last look before you plant by carefully setting your plants on top of the soil. Consider the final size of the mature plants to avoid overplanting.

8. Once you're satisfied with your design, plant your selections at the same depth they were in their pots, gently tamping the soil around them for support.

9. Thoroughly water in the plants, making sure water drains through the holes.

10. Water as often as needed the first few weeks after planting since container boxes dry out faster than garden plants. The frequency of irrigation can decrease as plants mature.

11. Hand-weed and apply fertilizer as needed.

12. Pinch back annuals to encourage lateral growth; remove dead leaves and flowers.

13. Take time from your busy day to enjoy the display!