For those of us who have lived in Stanislaus County for many years, can you  remember what life was like when there were no water meters, and we paid a flat fee for water? Now, those of you who did not live here at this time or were too young to remember those wild water using days, let me tell you what it was like. In a few words, great, incredible, affordable. You could use all the water you wanted, no timed showers, no restrictions to only doing full loads of laundry, and no sprinkler rules or regulations at all! A person could water the sidewalk all day long and never have any consequence. We lived the water wasting life.

And then, one day cities began reading those water meters and charging the nice, water loving citizens by the units of water used each month. You could almost tell the day the bills arrived. Neighbors discussed them at the mailbox with anger, frustration, even fear. “How can I afford this every month?” Or “How can I reduce my monthly bill?” And that was the birth (or at least the beginning) of serious discussions about how to be “water wise” or how to conserve water to lower the units of water consumption that consequently will lower the monthly bill.

One of the big consumers of water for most homeowners is the yard. That lush green expanse of grass is a water “hog.” Yes, not only does the lawn require feeding, mowing, and often insecticides and/or fungicides to keep it looking and remaining at its best, it takes water - and gallons of it in the hot months. Lawns are great for kids and dogs, but if you aren't using it, maybe it's time to rethink your landscape.

During this last drought, many people just stopped watering their lawn. This helped reduce their water bill but does little else. In many cases it killed street trees as well.

Not watering grass in our climate guarantees that the grass will die. In its place, however will be weeds. Weeds can live and multiply in harsh, waterless conditions. And all those weeds are spreading seeds that land in your neighbor's lawns. And eventually even the weeds die from normal life cycle or lack of water. Then the wind blows the precious topsoil from your yard. This topsoil mixes with the other air in our valley and adds to air pollution.

What if I want to keep my lawn?
There are a few things you can do if you do not want to give up your lawn completely. Think about reducing the amount of lawn in your yard, which can help you save water and money. Having a beautiful yard without green grass does not mean just rocks, cactus, or artificial turf. Begin by removing  a small section of the grass. Check with the Stanislaus Master Gardeners and local nurseries for plant suggestions to replace that green grass with other green, or gray, or yellow plants. Think beyond bark, boulders, and bare ground. The possibilities are endless. This time of the year is a perfect time to begin making plans for that winter yard renovation! 

Discuss your ideas with a garden professional at your favorite nursery or contact the Master Gardeners for some advice and on-line information. Please remember that the first year of a plant, shrub, tree, or anything you add to your yard will require regular and proper watering until established. The water bill may not change much the first year, but over time you will see the savings.

What are some easy tips to save water?
Now, if you are not ready to commit to a grassless or partially grassless yard there are some changes that can help in reducing water consumption. First, examine your current watering system. If you have a sprinkler system, do not assume that it is working properly. Checking weekly during the warm weather is a must, especially after the lawn is mowed and in the daylight.  Is everything working properly, sprinklers putting water on the lawn not the sidewalk or street? Are the sprinklers clogged, broken, or even missing? If you have an automatic timer, check the timer, and remember to decrease time and days as the daylight time shortens and weather cools, and turn the sprinklers off when the rains begin. Be an agent of change for the better! Making a few changes now can make a difference in your water bill,  landscape, and our world because we are all in it together.

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Join Rho Yare on Zoom for an evening of tips on how to reduce your water bill, yard work, pesticide use, all while having a gorgeous yard on Tuesday, October 27, 2020 from 6:00-7:30 p.m. Sign up at http://ucanr.edu/sustainable/2020 to receive your link.

 

Did you know that plants can suffer sunburn injury just like people? Sunburning of plants is actually a common and serious problem in the San Joaquin Valley, especially after a few days with temperatures over 100° F.

Sunburn is damage to leaves and other plant parts caused by a combination of too much light and heat and insufficient moisture. The first symptom of this problem may be leaves that appear dull or wilted. A yellow or brown “burned” area develops on the leaves, which then dies beginning in areas between the veins. 

The best way to avoid sunburn is to choose plants that are adapted to the planting site. Trying to grow shade-loving plants in full sun is asking for sunburn problems. But even sun-loving plants will suffer sunburning of leaves if the plants are growing in dry soil. You need to provide your plants adequate irrigation water to prevent most sunburning problems.  If you notice the symptoms early enough, you may be able to restore the color to sunburned leaves before they killed.

Sunscald, also sometimes called sunburn, is damage to tree or shrub bark caused by hot sunshine. Sunscalded bark becomes cracked and sunken, and is susceptible to attack by wood-boring insects and wood-rotting fungi. In fact, I almost always find evidence of flatheaded borer injury in trees that have sunscalded bark. Sunscalded trunks and limbs can develop cankers, become girdled, and die.

Sunscald often occurs on young woody plants. Their bark is thin and may not tolerate exposure to direct sun because they were grown in nurseries where their trunks were shaded. Older trees can be damaged if you expose branches to the hot sun by pruning heavily, especially during the summer months. Removing taller trees that provided shade, or adding pavement or buildings that reflect light onto plants can also lead to sunscald. Even in well-watered soil, sunscald may injure bark if plant roots are unable to absorb enough moisture when it's hot.   

You can prevent sunscald through proper planting and pruning. Prune newly planted landscape trees very little or not at all. Leaves not only shade the bark, but manufacture foods necessary for root growth. If there is no foliage growing along the trunk of a newly planted tree, paint the trunk with white interior latex paint, diluted 50 percent with water. Old bark that has been recently exposed to the sun by pruning or limb breakage can also be painted white.  Wood chips and other organic mulches can reduce reflected heat and light, thereby reducing the danger of sunscald.

Each tree and shrub that you plant is adapted to certain amounts of light, depending on species and previous growing conditions. Plant growth can be retarded by too much or too little light. Too little light causes pale foliage and elongated, spindly shoots. Too much light can cause leaves to discolor.  For example, the leaves of camellia plants, which are adapted to partial shade, take on a yellowish tinge when exposed to too much light. The typical leaf color returns when plants receive normal light, but a long period of the wrong light intensity will cause plants to become susceptible to other problems and possibly die. 

As always, it's important to plant species that are well adapted to the amount of light available in your garden. Also, avoid changing the environment in any way that significantly changes the amount of light your established plants are receiving.

Ed Perry is the emeritus Environmental Horticultural Advisor for University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) in Stanislaus County where he worked for over 30 years.

From UC IPM Pests in the Urban Landscape blog. 

As summer quickly approaches and we find ourselves getting outside a bit more, remember to take care to protect yourself from mosquitoes.

According to Gary Goodman, District Manager of Sacramento Yolo Mosquito and Vector control, many residents are anxious and excited to get outside and enjoy the warm weather so it's important to protect yourself from mosquito bites by wearing a good mosquito repellent.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend using an insect repellent that contains the active ingredients DEET, Picaridin, IR3535 or the plant-based oil of lemon eucalyptus.

Aside from personal protection against mosquito bites, it's important to ensure mosquitoes are not breeding at home. Drain stagnant water from sprinklers, irrigation, and rainstorms. Be sure to check your backyard and dump any water in flower pots, kiddie pools, tires, pet dishes, bird baths and other common household containers that can hold water.

Another ongoing concern is the invasive mosquito Aedes aegypti which has been detected in several counties throughout Southern California and the Central Valley. For county level information, see this map. Invasive mosquitoes pose a significant health threat because they can transmit dangerous viruses including Zika, dengue fever and chikungunya. Surveillance efforts have continued since the initial detection last August. To date, no cases of Zika virus have been reported in California.

For more information on mosquito identification and management, see our recently revised Pest Notes: Mosquitoes. Additional information on vector-borne diseases is available on the California Department of Public Health website.

 

Although many coast redwoods (Sequoia sempervirons) appear to grow well in some parts of the San Joaquin Valley, the UCCE Master Gardeners are often contacted for help diagnosing redwoods with dead branches that seem to be dying.  

It's important to remember that coast redwoods are native to the coasts of Central and Northern California. In this environment, the trees are shaded by each other and experience significant cooling from fog. They also receive moisture from fog drip and high rainfall. In their native forests, redwoods grow with large amounts of forest litter over their roots. 

While coast redwood trees are susceptible to some serious diseases, they are most often injured or killed by abiotic (non living) problems. High soil salinity caused by excess sodium (alkaline soil), and toxicity caused by high concentrations of specific ions such as boron and chlorides will stunt their growth and cause their leaves to turn yellow and “burn.”  They grow poorly in heavy soils that are too wet, or in dry, compacted soils with poor drainage. Coast redwoods are also susceptible to iron deficiency, especially in high pH soils. They may be injured by freezing temperatures, especially in dry soil. Because they are adapted to a cool, moist environment, they will develop brown and scorched leaves during our hot and dry summers, especially if they're not adequately watered. Drought stressed trees may then be attacked by bark beetles.

In dry or compacted soils the trees grow slowly and their trunks develop a distinct taper. Under ideal soil and moisture conditions, such as along portions of the California Coast, the trunks will be nearly the same diameter from the base of the tree to several feet high. Some brown foliage in the interior of the tree is normal. In fact, it is normal for the oldest leaves to turn yellow, then brown, and finally drop from the tree in late summer and early fall. It is also normal for short twigs to turn brown and fall. New growth at the ends of branches indicates that the branches are alive and healthy, despite some dieback of twigs and leaves.

As mentioned, coast redwoods are susceptible to some diseases. In Stanislaus County, redwoods infected by Botryosphaeria canker (Botryosphaeria dothidea), crown rot (Phytophthora sp.) and Armellaria root rot (Armillaria mellea) have been identified. However, these diseases are relatively uncommon on redwoods here. If you're trying to diagnose a redwood problem, be sure to consider soil and water-related problems first.

Redwoods are forest trees. We have cultivated them for use in non-forest landscapes as street and park trees, and as specimen trees. These conditions are not always favorable to their growth or long term establishment. They grow best with shade, cool root systems, abundant mulch, and continual moisture that is relatively salt free. If you can create some of these conditions in the landscape, redwood culture and disease management will be much less problematic.

Ed Perry is the emeritus Environmental Horticultural Advisor for University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) in Stanislaus County where he worked for over 30 years.