- Author: Ed Perry
Trees normally begin to show fall colors in late October, especially after a couple of cold nights. If you are seeing orange, yellow, red, burgundy, and purple leaves on deciduous trees this time of year, it's a symptom of stress. You might not be able to do anything to correct the problem now, but much can be done to prevent a repeat next fall.
First, determine the source of the stress and correct it. Look closely at the tree. Check for wounds on the trunk from mechanical injury or sunburn. If early fall color is the result of wounds, take steps to prevent further wounding. The trunks of young trees can be protected from string weeder damage with plastic sleeves. Better yet, place chip mulch on the soil around the tree to remove the temptation to mow or weed right up to the trunk.
Determine if the tree is growing in a site where the roots may be restricted by pavement or buildings. Is it possible the roots were recently cut? Root disease, recent disruption to roots from construction or grade changes, surface soil compaction from vehicles or foot traffic and girdling roots can also cause trees to develop early fall color. If surface compaction is a problem, loosen the soil by cultivating to a depth of 4 to 6 inches. This should improve moisture and oxygen penetration. Follow up by watering the tree deeply.
The best way to prevent stress and early fall color is to make sure the tree receives sufficient deep water during the summer. If you haven't already, deep water your tree. Sprinkler water does not provide adequate water for trees, so supplement with a hose, focusing the water underneath the tree canopy. For mature trees, water needs to penetrate to a depth of 12-18" to provide enough water.
For questions about your trees, contact the Master Gardeners at (209) 525-6862 or fill out this form http://ucanr.edu/ask/ucmgstanislaus
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.
- Author: Anne E Schellman
In August we featured an article by former Environmental Horticulture Advisor, Ed Perry, called "Save the Right Seeds."
This article discussed how to successfully choose which vegetable seeds to save to plant in your garden next year.
Now, we wanted to follow up with tips for how to save your chosen seeds. Master Gardeners Royce Rhoads and Heidi Aufdermaur taught this class last year, and plan to teach it again in 2021.
Here is a list of items to gather. Most likely you already have most of them:
-Tomato
-Marker and masking tape
-Knife and spoon
-Jars and rings; or just use paper cups
-Paper towels or cheesecloth
-Fine mesh or strainer
-Paper plates for drying
-Letter envelopes
Most people save tomato seeds, so let's go over the steps to save them. Tomato seeds have a gooey covering over them that needs to be removed first.
Allowing the seeds to sit in water lets “good” bacteria break down that covering. The empty seeds will float and you can skim them off. The seeds you want are at the bottom of the jar.
Step 1: Label the outside of your jar with masking tape and a permanent marker.
Step 2: Cut tomato, scoop out seeds & put into jar.
Step 3: Fill your jar, with the seeds in it, 1/2 full of water. Cover with paper towel/cheesecloth.
Step 4: Two days later, skim off floating seeds and remove.
Step 5: Wait a few more days until a film forms on the surface (fermentation* process).
Step 6: Strain the pulp through a screen until seeds separate. Spread onto labeled plate until dry for a few days.
Step 7: Label a paper mailing envelope and add seeds. Make sure to include the date.
Your seeds can last up to 4 years if stored in a cool, dry, dark place. Did you save any seeds using this post? If so, please tell us how you did in the comments below!
Vegetables such as peppers, eggplants, and melons are much easier to save than tomato seeds. Just remove and spread them out to dry. Squash seeds are also easy, but may need a little bit of cleaning by straining and rinsing with water.
Planning to get your fall garden started? If you missed our live presentation of the Fall Vegetable Gardening class, you can now watch it on our YouTube Channel!
Fall Vegetable Gardening was recorded on August 25, 2020. Our speakers' included two very talented Stanislaus County Master Gardeners, Terry Pellegrini and Rho Yare. The class offered best practices for vegetable gardening in fall, and some tips from our local Stanislaus County Free Library library about the vegetable gardening books that are available.
We hope you will subscribe to our channel as well as follow us on Facebook or twitter.
Planting for Pollinators will focus on native and compatible non-native plants that thrive in our area, and which pollinators have been documented visiting these plants.
It can sometimes be hard to spot these pollinators, so our speaker will tell us what time of year to look for them, and which plants to use to attract them.
Our speaker has many years of experience planting native plants and observing the pollinators that visit. She will combine her observations with research on what insects to expect on specific plants.
Watch our YouTube Video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naL3BM5aP-s&t=5s
About the speaker:
Ellen is a professional Horticulturist specializing in beautiful, heat tolerant, reduced-irrigation plantings that thrive in landscapes in the Central Valley of California. Most recently she has been exploring her passion for Pollinator Gardening and how it can contribute to biological diversity in urban and suburban California landscapes.
Are you ready to make the change to a more sustainable landscape? Do you want to:
- Save water?
- Save money on your water bill?
- Use less energy?
- Generate less greenwaste?
- Learn less toxic pest management strategies?
- Hear from local librarians about relevant books.
Sign up now to reserve your space!
When: Tuesday, October 27, 2020 from 6:00-7:30 p.m.
Where: on Zoom.
How: sign up to receive the link by email at: http://ucanr.edu/sustainable/2020
Speaker: Rho Yare, Master Gardener
