- Author: Anne Schellman
- Author: Ed Perry
- Why are the leaves on my orange tree turning yellow?
It's common for citrus tree leaves to turn yellow in winter*. Fertilize to provide the tree with nutrients now, then watch as leaves green up in spring. Avoid fertilizing in fall, which encourages new growth favored by pest and can leave the tree susceptible to frost injury.
- How do I know if my oranges are ripe/when should I pick my oranges?
You don't have to pick all your oranges once they ripen. In fact, the best place to store oranges is on the tree, where they stay fresh! Pick as needed, unless temperatures below 28 F are predicted, then you'll want to harvest.
- What is this pest?
Scales and whiteflies suck plant juices and weaken the plant. Ants do two things:
- Protect pests from predators like ladybugs, parasitic wasps (very tiny wasps) and lacewings.
- “Harvest” honeydew (a sticky sugary substance excreted by these pests) for food, in a symbiotic relationship that does not include the gardener.
- Why are my oranges splitting?
The reason this happens is not well understood, although it's often related to changes in weather conditions. However, allowing the soil to dry out too much between irrigations is believed to result in increased splitting. Make sure your tree has a constant supply of moisture by watering monthly during the dry season.
- When should I prune my orange tree?
When pruning deciduous trees like peach, plum or cherry, after leaf drop, don't be tempted to prune citrus! Citrus trees are evergreen and require little if any pruning except to control size. If you'd like to keep a new citrus tree under 5 feet tall, you can carefully prune it in spring to manage the height. This way, you won't need a ladder to pick fruit again!
Avoid pruning in fall or winter, which encourages new growth favored by pests and can leave the tree susceptible to frost injury.
*if your tree leaves turn yellow and it's not winter, this may be a different problem.
The warm weather has arrived, and so have the pests! By now you've probably noticed a few munching on plants in your vegetable garden. If you are looking for solutions, we suggest taking our free Pest Management in Vegetable Gardens class at Turlock Community Gardens on Saturday, June 17, 2023 at 9:00 a.m*.
During this class, you'll learn to identify pests that plague warm season vegetable garden crops like tomatoes, squash, and peppers. You'll also take home colorful and handy reference cards called Quick Tips to help you easily identify pests while you are out in the garden. We suggest you bring a chair, water, hat, note pad and pen (if desired) and wear comfy shoes.
Turlock Community Gardens
Turlock Community Gardens was a project that was "born" in 2020 and in just a few short years has become an amazing place for the community. The garden is located at 4105 Crowell Road in Turlock at the back of the property. Read more details at https://www.turlockcommunitygardens.org/
Need something to do THIS Saturday?
Drop by the Gardens for community day. They host this fun event on the second Saturday of each month! As you can see by the flyer, there are a lot of fun activities planned.
Visit Turlock Community Gardens website for more information at https://www.turlockcommunitygardens.org/, or contact them with questions about garden plots, classes, and more at info@turlockcommunitygardens.org
*feel free to put insect pests in a plastic bag or vial to show our Master Gardener along with your information. They can bring it back to the office so we can help you identify it.
Here are the resources mentioned during the talk.
Citrus varieties
https://citrusvariety.ucr.edu/citrus-varieties
UC IPM website https://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/menu.homegarden.html
Ants
https://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7411.html
Selected Citrus Varieties for the Home Gardener https://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/pdf/8472.pdf
Grafting and Budding Citrus and Avocados in the Home Garden
https://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/pdf/8001.pdf
Forestierre Underground Gardens in Fresno, CA
https://undergroundgardens.com/
- Author: Anne E Schellman
Why Not Move Firewood?
By bringing wood from home, you can unknowingly spread invasive pests and diseases that can harm trees. This includes dry, aged, and seasoned wood. Once you arrive at your destination, pests can emerge from the firewood and spread to the trees and forests where you camp. Invasive and hard-to-control pests kill several million native trees every year, causing environmental and economic problems.
Did you Know?
New infestations of tree-killing insects and diseases are often found in campgrounds and parks as a result of campers moving firewood!
This trip, tell your friends and family why you aren't bringing firewood. For more information about firewood pests and resources for finding good firewood, visit the Don't Move Firewood web site. To learn about many of the invasive wood-boring pests and associated diseases and problems, visit the UC IPM web site.
First posted on August 30, 2021
Anne Schellman has been the Coordinator for the Stanislaus County Master Gardeners since 2018.
- Author: Anne Schellman
- Called or visited the Stanislaus County UC Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Help Line and gotten information on what to do about a pest or gardening problem.
- Learned something new from a class at the Stanislaus Ag Center, Community Garden, Garden Club, Senior Center, local library or one of our online Zoom classes.
- Attended the Pollinator Garden Event last month, or a Farmers Market booth or the Stanislaus County Fair and spoken with a Master Gardener.
- Read our newsletter and gained helpful gardening and pest management information.
If you would like to give back to our program, you can visit this website http://donate.ucanr.edu/givingday. Click “GIVE” on the upper right of the fund and choose “Stanislaus County.” Once you do this, the icon for the Master Gardener program will appear. Choose this icon and then make your desired donation. We are a 501 c3 organization, so your donation is tax deductible.
Prize Challenge Awards
Online gifts made between noon on May 19 and 11:59 a.m. on May 20 may help programs qualify for prize challenge awards! Donations can be made at http://donate.ucanr.edu/givingday.
Checks Accepted
If you prefer sending a check instead of donating online, please make checks payable to “UC Regents” and specify “Stanislaus County Master Gardener Program” in the check memo. Then mail to: UC ANR Gift Processing, 2801 Second Street, Davis, CA 95618.
Your Support
In addition to helping our program create our public demonstration gardens, your donation helps us grow our program by purchasing materials needed for outreach and education. We thank you for your support!
