- Author: Belinda Messenger-Sikes
A well-watered plant that suddenly wilts or unexpectedly drops its leaves could be infected with the soil pathogen Phytophthora. The disease it causes, Phytophthora root and crown rot, can affect many plants, including ornamental trees and shrubs, fruit trees, and vegetables. Plants growing in water-logged or poorly draining soil are susceptible to Phytophthora infection, leading to aboveground symptoms like tip dieback, stem cankers, thinned canopies, and discolored foliage, or plant death.
To help you identify and manage this disease, UC IPM has recently updated the Pest Notes: Phytophthora Root and Crown...
A line of pushed up grass. A volcano sized mound. Yep, it's probably a mole! While you may never actually see the mole itself, the signs of their presence are pretty clear.
Moles are small burrowing mammals (not rodents) that live almost entirely underground in extensive tunnel networks. Since they prefer worms, they don't typically eat plants, but their burrowing can damage plant roots and leave unsightly ridges in lawns. You'll usually only find one mole per tunnel so if you start your control actions as soon as you spot their burrowing, you can more easily manage them.
Fortunately, UC IPM has a newly updated resource to help in your mole management efforts! This revised fact sheet,
- Author: Belinda Messenger-Sikes
Nutsedges are aggressive and persistent weeds that commonly infest lawns, vegetable and flower gardens, and landscapes. These perennial sedges are a problem in lawns because they grow faster than turfgrasses and result in non-uniform turf. In landscape beds, nutsedge can grow up through mulches–even plastic mulches!
Yellow nutsedge grows throughout California while purple nutsedge can be found mostly in the south of the state and the Central Valley. Once established, nutsedge is difficult to control because it forms tubers in the soil that can live up to three years. The best approach is to prevent the weed's spread.
To help you identify and better manage this troublesome weed, UC IPM has updated the
Rats can contaminate our food, damage structures, and spread diseases. To help residents and urban pest professionals safely and effectively manage rats, UC IPM has updated the Pest Notes: Rats publication. This revised fact sheet is authored by UC Cooperative Extension Human-Wildlife Conflicts advisor Dr. Niamh Quinn, a recognized expert in urban rat management. Updates include additional information on rat damage, specific sanitation tactics for both Norway and roof rats, tips for rodent-proofing your home, and new illustrations to clearly show correct placement of traps. Rules and regulations regarding rodenticide use in California are...
Springtime planting is almost here but don't rush to plant seeds until the soil has warmed up! Planting seeds too soon, when the soil is cold and wet, risks losing them to damping-off, a disease caused by fungi and oomycetes in the soil. Learn more about this common disease in the newly updated Pest Notes: Damping-off Diseases in the Garden written by UC IPM Director Dr. Jim Farrar and UCCE emeritus advisor Ed Perry. They cover the biology of the pathogens, identification of the disease, and how to prevent damping-off when growing transplants or seeding directly into the ground.
