In mid-March, many people use clover-themed decorations in preparation for St. Patrick's Day. Many gardens and landscaped areas are “decorated” with clovers too, especially with recent rains and mild temperatures in much of California. For some people, clovers are considered weeds, but others enjoy the green color they bring!
Clovers begin to germinate in the fall and continue throughout winter and early spring. Their bright green leaves can blemish the look of lawns and may be unsightly when found in ornamental plantings.
Clovers growing in lawns or landscapes are often a sign of low soil nitrogen, so changing fertilization can help prevent their growth. Read the UC IPM publication
Not everyone has a lawn, but if you do, fall is the perfect time to give your lawn some much-needed attention. To find out if you are maintaining your lawn properly, answer the following questions:
- Is your irrigation system set to water deeply and infrequently?
- Do you regularly check and adjust sprinkler heads?
- When you mow, do you remove less than 1/3 of the leaf blade?
- Do you grasscycle to add nutrients back into your lawn?
- When needed, do you aerate your lawn and remove
Controlling unwanted trees, shrubs, and woody perennial grasses can be difficult in landscapes, gardens, and natural areas. These troublesome woody plants often resprout after being cut back, and the resprouting shoots can outnumber the original plants. Some woody weed plants are natives but in certain settings can create fire hazards and become problematic to human health and movement.
So how can you manage plants like ivy, bamboo, and poison oak?
A new version of Pest Notes: Woody Weed Invaders, authored by UC Davis plant scientists Joseph DiTomaso and Guy Kyser, is now available online and in print. Use this guide to find answers to the...
- Author: Anne Schellman
- Author: Karey Windbiel-Rojas
Now is the time to prepare your garden and landscape for winter. The simple tasks recommended below will help prevent perennial weeds, insect pests, and certain disease pathogens so these problems don't get established and become difficult later.
Weeds
- Manage weeds using nonchemical methods such as cultivation, handweeding, or mowing.
- Prevent weeds using competitive plants, mulches, and hand removal.
- Herbicides (weed killers) are rarely needed in established landscape plantings when nonchemical controls are used regularly.
To learn more about managing weeds, see the UC IPM Pest Note: Weed...
Using mulch in your garden or landscape helps conserve water and prevent weeds. This new UC IPM video explains how to prepare the site, describes various types of organic mulch available, and demonstrates useful techniques for effective weed control.
For more information on mulch, see the UC IPM website about using mulch in the garden.
See UC IPM's pages on weed identification and control: