As you practice social distancing during COVID-19, you may find yourself spending more time in the garden. As we move into nice weather, we are sharing a few gardening tips for pest management.
Powdery Mildew
Check for signs of powdery mildew on fruit trees, landscape ornamentals, and vegetables. Symptoms can vary by plant species but common symptoms include white powdery spots developing on both sides of the leaf, leaves that turn yellow or brown and fall off, twisting and distortion of leaves and shoot. Prune out small infestations and remove infected material to reduce spread.
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As you practice social distancing during COVID-19, you may find yourself spending more time in the garden. As we move into nice weather, we are sharing a few gardening tips for pest management.
Fertilizing
Now is the time to fertilize caneberries, citrus, fruit trees, palms, and heavily-flowering shrubs with slow release products. Maintaining good fertilization can keep your plants vigorous and help prevent pest problems.
Read more about plant-specific fertilization information on our website and see our other April gardening tips on
While working outside, gardeners and farmers may discover pest problems they need to answer quickly. To meet this need, the University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources has recently published the Vegetable Pest Identification for Gardens and Small Farms card set.
This travel-sized guide is a convenient and quick way to keep a pest management reference in your pocket. The set of 53 full-color cards contains photos and information about common insect and mite pests as well as plant diseases, nematodes, abiotic disorders, weeds, and vertebrate pests. The cards focus on sustainable pest management for vegetables, melons,...
Winter is an ideal time to prune deciduous fruit and shade trees, since the trees are dormant and you can more easily see the tree canopy. In many cases, pruning can also help prevent or control certain insect and disease problems.
For help with pruning, visit the UC IPM web page called Pruning fruit and shade trees and shrubs.This page provides links to plant-specific pruning information for fruit trees, nut trees, landscape trees, and others. You can also find links to diseases and environmental disorders that commonly affect fruit and shade trees, as well as additional information on the topics of landscape management and videos on...
This time of year, you may notice a white, powdery looking growth on fruit, vegetable plants or ornamental plants in your garden. What is it? It could be powdery mildew.
Powdery mildew is caused by several different fungi that may attack plant leaf surfaces, shoots, fruits, and flowers. There are several species of powdery mildew; all are spread by wind and thrive in shady areas when temperatures are between 60-80 °F. The fungi attack both new and old foliage, and can be a problem on certain plants. The disease usually occurs first on new leaves, before spreading to older parts of the plant. This is why over fertilizing worsens powdery mildew.
Ornamental Plants
Many woody and herbaceous...
