Days are getting shorter and evenings cooler as winter approaches. Sweater weather also means a change in the to-do list around the yard.
Here are a few things to consider when preparing your landscapes and gardens for winter.
Frost
- Protect sensitive plants from cold injury when freezing or frost is predicted. Cover plants with cloth or a similar material at night, leaving the covers open at the bottom so heat from soil can help warm plants.
- When frost or freezing is expected, irrigate dry topsoil at least 3 days before the cold weather to increase the soil's ability to retain...
The sight of deer in the wild can be delightful but when these animals invade your garden, devouring everything in sight, people's ideas might change. The internet is full of advice for ridding your garden of deer, but beware, much of it is ineffective.
In the newly revised Pest Notes: Deer, author and retired Wildlife Specialist Robert Timm, shares detailed deer management methods proven by UC research to be effective. Pest management works best when you understand the pest's biology and behavior, so new information about the range of the different deer...
(Credit: JM DiTomaso)
Weeds in the landscape can be tough to manage. But there are many options for weed management using an integrated approach that combines nonchemical and chemical methods.
Identification:
- Start by identifying the weeds you want to manage. UC IPM has a weed photo gallery that includes most weeds found in California landscapes. Knowing how a weed grows and spreads is an important step in successful control.
- Once you know what weed or weeds you're dealing with, consult the Pest Notes series on weeds to find specific management options.
- Management...
Roses are popular ornamental plants grown in home gardens, parks, and other landscapes. Just like other plants, roses can be host to a number of insects and mite pests.
Roses can grow well with little to no pesticide use and numerous natural enemies, or “good bugs” exist to help hunt or parasitize common rose insect pests.
Find solutions for common invertebrate pests on roses in UC IPM's recently updated Pest Notes: Roses: Insects and Mites. This revised publication by rose experts Mary Louise Flint, Extension Entomologist Emerita, and John Karlik, UC Cooperative Extension Advisor, Kern County will help...
Landscape trees provide welcome shade, fruit, homes for wildlife, and even a place for kids to climb. But if the wood is damaged, disease-causing fungi can infect the tree. A number of fungal diseases decay wood in both tree branches and trunks, weakening and sometimes killing the tree. Wood decay can be hazardous when infected branches and trunks fall.
