Hello again! How are you enjoying this lovely - but too warm - weather for February? Are you reading the seed and plant catalogs, hungering for planting season? Lots of people are and it's interesting to find out what's on gardeners minds.

On the 14th, Valentine's Day, I went to the Vallejo Farmers' Market to start out the Season; I wasn't expecting much traffic in the way of visitors to our booth both because it was early in the year and again, it was Valentine's Day. Wow, what a reception!! I got joking called a “fair weather” friend because no one from the Master Gardeners had the booth since November and now that the nice weather had appeared, our booth was again present AND a lot of inquiries as to “finally, you're back”! It's nice to be liked and missed!!

Anyway, the most questions asked concerned were about Avocados and how to grow them in Solano County, “why did mine die”, and “I started one from seed, now what?” Wow! This was some start to the year!! So let's do a kind of Avocado 101:

Avocados are classed as a semi tropical crop tree by UC Davis and are therefore considered to tender. Reading that, I thought back to the Sunset Western Gardening Book which stated that these trees are hardy to 20-24 degrees. The flowers form in winter, making them susceptible to temperatures much below freezing; frozen flowers equals no crop!

These trees grow to 50 feet and spread even wider so that if planting one (actually two), you need lots of room! Good drainage is extremely important; there should be no rocky layers or hardpan with three feet of the surface of your soil. If there happen to be deposits of lime, you can expect poor growth leading to decline. Any poorly drained soils or an area where water stands for any length of time may lead to roots rots.

Planting an avocado tree from a container should be done in the spring after the fast frost to give the young tree a chance to establish before the hot weather hits. Avocado saplings are particular about the way they are planted. Too deep, with soil or water standing up on the trunk invites both root rots and crown rots such as Phytophthora rots or Avocado root rot. Plant this little tree too high and the roots will dry out too quickly. Planting instruction: dig the hole so that the root ball sits about 1 inch above the soil line with the width of the hole about twice the diameter of the root ball. This is the time to make sure that the bottom of the hole is firm so that the root ball of the sapling will not sink. Backfill the hole with the soil that came out when digging and water thoroughly. The watering basin is one foot away from the base of the tree. keep the trunk dry as possible when watering. Finish your planting job by painting the trunk with a 50:50 mix of white or light latex paint to water.

To assure success with an avocado tree, have a good idea of the coldest temperatures in your area. The Guatemalan varieties are injured between 27-30 degrees F, while the Mexican varieties are injured between 24-26 degrees F. Cold temperature sensitivity depends on many factors: how long it stays cold; the weather prior to the cold; the position or exposure of your tree; and the fruit maturity as well as variety you plant.

Earlier, I mentioned planting one OR two trees. In the older editions of Sunset Western Gardening Book, avocado trees were listed in 2 categories: A and B with the instructions to pick 1 tree from each group to assure good pollination and good fruit crop; the newer editions suggest that a grafted branch of an A will provide good pollination to a B and vice versa so that two trees will not be needed.

Lastly, don't be too alarmed if your beloved avocado sheds a lot of leaves throughout the year! Avocado trees shed leaves!!

For more information, check your copy of Sunset Western Gardening Book or go to ucdavis.ipm.avocado for additional facts about growing avocados and insects, mites, and other creatures which “bug” them.

If you own a copy of the first edition of the Master Gardener Handbook and constantly refer to it, they you'll want a copy of the new 2^nd edition. For those of you not familiar with the Handbook, it's the 750 plus page 8 ½” x 11” manual used statewide for training Master Gardeners. It also serves as reference tool used by Master Gardeners to help diagnose specific gardening problems and provide solutions.

When I read there was a new edition of the Handbook containing updated information and a new “Landscape and Garden Design” chapter, I debated as to whether or not I needed the 2^nd edition. But since Master Gardeners receive a 40% discount, it meant the cover price of the new edition would only be $22, less than the cost of a new release hardcover fiction book I'd read only once before giving it away. But the Handbook would be a book I'd keep and use time and time again. So I ordered a copy and am glad I did.

For me, the second edition seems much easier to use as a reference tool than the first edition. Slight changes in the formatting and the addition of color make it so much easier to find information on each page. In addition to some updated information, there are also small additions of information. For example, in the chapter on Citrus, brief information was added on “sports” (genetic mutations affecting only parts of the tree). The chapter also has twenty new color photos of leaves showing signs of different types of deficiencies, making it easier to diagnose the problem.

I'll admit I don't plan on reading the new edition from cover to cover. But it will be at hand as a ready reference as needed.

If you are interested in obtaining a copy of the new 2^nd edition, it can be ordered from the UC Agriculture and Natural Resources publication website at www.ucanr.edu/publications_524/

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Plant propagation is a vast subject, and a huge industry. Most nursery stock, fruit trees and ornamentals are propagated from cuttings; then nurtured over time to a delivery for sale.

Here we discuss taking a simple cutting, promote rooting and finally development into a plant.

I started with a fuchsia; taking a 3-4 inch cutting, dipping in a rooting compound then installing into potting soil. Rooting compound contains a small percentage of indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) or synthetic auxin. IBA promotes plant growth including roots.

It's helpful to place a jelly or pickle jar over the newly planted cutting. This serves to conserve moisture as simple inexpensive greenhouse. Keep the cutting moist and out of direct sunlight. In less than a month, the plant can be transferred to a larger container and exposed to the elements…gently.

An easy and fun way to introduce an aspect of gardening, or to thank someone. Have fun!

I have a dilemma.  My husband asked me if I wanted him to buy the annual bags of compost to add to our raised beds before spring planting.  Automatically, I told him yes.  Then I said," let me think about it." For the first time in fifteen plus years, I am considering not planting a spring/summer vegetable garden, because of the drought. Last year the garden really struggled with the little water I gave it. Yields were small and late. I don't want to put in plants I can't take care of properly. If the drought continues another year and restrictions get tighter, I don't have a lot of other options on cutting back. I already stopped watering my small front lawn last year. I already have a basin in my sink to catch and save water used for rinsing.

Our situation is complicated by the fact that we now have another person living with us, so there is more water being used in cooking, laundry, showers etc. I think I will wait and see what happens in February and early March. If we get good rains, I'll put in the garden, if not I may limit myself to a tomato in a container this coming year and dream of future gardens. This will be very hard because cooking and eating from my garden brings me a great deal of joy.