- (Focus Area) Yard & Garden
It's not too soon to start thinking about fall garden clean-up. As days begin to shorten and temperatures begin to cool (fingers crossed!), the pace of gardening slows along with plant growth. But there is still plenty to be done during the fall and winter months. In fact, much of what is done in the garden in October and November will set the tone for the following year.
Consider planting a winter garden. Radish, spinach, pea and onion seeds can be planted in October or November. Cauliflower, broccoli, lettuce and turnip seedlings can be planted in November. If you don't want a winter garden, clean up your summer garden and mulch it with straw, grass clippings or chopped leaves. Mulch will discourage weeds and provide soil nutrients for next year's garden.
Planting bare root trees and shrubs during their winter dormancy allows healthy root systems to develop before budding out in the spring. Fall is also the time to plant bulbs and perennials. Squirrels can notice disturbed soil and may dig up tulips and other bulbs. Disguise your work by flooding the soil surface with water and then covering the soil with mulch.
Renovate garden beds by weeding, adding organic matter, and tilling the soil to a depth of at least six inches. Refresh existing mulch around established plantings.
Conduct an irrigation review and adjust your watering schedule to reflect the lower water requirements of fall and winter. Make any repairs (such as fixing broken pipes, hoses, or damaged sprinkler heads) before spring. If you have an automatic system, be sure it is operating correctly.
If you plan to create new garden beds, fall is a good time to do it before you are faced with the rush of spring gardening jobs. And if you plan on creating a new bed in an existing lawn area, a good method is to cover it with a thick layer of newspaper topped with a layer of mulch. This will kill the lawn (as long as it's not a dormant perennial like Bermuda grass) and the bed will be ready to be worked in early spring without the effort of manually removing the sod.
Want to be sure you make the most of the fall and winter months in your garden? Attend our free workshop, “It's A Wrap! Autumn Garden Clean-up, Winter Prep, and Preservation” on October 19th, part of the Master Gardeners' Fall 2024 Workshop Series. For more information, and to register, visit our website.
UC Master Gardeners of Butte County are part of the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) system. To learn more about us and our upcoming events, and for help with gardening in our area visit our website. If you have a gardening question or problem, email the Hotline at mgbutte@ucanr.edu or leave a phone message on our Hotline at 530-552-5812. To speak to a Master Gardener about a gardening issue, or to drop by the MG office during Hotline hours, see the most current information on our Ask Us section of our website.
- Author: Michael Cohen
Our site at Martial Cottle Park for demonstrating small-scale composting and vermicomposting was the focus of this recent feature article and video by UCANR Strategic Communications:
News & Events - Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources
- Author: Lauren Fordyce
You bought a pesticide product that needs to be mixed with water before applying. Did you accidentally mix up too much and now have leftover pesticide? What should you do with it?
Before mixing or applying a pesticide, always read the pesticide label to see where the product can be used (i.e., what plants it can be applied to) and apply any excess mixed pesticide in these sites. For example, if you applied an insecticide to control aphids on your roses and you have leftover product, check the label to see if you can apply the remaining product to your tomato plants that also have aphids.
Leftover pesticides should never be poured down the drain, including indoor drains, outdoor drains, or gutters/storm drains. Pesticides should also never be burned, buried, or dumped on the ground as a means of disposal.
Never store leftover mixed pesticides in sprayers or other application equipment. Always store pesticides in their original container with the product label intact, so you know the safety precautions associated with that product.
If you have pesticide containers that are full or partially full and you need to dispose of them, take them to your local Household Hazardous Waste Disposal (HHW) site. To find a HHW site nearest you, contact your solid waste service provider or 1-800-CLEANUP (1-800-253-2687) or visit www.earth911.com.
To avoid mixing up more pesticide than you need, measure precisely following the rate listed on the label. It's better to make a second batch if you need more than have leftovers! You can also purchase ready-to-use (RTU) pesticides that are sold pre-mixed, usually in spray bottles.
Visit Pesticides: Safe and Effective Use in the Home and Landscape to learn more.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Praying, preying, or peering?
This female praying mantis, a Stagmomantis limbata, selects a patch of red Lantana to watch for pollinators.
Her spiked forelegs resting, her eyes always watching but her body as still as a stone, she makes an incredible predator portrait. That triangular head, those bulging eyes, that pencil-thin "neck."
Her common names included "bordered mantis, bosque mantis, Arizona mantis, and New Mexico praying mantis." This species is native to North America and considered most prevalent in the southwestern United States.
What's for breakfast? A bee, a butterfly, a syrphid fly?
What's for lunch? What's for dinner? What's for snacks?
She need not worry. She's a great ambush predator.
A limbata in the Lantana.
It's Autumn! As we shift to cooler weather, take time to evaluate your garden's damage and stress caused by this summer's extreme heat. This is the perfect time to devise long-term cooling and shading strategies to reduce sun and heat damage in the future.
Write down your observations, keeping in mind the damaged plant species, location in the garden, and daily hours of exposure to sunlight and shade, especially during the summer months. Be sure to note whether the plant receives hot afternoon sun (western/southern exposure) rather than a kinder eastern morning sun exposure. Note any nearby hardscaping, decorative rocks, pathways, concrete, or buildings that reflect heat and sunlight or radiate heat overnight. Take time to analyze soil condition, moisture, watering system coverage, mulch, and any other directly involved factors.
Armed with all your information, ask the following question for each affected plant: is the plant species the right match for its location in terms of summer sunlight? While it's heartbreaking to accept, sometimes the plant isn't suited to our extreme heat conditions, no matter what we do to protect it. A gardener must weigh the time and effort required to safeguard a mismatched plant in our environment. The payoff might not be worth it.
More often, the plant will grow well in our area when relocated to another spot that provides a more appropriate microenvironment. Research the best time to transplant the particular plant species and follow the instructions accordingly. Be mindful of the sun and shade conditions in the plant's new location and be prepared to incorporate some of the following suggestions to protect your plant, even in its improved location.
If the plant can't be relocated, consider incorporating seasonal landscaping solutions. Plant taller, more sun-tolerant annuals or biennials like hollyhocks and sunflowers that cast shade to protect a shorter plant during the harsh summer months. Staking these taller plants may be necessary. A perennial hedge, situated to provide shade during the afternoons, is a longer-term solution.
Dark shade cloth, available in rolls, will also help, but for less unsightly long-term solutions, consider more attractive shade cloth awnings. There are many shapes and colors available; choose a knitted screening cloth with a 30-60% density rating. Permanent, buried concrete footings can be established to hold removable poles or supports that elevate the shade cloth. Even better, cable systems attached to permanent structures by hooks and turnbuckles are excellent ways to create an adequately elevated, taut cover. Build as much flexibility into your shade cloth system as possible so it can easily be removed after the summer to allow winter light in.
Another visually attractive solution combines annual plantings with hardscaping design. Interlace your landscaping with strategically placed lattice panels or other decorative open fencing tall enough to provide shade for low shrubs, ornamentals, and roses. Fence placement should focus on reducing your garden's exposure to the hot south or western sun. Plant fast-growing annual vines to temporarily climb on the fencing to add visual interest and, of course, increase shading possibilities.
Trees, especially quick-growing, tall, narrow trees, are another longer-term way to provide shade in extreme heat. Thoughtful analysis, planning and selection is essential when planting trees to establish a permanent break from hot afternoon sun. Pruning to properly shape and manage tree height may be necessary.
Concrete paths and driveways often increase daytime reflective light and temperatures and radiate excessive overnight heat near plants that need to cool down. Removing the concrete and replacing it with gravel is an option. Any gravel materials will store heat during the day and radiate it back at night but gravel can raise humidity if the underlying soil is moist, possibly helping to cool nearby areas[O1] . Extending mulch onto the concrete can be a short-term alternative. As is often the case, adding deep mulch throughout your landscape is a very beneficial way to reduce heat and dryness experienced by a plant's surface roots.
Adding an outdoor fountain or other type of water feature is another way to cool things down. As the mist from a fountain evaporates, it cools the surrounding air. The increased humidity from mist helps heat-stressed plants and even aids in flower retention. Misting systems are a good alternative if a water feature is out of the question. Placing time-controlled mist emitters high in trees and along rooflines of garden buildings can bring extreme temperatures down quite a bit.
When adopting these cooling solutions, be open to flexibility and possibility. Future extreme heat events, each unique, will require you to adapt your landscape planning to weather changes. If something doesn't work out, try a different strategy. Eventually, your garden will be a happier, and hopefully cooler, oasis.
UC Master Gardeners of Butte County are part of the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) system. To learn more about us and our upcoming events, and for help with gardening in our area visit our website. If you have a gardening question or problem, email the Hotline at mgbutte@ucanr.edu or leave a phone message on our Hotline at 530-552-5812. To speak to a Master Gardener about a gardening issue, or to drop by the MG office during Hotline hours, see the most current information on our Ask Us section of our website.