- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
It's getting to look a lot like...Halloween.
If you haven't noticed, stores are gearing up for Halloween with assorted ghosts, goblins and ghouls for you.
We remember the 2023 Halloween when a female migratory monarch fluttered into our pollinator garden. She checked out the milkweed (several native and one non-native species) and chose to sip nectar on the tropical milkweed, Asclepias curassavica, a non-native.
We managed to capture several images of her around 5:30 p.m. before she left on her journey to overwinter in coastal California.
The Center for Biological Diversity, headquartered in Tucson, says on its website: "Across their range, monarchs are threatened by pesticides, climate change, ongoing suburban sprawl, and fragmented and poisoned habitats as they navigate their way across the continent. They need a helping hand from the government, businesses and concerned individuals."
Threats? To that we'd add such predators as birds, spiders and mantises.
Monarchs in western North America overwinter in coastal California (roosting in eucalyptus, Monterey pines, and Monterey cypresses), while those in eastern North America "have a second home in the Sierra Madre Mountains of Mexico" (roosting in oyamel fir forests), as noted by the U.S. Forest Service.
"Researchers are still investigating what directional aids monarchs use to find their overwintering location," the U.S. Forest Service says. "It appears to be a combination of directional aids such as the magnetic pull of the earth and the position of the sun among others, not one in particular."
We're glad to see that the raging controversy over native vs. non-native milkweed seems to be subsiding a bit, that it does not appear as crucial as the pesticide, habitat loss, and climate change threats. Tropical milkweed has been in California for more than 100 years and it's common along many rural roadsides.
Frankly, we look forward to seeing the migratory monarchs, no matter if they choose to sip a little nectar from A. curassavica or a native narrow-leafed milkweed, A. fascicularis, as they journey to their overwintering spots.
Monarchs know what they need and they know where they're going.
![A migrating monarch butterfly stops on Halloween, Oct. 31 to sip nectar from a milkweed in a Vacaville garden. She was on her way to an overwintering site in coastal California. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) A migrating monarch butterfly stops on Halloween, Oct. 31 to sip nectar from a milkweed in a Vacaville garden. She was on her way to an overwintering site in coastal California. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/108769.jpg)
![The female monarch spreads her wings. She stopped in Vacaville on Halloween 2023 for some flight fuel while on her way to an overwintering site in coastal California. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) The female monarch spreads her wings. She stopped in Vacaville on Halloween 2023 for some flight fuel while on her way to an overwintering site in coastal California. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/108770.jpg)
- Author: Ben A Faber
Informational Videos Covering Fertilizer Application through Irrigation Water
Now Available in English and Spanish
Nicole Nunes FREP Grant Program
Through a grant from the Fertilizer Research and Education Program (FREP), Cal Poly's Irrigation Training and Research Center (ITRC) has developed a series of informational videos covering chemicals, application hardware, techniques, and timing of fertilizer application through irrigation water.
The videos are based on information provided in the Fertigation book developed by ITRC and updated in 2019. The Fertigation book is also available in English and Spanish and can be downloaded for free from the ITRC website: https://www.itrc.org/books/index.html
The 22 informational videos are available on YouTube or through the ITRC website and cover the following topics:
- Overview
- Basic Fertilizer Chemistry and Vocabulary
- Nitrogen and the Environment
- Basic Soil Principles
- Crop Fertilizer Requirements
- Testing of Plants Soil and Water
- Fertilizer Labels Characteristics and Usage
- Nitrogen Conversions
- Volatilization of Ammonia from Irrigation Water
- Irrigation System Uniformity and Efficiency
- Safety
- Purging Media Tanks of Chemicals
- Calibration, Titration, and Travel Time
- Varying Venturi Injection Rates
- Chemigation for Soil Infiltration Problems
- SO2 Generators (Sulfur Burners)
- Chemigation for Drip System Maintenance
- Incompatibility of Different Fertilizers
- Proportional Injection
- Fertilizer and Chemical Injection Devices
- Calibration of Fertilizer and Chemical Injectors
More Fertigation Resources Coming Soon
ITRC is developing the informational video series into a Fertigation Certificate Program available to the irrigation and fertilizer industry. The videos will be coupled with information and suggested readings from the Fertigation book to create a comprehensive online course. Course participation will be verified with an exam on the presented materials and successful participants will receive a certificate of completion.
Stay tuned for more information regarding the availability of the certification program.
To learn more about this project and other current and completed FREP projects please visit: https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/is/ffldrs/frep/Research.html
![fertilizer tank fertilizer tank](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/108199.jpg)
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
So, here you are, a newly eclosed Western tiger swallowtail, Papilio rutulus, eager to sip some nectar from a Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifola, in a Vacaville garden.
It's a warm, windless day, and you're anxious to score, score, score.
You touch down on a Tithonia, but something whizzes by your tails.
Whoa! What was that?
You're startled, alarmed, and irritated. It's a territorial male long-horned bee, probably a Melissodes agilis. He aims to dislodge you from your blossom in his attempt to save the nectar for his would-be girlfriends.
You teeter, then totter, then take off. You touch down on another Tithonia.
Hey! Bee brain! Quit targeting me? Go away!
You head for another blossom, determined to grab a least "a little" nectar.
Stop it! Leave me alone! Go take a vacation!
But the bee isn't about to take a vacation. And he won't allow your "staycation."
Spoiler alert: The butterfly admits defeat and departs the flower garden, exasperated but with tails intact. The bee emerges victorious, its real estate intact.
Score: Bee, 3, Butterfly, 0.
The turf battle is over for today. Tomorrow? That's another day and another battle.
![A Western tiger swallowtail, aware that a territorial bee is about to attack, raises its tails to ward off the intruder. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) A Western tiger swallowtail, aware that a territorial bee is about to attack, raises its tails to ward off the intruder. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/108714.jpg)
![The Western tiger swallowtail begins to take flight. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) The Western tiger swallowtail begins to take flight. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/108715.jpg)
![The Western tiger swallowtail leaps off as the bee draws closer. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) The Western tiger swallowtail leaps off as the bee draws closer. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/108716.jpg)
![The Western tiger swallowtail escapes a hit by the longhorned bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) The Western tiger swallowtail escapes a hit by the longhorned bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/108717.jpg)
- Author: DJ Andriessen
Maintaining a garden irrigation system is essential for keeping your plants healthy and your garden flourishing. One common issue that gardeners may encounter is a leak or damage to PVC pipes in the irrigation system. Repairing these PVC pipes is crucial to ensure the efficient operation of the irrigation system and a successful garden.
Recently, our learning garden suffered a major break in the irrigation system. It was hard to determine where the leak was because the entire area had flooded before we knew there was a problem.
After turning off the system and waiting a day for the flood to subside, we were able to identify the area in need of repair. Then, we drained the irrigation system by opening the ends of our driplines.
Of course, this is where I enlisted the assistance of my Master Gardener Support Team (MGST), AKA my husband, Mike. When I use the word ‘we' in the rest of this text, you can be sure a lot of the ‘we' was ‘him'!
As with any leak, the hard part is usually not in the repair, it is in the digging of layers of mud and gravel to get to the leaking pipes. We dug until I thought we would reach China before we located the pipe.
The problem was two-fold: while some pipes had cracked, others no longer adhered to the ones next to them. This can be caused when one uses the incorrect glue for the job. We have had much success using the two-part glue system; one colored purple (primer) the second colored blue (glue). The glue that had been used was mostly clear (Failed PVC with an off-brand glue).
We then assessed the supply needs and went home to gather the necessary tools and equipment. We forgot the mallet. When we returned, we cut out the damaged section using a hacksaw, carefully removing the damaged sections of the PVC pipe.
After sanding the spots to be ‘welded,' we applied PVC primer to the ends of the existing pipe and the replacement pieces, then added glue to the same pieces, quickly joining them together. We held the pieces in place for a few seconds to allow the cement to set and create a strong bond. When the cement had cured (we waited 30 minutes or so to ensure the glue would hold}, we turned the water supply back on, checking for any leaks or issues with the repaired section. It held!
Once we celebrated our success, Mike built a box around the pipes and a lid to sit on top. This saves us from another day of digging when the pipes need assistance in the future.
- Author: Nanelle Jones-Sullivan
By now you have heard of purple tomatoes, and you've probably heard of heart-shaped tomatoes, but have you heard of the Dwarf Purple Heart tomato?
For those who haven't heard, The Dwarf Tomato Project “grew out of a comment made in a Tomato Forum at Gardenweb when Craig LeHoullier lamented the fact that the dwarf category in tomatoes was very restricted, and suggested it would be good to cross dwarfs with heirlooms to remedy this situation”.
I love that both the plants, with their rugose leaves, and the tomatoes, with their variety of shapes and colors, are attractive and easy to manage in my garden.
Dwarf Purple Heart is a cross between ‘Dwarf Wild Fred' and ‘Brad's Black Heart', both known for their flavor. Heart- shaped tomatoes are known for their large size and meaty texture. This tomato variety is good in both raw and cooked preparations.