- Author: Ben A Faber
Each year the California Avocado Commission partners with Land IQ to produce a Statewide Avocado Acreage and Condition Analysis report utilizing digital satellite imagery, aerial photography and analytical tools to survey California avocado groves. This data helps the Commission make informed budgeting and marketing decisions and provides industry members with spatial data concerning crop type, location, condition and density. See the full 2023 Report HERE.
According to the report:
- In 2023 there were 52,534 planted avocado acres
- The majority of growing acreage is located in Ventura, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Riverside and San Luis Obispo Counties with a total of 50,818 planted acres
- The five top-producing counties reported 1,059 new/young acres and 3,399 topped/stumped acres
The report also provides acreage data by zip code, county, condition, year planted and density.
The California Avocado Commission's crop estimating team in conjunction with Land IQ uses the latest in remote sensing techniques to assess avocado acreage in production. As technology continues to advance refinements in our fourth generation of remote sensing techniques were applied to satellite imagery collected during spring and summer months. The imagery processing techniques include; segmentation into homogenous polygons, retention of tree crop polygons, calculation of average crop canopy moisture and vegetation indices, analysis of change maps from previous inventories, and classification of avocado groves into four categories; producing, topped/stumped, new/young, and abandoned. Aerial imagery (for a real-world view), and satellite imagery (for spectral and temporal data) are integrated into previously classified avocado acreage and analyzed for current condition of California avocado acreage statewide.
from CA Ag Net: https://californiaagnet.com/2024/07/29/california-avocado-acreage-increases-2023-report-available/
- Author: Denise Godbout-Avant
While many gardeners are aware that composting is beneficial, they are often unsure of what is involved and how to get started. The Stanislaus County UC Master Gardeners October library talk topic for October is “Composting Basics,” so this is your opportunity to learn how to do this fun, satisfying, environmentally friendly process! Discover what you can and cannot compost, what “greens” and “browns” are (and how many you need of each in your pile), different methods of composting, and how to troubleshoot when issues come up.
So come to the library nearest you to get the dirt on composting!
Resources
UC ANR Publication #8037 Compost in a Hurry. https://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/pdf/8037.pdf
UC ANR Environmental Notes, Sacramento Master Gardeners, Composting for the Home Gardener https://sacmg.ucanr.edu/files/163139.pdf
Denise Godbout-Avant has been a Master Gardener with UC Cooperative Extension in Stanislaus County since 2020.
/h3>
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
It's not as easy as it looks, but entomologist Jeff Smith, curator of the Bohart Museum of Entomology's Lepidoptera collection, makes it look easy.
If you attend the Bohart Museum open house, set from 1 to 4 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 28 in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Lane, UC Davis campus, you'll learn how he does it.
Indeed, it is no easy feat to pin a butterfly or moth. Just ask research entomologist Tom Zavorink, a Bohart Museum associate.
"Personally, I am astounded by the thousands upon thousands of butterflies and moths that Jeff has prepared for display or scientific study," Zavorink told us back in 2015, when the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences selected Smith for its Friend of the College Award.
"This is no small task," Zavortink said, "because butterfly and moth specimens are usually brought from the field in envelopes or boxes with their wings folded over their backs or around their bodies, and preparing them for display or scientific study involves relaxing them in a humid chamber so their wings and legs can be manipulated, carefully spreading open the wings, positioning them on a flat surface, and securing them in that position until the specimen dries again. This is an onerous task that many entomologists, myself included, shun because we don't have the time, manual dexterity, or patience it takes to prepare quality specimens."
A Bohart volunteer since 1998, Smith has spread the wings of some 180,000 moths and butterflies, typically 6,000 or more each year for the past 30-plus years. He has crafted and donated some 2,475 wooden specimen drawers, including 110 so far this year. He also has donated some 100,000 specimens (primarily butterflies, moths but a few other insects, including beetles) to the Bohart Museum.
The Lepidoptera collection now totals about 750,000 specimens. Lately Smith has been redoing the header labels in the unit trays for much of the Lepidoptera collection, "making the new ones in the better format where the geographic ranges of the various species and subspecies are on the label. This is so helpful when it comes to placing new material into the collection."
When Smith received the Friend of the College award, Bohart director Lynn Kimsey, now UC Davis distinguished professor emerita, said: “You could not ask for a better friend than Jeff Smith. He has brought us international acclaim and saved us $160,000 through donations of specimens and materials, identification skills and his professional woodworking skills. This does not include the thousands of hours he has donated in outreach programs that draw attention to the museum, the college and the university.”
“When Jeff was working for Univar Environmental Services, a 35-year career until his retirement in 2013, he would spend some of his vacation days at the museum. Over the years Jeff took over more and more of the curation of the butterfly and moth collection. He took home literally thousands of field pinned specimens and spread their wings at home, bringing them back to the museum perfectly mounted."
Smith engages in public outreach at the Bohart Museum's open houses, which include open houses with various themes, plus UC Davis Picnic Day, UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day, and Take-Your-Daughters-and-Sons-to-Work Day. In addition, Smith annually presents an evening spreading class to the UC Davis Entomology Club as well as an annual presentation to Bio Boot Camp. He also speaks at 12 to 15 other venues per year, engaging students at School Science Days and in individual classrooms.
"We will have an overview of terrestrial arthropods which encompasses everything from insects, arachnids, millipedes, isopods and centipedes," said Tabatha Yang, education and outreach coordination. "We will also showcase some of the trapping/catching methods we use, for example, nets, lights, pitfall traps and malaise traps."
"We also get asked a lot of questions about our own collection and why the specimens don't decay," she added. "We will highlight the different curation techniques from pinning, point mounting, preserving in alcohol and mounting on slides."
Also planned is a tribute to the late UC Davis professor Richard "Doc" Bohart (1913-2007), who founded the insect museum in 1946, served as the first director, and compiled 32 years on the UC Davis entomology faculty, Sept. 28 is his birthday anniversary and a cake to celebrate what would have been his 111th birthday will be served.
Kimsey, his last graduate student, remembers him in the audio of a newly produced video by Walter Leal, UC Davis distinguished professor of molecular and cellular biology and former chair of the UC Davis Department of Entomology. Kimsey provides the narrative and images. Leal added excerpts from a 1996 Aggie Video production when Kimsey interviewed Bohart. (See https://youtu.be/3YqnK-CpbJE)
The Bohart Museum houses a global collection of eight million insect specimens. It also is the home of a petting zoo (Madagascar hissing cockroaches, walking sticks, tarantulas and more) and an insect-themed gift shop, stocked with t-shirts,hoodies, books, posters,jewelry, stuffed animals, and insect collecting equipment.Museum director is professor and arachnologist Jason Bond, the Evert and Marion Schlinger Endowed Chair in Insect Systematics, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, and associate dean of the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
For more information, contact bmuseum@ucdavis.edu.
- Author: Help Desk Team
Note: This was originally published in the Contra Costa Times.
Q: I know that acorns are the seeds of oak trees, but how do I plant them?
A: Oaks are an important part of the California landscape. If you are lucky enough to have oak trees on your property, or access to others' oak trees, you can collect the acorns and plant them. There are some simple things you can do to ensure a good start for your oaks.
Selecting the Site:
First of all, only plant a given oak species in areas where it naturally occurs or has grown in the past, and only use acorns from oaks growing in the same general environment as the planting site. Even within a species, there are genetic adaptations to different soils and climates. Use acorns from trees that grow as close to the planting site as possible.
Collecting Acorns:
Collect acorns in the early fall, when they are just starting to turn from green to brown and the first ones fall to the ground. Acorns collected from trees are generally healthier and more likely to germinate than those that have fallen to the ground. Pick them from the tree, twist off the caps (they should come off easily) and immediately put the acorns in the refrigerator to slow their metabolic activity.
If you collect them from the ground, discard any that are broken, cracked, very small, or lightweight, and soak them for a day in water, discarding any that float. Then dry them off and put them in plastic bags in the refrigerator.
Storing Acorns:
Although they can be planted right away, acorns that have been stored in the refrigerator for one month have higher germination rates than those planted right after collecting. Check them for mold, and if any mold develops, rinse it off, dry the acorns, and put them back in the refrigerator in plastic bags. Leaving part of the bag open at the end helps to reduce mold growth. If you see white tips emerging from the pointed end of the acorns during storage, it's best to plant them right away. That's the start of the root system emerging, and it can turn dark and mushy if left in storage.
Planting Your Acorns:
The best time to plant the acorns is from November after the first rain to early March. However, earlier is better to give them more time to grow before hot weather arrives.
Plant them in full sun. Keep the eventual height and canopy size of the tree in mind when you choose a location. Loose, well- drained soil is best, and the area should be fairly free of weeds.
Plant the acorns one half to one inch below the soil surface. Dig a hole several inches deep then partially backfill it. Place the acorns on their sides in the holes and cover with soil. If they've already started to germinate, plant them root down, being careful not to break the root tip. If you have a lot of nearby pocket gopher or ground squirrel activity, you can give the acorns a better chance by planting them two inches deep, but don't go any deeper than that or the acorns will rot.
You can also start the acorns in containers and plant the seedlings later. For information about this method, see the UC web page, How to Grow California Oaks (https://oaks.cnr.berkeley.edu/how-to-grow-california-oaks/).
Caring for Your Trees:
Weeds, especially grasses, will out-compete oak seedlings for sun, water and nutrients, so keep a two-to-three-foot radius around each seedling clear of weeds. Remove weeds by hand or with a hoe. Mulch suppresses weed growth and helps conserve soil moisture. Bark chips, straw, compost, or paper can be used.
Oaks develop vigorous and large root systems—that's how they survive drought. If the rains are very light, one or two deep supplemental waterings in late winter and early spring can help the seedlings survive through their first summer.
Acorns and oak seedlings are an important food source for rabbits, insects, mice and other animals. A variety of protective devices can be used to prevent their damage.
With some encouragement and protection, your seedlings will be well on their way to becoming oak trees. You may not live to see them mature, but future generations will enjoy these magnificent trees.
Help Desk of the UC Master Gardeners of Contra Costa County (EM)
- Author: Bob Niklewicz PT, UC Master Gardener of Napa County
Okay, be honest. When you have a plant that is not doing well and you look for help from your favorite book, website, or YouTube source, and they start talking about pH, do your eyes roll back?
First, let's define the term. In 1909 Danish biochemists decided to use pH as shorthand for potential hydrogen. They developed a pH scale, ranging from 0 to 14, to represent how many hydrogen ions (H+) are present in a sample. According to the scale, distilled water is a 7 (neutral). Anything under seven is considered acidic (sour), while anything above 7 is alkaline (sweet).
These values are not linear but, rather, logarithmic. That means that a sample with a pH of 6 is 10 times more acidic than a sample with a pH of 7.
What does pH have to do with gardening? Everything. A soil's pH affects the ability of plant roots to absorb nutrients and water. Most minerals in the soil must be dissolved to be absorbed by a plant's roots. Soil that is slightly acidic (6.2 to 6.8) or slightly alkaline (7.4 to 7.8) will dissolve minerals the best.
When soil is too acidic (pH below 5.5) new foliage looks yellow, distorted and possibly black around the edges and the plant does not grow. When soil is alkaline (pH above 8), plant leaves may look yellow between the veins or have a bleached or mottled and blotchy look. New growth may have brown or black leaf tips.
If you read that last paragraph again, you'll notice that the symptoms of pH imbalance are roughly the same, whether pH is too high or too low. That's indeed true but once you know the target soil pH for your plant, you can find information on how to adjust it.
The key point is that hydrogen drives the process of photosynthesis in the leaves and plant respiration in the roots. Both functions promote plant growth and health. Too much hydrogen or too little can reduce a plant's viability. Just like Goldilocks, you are looking for “just right.”
So don't think of pH as a scary word. Rather, think of it as the Teeter Totter of garden soil. Let's say you test your soil and find that it has a pH of 7.5 but you want it at 6.8. Adding acidic soil amendments, such as pine needles or coffee grounds, or an acid fertilizer, can shift the fulcrum. And a change in pH can be powerful. Just lowering the soil pH to a range of 5.2 to 5.5 can turn a pink hydrangea blue.
But be aware that it can take months for soil amendments to make a difference. If you rotate crops, the pH of the soil you amended last year may not be the best for this year's veggies. Save yourself some grief and experiment on smaller areas, such as planter boxes, rather than trying to adjust pH on a large plot. Test the soil a couple of times a year and make smaller adjustments frequently.
Of course, the best way to get accurate information about your soil's pH is to send samples to a laboratory for testing. For a fee, they will analyze your soil samples, but this can get pricy.
If you are a DYI person, start out with a small defined plot. Wearing gloves, take samples from four to five areas at a depth of four to six inches. Combine the samples in a clean, dry bucket. Remove debris such as sticks, rocks or dead plant parts. Add distilled water until the soil is a thick paste. Then dip your testing device into the bucket and follow the key on the packages to determine the pH of your sample.
Finally, with results in hand, you can amend the soil to achieve the desired pH. Not sure what amendments to use? Ask the staff at your local nursery. Read the labels on amendments for instructions. Study up on the nutritional requirements of your plant to know if you even need to correct the pH. Or contact the Napa County Master Gardener help desk (hours below). When you learn how to test and amend your own soil, you won't think of pH as a frightening term anymore. In fact, when your plants start to look great, you will be pH (pleasantly happy).
Fall Faire: Join the UC Master Gardeners of Napa County for an entertaining and educational event on Saturday, September 28, from 1 pm to 4 pm, outdoors at University of California Cooperative Extension, 1710 Soscol Avenue, Napa. Enjoy exhibits on composting, monarch butterflies, succulents, water conservation, bees and more. The program includes activities for kids, a scarecrow contest, giveaways, and music. Admission is free.
Library Talk: Join UC Master Gardeners of Napa County and Napa Public Library for a free talk on “Thirsty Lawn to Low-Water Succulents and Perennials: A Step-by-Step Guide” on Thursday, October 3, from 7 pm to 8 pm, via Zoom. Don't let analysis paralysis stop you from achieving your new climate-appropriate garden. Join the UC Master Gardeners of Napa County on a step-by-step journey from weedy, labor-intensive lawn to a garden of succulents and perennials with year-round color. Register here.
Become a Master Gardener Volunteer: UC Master Gardeners of Napa County is now accepting applications for the Class of 2025. Visit napamg.ucanr.edu to read the informational brochure, then register to attend a mandatory information session for applicants. Application deadline is 5 pm on September 25.
Help Desk: The Master Gardener Help Desk is available to answer your garden questions on Mondays and Fridays from 10 am until 1 pm at the University of California Cooperative Extension Office, 1710 Soscol Avenue, Suite 4, Napa. Or send your questions to mastergardeners@countyofnapa.org. Include your name, address, phone number and a brief description.