- Author: Lanie Keystone
Driving North on I-5 in mid-May is akin to chasing springtime. Especially when one begins in Solano County, where most of the beautiful spring blooms have already been spent or wind-blown from the trees--making way for their bright green spring leaves. But as you wend your way up through California's northern counties, past Oregon, into Washington, and on into Canada, those 900 miles keep revealing the unfolding wonders of spring all along the way up.
That's exactly the journey my husband and I took two weeks ago on our way to “Beautiful British Columbia”. It is here, near Vancouver in the city of Surrey/Ocean Park, that we hope to adventure for the next few months. And, chasing the spring blooms up the spine of our I-5 route didn't disappoint for even one mile.
We each had our favorites. His were the Dogwoods, with their horizontally planed branches of white and pink flowers, shyly peeking out from forests and residential landscapes. Mine were much bolder and showier—the dramatic Rhododendrons! Some were such showstoppers that we thought someone had made the most intensely colored crepe-paper blooms and tacked them onto shrubs. But, of course, they were natural and real and so welcoming.
Because the Pacific Northwest and BC have so much moisture and rain, when springtime comes, the Rhododendrons are ready to put on their show of shows without much effort. The shrubs are huge (sometimes taller than the homes they adorn) and laden with bowers of blossoms. Some are even tree-like as you can see.
Can we grow Rhododendrons in Solano County and enjoy their beauty? The answer is yes. It just takes a bit more effort and forethought—not to mention water!
Since Rhododendrons have no taproots, when one takes them out of their pots, you will find many fibrous roots that do not root very deeply. Thus the root zone may dry out in our hot, dry weather. So, the need for great attention to watering is most important. The first year of transplanting is the most critical. This is when they can act like cranky, thirsty children! One good way to temper the need for watering is to mulch the plants deeply and make sure to pull any weeds growing near them. Other needs are acidic soil and partial shade.
Rhododendrons are not your California drought-tolerant natives! And, they may not grow as large or as effortlessly as their British Columbia cousins. However, with proper care, when planted in our California zone, the blooms will still be beautiful--showing off the same vibrant shades of pink, red, lavender, white or deep purple. Once the blossoms have dropped and created a lovely, though momentary cover of color on the ground around them, the sturdy, leather-leaved shrubs will handsomely anchor any favorite landscape. If you are attracted to these beautiful plants, then it's certainly worth the effort to grow them in your own environment.
- Author: Lauren Fordyce
The glassy-winged sharpshooter is a large leafhopper that can transmit several important, often fatal, plant diseases in California. This includes Pierce's disease of grape, alfalfa dwarf, almond leaf scorch, and mulberry leaf scorch. Pierce's disease is of most concern in California since the state accounts for about 94% of U.S. grape production.
Pierce's disease of grape has been reported in many counties throughout California. View a map of the current distribution of the pathogen. Glassy-winged sharpshooter adults are ½ inch long and dark brown to black with light-colored spots on their heads. Eggs are laid in masses under the leaf surface, resembling a greenish blister. Once the eggs hatch, the egg mass turns brown and remains as a scar on the leaf.
What can you do?
Glassy-winged sharpshooter feeds on many woody plants as well as annual and perennial herbaceous plants. It is common to find this invasive insect on acacia, avocado, eucalyptus, citrus, crepe myrtle, heavenly bamboo, grape, photinia, pittosporum, hibiscus, periwinkle, xylosma, some roses, and many others. Inspect plants for this pest, especially new shoots or growth. Use yellow-sticky card traps to monitor their populations.
If you find glassy-winged sharpshooter in an area not currently known to have this pest, immediately call the California Department of Food & Agriculture Pest Hotline at 1-800-491-1899, or contact your local agricultural commissioner's office.
To learn more about this pest and the diseases is transmits, visit Pest Notes: Glassy-winged Sharpshooter.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
If you're struggling with triple-digit temperatures, think about the honey bees.
They need to collect water for their colony to cool the hive so their brood can develop. And for other purposes.
Just call them "The Water Girls."
Lately the bees have taken a liking to our birdbath. The birds? They're practicing social distancing.
We remember Extension apiculturist Eric Mussen (1946-2022) telling us "Like most other animals, the bodies of honey bees are mostly water. Thus, they need to drink water routinely as we do. Additionally, water (or sometimes nectar) is critical for diluting the gelatinous food secreted from the head glands of nurse bees, so that the queen, developing larvae, drones, and worker bees can swallow the food. They use water to keep the brood nest area at the proper relative humidity, especially when it gets hot and dry outside the hive. Water droplets, placed within the brood nest area, are evaporated by fanning worker bees and that cools (air conditions) the brood nest area to keep the eggs and developing brood at the critical 94 degrees Fahrenheit required for proper development."
Unlike us, honey bees cannot simply turn on a faucet. "They will fly up to nearly five miles to find a suitable watering source," Mussen told us back in 2014. "Suitable to honey bees might not be suitable to us, but if it is moist, it may be visited. Suitable to the neighbors is a separate question. Honey bees can become quite a nuisance if they visit drippy irrigation lines or hose connections, birdbaths, pet water dishes, swimming pools, fountains, or wet laundry and the like. The water foragers become habituated to those sites. If you try to dissuade the bees by drying up the source for a while, it becomes evident that the bees will visit the site every so often so they'll be around quickly after the water is returned."
What to do? "People have tried to use repellents in the water, but the bees are likely to use the odor as an attractant when attempting to relocate the water source. Some people have had success keeping bees and wasps out of their swimming pools with very lightweight oils or monomolecular films--their purpose is to prevent mosquitoes from being able to breathe. But, if the water is splashed very much, you'll require a new layer."
And all those bees struggling in your swimming pool? "Not all moribund honey bees in a swimming pool are there because they were trying to get a drink. Every day, approximately 1,000 old honey bees from each colony die naturally. This normally occurs during foraging, and the bees just flutter down to the ground, sidewalk, driveway, parking lot, or whatever they were passing over. Some flutter into swimming pools. They are not dead, yet, so they can and do inflict stings on people who bump into them on the surface of the water. "
Beekeepers should make sure there's a watering source on their property so the bees won't hunt for water elsewhere, Musssen pointed out. It should be available all year around. "Once the bees are habituated to the site, most of them will use that source."
It's also a good idea to place corks in a birdbath for the bees to stand on. Bees don't like to get their feet wet. And if they drop into the water structure, they can drown.
As for the bee tenants in our watering hole, bring 'em on.
We absolutely love "The Water Girls." The birds, well, not so much. (But they do have access to a second birdbath and a fish pond.)
HLB Update - Ventura County Detections
There have been no new confirmed positive HLB detections in Ventura since early February, and no recent expansions to the 5-mile HLB quarantine in place in the Santa Paula area. To see a map of the current HLB quarantine areas and other details of HLB detections throughout the state, updated weekly, please visit maps.cdfa.ca.gov/WeeklyACPMaps/HLBWeb/HLB_Treatments.pdf.
Visit Information for Citrus Growers/Grove Managers for the most up to date mitigation requirements for moving bulk citrus to, from, and within an HLB quarantine. Even if mitigation is not required, it is still required for growers to submit an ACP-Free Declaration Form to the applicable county agricultural commissioner's (CAC) office in advance. The ACP-Free Declaration Form has been updated to reflect these changes.
There have been no confirmed positive HLB detections or HLB quarantines in Santa Barbara county to date.
2024 Ventura County ACP-HLB Grower Meeting June 11 - In person or via Zoom
All are welcome. June 11th, 8:30am - 1pm at United Water Conservation District, 1701 Lombard Street in Oxnard, or on Zoom (Meeting ID: 833 1062 0864, Passcode ACPHLB). This meeting has been approved for 4 DPR CEUs (1.25 Laws, 2.75 Other). To receive CEUs you must attend in person and pre-register with DPR at https://cereported/courses/290. If you are not seeking CEUs, there is no registration required.
The full agenda is below.
Citrus Program Leadership Changes
The California Department of Food and Agriculture's (CDFA) Pest and Disease Prevention Division (CPDPD) has announced that as of May 14, 2024, Victoria Hornbaker, former director of the CPDPD, transitioned to her new role as the director of the CDFA's Plant Health and Pest Prevention Services (PHPPS) Division. David Gutierrez, branch chief of the CPDPD, will serve as interim director while a recruitment process is conducted to find a permanent hire for the role. Read Full Article Here
Citrus Pest and Disease Prevention Committee Meetings -- Webinar and In Person
All meeting agendas and eventually the minutes are posted at www.cdfa.ca.gov/citrus committee/. The 2023-24 schedule for the Full Committee is here, and the schedule for Subcommittees is here.
- Executive Subcommittee - June 26
- Finance Subcommittee - July 9
- Operations Subcommittee - July 10
- Outreach Subcommittee - July 17
- Full Committee - August 8
All meetings are free and open to the public to listen to or make public comment. Meetings are currently in person and accessible via phone and/or webinar. Links to register for and join meetings are included in agendas when posted.
For a list of all current committee members, click here.
Important ACP/HLB Documents and Resources
- CDFA Citrus Division website: https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/Citrus/
- Regulatory/Quarantine
oSign up for regulatory updates from the Citrus Pest and Disease Prevention Division at www.cdfa/signup-email-updates.
oInteractive map to find out how close you are to HLB detections.
oRegulatory requirements for moving bulk citrus: Information for Citrus Growers
oSummary of regulatory requirements in the event of an HLB detection in commercial citrus: citrusinsider.org/Regulatory-Flyer
oSanta Barbara County Ag Commissioner's Office
- General ACP/HLB
oInformation on the state ACP/HLB program including maps, quarantine information, and a signup option for email alerts: citrusinsider.org/
oBiology of ACP and HLB, detection maps and recommendations for monitoring, eradication and management: ucanr.edu/sites/acp/
oUC IPM recommendations for ACP insecticides
oVideo on Best Practices in the Field, available in English and Spanish
oEn español -- Spanish-only ACP/HLB presentation video presentation and audio-only recording.
- Research
oLatest Science Advisory Panel Report
oUC Ag Experts Talk presentations on management of various citrus pests and diseases are available for viewing here and here on YouTube.
oCitrus Research Board video presentations from webinar series and California Citrus Conference
oSummaries of the latest research to combat HLB: ucanr.edu/sites/scienceforcitrushealth/
oScience-based analyses to guide policy decisions, logistics, and operations: www.datoc.us
-------- FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT
Cressida Silvers
CA Citrus Pest and Disease Prevention Program
ACP/HLB Grower Liaison
Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties
805 284-3310 (phone or text)
- Author: Loren Nelson
Roses bring beauty, fragrance, and romance into our lives. Whether you are new to roses or experienced, Master Gardeners of Orange County will inform and inspire you about the selection, planting, pruning, care and feeding of roses. You'll learn how easy it is to bring the beauty of roses to your garden.
Click the image to learn more and visit our Classes and Events Calendar page.
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