- Author: Denise Godbout-Avant
Due to climate change, California's Central Valley weather is getting hotter and drier with longer periods of drought likely, interspersed with occasional wet years. Growing native plants in our gardens is one of the ways we can have water-wise, environmentally friendly, colorful plants that support local wildlife.
If you are interested in learning about native plant gardening, how to start planting and caring for native plants, what plants are California natives, come to one of the Stanislaus County UC Master Gardeners' library talks during September. Like many of my fellow Master Gardeners, I love to share my love and knowledge of native plants!
Denise Godbout-Avant has been a UC Master Gardener in Stanislaus County since 2020
![Date Time Branch
9/3 Tues 6:00p.m. Salida
9/7 Sat 2:00 pm Empire
9/9 Mon 1:00 pm Ceres
9/10 Tues 6:00 p.m. Oakdale
9/12 Thurs 1:00 pm Patterson
9/14 Sat 2:00 pm Riverbank
9/17 Tues 2:00 pm Denair
9/23 Mon 5:30 pm Modesto
9/24 Tues 2:00 pm Waterford
9/25 Wed 6:00 pm Turlock Date Time Branch
9/3 Tues 6:00p.m. Salida
9/7 Sat 2:00 pm Empire
9/9 Mon 1:00 pm Ceres
9/10 Tues 6:00 p.m. Oakdale
9/12 Thurs 1:00 pm Patterson
9/14 Sat 2:00 pm Riverbank
9/17 Tues 2:00 pm Denair
9/23 Mon 5:30 pm Modesto
9/24 Tues 2:00 pm Waterford
9/25 Wed 6:00 pm Turlock](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/108494.png)
- Author: Paula Pashby
I have a potted Meyer lemon tree (Citrus Meyer) that I have regrettably neglected these past few months. I recently took some time to give it some tender loving care and was relieved to discover that my tree was doing well and even sprouted some new growth. On closer examination, I noticed that the newly discovered shoots looked quite different from the rest of the lemon tree. The main lemon tree has medium-sized, oblong-shaped leaves, whereas the new growth has small, three-lobed, narrow leaves.
So, I had to ask myself - should I keep this new growth? And the answer turned out to be a gigantic NO! I learned that the new growth must be removed in order to keep the integrity of the current tree, because the new growth could possibly take over the original tree and likely not produce decent fruit. The reason it is unlikely to produce good-quality fruit is that it is a “graft rootstock sprout”, a product of citrus tree grafting.
The grafting process is a technique used to grow the best possible fruit tree by joining parts from two or more plants to create one new hardy plant or tree. Grafting is accomplished by binding a scion (upper part of plant) selected for its desirable fruit, with a root stock (bottom part of plant) selected for its strong root system.
With my Meyer lemon tree, I discovered that often times the graft rootstock is taken from a completely different type of citrus tree, called Trifoliate orange. Trifoliate orange is a preferred rootstock because it is cold and drought tolerant, and very strong and hardy. But you wouldn't want the full tree, as it is known to produce very sour fruit that can be rather inedible unless cooked.
I thanked the Trifoliate orange portion of tree graft for providing the lemon tree with such a strong root system, and then using a disinfected pair of clippers, I carefully removed the graft rootstock sprouts. I made sure to cut close to the main tree but leave enough room for the wound to heal. The Meyer lemon tree is feeling loved again.
![Trifoliate orange, with fruit by Martin LaBar is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0. Trifoliate orange, with fruit by Martin LaBar is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/108493.jpg)
- Author: Christian Jordan
Shasta College will host a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for Forest Resilience workshop this October. The course has been developed with industry partners and will provide practical, applied experience in the use of GIS to support project management for forest and wildfire resilience. The workshop will take place on four consecutive Saturdays, beginning October 5th. The attached flier includes further details. For additional information or questions, please reach out to Dan Scollon: dscollon@shastacollege.edu.
SC24 4695 GIS Forest Resilience Course Flyer PRINT
- Author: Bob Niklewicz, MG at the Fuller Park Rose Garden
We had a tremendous amount of heat in July and August. Many of our bushes suffered greatly from heat stress. Leaves turned brown, looked wilted and/or just fell off to preserve the moisture in the bush. Extra watering or, better yet, more frequent watering to keep the root ball moist is like CPR.
Leaves will also turn yellow from the heat or be susceptible to black spots. Pick those off the branches and off the surrounding ground to reduce the fungus from spreading. Remember to sterilize your pruners after each bush to reduce the spread of the black spots. Note: We are not totally past severely hot days this summer; protect your roses. Even putting a cover/shade or umbrella over them during the hottest part of the day will save them from the worst part of the heat.
You may also see aphids now. For the majority of cases, just using a high pressure hose spray will wash off those soft bodied pests. Do it every couple of days until the problem is reduced greatly or cleared. Also, make sure your irrigation systems is working correctly so that your plants receive proper moisture.
Rose of the Month: Angel Face
Remember when pruning: Toss plant debris into your city compost bin and not your own compost pile. The Napa City compost center produces higher temperatures to destroy the spores while your backyard pile will not do so. When it comes time to add mulch, consider getting it from the Napa recycling center.
If you have questions about the Fuller Park Rose Garden and the Master Gardeners (MGs) who maintain the rose garden, we are usually in the garden the first Sunday and third Thursday of each month between 10:00 and 12:00, weather permitting.
You can also go to our Master Gardner website: napamg.ucanr.edu for more details.
Napa Master Gardeners are available to answer garden questions by email: mastergardeners@countyofnapa.org. or phone at 707-253-4143. Volunteers will get back to you after they research answers to your questions.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
A praying mantis, Stagmomantis limbata, stretches beneath a Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifola, in a Vacaville garden.
Ms. Mantis: (Startled to see she is not alone) "Well, hello, there! How are ya? I'm just dropping by to say Hello!"
Photographer: "So, this is a meet-and-greet? And not a meet-and-eat?"
Ms. Mantis: "Exactly. I'm not interested in eating bees or butterflies. Ooh, there goes a honey bee! Ooh, there's a long-horned bee! Omigosh, a butterfly!"
Photographer: "You're just looking?"
Ms. Mantis: "No, just stretching. See, I've closed my spiked forelegs."
Photographer: "Then why did you move beneath the blossom?"
Ms. Mantis: "For the shade. Yes, that's it. For the shade."
Photographer: "Sounds pretty shady to me. Just admit it, you're hungry."
Ms. Mantis: "Well, now that you mention it, I guess I could use a bite to eat. Just a little bite...a little bee...a little butterfly..."
Photographer: "A quick bite?"
Ms. Mantis: "Lightning fast! One-twentieth of a second! Now, if you'll excuse me..."
The camera clicks. The mantis vanishes...along with an unsuspecting bee.
![A praying mantis, Stagmomantis limbata, stretches beneath a Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifola, in a Vacaville garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) A praying mantis, Stagmomantis limbata, stretches beneath a Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifola, in a Vacaville garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/108479.jpg)