- Prepared by: Terry Lewis
Tasks
- Use old vegetable plants and summer annuals to start a compost pile. Add fall leaves as they drop from trees.
- Do not wait for a potted plant to droop before watering it, since roots will be damaged by the time a plant shows stress.
- Harvest vegetables to prevent them from setting seed.
- Renew mulch.
Pruning
- Support any heavily laden branches of fruit and nut trees.
- Cut back annuals and perennials to encourage growth and rebloom.
Fertilizing
- Feed vegetables at only ¼ the recommended rate to avoid a flush of tender young growth.
- Fertilize chrysanthemums, asters, and other fall blooming perennials for the last time.
Planting
- Wait until next month to plant, if possible.
- A few winter vegetables may be planted by seed this month. Consult the California Garden Web (https://cagardenweb.ucanr.edu/) for more information.
Enjoy now
- Annuals and perennials: Begonia semperflorens, vinca (Catharanthus), coreopsis, cosmos, dianthus.
- Bulbs, corms, tubers: dahlia, naked ladies (Amaryllis)
- Trees, shrubs, vines: lantana, crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia)
- Fruits and vegetables: corn, eggplant, grapes, peppers, potatoes, tomatoes.
Things to ponder
- Many landscapes have a few bare spots by now. Consider replacing missing plants with California natives.
- While daytime temperatures remain in the 90s or 100s, drought-stressed foliage can be damaged by applications of horticultural oils or pesticides.
A new season of Master Gardener Workshops is about to start! The series begins September 9th with a session on Neighborhood Habitat Certification, and concludes on December 3rd with a timely workshop on Perennial Vegetable Gardening. In all, this Fall Series totals 14 workshops, including three new topics. There is something here for every type of gardener and every size of home garden, whether you maintain a balcony of plants in containers or produce fruit and vegetables on a large plot for your family, friends and neighbors. For full descriptions of all the workshops and to register, visit our website,
In the months to come, the foundational skills of creating soil-enriching compost; propagating plants through cuttings and divisions; and preparing the garden for winter will be covered. If you are interested in learning fundamental principles of landscape design you can employ in your own garden, our new two-part series on that topic may be just what you've been waiting for.
A new workshop on cultivating perennial vegetables offers a wealth of possibilities for planting vegetables that come back every year, saving labor and introducing new varieties to consider for extra interest in the vegetable garden.
If you are planning to convert all or some of your lawn area to a low-water landscape alive with native plants and humming with beneficial pollinators, our workshop on How to Remove Your Lawn will provide the valuable information you need for this process, from methods of lawn removal through the eventual planting of low water and native plants.
Critters commonly found in our local gardens feature prominently in this Fall Workshop Series, from beneficial visitors (Native Bees, Bats) to unwelcome intruders (Gophers, Moles, and Voles). Learn how to support pollinators and other native wildlife by making your own yard count in the effort to conserve water resources and rebuild local wildlife corridors in our workshop led by the coordinator of Altacal Audubon's Certified Neighborhood Habitat Program.
For the other side of the coin (those unwelcome intruders) our workshop on the basics of Integrated Pest Management focuses on solving pest problems while minimizing risks to people and the environment.
Most of the workshops will be held in the outdoor classroom located in the Master Gardener Demonstration Garden or inside Pat's Barn; both are located at the Patrick Ranch (10381 Midway, between Chico and Durham). The workshops on neighborhood habitat certification and native bees will be will be held in Paradise, at the Terry Ash Center on Skyway; and the Garden Guide workshop will be held at the Plant Barn Nursery on Entler Avenue in Chico. All of the workshops will take place in the morning or early afternoon.
The following is a list of workshop topics and dates. All workshops are free, but they do require advance registration. For full workshop descriptions and to register, visit our website.
Neighborhood Habitat Certification (Monday 9/9). Learn how to make your own yard part of a larger movement to conserve valuable water resources and rebuild much-needed wildlife corridors.
Propagation (Saturday 9/21). Come to learn when and how to propagate woody perennials and divide plants; leave this workshop with plant cuttings from our Demonstration Garden to start at home.
Irrigation (Tuesday 9/24). Drip irrigation is arguably the most efficient method of providing water to trees, crops, gardens, and landscapes. This workshop provides an overview of different options available for drip irrigation systems and covers how to install, inspect, troubleshoot, and repair them.
How to Remove Your Lawn (Thursday 9/26). Learn the steps of killing lawn through sheet mulching or soil solarization, and the process of replanting an area with low water and native plants. A walk through our Demonstration Garden will provide plenty of inspiration.
Gophers, Moles, and Voles (Wednesday 10/9). Learn how to deal with these little monsters that plague our yards; this workshop will include a demonstration on how to set a gopher trap.
Integrated Pest Management (Tuesday 10/15). In this interactive class learn the basics of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) so you can solve your pest problems while minimizing risks to people and the environment.
It's a Wrap! Autumn Garden Cleanup, Winter Prep and Preservation (Saturday 10/19). This workshop/discussion delves into some essential steps to ensure that next year's garden is even more successful.
Composting (Friday 10/25). Learn to make wonderful soil-enriching compost from leaves, garden waste, and kitchen scraps. This workshop covers the different ways to create compost, using techniques that range from simple to complex. Knowing the choices can help you decide which style best fits your own resources and needs.
How to Use Our Garden Guide (Saturday 10/26). Join us to explore how to us our Butte County Garden Guide and Three-Year Journal to find the best times to perform seasonal and weekly garden tasks, as well as useful information on plants, climate, and soil for our region. An integral part of this workshop is using the Garden Guide to record lessons learned and keep track of useful plant and weather information for your garden over the years.
Landscape Design (Thursday 11/7 and Thursday 11/14). Learn the steps that professionals use to develop beautiful, cohesive, lower maintenance planting designs.
Bats (Saturday 11/16). Join our local bat expert, Butte College's Dr. Shahroukh Mistry, to learn everything you've always wanted to know about these fascinating creatures.
Native Bees (Monday 11/18). Did you know that 1600 species of native bees can be found in California? This workshop focuses on a few of them: bumblebees, leaf cutting bees, mason bees, and carpenter bees. Understanding the bees' lifespans and their plant and habitat needs will help you support these valuable pollinators.
DECEMBER
Perennial Vegetable Gardening (Tuesday 12/3). Learn the differences between perennial and annual vegetables, then delve into how to cultivate perennial vegetables. Thirty-five of the best perennial vegetables for our local gardens will be introduced. Why not explore new plants and reduce your gardening labor?
Our Butte County Garden Guide and Three-Year Journal is available in two versions: bound as a book and unbound, ready to add to a loose-leaf binder. It can be found at the Plant Barn Nursery (406 Entler Avenue, Chico), Magnolia Gift and Garden (1367 East Avenue, Chico), and Pat's Barn at the Patrick Ranch Museum (10381 Midway, Durham). They can be ordered online via 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: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Eight members of the UC Davis Animal Behavior Graduate Group (ABGG) who are active in The Ethogram will present a special outreach program, "Animal Behavior for Young Explorers," from 2:30 to 4 p.m., Monday, Aug. 19 in the Blanchard Room of the Mary L. Stephens branch of the Davis Library, 315 E. 14th Street, Davis.
It's a free, hands-on, science-communication event intended for the age group of kindergarten through eighth grade. As young explorers, they will learn why animals behave the way they do.
“There will be living and pinned animal specimens (including insects), trivia games with winners receiving small prizes, arts and crafts, and books to peruse on animal behavior," said Nicole Keough, a PhD candidate in the Brian Johnson lab, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, and a member of ABGG. She's an editor of The Ethogram, which is ABGG's official blog. Graduate students founded it in 2014.
Attendees at the Aug. 19th event can ask scientists questions about animal behavior research. A scientist-led bird walk around the Community Park is planned, weather permitting. Keough said the displays will range from her live termites to kittens. As a doctoral candidate in the Johnson bee lab, she is interested in eusociality, host-microbe symbiosis, and social behavior. Her research focuses on "exploring the relationship between termites and their gut microbiome in the context of termite social hygienic behaviors such as allogrooming and cannibalism. Using genetic sequencing, she investigates this symbiotic relationship and identify endosymbionts with overlapping roles in termite nutrition."
ABGG also will show insect specimens from the Bohart Museum of Entomology, as well as live insects, including Madagascar hissing cockroaches and walking sticks, from the Bohart petting zoo.
Hosts at the Aug. 19th event will include:
- Isabelle McDonald-Gilmartin, PhD candidate and editor-in-chief of The Ethogram
- Nicole Keough, PhD candidate and editor for The Ethogram
- Siobhan Calhoun, PhD student and editor for The Ethogram
- Nicole Rodrigues, PhD candidate and editor for The Ethogram
- Sabrina Mederos, PhD candidate and editor for The Ethogram
- Jessica Schaefer, PhD candidate and editor for The Ethogram
- Kirsten Sheehy, PhD candidate and editor emeritus of The Ethogram
- Dr. Josephine Hubbard, editor emeritus of The Ethogram
- Hee Jin Chung, PhD candidate and co-chair of the Animal Behavior Graduate Group Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee
This is a one-time event but plans may call for more outreach programs, depending on the interest, Keough said.
What is an ethogram? "Ethogram is a list or catalogue of behaviors that are being studied in animal behavior research (also known as ethology)," according to The Ethogram website. "The aim is to make scientific topics and findings more accessible to non-scientists through articles, videos, and other multimedia communication."
"The Ethogram encourages interaction between scientists and non-scientists in order to spark curiosity and passion for the study of animal behavior and general scientific research," the message continues. "Our mission is to create a platform that allows scientists to disseminate their research in approachable and exciting ways. In doing so, we also aim to train the next generation of science communicators. Using diverse narratives of animals and those who study them, we provide accessible scientific information through a variety of media types, from text to sketch to video."
Meanwhile, be sure to explore the writings and illustrations on The Ethogram blog.
Here are two of the insect sketches:
- The Honey Bee, by Nicole Rodrigues, a PhD candidate in the Biochemistry, Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology program.
- The Bumble Bee, by Danielle Rutkowski of the Rachel Vannette and Rick Karban labs, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology. She received her doctorate in June.
Also, Ethogram maintains an Instagram account.
- Author: Heather Hamilton
There are several cultivars of this perennial flower commonly known as the Black Eyed Susan. One of the cultivars you have most likely seen in the landscape and nurseries is R. hirta ‘Indian Summer' which gained popularity in 1995 as a winner from the All-American Selections. It is an herbaceous perennial plant growing between 2-3' high and wide. It is drought tolerant once established and can easily be grown from seed, blooming the first year. It is in the Asteraceae family and has a composite flower in orange and yellow tones with a prominent cone-shaped head. All are native to North America, and mostly have hairy foliage, which is what hirta means. There are so many new varieties to choose from. I have 3 in my garden at this time, and they are stunning with a very long bloom time all summer long, also attracting bees and butterflies. They also make a fabulous addition to fresh-cut floral arrangements. I took a few shots of some of the varieties I am seeing at the nursery and my own. One of the more popular ones I have seen lately is called an Echibeckia, a cross between an echinacea and rudbeckia. However, I don't think it looks anything like an echinacea other than having a cone and daisy-like florets. I would highly recommend either the rudbeckia or the crossed one to anyone looking for a beautiful, super easy plant to grow.
- Author: Ben A Faber
Field Day at Pine Tree Ranch, Santa Paula
19455 E. Telegraph Road, Santa Paula,
Planting technique, Entomology, Pathology, New rootstocks/scions
Topics and Speakers