- Author: Don Kunze
My wife, Mrs. Kunze, is a 2nd grade teacher at Bishop Union Elementary where she has taught for the past 31 years. She and her next door teacher, Mrs. Kubiak, also teaching second grade, often do class projects together and such was the case as they discussed how to teach the mathematical skill of making a line graph. Their idea involved planting something that would grow, that the kids could measure and graph, and would be fun for them while teaching them multiple skills. After 33 years of being the husband to a 2nd grade school teacher, it was no surprise that my name was quickly decided upon as someone that could help out on this project.
Finding ways to get my volunteer hours in that did not involve weeding the community garden demonstration plot was an opportunity I appreciated and this presented the chance to show the class not only how to plant a seed, but to also talk about how seeds grow, nutrition, the joy of gardening.
Cost of the presentation was kept to a minimum, I bought 1 cubic foot of potting soil, sixty blue and red 18-ounce Solo cups, and 1 packet of sugar snap peas. I chose the peas as they were easy for second graders handle and plant, and since they have a fairly quick germination time (8-12 days) it helps to keep the kids interested. Also, they were something that would produce a tasty treat that could be picked and eaten right off the plant when mature. The money spent was paid out of classroom funds raised at the Harvest Hoedown - a fundraiser which is held every fall to enable just these kinds of classroom projects.
I arrived at Elm Street School at 10:30 Monday morning, green Master Gardener apron on, name tag in place and proceeded to the classrooms to prepare for my presentation. Both classes joined together while I spoke to them about whom I was, the Master Gardner Program, how plants grow and the different ways to start them, along with the benefits of eating fresh vegetables right out of your garden. Although I had the official Master Gardner business cards, and said I could help them find online resources, being second graders they did not seem too interested in that part of my presentation. I answered several questions, many of which were actually stories about an individual student's gardening experience and then moved on to the next part of my presentation.
The classes separated and went back to their respective rooms and the process of sending students to meet with me four at a time began. I enjoyed this part the most as I was able to speak individually to each student, and assist them with planting their seed. After writing their name with a sharpie on the outside of the cup, then punching a hole in the bottom, I would give it to the student to fill with the potting mix then, I would add water and they would pack the soil down. After using their finger, to make a hole in the soil, they would pick and place the seed in the hole, and cover it back up and again, pack it down. From there they would take their cup outside and place it in a tray donated by Bishop Nursery. I would then repeat the process with the next student. It took several hours but by 1:30 that afternoon, all the seeds were planted and set outside.
Putting their hands in the soil was met with a reaction that ranged from joy to yuck, but mostly joy. Listening to them talk about how some of them did this at home and how much they enjoyed working in their own gardens was fun. I was especially taken back by how many worked in the garden with a grandparent and how close and inspired they felt by doing so. This was something we might all remember when we spend time with our kids or grandkids. For most of these children, gardening was a joy, but for far too many it was something they had never done.
I am now done with my part of this project unless Mrs. Kunze or Mrs. Kubiak has reason to bring me back. As I said, they are planning on doing a math lesson teaching line graphs that will require keeping track of dates and how much each plant has grown by particular date. For me, I anxiously await, hoping that the seeds will sprout and the kids will find that joy in eventually getting to pick sugar snap peas right off their own bush and enjoy that wonderful delight. I have about 15 extra cups planted just in case some seeds do not sprout but I can use them in my own garden or I'll have sugar snap pea plants for the next MG meeting to give away.
- Author: Alison Collin
Being a drought-concerned citizen you have ripped out your lush green lawn, so you no longer need to water, mow or fertilize, but you are faced with a large area of bare earth, your topsoil is vanishing into the next county when the wind blows, your earthworms are dead, and if it rains every dormant weed seed springs to life.
You have converted your sprinklers to an ugly spaghetti of drip irrigation tubing and have to decide which water-thrifty plants to install in order to cover the many square feet of seemingly baron land. So often the ensuing low water use landscaping consists of three clumps of ornamental grass surrounding a lump of rock on a mound, but it is possible to have far more interest and color by selecting appropriate flowering plants, and these are also helpful to pollinating insects?
Which plants to choose? I have seen gardens in the Bay Area where the lawn has been removed and replaced with a mass of roses – perhaps not quite in the spirit of water conservation! Plants native to specific areas should do well if the conditions provided match those in which they naturally grow, but sun-loving plants are not likely to thrive under your neighbor's shade trees, and it is often difficult to match soil conditions. Desert natives have generally adapted to grow, flower and seed when they can take full advantage of any rain that falls, after which they either die or go dormant. This means that much of the summer they will be well past their best, often degenerating into a stand of dead stems.
Below are some plants which have a single taproot or a confined root mass, that can be watered by just one or two emitters, but which have tops that spread to fill up large spaces. While not true desert plants, they manage to look good on low amounts of water, and have long bloom seasons, although since they are dormant for the winter months, other plants, grasses or rocks would be needed to supply interest then.
Nepeta racemosa ‘Walker's Low'. This produces a mound of aromatic foliage 2 feet or more across and about 1ft. high. Spikes of lavender blue flowers cover the plant beginning in April, and if the first flush of flowers is sheared off more will be produced throughout the summer. The flowers are irresistible to butterflies and bees and one spring I counted 15 Painted Lady butterflies on one clump.
Oenothera fremontii ‘Shimmer'. Low growing mats of narrow thread-like foliage up to 14” across happily grow in poor, sandy soils and give rise to masses of 1½” clear yellow flowers throughout the summer.
Artemesia ‘Powis Castle'. This has wonderful, feathery, silver leaves and makes a mound up to 3ft tall and 4ft wide so is a good background plant and space filler. It is tough and looks best if it is cut down every spring in order to get a good flush of new foliage. Spikes of insignificant yellow flowers can be removed for the sake of appearance.
Gaura lindheimeri. Fountains of airy white or pink flowers cover these plants all summer and are a favorite of bees. Some varieties grow up to 4ft high, but most of the commoner garden selections reach 2-3ft, with some being even more compact, reaching only 1ft.. These have deep taproots which are drought tolerant, and a mat of mottled foliage spreading up to 3ft across. Some new cultivars have eye-catching colors and a more compact form.
Mirabilis jalapa. Four O'Clocks. These grow as an annual in the high desert, grow 3'-4' tall and as wide. They grow rapidly and bloom in a variety of colors towards the end of summer. They are frequently perfumed in the evenings. They seed prodigiously.
Perovskia atriplicifolia. Russian Sage with its spikes of long-lasting blue flowers thrives in full sun, and is heat and drought tolerant. It needs plenty of space and reaches a height of about 5' with a spread of 2-3'.
Agastache ‘Desert Sunrise' makes dramatic clumps up to 4' high and 24” wide with generous spikes of flowers in sunset colors throughout the summer. The common name of Hummingbird Mint is self-explanatory.
Centranthus ruber. This is a weed in much of the west, but given a little water it is hard to beat for a lush appearance and flower production and is a great favorite with insects of all sorts, from butterflies and bees to tarantula hawks! Keep dead flower heads trimmed to prevent production of fluffy dandelion-like seeds. It's not terribly aggressive in Owens Valley but it can spread to neighboring beds with irrigation if you don't deadhead it.
There are numerous other plants such as the sages and lavenders that give long-lasting and generous displays of flowers with low water usage. Although within each family different species have varying requirements, and different heat and cold tolerances, but with some research it should be possible to find enough plants to make a bare patch come to life using considerably less water than the original lawn.
Sources: www.HighCountryGardens.com
http://www.perennials.com/plants/oenothera-fremontii-shimmer.html
http://www.perennials.com/plants/artemisia-powis-castle.html
- Author: Dustin Blakey
If you open up a pest management guide for apple or pears—those books really exist, by the way—the first insect listed is always the dreaded codling moth. These are the creatures responsible for turning an apparent bountiful harvest of fruit into a brown, wormy mess in late summer. Codling moth is the main insect pest that attacks apples and pears in our region.
After overwintering as larvae, the moths emerge in spring, mate and then proceed to lay eggs on the fruit. These eggs hatch into tiny larvae that eat their way into your fruit, ruining it in the process. Fully grown larvae fall out of the fruit, pupate into adult moths (usually on the ground), and the process repeats. In the Owens Valley, there are usually two generations that we worry about controlling. Their development is mostly driven by temperature.
The first generation of adults usually emerges in April, and egg laying follows in a few weeks. The exact timing varies each year and by location, north or south, in the valley. The second generation lays its eggs over an longer period, but it is usually in July. Most of the complaints of ruined fruit by gardeners are from this second generation.
Because there are at least two generations to be concerned with, it is essential to get control during the first generation so that you have fewer moths to fight later on.
While it's possible to achieve control by just using continual sprays through the season with insecticides, this isn't usually how we deal with this pest since that's wasteful and carries risks. Codling moth is usually controlled through a combination of means.
Commercial codling moth control is a complex topic. There is a great body of peer-reviewed literature on the subject. In the home landscape it really isn't possible to implement a full, successful control program. UC has a simpler set of guidelines for landscapes and gardens here.
The approach I would recommend to is to watch your fruit closely. Ideally you should learn what a codling moth egg looks like and learn to identify it. If you want to control with sprays, egg laying is the only feasible time to apply an insecticide, Organic or otherwise.
Codling moth eggs are tiny and hard to see. They look like tiny translucent pancakes about as big around as a pencil's lead. These are usually laid near the blossom end of the fruit. I find them easier to see in the morning or late afternoon when the sun is low in the sky. They are slightly reflective and having sunlight reflecting on them is a big help. Check those fruits you can reach easily from the ground for the eggs by turning the fruit and looking around the blossom end. The third week in April is a good time to start looking in our area. Continue this through mid-May. Remember that Bishop is about 1 week behind Lone Pine in timing. Check for eggs again in late June through July. Egg laying is your best shot for applying controls.
If your eyes aren't good, you'll have a hard time knowing when to time sprays by finding eggs, but there are other options. A favorite home control technique of mine is to remove all fruit of the first generation that has a worm. This alone can go a long way in getting control, especially if you're not surrounded by neighbors with wormy fruit.
If you really want to have clean fruit, in June you can bag fruit to protect them from insect attack. Garden supply companies sell bags for this purpose, but you can improvise as well. Have bags on fruit before egg laying commences. Since we have wind issues, you'll need a way to secure the bags onto the fruit. Bagging is a lot of work! Anytime you see fallen or damaged fruit on the tree, you should remove it immediately whether you bag or not.
Unless you are committed to bagging fruit, most homeowners who demand high levels of control will need to spray some product. These vary from biological organisms that kill the target pest as well as naturally or synthetically derived insecticides. Because these products and recommendations change so often, I'll direct you here for current recommendations. (See bottom of that page.)
Codling moth control is definitely a challenge, but you can expect reasonable control with a little effort on your part. Even if you lose some crop each year, you should still have enough to make growing apples and pears worth your while.
- Author: Dustin Blakey
If you've been trying to maintain a lawn in the Owens Valley and you've had issues with access to irrigation, then you may have noticed that while you still may have turf, it looks a bit different than before the drought.
There's a saying among gardeners in The South that it doesn't matter what you plant, you get Bermudagrass. Fifteen years of pulling it out of my garden and landscape in Arkansas confirms this. For better or worse, this wisdom may apply to some lawns in the Owens Valley.
If you have any Bermudagrass present in your lawn, for the past week or two it has been greening up from its winter dormancy and is noticeable now. In my dead bluegrass/fescue/ryegrass lawn small, discrete patches of Bermuda are popping up everywhere.
Reductions in irrigation to lawns as well as dry conditions in winter may have injured or killed cool-season turf species in lawns like mine. I've noticed in my neighborhood that many yards that were lush with cool-season grasses are now home to Bermudagrass. Why is that?
The reasons we see warm-season species like Bermudagrass now are:
- Warm-season grasses are dormant in winter and need no care or water so they persist
- These grasses require full sun and decline of the cool-season grasses in lawns has increased access to light by Bermudagrass; when these grasses get water and light, and it's warm out, they grow quickly
- There is less competition with other grass species injured by drought
- Bermudagrass is drought tolerant and uses less water than fescue or bluegrass
- It was probably already there, just less prominent.
If you now are looking at a weak, but mostly Bermuda lawn, you have have to decide either to embrace it—after all it's green in summer and easy to grow—or re-establish a cool-season mixture of grasses.
If you decide to keep it, as long as there is about 1 green sprig for every couple feet, it can fill in during the season if you give it ample water and nitrogen fertilizer while the weather is warm. Bare spots can be seeded beginning in April with seed, but try to avoid using Arizona Common since it isn't very cold-hardy. Bermudagrass only grows in bright light so it will never really take off in the shade. Save your money trying to get it to grow under trees; you'll need cool-season lawn there.
For those of you wishing to re-establish a clean stand of cool-season turf, you need to seed either now or in late August through early September. Maybe both. If you have the means to maintain soil moisture both late and early season that will help it to compete. Fertilizing in cooler weather discourages uptake by Bermudagrass and favors the cool-season grasses, but don't overdo it. You might wish to use a herbicide to kill off the Bermuda before seeding if you really don't want to have it. (Note: you'll probably still have it.)
The UC Guide to Healthy Lawns has information on renovating turf here.
Probably the easiest course of action if you aren't fussy about which type of turf you have is to put out a mixture of cool-season turfgrasses before it gets too hot, irrigate as best you can, and not worry if you have Bermudagrass growing in the lawn. It's tough and will do well where the cool-season grasses struggle to survive. This is the "at least it's green" method. Hopefully you'll choke out some weeds in the process.
No matter what route you take, expect weeds to be more of a problem than usual if your lawn isn't in great shape. Weeds love bare ground and weak turf. If you don't do anything, expect a good crop of crabgrass and broadleaf weeds.
Of course you can remove the lawn and go with a different type of landscape, but that's a different article altogether.
- Author: Alison Collin
As those faithful harbingers of spring, the daffodils, hyacinths and tulips fade it is time to get deadheading. This is done in order to prevent the plant from wasting its energies producing seeds and to divert the food that the leaves continue to produce towards the bulb so as to enlarge and strengthen it for next year's flowers.
The spent flowers should be cut off just below the swelling seed pod as soon as possible after the flowers fade. Tulips and daffodils are obligingly easy since the flower heads snaps off quite readily. It is a rather tedious business but I discovered that it was a job that my small children seemed to enjoy doing (for pay) once they were old enough to do it safely, and this gave them an appreciation of how plants grow and engendered a certain amount of competition so the job got done very quickly!
Bulbs will not produce a second flush of bloom, but other plants that come later - annuals and perennials -will often rebloom more than once in a season if they are prevented from producing seed. After all, from nature's point of view flowers are produced purely for the purposes of reproduction of the species, so if seeds are not allowed to form the plant will continue to keep trying.
To know exactly where to cut off the dead flowers can be a bit of a challenge until one has some experience of different species:
- Petunias, pansies, California poppies etc – dead flowers are pinched off just below the flower head.
- Roses: Prune back to a five-leaflet leaf, making a slanting cut as you would for winter pruning. Carpet roses can be lightly sheared, cutting just below the spent clusters.
- Perennials e.g. dahlias, asters, delphiniums, dianthus. If the flower stem also has leaves or obvious buds, cut back to just above those since that is where further growth will start from. With these plants if just the flower head is removed it leaves an unsightly spiky stem, but by taking the stem down to the first set of leaves it looks more natural.
- Plants with flowers held on naked stems, such as daylilies are cut back to the base.
- Lilacs, viburnums and hydrangeas: These need to be cut just below the flower head, and should be done as soon as the flowers fade since the plant will rapidly be preparing the buds for next year.
Remember to take a container around with you to receive the dead flowers – there is not much point in cutting these off and then leaving them around on the ground where they could harbor disease!
Nothing detracts from the overall appearance of a flower bed more than dead or dying flowers. Often one is tempted to leave a cluster if there is just one floret with some color remaining, but it is much better to cut off that inflorescence and get a replacement growing.