by Melody Kendall
First, I do an inventory. What tools need maintenance and which tools just need a quiet trip to the garbage bin are assessed. During the year I have good intentions, but the shovels still have soil on their surfaces and the pruners have sticky sap on their blades. Even my gardening boots have crusted soil in their treads and my gloves are dirty and, quite frankly, stinky.
Setting the mood, I put in my earbuds and listen to a music selection while I set up my work station for maximum results. The workbench is lined with newspaper and my cleaning and sharpening implements are all laid out for easy access. I lay out some latex gloves, coarse sandpaper, or sanding block/sponge, some steel wool, a wire brush (plus a rotary wire brush for stubborn rust spots), a pumice stone, and a putty knife to scrape off any remaining dried soil. For lubrication, I have a spray can of WD-40, and one of vegetable oil.
Next, the tools need to be sharpened. A sharp tool requires less effort and is safer to use because you do not have to use as much force when welding them. Sharp tools make cleaner cuts that allow the plant a better chance to heal and expose a cleaner edge that will better resist diseases, insects, fungi and weather extremes.
I believe that tools should be sharpened regularly and preferably after each use. But, as mentioned above, there were times that I had just returned the tool to storage and walked away without doing that. Years ago I used a sharpening stone or whetstone but a few years ago I found this great handy dandy sharpening tool that fits perfectly in my pocket and is much easier to use. As I write this I'm truly embarrassed that I didn't use this ‘easier to use' tool more frequently. That being said, each cutting edge will require the use of a sharpening tool. I like to run my sharpener two or three times along the surface of the blade from the handle to the edge in a continuous swipe.
A bypass blade uses a scissors movement to pass next to, not on top of, the often non-moving lower surface. The edge to be sharpened is on the beveled surface or the outside of the moving blade. Sharpening the inside of the blade would eventually make the space between the blades grow larger due to the minute scraping off of the metal as you sharpen.
Anvil blade tools feature a double beveled edge or a two-sided blade that connects with a single flat surface/blade in a chopping motion, not a scissor bypass motion. Both sides of the moving blade will need sharpening. Hone both sides so they have equally beveled edges.
There is much controversy as to the preferred blade style. Personally, I prefer the bypass style.
The shovels, rakes and hoes really don't need much sharpening. The working surfaces of these tools will just need a visual check for any folded over metal surfaces. If that has occurred just use a flat-edged file or coarse sharpening stone to dress the edge back to true. I sometimes run the sharpening tool along the working edge (for example on a shovel the ‘working edge' is on the scoop side of the blade) to make sure that the surface doesn't have any pits or flat areas. I then spray each shovel and hoe blade with flat black spray paint. I like the way it makes all the tools look neat and it also protects the blade from rust. My dad taught me this step and I have good memories of doing it with him each year when he cleaned his tools. All that remains is to scrape and clean the soles of my work boots, oil my leather gloves and throw the fabric gloves into the washer.
Tools are your helpmates and represent a large cash outlay and deserve regular maintenance. It is a great way to ensure their usefulness and readiness for optimum performance. Rainy days are a good time for this tool maintenance chore. After your tools are lined up and gleaming you can be justifiably proud of a job well done.
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.
Visit our website: napamg.ucanr.edu to find answers to all of your horticultural questions.
Photo credits: Melody Kendall
Information links:
The Farmer Fred Rant Blog-Chuck Ingels http://farmerfredrant.blogspot.com/2009/08/anvil-versus-bypass-pruners-some.html
UCMG Santa Clara-Tool Care https://mgsantaclara.ucanr.edu/garden-help/tool-care-tips/
Cornell Cooperative Extension-Caring for your Tools https://fyi.extension.wisc.edu/cwas/files/2013/01/Caring_for_Your_Tools.pdf
by Julie Pramuk
The UC Master Gardeners of Napa County recently had an opportunity to hear a program on backyard orchard culture, “The Fruit Bush Method” by Stanislaus County Master Gardener Ed Lavio. I was interested in this subject because the house we recently moved into has 2 full-size orange trees that flank our front porch. The trees are beautifully healthy but have grown too much, crowding the porch and not looking like it was the best space for them. I thought they should be removed, but knew it had taken quite a few years for the trees to grow this big. They have sufficient sunlight and I love the idea that we could have some oranges in the not-too-distant future. We haven't had any fruit yet due to severe pruning a year or so ago.
Many of us have a garden with limited space in our backyard settings, making it a priority to allocate space. Growing fruit trees includes the task of keeping trees at a shorter height to make room for more plants and make tree maintenance easier. Take advantage of successive ripening of different varieties of fruit. This gives the homeowner a broad range of fruit availability during the year. Think stone fruit during the summer, followed by pome varieties and citrus.
Size control has many advantages including checking for pests, thinning interior branches for air and enabling light to penetrate, ease of pruning and seasonal spraying. Fewer pest problems would also be the result of good spacing between the fruit as well as bigger fruit size. Limb breakage is less of an issue if fruit is adequately thinned.
Another question was posed about how tall do semi-dwarf trees grow? As there is no standard for the term “semi-dwarf,” it is often misinterpreted to mean low maintenance, making the home gardener think there won't be much work to do. It was recommended to stand up and raise your hands like you are under arrest — that's how high your tree should be, about 7 to 8 feet. Finally, the most important thing we can do for our trees is to add compost to our soil and mulch to retain moisture, always good advice.
For further guidance on how to prune your fruit trees for easier care and enjoyment listen to this seminar on the Youtube Channel at http://ucanr.edu/youtube/ucmgstanislaus
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.
Visit our website: napamg.ucanr.edu to find answers to all of your horticultural questions.
Photo credits: BenMcInerney CC BY-SA 4.0
Info links: UC ANR https://ucanr.edu/sites/mgslo/files/264588.pdf
https://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/pdf/8057.pdf
The recently installed Succulent/dry Garden is one of three new areas at the Las Flores Learning Garden, a partnership between UC Master Gardeners of Napa County and the City of Napa.
Climate change and water shortages have become a reality in our lives and these conditions are predicted to become more pronounced in the future. Research has shown that California's water year from October 2020 to September 2021 was the driest in nearly a century. How can gardens be created that not only survive these changes and help to slow down this process and still be pleasing to the eye?
Our succulent/dry garden currently contains 23 varieties of plants, succulents, drought tolerant plants and grasses that require little or no water. We excluded cacti because of thorns, not wanting to worry about sharp points when doing upkeep in the garden.
What is the difference between a cactus and a succulent? All cacti are succulents but not all succulents are cacti. A wide variety of non-cactus succulents are native to different regions across the world. By contrast, almost all kinds of cacti are native only to the Americas. Cactus plants generally have few or no leaves.
How to have a successful succulent/dry garden
• Amend soil with sand and pumice to add drainage.
• Clear the area by first removing all old foliage and add a sand mixture to the soil to promote drainage. Drainage is the key to success in the creation of a succulent garden. As a rule, most succulents do not like wet feet and will rot if the surrounding soil is too moist.
• Add landscape design elements to create interest and cause rainwater to flow away from plants, but keep an area contained.
• Consider color, shape, height, and texture in your design and mix in drought-tolerant plants to add variation. Group plants with similar needs.
• Add a swale to contain water runoff and capture rain. A swale serves to drain water away from plants but keep it contained. Runoff on adjacent walkways and other hardscapes is wasteful. Containing the rainwater and allowing it to percolate into the immediate aquifer is the better option.
• Finish the garden with a top dressing of small rock to help retain soil and water.
We arranged 23 different types of plants in a pleasing design. Not all succulents can survive in Napa County's lowest temperatures, so these plants were chosen for not only their low water needs but their compatibility with temperatures and sun/shade ratio.
We now have a wonderful succulent/dry garden to use as an example of a low-water landscape that is interesting and beautiful. We hope you agree with the with the reasons and the advantages for planting a succulent/dry garden of your own.
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.
Visit our website: napamg.ucanr.edu to find answers to all of your horticultural questions.
Photo credits: Octopus Agave https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Agave_vilmoriniana_(Scott_Zona)_001.jpg
Coral Aloe https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Coral_Aloe_(Aloe_striata)_(31710241744).jpg
Black Rose Aeonium https://www.flickr.com/photos/aliarda/20711408255
Rock purslane https://www.publicdomainpictures.net/en/view-image.php?image=281365&picture=pink-purslane-flowers-close-up
Information links:
UC Master Gardener Napa County-Adapting your garden to climate change https://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=38783
San Mateo/San Francisco Counties-putting in a succulent garden https://smsf-mastergardeners.ucanr.edu/Elkus/Planting_a_succulent_garden/
Santa Clara County-Succulents https://mgsantaclara.ucanr.edu/garden-help/succulents-care/
San Mateo/San Francisco Counties-putting in a succulent garden https://smsf-mastergardeners.ucanr.edu/Elkus/Planting_a_succulent_garden/
Santa Clara County-Succulents https://mgsantaclara.ucanr.edu/garden-help/succulents-care/
The recently installed Pollinator Garden is one of three new areas at the Las Flores Learning Garden, a partnership between UC Master Gardeners of Napa County and the City of Napa. The Pollinator Garden transformed a weed-filled area into a pollinator-friendly home to nurture these necessary insects and other pollinating animals.
Fall is the best time to get your new ornamental plants settled in your landscape. However, due to various delays, the garden at Las Flores was planted in the heat of summer in June of 2022. Not the optimum time to install any new landscape plants, we chose to look at the experience as a perfect teaching opportunity. This flourishing garden is the result of careful monitoring and shows that, though it's not optimum, planting can be done in the summer. It just takes a much more hands-on effort to achieve.
• About 35% of the world's food crops and ¾ of the world's flowering plants need pollinators to reproduce.
• More than 3,500 native bee species increase crop yields pollinating as they gather food from flitting from flower to flower.
• Many scientists believe that one out of every three bites of food we consume is there because of animal pollinators.
• These are all pretty compelling reasons to encourage bees, butterflies and moths, birds and bats, and beetles and other insect pollinators in any landscape!
Here are some ideas:
Plant a continuous food supply. When choosing plants for a pollinator garden look at what plants attract which pollinator and the bloom times of those plants. Include plants that bloom at different times. This way there will always be something for pollinators to eat. Make sure to include early and late bloomers to feed the pollinators late in the year and early in the spring. If you plant each plant in multiple groupings you'll get more “bang for your buck.”
Include a diversity of plants. Mix it up and include plants with different flowers, sizes, shapes and colors as well as alternating bloom times. These differences will support multiple types of pollinators
Leave those pesky dandelions alone in the spring because these are often the first food source for bees emerging in the spring. The leaves make great salads for humans, too.
Avoid pesticide use. Pesticides are often non-specific killers of insects, killing even the good guys.
The Pollinator Garden at Las Flores has over fifty-four varieties of pollinator encouraging plants. Each plant was chosen because they attracted pollinators, either specialized or multiple varieties, and most have low water requirements. With bees buzzing, hummingbirds flitting about and several monarch butterfly sightings the question of why we need these gardens has been answered.
Fall Maintenance
Weeds– An ongoing upkeep chore, an application of 1-2 inches of mulch and hand removal of weeds were suggested control methods. Make sure the mulch is at least 2 inches from the base of each plant to prevent root rot.
Pruning– Different plants have individual requirements for pruning needs. Research the cultural needs of your plants.
Deadheading– Removal of dead flowers rewards the effort with more blooms. Leaving spent blooms on the plants for the birds is also an option for some of these plants.
Soil health– Leaving the roots in the ground of the cut down annuals will contribute to soil health. Allow fallen leaves to remain on the ground when possible except in fire prone areas.
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.
Visit our website: napamg.ucanr.edu to find answers to all of your horticultural questions.
Photo credits: Laurie Budash
Information links:
Las Flores Learning Garden Pollinator Plants list https://napamg.ucanr.edu/DemoGarden/g4/
UC ANR Best time to plant https://ucanr.edu/sites/ucmgplacer/files/171559.pdf
Encouraging Native Bees https://cagardenweb.ucanr.edu/General/Encouraging_Native_Bees_-_Other_Pollinators/
Make a Pollinator Garden https://ucanr.edu/sites/PollenNation/How_to_Join/Make_a_Pollinator_Garden/
How to attract and maintain pollinators in your garden https://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/pdf/8498.pdf
UCMG statewide blog: Creating a Pollinator garden https://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=18074
USDA The Importance of Pollinators https://www.usda.gov/peoples-garden/pollinators#:~:text=Pollinators%20by%20Numbers,bees%20help%20increase%20crop%20yields.
by Melody Kendall
• Begin by examining your garden to see what worked, didn't work, what could be done differently or better.
In my garden: staking my chrysanthemums and giving my lantana a chance to recover
• Consider plant revisions (species and location changes, size considerations, color, texture, pollinator activity, and adding accessories like rocks and logs).
In my garden: get rid of the morning glories and wait to see what recovers from spring frosts
• Select plants for fall installation while the soil is warm and to take advantage of winter rains. Plant spring blooming bulbs. Warm soil allows microorganisms to thrive so your new fall plants will establish their roots before the cold sets in.
In my garden: get my spring bulbs settled into the garden beds
• Leave the leaves! They are free mulch and provide winter shelter for creatures and insects. Plus, the leaves protect the soil from erosion and run off. Exceptions to this would be in fire prone areas where leaf and debris removal is a must.
In my garden: I'm going to leave the leaves
• Eliminate as many weeds as possible.
In my garden: An ongoing effort in any garden at any time.
• Aerate the soil with a garden fork, but don't till — it damages root systems. Aeration will allow water and air penetration, essentials for healthy soil and plants. Avoid soil compaction by limiting where you walk.
In my garden: Gently poke holes in the soil with a wide tined garden fork while watching out for the irrigation lines
• Nutrients in the soil are depleted in the spring through summer months. Help the soil replenish nutrients by adding compost and slow-release organic amendments.
In my garden: Application of compost and manure mixture
• Remove diseased plants by cutting them off at soil level. Remove any diseased leaves under the plants, such as those with black spot, fungus, and more that will infect new and existing plants in spring.
In my garden: Cut the stalks of the dahlias to the ground and assess the needs of the perennials and shrubs
• Leave deadheads on plants that have seeds for birds to eat.
In my garden: Leaving the Mexican sunflowers (Tithonia) until late winter
• Cut off broken or dead tree branches for safety, tree health, and appearance.
In my garden: Shape the trees
• Remember, to maintain a vibrant habitat space, avoid the use of pesticides and herbicides.
In my garden I don't use any pesticides or herbicides. I feel like I'm contributing to the environment by avoiding their use and besides having a dog. That is not to say that pesticides and herbicides don't have their place, just not in my garden
Put in the effort now and your spring garden planning will be more satisfying. It sounds like a lot of sweat and energy, but plug into your latest audio book while you enjoy the fresh air and accomplish these preparations in anticipation for the next growing season.
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.
Visit our website: napamg.ucanr.edu to find answers to all of your horticultural questions.
Photo credits: Mel Kendall
Information links: UC IPM
Weeds http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/weeds_intro.html
Powdery mildew http://ipm.ucanr.edu/QT/powderymildewcard.html
Chrysanthemum http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/GARDEN/FLOWERS/chrysanthemum.html
Zinnia http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/GARDEN/FLOWERS/zinnia.html
Lantana http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/GARDEN/PLANTS/lantana.html
UCMG Sonoma County
Smoke Tree https://sonomamg.ucanr.edu/Plant_of_the_Month/Cotinus/
UCMG Tulare/King Counties-Gaillardia https://ucanr.edu/datastoreFiles/268-497.pdf
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