- Author: Kim McCue
- Editor: Noni Todd
By Kim McCue Master Gardener
Making your garden unappealing to slugs and snails can greatly reduce their impact. These creatures will surface on foggy or rainy days, but on most days they are found hiding in fleshy plants or in shady spots such as tall grass and the underside of ledges and rocks. Susceptible plants can be protected by eliminating hiding places or placing vulnerable plants away from such areas. Switching from overhead to drip irrigation to reduce surface moisture and selecting slug and snail resistant plants will create a less inviting environment for the slimy enemy.
Handpicking is a great way to eliminate these annoying pests. Venturing into the garden at night with flashlight in hand will allow you to catch them during their gluttonous attack. Traps such as boards, flower pots and even melon rinds can aid in the handpicking process. Hunt for the creatures on a daily basis until their numbers are noticeably reduced, then decrease to once a week.
Using barriers, especially those involving copper tape or foil, can also be part of your arsenal in the war against slugs and snails. Citrus fruit is a favorite food of the pests; Bordeaux mixture (copper sulfate and hydrated lime) is another effective barrier when brushed onto trunks.
While slug and snail baits are useful in conjunction with the methods we’ve outlined, baits containing metaldehyde should not be used on edibles or in areas frequented by children or pets. Iron phosphate baits are a safe alternative and are available under many trade names. Check the label for the active ingredient before making your purchase. For a list of resistant plants and details on barriers and bates, please visithttp://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7427.html.
- Author: Jutta Thoerner
- Editor: Noni Todd
Q. What does it take to make my own compost?
-- Eric from Santa Margarita.
By Jutta Thoerner Master Gardener
Choose a convenient site; keep the compost pile close to your garden in a shady location. Doing so will encourage you to add to the pile and observe its progress.
If you only compost garden waste, piles don’t need to be enclosed. Kitchen wastes added to the pile require a sturdy enclosure to prevent animals from digging through the piles. Work with what your yard and kitchen produce. Shred and cut the materials in small pieces for faster composting.
If you need to import materials, ask neighbors for leaves or green plant waste. Reuse and recycle your shredded newspaper, or add cardboard, well soaked and cut into pieces.
You can help the many organisms who turn these materials into compost by giving them a good mix of green and brown materials.
How fast you can harvest your compost is determined by the combination of carbon and nitrogen in your pile that must be kept at a moist consistency. Your compost could be ready to harvest in as little as four weeks or it could sit through the winter and be only partially decomposed, depending on the amount of material added to your pile.
Examples of material that can be composted include kitchen scraps, horse manure, leaves, sawdust and cardboard.
It’s a good strategy to alternate between thin layers of high carbon browns (such as wood chips, dried leaves, dried grass, and straw) with thicker layers of high nitrogen greens (fresh, moist materials such as grass cuttings, manure and food scraps; avoid meats, fats and grease. Be sure to moisten each layer.
Every ingredient you add to the pile will host a different group of microorganisms; this diversity will lead to the successful breakdown of the parts that turn the waste into rich smelling, soil-like material.
To learn more about the benefits of composting, including worm composting and soil properties in general, attend the Advice to Grow By seminar at the Garden of the Seven Sisters, 2156 Sierra Way, San Luis Obispo, from 10 a.m. to noon April 20.
Contact the University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners: at 781-5939 from 1 to 5 p.m. on Monday and Thursday; at 473-7190 from 10 a.m. to noon on Wednesday in Arroyo Grande; and at 434-4105 from 9 a.m. to noon on Wednesday in Templeton. Visit the UCCE Master Gardeners Web site at http://ucanr.org/sites/mgslo/or e-mail mgsanluisobispo@ucdavis.edu
- Author: Lee Oliphant
- Editor: Noni Todd
By Lee Oliphant Master Gardener
The life cycle of aphids is remarkable and explains why they appear quickly in large numbers. In spring, females (called “stem mothers”), emerge from eggs. They do not need a mate to reproduce. Stem mothers give birth to live daughters and these offspring give birth to more live daughters without any “hanky-panky” going on. At the end of the season, aphids begin to produce both sons and daughters. When these multi-gender colonies mature, they mate and the females lay eggs on bud scales continuing the cycle the following spring.
Gardeners who practice IPM (Integrated Pest Management) learn to tolerate the presence of a few aphids. Natural enemies such as lady beetles and their larvae, lacewings, and tiny wasps, often keep aphid numbers below damaging levels. Beneficial insects often arrive several days to several weeks after the aphids begin to multiply, so in the lag-time, use a strong jet of water from the hose to wash aphids from leaves. Infested portions of the plant can be pinched or pruned off. Insecticidal soap kills aphids on contact and horticultural oils provide aphid control without leaving toxic residue for natural enemies. By making your garden an attractive place for beneficial insects, with flowers that bloom over a long period of time, you’ll be taking the first step to limiting aphid infestation.
- Author: Steve McDermott
- Editor: Noni Todd
Having Fun Growing Veggies with Kids!
by Steve McDermott Master Gardener
Q: I like vegetable gardening and I want to get my children involved with me. Do you have any ideas for helping me?
A: You are already on your way since you like gardening and young kids naturally model their parent’s behavior. But you can get them really excited by making gardening fun! What do young kids naturally think is fun to do outside? Play in soil, play with water, and show off their accomplishments.
Let your children pick out a place to play with the soil. Whether it is in an existing vegetable garden, in a pot they can decorate, or even a cottage cheese tub. You can even let them try growing plants in an old sneaker or a discarded toy (put holes in the bottom for some drainage). Let them handle the soil and don’t worry about mess. Just make sure they know it’s his/her area.
Watering is also a lot of fun for kids. Let them water their new plants or seeds so they can watch them grow and be pleased with the growth. They’ll need some guidance about how often to water.
Showing off is the best part for kids. They already “own” the plant, so when it gets pretty or larger, or even bares a flower or food, they will be ready to say, “Look what I grew.” My neighbor’s children give me “presents” from their garden.
Easy and fun plant seeds to sow are radishes (grow fast), carrots (kids get to dig them up), lettuce, zucchini (grow fast and profusely), tomatoes (cherry ones are kid size), and peas (pretty flowers with sweet fragrance). In warmer parts of San Luis Obispo County, big pumpkins and juicy melons are fun to grow.
To see a garden display for children, please visit the “Sunshine Garden” section at the Master Gardeners’ Demonstration Garden at our next Advice to Grow by Workshop. The workshops are held the third Saturday of each month, (except for June which will be the fourth Saturday) at 10:00 a.m., at 2156 Sierra Way, San Luis Obispo.
- Author: Christina Muller
- Editor: Noni Todd
What are some garden tasks that I should take care of in April? Laura H
By Christina Muller, Master Gardener
Spring has truly arrived on the Central Coast in April. This is a month of abundant bloom; annuals planted last fall are bursting with flowers and many perennials are starting to bloom as well. The weather and soil are warming up and it’s an ideal time to be out in the garden.
You can plant vegetables now. Fast growers such as radishes and lettuce can be interplanted with larger, slower growing vegetables like tomatoes. By the time larger vegetables need the space the others will already have been harvested. It’s best to rotate vegetables so they aren’t grown in the same place every season. This helps keep diseases in the soil from building up. Herbs and summer annuals like cosmos, nasturtiums, and sunflowers can be seeded directly into the garden.
Irrigation timers may need to be reset for warmer weather. Deadheading (trimming spent flowers) will prolong bloom as plants strive to produce more flowers. April is a good time to fertilize the garden; trees, shrubs and perennials will all benefit. A top dressing of compost will support soil health and tidy the garden’s appearance.
Just as warmer weather benefits the garden, it also spurs the growth of weeds, pests and diseases. Continue pulling weeds before soil dries and hardens making work more difficult. Pay attention to plant health; powdery mildew thrives in spring with the warming days and cool nights. The fungal spores are easily spread by splashing water from a hose or the rain. To minimize powdery mildew, water early enough to allow foliage to completely dry during the day. Or for particularly susceptible plants, drip irrigation and plenty of elbow room are recommended. Finally, don’t forget snails which are very active in the spring. Hand picking regularly at night can substantially diminish their population. If using bait, select one with iron phosphate as the active ingredient as it is non-toxic to children, pets, birds, fish and wildlife.