I love the taste of summer. For me the taste of summer is that first charcoal-grilled hot dog of the season, sun brewed iced tea, and the big bowl of slightly chilled cherries that is always present at summer BBQs.  If you are about to start collecting your summer bounty of beautiful, red ripe cherries be aware that this year might not be the bumper crop you expected due to one pesky little problem.

Adult male spotted wing drosophila. Photo courtesy UC IPM.

Spotted wing drosophila (SWD), Drosophila suzukii, is a fruit fly that infests soft-fleshed fruit such as cherries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and strawberries. A native of Japan, SWD found its way to California in 2008 and has been giving commercial and home gardening operations problems ever since. Unlike its relatives, SWD attacks fruit as it ripens as well as damaged or overripe fruit. This is due to the female’s serrated ovipositor that allows her to literally saw into healthy, intact fruit to lay eggs. Females oviposit or “sting” healthy ripening fruit and deposit 1-3 eggs per sting site, and can go on to sting many more times. Eggs hatch and grow into maggots that feed on the fruit, turning it brown and soft.

Bill Krueger, Farm Advisor and County Director for Glenn County Cooperative Extension, found SWD on his cherries this week. He identified the pest on an early-ripening variety, but hopes he’ll be able to protect his second variety that ripens a little later. He's lucky to have caught it, as most backyard gardeners won't see the microscopic punctures or other signs of SWD until it is too late.

Because SWD infest healthy fruit it is essential to identify early and take appropriate measures. Waiting until harvest to spray or take other measures will not be of any use because maggots are already in the fruit. Some management options highlighted in “Pest Notes” a publication of the UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management System Program, include: securing a fine mesh netting over whole plants pre-ripening to exclude adult females, early harvest to reduce exposure, and spraying organic insecticide spinosad (“Monterey Garden Insect Spray”) 2-3 weeks before harvest just as fruit turns from yellow to pink. Another application may be needed 7-10 days later.

SWD larva on damaged cherry. Photo courtesy UC IPM.

For more information about SWD identification and management options see the UC IPM Pest Notes.

 It can be challenging for a serious gardener to pass a shredding machine and not stop and use it to transform ‘paperwork’ into worm compost bedding. Sorry, your Master Gardener papers are no longer potential bedding material. Since the Statewide Office staff has embraced making the volunteer time submission and the annual recertification process as paper free as possible you’ll need to locate another source of worm bedding. Entering your volunteer experiences, completing the three recertification forms and submitting the insurance payment is now fast, easy and paperless.

Gardening tasks, family obligations and professional obligations fill our June days, leaving just a few precious moments for completing the Master Gardener recertification process.  Why bother taking the time to recertify?  During the past year you probably experienced the joy of learning about a new plant, memorized another botanical name, or identified an invasive pest.  You most likely attended a monthly meeting or an advanced training developed specifically for Master Gardeners, plus your network of friends expanded to include new gardening buddies.  Recertify by June 30 to assure you do not miss any of the many learning opportunities waiting for you in the 2012-13 program year.

During the 2012-13 program year the Statewide office will provide you the opportunity to attend advanced horticulture and IPM trainings and assist with planning the 2014 Conference. Your local program most likely has a wealth of rewarding opportunities available for you to educate and inspire the home gardener. Unfortunately, there will probably be another new invasive pest waiting to make your acquaintance. 

Take a few minutes to document in VMS the valuable hours you contribute in your community.  Not only do your individual volunteer projects have a significant impact on your local community, they also assist Pam Geisel and Aubrey Bray in prioritizing program development and training needs on the statewide level.  As individual counties and the UC system continue to face financial challenges, your hours are a vital component in securing future funding.  During the past year you chose to contribute your valuable time to the Master Gardener program.  Now it is the time to verify that the benefits of your volunteer projects are recorded and acknowledged on both the county and statewide level.

Following the completion of recertification and the entering of your volunteer hours, enjoy a snack of fresh fruit or vegetables.  The vegetable scraps make a wonderful addition to the worm compost bin.  Don’t have a worm compost bin?  Recertify and I guarantee before long a fellow Master Gardener will introduce you to the wonderful world of worms.

Thank you, for being a part of the UC Master Gardener program. 

To provide continuing education for Master Gardeners, the Statewide Master Gardener Program provides regional trainings.  An example is the Advanced IPM Training being offered next week in Davis, CA.  Trainings like these are always popular and serve as a place for Master Gardeners to learn new things, refine their skills, interact with University of California scientists, and meet other gardeners.  By promoting activities where Master Gardeners learn together, the Statewide Master Gardener Program ensures that Master Gardeners are up-to-date with the most recent research recommendations from the University of California.

The next set of regional training sessions will be the Edible Landscaping series.  In this training, Master Gardeners will learn the ins and outs of incorporating edibles into their landscapes.  The training includes planning and design, policies, maintenance, harvest and storage, and food safety.  Attendees will then be certified to teach others in Edible Landscaping practices - a skill that is in high demand.

Master Gardeners might recall attending the Sustainable Landscape Train the Trainer series two years ago.  The Statewide Master Gardener program surveyed the people who were subsequently trained by Master Gardeners and we found some wonderful things!  For example, 77% of the people who did not compost at the time of training indicated that they had started composting after three months!  That is a significant change in their behavior that definitely leads to a more sustainable California.  In addition to composting, over 40% more people began leaving portions of their gardens undisturbed for wildlife, 20% of those surveyed began using better irrigation techniques, and just over 10% planted drought tolerant plants.  These examples are just a handful of the practices that were influenced by the Sustainable Landscape classes.  

Together, through these classes, the Master Gardeners and the Statewide Master Gardener Program are making a difference!  See you soon at one of the Edible Landscape Training sessions!