If you have citrus trees, you likely have citrus mealybugs
Citrus mealybug description
All mealybugs are soft, flat, oval-shaped critters with segmented bodies. The mealybugs that attack Morgan Hill citrus are covered with a white wax that also creates spines (filaments) around the outer edge and the back end of the bug. Unless you use a hand lens you probably won't notice individuals, but mealybugs colonize areas creating white, fuzzy egg clusters that are easy to spot.
Mealybug lifecycle
When mealybug eggs hatch the crawlers are pale yellow with red eyes, and distinct antennae. Crawlers are not born with their protective wax coating. They begin to excrete it soon after hatching. They are called crawlers because they crawl to a feeding site, where they will continue to develop (and damage fruit) for a month or two.
Citrus mealybug damage
Each female mealybug can lay hundreds of eggs, and there are usually two or three generations a year, so infestations can become a problem. As sapsuckers, citrus mealybugs pierce fruit, leaves, and young stems to get at the sap. They also feed on tender, new growth. As they feed mealybugs leave behind a trail of honeydew that attracts ants and creates the perfect growth medium for sooty mold. Citrus mealybug feeding near fruit stems also leads to fruit drop. This feeding also reduces fruit quality. Trees fail to thrive and are prone to infestation by disease and other pests. In addition to oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruit, citrus mealybugs also have a taste for ornamental plants, such as tulips, coleus, cyclamen, begonias, and dahlias.
How to control citrus mealybugs
The first step to controlling citrus mealybugs is to monitor your trees, especially in spring and fall, for signs of ant trails, sooty mold, and egg clusters. Since ants will protect and farm the aphids for their honeydew, apply sticky barriers to tree trunks to block ants from protecting the aphids against natural predators. Those natural predators are your trees' best defense against citrus mealybugs. Lady beetles, lacewings and hoverflies will devour these pests so avoid using broad-spectrum pesticides. For extreme infestations, you can buy an introduced predator called the mealybug destroyer (Cryptolaemus montrouzieri). Insecticides are not recommended. Diatomaceous earth and insecticidal soaps can also be used.
Mealybugs prefer dusty conditions so hosing trees off can make them less appealing to citrus mealybugs.
by UC Master Gardener Kate Russell
This article first appeared in the March 23, 2018 issue of the South Valley Magazine.
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Cabbage aphids wreak havoc in the garden
Cabbage aphids (Brevicoryne brassicae) can wipe out a cabbage crop before it ever gets started. Native to Europe, this pest of cole crops is now found throughout the United States.
Like other aphids, cabbage aphids are small, teardrop-shaped, sap-sucking pests that can reproduce at an alarming rate. While soft-bodied cabbage aphids are actually grayish-green, they look powdery blue to grayish-white because of a waxy covering. Cabbage aphids are not difficult to see because they live in dense colonies that can cover stems, new leaves, and entire plants practically overnight. In our moderate climate, these pests produce live offspring year-round.
Aphid defense
Cabbage aphids have an amazing defense mechanism. They produce an enzyme in their head and throat muscles which gets combined with defensive chemicals (glucosinolates) from their host plants to create an explosive chemical reaction. This reaction produces mustard oil. Unfortunately, this “walking mustard oil bomb” defense is particularly effective against ladybug larva.
Vulnerable plants
Cabbage aphids feed on the youngest, most tender parts of new cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale, and cauliflower. These pests also eat the innermost parts of cabbage and Brussels sprouts heads. Large colonies can stunt or even kill young plants. Heavy aphid feeding causes leaves to curl up, providing the pests with a protective cover.
Aphid controls
Prevention is key to cabbage aphid control. Row covers are an excellent way to protect young crops while they are getting established. Once aphids are seen you can often use a strong spray from the garden hose to dislodge them. If that doesn't work, insecticidal soaps can provide some control. Since some insecticidal soaps may be phytotoxic (meaning sunlight causes them to burn the plant), it is a good idea to apply them on a foggy day, especially for cabbage and Brussels sprouts.
Another way to make life more difficult for cabbage aphids is to remove any weeds in the mustard family from your property. Cabbage aphids hide out in the mustard and then return to your garden plants. Pesticides can be used as a last-ditch effort, but aphids are developing resistance to these chemicals—a potentially dangerous spiral.
Another problem with using pesticides against cabbage aphids is that those same chemicals also kill beneficial, predatory insects, such as lady beetles, parasitic wasps and syrphid flies (hoverflies). These helpful insects are natural predators of caterpillars, imported cabbage worms, diamondback moths, loopers and armyworms, which can cause other problems for your cole crops.
Monitor your plants every couple of days and be on the lookout for cabbage aphids!
by UC Master Gardener Kate Russell
Photo: South Valley Magazine
This article first appeared in the February 9, 2018 issue of the South Valley Magazine.
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Chicory is commonly used as a coffee substitute
Chicory is a woody perennial that comes in many different varieties, depending on the cultivar used: roots (var. sativum) and leaves (var. foliosum) are the most common. Chicory, occurring naturally, can indicate compacted soil. Luckily, its deep taproot help breaks up that compacted soil, plus it's drought tolerant!
Chicory as food
Chicory is a highly versatile plant. Its slightly bitter leaves are used in salads, the buds can be blanched, and the taproots are frequently roasted and ground up as a coffee substitute. You can reduce the bitterness by changing the cooking water two or three times. Roots are harvested before flowering stems emerge. These roots can be cooked and eaten the same as carrots or parsnips, ground into flour for bread, or used as a coffee substitute. Plus, chicory contains twice as much of the cancer-fighting, heart-healthy polyphenols found in spinach.
Chicory description
A member of the daisy family (Asteraceae), chicory (Cichorium intybus) is one of those large, gregarious groups that may surprise you. For example, curly endive, Belgian endive, and radicchio are all types of chicory. Lettuce and dandelions are close cousins, while chicory's distant cousins include sunflowers, artichokes, and yarrow. Also known as cornflower, bachelor's buttons, coffeeweed, blue daisy, and wild endive, chicory's flowers are composite, and leaves are normally toothed or lobed. Plants grow 10 to 40 inches tall. Flowers appear July through October.
How to grow chicory
In our planting zone (9b), chicory is a cool season crop that can be started in January and February for an early summer crop, and again in July or August for an early winter crop. This gives the seeds time to get started before the weather turns too hot or too cold. Summer's heat causes chicory to bolt, but a light frost actually adds just a touch of sweetness. Seeds should be planted 1/4 inch deep and thinned to 12 inches apart. Avoid overhead watering, as the leaves are prone to rotting.
Chicory pests and diseases
Despite its rugged nature, there are some pests and diseases that can impact chicory. Bacterial soft rot, damping off disease, fusarium wilt, white mold, anthracnose, and downy mildews are all diseases that attack chicory. Aphids, cabbage loopers, beetles, leaf miners, thrips, and slugs and snails may feed on your chicory plants.
Chicory grows like a weed. Once established, you can pretty much ignore it until you decide to harvest whatever part you have a hankering for. And, hey, even the flowers are edible!
by UC Master Gardener Kate Russell
Photo: South Valley Magazine
This article first appeared in the December 17, 2017 issue of South Valley Magazine.
/h3>Top five methods to preserve your harvest
You can make the most of your garden harvest by keeping everything fresh and harvesting fruits and vegetables as soon as they are ready. Leaving them on the vine or stem for too long and they can attract pests and diseases. Flavor and texture also tend to deteriorate over time.
Cooking
Fruits can be simmered and pureed and then either canned or frozen. It can also be dried into fruit leather. Vegetables can be cooked, pureed, and then frozen for later use in soups, casseroles, and other recipes. All those zucchini can be cooked into Chocolate Zucchini Cake for a popular dessert that always disappears quickly. They can also be stuffed and frozen for a simple pop-in-the-oven dinner.
Freezing
Freshly picked and washed produce can be placed in a resealable plastic bag or container and stored in the freezer. If you have an abundance of tomatoes that you will be canning, this is an excellent way to retain that fresh flavor while waiting for enough ripe fruit to warrant firing up the stove. Peas and beans should be hulled before freezing, but those pods can be tossed into a separate freezer bag to be used to make soup stock come winter.
Canning
Canning tomatoes is an easy way to store food from your garden. The acidity in tomatoes makes them far less likely to develop mold. That being said, enlist the help of an experienced canner and be sure to follow food safety guidelines whenever canning.
Drying
Many fruits and vegetables from your garden can be dried for future use and easy storage. Grapes, peas, and beans can be dried at room temperature. For other foods, you can use a commercial dehydrator or your oven. Times and temperatures vary, depending on the type of food and its thickness. You can look online or go to your local library for specific instructions.
Gifting
Sometimes, your garden will simply produce more food than you can use. Family, friends, and neighbors should always top the list when your garden produces abundance. Local food banks and other charities are nearly always happy to accept donations of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Rather than tossing out the fruits of your labor, make the most of your harvest with these simple methods for prolonging your garden's shelf life.
by UC Master Gardener Kate Russell
Photo: UC, Melissa Womack
This article first appeared in the August 17, 2017 issue of South Valley Magazine.
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Choose your own ‘native garden' adventure
But even after all this rain, don't think for a minute that I'm going to start taking a bath every day. Oh, I didn't mean that either. What I do mean is that even after all this rain, the water that we, and our plants, drink, is still a scarce resource. And there are no better plants for sipping that precious water slowly than some of our own California native bulbs, bushes and trees. From formal gardens to cottage gardens, children's gardens to edible gardens, you can—and should—choose your own (native garden) adventure this spring.
I planted my first California native garden in my front yard more than eight years ago, and recently I've been thinking that it's about time for a makeover. And for this new adventure, I've decided on a pollinator garden to attract native birds, bees and butterflies. Want to give it a try, too? Here's how to get started:
Choose a spot in full sun that is weed-free, with soil that is moderately well draining. No need to redo your entire yard at once. It's OK to start with one small area.
Consider adding a natural arrangement of attractive boulders and rocks.
If you are handy enough to install one yourself, or able to pay a professional, include a basic drip irrigation system (before planting.) Otherwise, give your plants a deep soak when you plant them, with additional monthly deep soaks. Watch for heat waves in the forecast, giving them additional water a few days before any hot weather event.
Plant some of the following pollinator favorites, which will provide colorful blooms and foraging habitat throughout the year:
Wildflowers: Baby blue eyes (Nemophila menziesii), Globe gilia (gilia capitata), California poppy (Eschscholzia californica)
Shrubs and subshrubs: Foothill penstemon (penstemon heterophyllus), Gumplant (grindelia spp.), California aster (symphyotrichum spp.), California lilac (ceanothus), Oregon grape (berberis aquifolium), Silver bush lupine (lupinus albifrons), California buckwheat (eriogonum fasciculatum), and yarrow (achillea millefolium)
Once your plants are in the ground, remember to keep the weeds to a minimum or they will compete for your California natives' resources. Avoid using pesticides and choose hand weeding instead, which is a built-in opportunity to check soil moisture levels and identify pests and disease in their earliest stages. For more information about creating a pollinator garden, check out the Xerces Society's “Bring Back the Pollinators” campaign.
by UC Master Gardener Cayce Hill
Photo: courtesy of Master Gardener Allen Buchinski
This article first appeared in the April issue of the South Valley Magazine.
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