An interesting study looking at the water requirements of common landscape plants, as told by Ventura County UCCE Staff Research Associate Maren Mochizuki.

Plants used commonly in the California landscape may have different water requirements for growth and aesthetics depending on the location in which they are grown.  One indicator of the amount of water a plant needs is the local evapotranspiration (ET), which is the loss of water to the atmosphere from the surface of plants and soil (evaporation) and from plant tissues via their pores or stomata (transpiration).  More information on evapotranspiration can be found at the California Irrigation Management Information System (CIMIS) website at, http://wwwcimis.water.ca.gov/cimis/infoEtoOverview.jsp.

Evapotranspiration varies considerably with the weather and location.  In studies conducted by UCCE researchers across the state, (north coast, north inland, south coast, and south desert climates) nine common landscape species including agapanthus, day lily, and star jasmine are being watered based on 80%, 60%, 40% and 20% of daily local ET measurements.  In the south coast region watering has ranged from weekly during the summer for the 80% ET to never for the 20% treatment.

Here in the south coast, the project is being conducted by Jim Downer, Ventura County UCCE Farm Advisor; Don Hodel, Los Angeles County Environmental Horticulture Advisor; and Maren Mochizuki, Staff Research Associate. When starting the project they allowed the plants to establish first, watering all of them equally and now have measured clippings and rated their appearance for the past two years. They are currently analyzing the data gathered so far and will continue the study one more year.  Check back soon for some preliminary results!

agapanthus

day lily

star jasmine

Ventura County UCCE Staff Research Associate, Maren Mochizuki, explains one of our ongoing environmental horticultural research projects.

Typically, a plant will tell you how deep to transplant it: look for color changes along its “collar”  -- the area along the stem or trunk for woody plants, between the roots and branches/leaves -- indicating the soil line when the plant was still in its pot.  When planting, however, it is easy for zealous landscapers and homeowners to bury plants past this line…does this adversely affect the growth of the plant?

We (Jim Downer, Ventura County UCCE Farm Advisor; Don Hodel Los Angeles County Environmental Horticulture Advisor; and Maren Mochizuki, Ventura County UCCE Staff Research Associate, are investigating the effect of planting depth on six common landscape species including nandina,  privet, photinia, pittosporum, and two varieties of prostrate acacia.  We planted each of them at grade, and 1, 2 and 4 inches below grade and are annually rating quality, measuring their length, width, and height, and weighing clippings to evaluate their growth for three years.  We are currently in the second year of the study and are analyzing the data we have gathered so far.  Check back soon for some preliminary results!

Nandina

Acacia

Photinia

Privet

Below you will find a summary of what we did last month. By no means does this summary capture all that we accomplished or began, but it gives a nice glimpse of what we do.

1. Research Activities

This is a sampling of the research activity conducted in June.

• Established an experiment testing an herbicide for management of yellow nutsedge, a major weed in production agriculture costing Ventura County growers thousands of dollars annually to control.  For more information on nutsedge and its impact, please read previous blog posts.
• Established an experiment testing an organic method of soil disinfestations by creating anaerobic conditions in strawberry beds and monitoring effects on plant pathogen Verticillium dahliae.  This research makes direct contributions by addressing the issue of seeking alternatives to fumigants such as methyl bromide.
• Finished four field trials that evaluate management options for four pests detrimental to the strawberry industry. Management strategies included physical, thermal and chemical control measures.
• Initiated a project with CA Dept. of Food and Agriculture and local strawberry growers to introduce a biocontrol agent for Lygus bug, the #1 insect pest for strawberries and significant for other row crops.
• We are continuing research on minimizing irrigation needs for strawberries, which addresses both economic and environmental issues.

2. Educational Activities

This is a sampling of the educational activities conducted in June.

A. Grower/Clientele Education

• Jim Downer presented sessions at a regional meeting on nutrition of palms and diseases of shade trees. 100 in attendance.
• Ben Faber participated in a program at UC Riverside on Asian Citrus Psyllid (ACP), which poses a significant threat to the citrus industry.  It was clear that fruit from affected areas coming into Ventura County packing houses could be a host for the psyllid.   Ben spoke to Henry Gonzales about this and as a result the import of lemons from Imperial County (quarantine area) to Ventura for repacking has been restricted to reduce the likelihood of introducing the pest here.   Both Faber and Rose Hayden-Smith participated in a meeting that brought packers together with the Ag Commissioner, where they hammered out a solution/agreement.
• Ben Faber delivered two grower workshops, one on avocado irrigation and the other on techniques to reduce surface water contamination.
• Rose Hayden-Smith presented her research on gardening and community development at a City of Minneapolis/IATP event attended by more than 100 people.  She also presented a two-hour workshop on Victory Gardens, past and present, to a sold-out audience in Minneapolis.  She offered a talk on gardening trends and public policy in Oxnard to an audience of 75.  Earlier in the month, she facilitated an Urban Agriculture Symposium for 175 people in Chicago, which generated public policy recommendations for the USDA.
• Monique Myers presented the Ventura County RESTOR Project at the National Marine Educators conference in Monterey.
• Monique Myers organized a focus group for Ventura City/County Planners and city storm water experts addressing low impact development and emergency safety issues.
• 4-H staff trained staff at Pt. Mugu and Port Hueneme Naval Bases in the basics of 4-H program management.  Also trained new 4-H club leaders.

B. Youth Education

• Monique Myers directed/facilitated the last of 8 RESTOR teacher/student field trips to Ormond Beach (~70 students per trip).  RESTOR is a grant-funded wetlands/ecological restoration program linking teachers and youth with science education and community service opportunities.
• Monique Myers led a RESTOR Project field trip with 28 student essay contest winners and their teachers on the NOAA research vessel Shearwater.
• 4-H held a Science, Engineering and Technology Day at the military base.
• 4-H held events at both military bases kicking off the new 4-H programs there.

3. Publications

• UCCE staff. Launched a UCCE/Farm Advisor blog  http://ucanr.org/blogs/venturacountyucce/
• UCCE staff.  Produced a new UCCE/Farm Advisor educational brochure.
• Daugovish, Oleg and Maren Mochizuki submitted a paper to HortTechnology detailing the potential for carbon dioxide to be taken up by raspberry plants to boost productivity instead of being released to the atmosphere as a greenhouse gas.   We hope this method will gain attention as one of the ways to tackle a global issue on a local scale.
• Downer, James and Maren Mochizuki. 
  • Two manuscripts accepted to HortTechnology.
    • Pruning landscape palms
    • Diseases of palms.
• Downer, James.  Landscape Notes – Landscaping Trees.  Available at http://ceventura.ucdavis.edu/newsletterfiles/Landscape_Notes17660.pdf
• Downer, James: Article on mulches in Western Arborist Magazine.
• Downer, James,   Article on a new pest, the Date Bug, in Southwest Trees and Turf Magazine.
• Faber, Ben and Newman, Julie, et al.  2009.  Re-evaluation of the roles of honeybees and wind on pollination in avocado.  J. of Hort Science and Biotech (84)3:255-260.
• Faber, Ben and Newman, Julie, et al. 2009. Farm Water Quality Planning Project – From Education to Implementation.  Statewide Conf., Sacramento April 27-30.
• Faber, Ben. 2009. Cherry Vinegar Fly in Ventura County.  VC Farm Bureau Newsletter 41(7): 2-3.
• Hayden-Smith, Rose, et al.  Proceedings of the Chicago Urban Agriculture Symposium.  Includes policy recommendations for the USDA and other cities relating to urban agriculture. http://www.chicagobotanic.org/wed/index.php
• Myers, Monique, et al. Differences in benthic cover inside and outside marine protected areas on the Great Barrier Reef: influence of protection or disturbance history? was published on-line (in advance of printing) this week in Aquatic Conservation. (http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/84503925/issue)
• Newman, Julie.  Wrote an article for Greenhouse Management & Production, a national grower magazine
• Monique Myers and Sabrina Drill won an Award of Merit from the 2009 Ecology Awards for their Quagga Mussel manual.

Ventura has a new pest, the cherry vinegar fly, Drosophila suzukii. This pest goes after not just cherries, but raspberries, strawberries, blueberries and blackberries. It has been in the Central Valley and along the coast for over a year now and is a serious pest. Background information and an outline for likely management practices can be found on UC ANR's Strawberry and Caneberry blog. Color photos of the pest and damage caused along with lifecycle information can be found here.  

Rose Hayden-Smith, our UCCE County Director, learned about the pest from Agricultural Commissioner Henry Gonzalez at a recent Farm Bureau meeting. She told Jim Downer, a Farm Advisor in our office, who grows berries at his home. Jim commented that he had seen a possible suspect on his fruit. Jim submitted the infested blackberry fruit into the County of Ventura Ag Commissioner and his suspicions were confirmed. In addition our Farm Advisors have been hearing reports from raspberry and blueberry growers about the effect of the flies on fruit.

Stay tuned for more information as it becomes available.