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May 2025Archived

 

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Cooperative Extension Ventura County: Page

Chilling Hours

Chilling, or exposure to cold, is necessary in many flower and fruit bearing plants, so that they will produce flowers and/or fruit season after season. Plants vary in their need for chilling, and the cold temperatures to which they need exposure also vary.
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Cooperative Extension Ventura County: Page

Citrus Fruit Cracking

Fruit cracking in citrus is caused by an uneven or irregular water supply. When citrus fruit takes in water faster than the skin can stretch, the skin cracks. A few cracked fruit are normal, however, if a high percentage of fruit crack, you have an irrigation management problem.
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Cooperative Extension Ventura County: Page

Compacted Soil

Upland soils on the Central Coast are composed of wind-deposited materials, i.e., the soils are sand dunes. In their native state, sand dunes are essentially lacking in the nutrients needed to sustain healthy plant life.
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Cooperative Extension Ventura County: Page

Compost and Composting

Compost and composting is a subject that often comes up when gardeners get together to discuss gardening strategies.
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Cooperative Extension Ventura County: Page

Eucalyptus Mulch

Recent research, in which eucalyptus wood chips were used to mulch avocado trees, showed there was no toxicity to young or old trees. Besides this, the trees used less water, developed a better root system and had less diseased roots than unmulched trees.
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Cooperative Extension Ventura County: Page

Fertilizing Potted Plants

I would suggest a water-soluble type of fertilizer with a balanced NPK formula. The brand is not important, however, the formulation should contain at least 10% nitrogen (N) and near equal amounts of phosphorus (P) and potassium (K). A general purpose garden formulation would be good.
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Cooperative Extension Ventura County: Page

Fireplace Ash

You can use fireplace ash in your garden, but use it sparingly. Central Coast soils tend to be slightly alkaline. Our water is also slightly alkaline (pH 7.2 to 7.5). Ideal soil pH for growing most plants is 6 to 7. Wood ashes are also alkaline, having a pH as high as 8-9.
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Cooperative Extension Ventura County: Page

Fruit Splitting

Several factors may cause fruit to split. The most common cause of cracking/splitting is water. If the fruit is repeatedly wetted by rain or sprinkler water, the drops that hang on the tip of the fruit will lead to cracking.
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Cooperative Extension Ventura County: Page

Growing Avocado from Seed

All commercially grown avocados are grafted or budded in the seedling stage. When plants are grown from seed, they usually do not produce fruit which is true to the parent variety.
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Cooperative Extension Ventura County: Page

Growing a Pineapple from the Top

In commercial pineapple production, pineapple tops are used for propagation. Before you start, you need to remember that pineapple is a tropical plant, so will need to be kept in a greenhouse or indoors during the frost season. Also a mature plant is quite large.
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