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May 2025Archived

 

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UC Master Gardeners of San Mateo & San Francisco Counties: Article

Landscape Fabric: A Cautionary Tale

September 16, 2025
By Cathrin Callas
Do those nice, neat rolls of “weed blocking” fabric seem like the perfect solution in your battleagainst unwanted vegetation? Visions of freeing oneself from this perennial struggle are enticing and the task seems simple enough: just lay it on the soil, cover with an attractive layer of mulch and the foul…
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Female praying mantis, Stagmomantis limbata. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bug Squad: Article

What a Mantis!

September 16, 2025
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
 There’s a “mom” in the word Stagmomantis, as in Stag-mom-antis limbata. That genus name seems quite appropriate for a gravid mantis, don't you think?Take the mama-to-be that's a permanent tenant in a Vacaville patch of African blue basil. She knows this is the place to "bee."We've nicknamed her …
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Photo by Brian Hicks
UC Master Gardeners of San Mateo & San Francisco Counties: Article

Cool Season Cover Crops

September 16, 2025
By Cathrin Callas
 If you’re taking a break this fall and winter after growing summer veggies, then plant a cover crop to enrich and protect your soil as well as to attract beneficial insects. Choose a variety of cool season cover crop seeds, such as flowers, grasses and a legume, for sowing in early fall. See Cover…
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landscape fabric
UC Master Gardeners of San Mateo & San Francisco Counties: Article

Landscape Fabric: The Hidden Truth

September 16, 2025
By Cathrin Callas
 Before rolling out landscape fabric to keep weeds at bay, consider the effects on your soil and plants. Landscape or “weed blocking” fabric, usually made of plastic or polyester, has varying degrees of permeability. Over time, holes in the fabric get clogged, preventing the movement of water, oxygen…
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gopher
Urban Agriculture: Article

Integrated Gopher Control in Urban Farms: A Multilayer Approach

September 16, 2025
By Amrita Mukherjee
Urban farms face unique challenges from pocket gophers. Unlike rural fields, urban farms are often smaller, intensively managed, and located near homes, parks, or other landscaped areas. These conditions can actually increase gopher pressure: food is concentrated, protective cover may be abundant, and…
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UCCE East Bay: Article

Raising the “Fancy” Standard for California Trees

September 16, 2025
By Andrew Miller
California’s urban forests deserve nothing less than “Fancy” trees. Jessie Godfrey, UC ANR Environmental Horticulture and Water Resource Management Advisor, is elevating the work of “Team Fancy,” a group of nursery professionals advocating for state-specific tree quality standards. These standards aim to…
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West Side Research and Extension Center: Page

Contact Us

Meet the teamAdministration Atef Swelam Director Kearney and West Side Research and Extension Centers Phone: 559-646-6060 Email: aiswelam@ucanr.edu                 Academic and Cooperative Extension StaffAdministrative Staff Karen M Motley Business…
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tule bags placed over figs to protect from birds
Under the Solano Sun: Article

Getting Ready for the Plant Exchange

September 16, 2025
By Jennifer M Baumbach
Blog by Cindy YeeI've always looked forward to the plant exchange, even before becoming a master gardener.  It feels like a plant Christmas and is such a fun event for MGs who generously grow and donate everything, and the public who gleefully find all kinds of beautiful plants, trees, cuttings, roots,…
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Article

Employee Comment: Proposed policy on sustainable practices, IT accessibility

September 16, 2025
By Rachel J Lloyd
The University of California Office of the President invites comments on the following two proposed policy changes.Employee Comment: Proposed Presidential Policy on Sustainable PracticesUCOP invites comments on the proposed revisions to the existing Presidential Policy on Sustainable Practices. The policy is…
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