Archive Nut, Prune and Olive Programs

Advice for the Home Gardener from the Help Desk of the UC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa County Dear Help Desk: I'm writing to try to figure out the best approach to fixing our front yard: 4 years ago we pulled up the lawn and laid down weed block and put redwood chips on top.

The Citrus Pest & Disease Prevention Program is hosting informational meetings throughout California to inform citrus growers, packers and haulers about what to expect from CDFA's regulatory response if Huanglongbing is found within five miles of a commercial citrus business.

Happy Spring! The newest edition of our Master Gardener newsletter is now available and we hope you enjoy it!...

Salivating over salvia? You can see, salivate--and purchase--salvias and more at the spring premiere plant sale sponsored by the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden on Saturday, April 6. They'll offer everything from "Bee's Bliss" to "Black Lace" to "Blaze" to "Brilliance.

Lauren Hale is the new Research Soil Scientist at the USDA-ARS San Joaquin Valley Agricultural Sciences Center in Fresno. I knew Lauren from her PhD research at UCR under David Crowley. Her thesis explored the use of biochar as a shelter for beneficial soil microbes.

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Lately, I have been corresponding with growers and consultants about slow spring growth in their alfalfa fields. There are several reasons why growth may resume slowly this spring. I describe them below and discuss some way we may be able to manage for them. Wet winter and spring.

Two of Kearney's researchers, Jeff Dahlberg and Khaled Bali joined Dan Putnam of UC Davis in a trip to Pakistan to talk with Pakistani researchers, academics, and farmers about forage production.

While it's pretty common for Californians to set aside their complaints about rainy weather because we need the water, the flip side for the Central Coast strawberry industry is ruined fruit and plant problems. I've been seeing a number of fields with the problem of Photo 1 below.

Growers (mainly pistachios) and crop consultants in the southern and western parts of the San Joaquin Valley have recently reported the spread of alkaliweed from low-lying saline or alkaline soils (including seasonal wetlands and floodplains) into irrigation ditches, orchards, and some agricultural...