Ongoing research

UC Master Gardener Program Statewide Blog: Article

Sacramento County: Video Learning Reaches Larger Audiences

August 14, 2023
By Skylar Peters
In 2020 near California's state capital, UC Master Gardeners of Sacramento County awaited with excitement for its annual Harvest Day they organized each year. But the ongoing pandemic forced the cancellation of this much-anticipated event leaving the usual over 1500 attendees disappointed.
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ebeling cover
Topics in Subtropics: Article

Avocado Pests from the Past and Present in ONE Book

August 14, 2023
By Ben A Faber
I recently went looking for our copies of Walter Ebeling's book on pests of subtropical tree crops. It was created over 40 years ago, but is still a great reference for past pests and those that still pop up with less frequency than avocado thrips and persea mite do today.
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UC Weed Science (weed control, management, ecology, and minutia): Article

Cover Crops and Winter Weed Management: Considerations for Annual Rotations

August 14, 2023
By Sarah E Light
Cover crops are typically planted in ground that is otherwise fallow. In an annual crop rotation in the Sacramento Valley, cover crops are commonly planted in the fall, grown over the winter, and terminated in late winter/early spring. Thus, cover crops can take up space outcompeting winter weeds.
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Photo of vascular discoloration typical of both Verticillium and Fusarium
HOrT COCO-UC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa: Article

Verticillium and Fusarium Wilt Diseases in Tomatoes

August 14, 2023
By Help Desk Team
Do your tomato plants suffer from lack of vigor, yellowing leaves, and poor fruit production? These symptoms are associated with many different problems, including lack of soil nutrients, excess salts in the soil or irrigation water, poor drainage or waterlogged soil, or a variety of plant diseases.
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Skin Layers
Spill the Beans: Article

Some Like it Hot: Sunburn in the Garden

August 14, 2023
Did you know that the largest organ of the human body is...the skin? You have three layers of skin. The skin protects you from mechanical, thermal, biological, or chemical hazards. It prevents loss of moisture and protects you from the effects of the sun.
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photo by Dottie Deems
Under the Solano Sun: Article

Where Did My Groundcover Go?

August 14, 2023
Some of us have planned our landscape to include areas of no greenery. Remember selling your lawn when water was scarce? Well, you may have tired of the cubic yards of bark or, worse yet, the crushed rock you replaced it with.
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Mary Tong-U[5704]
Napa Master Gardener Column: Article

Finding History in the Garden

August 12, 2023
We all have family histories, the stories we learn as children that become part of who we are as adults. Usually, we gather these stories and history from people, books, or classes, but sometimes we find history in the garden. Growing up, I heard stories about plants in the garden.
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A bindweed turret bee, Diadasia bituberculata, foraging for pollen on bindweed, aka morning glory. (Photo by Rachel Vannette)

The Glory of the Bindweed Turret Bees

August 11, 2023
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
If you've ever seen the nests of the bindweed turret bees, Diadasia bituberculata, and if you've ever tried to photograph these fast-flying bees, you know how speedy they are and how difficult they are to photograph.
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