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The causal fungus is most active during the rains of late winter and spring. Fungus spores are dispersed and infect the living bark and cambium, progressively killing tissue.
Discouraging cats presents a bit of a dicey situation. It is illegal to kill the neighbors cat. So, a few possible solutions follow. If the cat uses the same area time after time, cover that area with chicken wire, so the cat cannot scratch a hole.
There are several species of earwigs. Their food habits are variable, eating anything from decaying plant debris to living plants. Some species are predaceous on other insects. The European earwig is found throughout North America and is the species that is the most troublesome to gardeners.
Asparagus grows most of the year on the Central Coast, i.e., it has a very short dormant period. Because of this, local growers have found a market niche in late July, August, and September of which they can take advantage.
Deficiencies may be caused by: lack of nutrients in the soil adverse soil pH (acid/alkali balance), which can disrupt root absorption of nutrients nutrient imbalances in the soil, which also can disrupt balanced absorption of nutrients by the plant.
Under normal growing conditions an avocado tree should begin producing a few fruit in the third year of life, and the number of fruit should increase each year after that until fruit production plateaus at tree maturity. There are several reasons why a tree does not bear fruit.
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.
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.
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.
