Ask Us

Got Gardening Questions?

Visit or call the Hotline

Tuesday 9am-12pm
Thursday 1-4pm

Call: 530-538-7201

Or drop by: The Butte County Cooperative Extension Office
5 County Center Drive
Oroville, CA 95965

Email Us

Email your questions to us at mgbutte@ucanr.edu. Include a description and photos of the problem. See "Help Us Help You" below for what to include.

Catch us in person

Look for us at local farmers markets or at one of our information booths at community events. Check out where we'll be on the Events page.

Help Us Help You

You never can tell what's at the root of the problem. Below are some questions we may ask when you contact us:

• Name of plant
• Age of plant
• Soil type (loam, sandy, clay)
• Current watering methods (drip, sprinkler, hand)
• Frequency of watering
• Sun exposure
• Evidence of insects or other damage – check on both sides of leaves
• Recent changes that may effect the plant (watering, fertilizing)

Samples and photos related to your question are strongly encouraged. Drop them by the office any time, or email them to: mgbutte@ucanr.edu

What’s Hot Now?

What can I do to help my plants through the hottest days of summer?

Both higher temperatures, and a higher number of days at those temperatures, can take the stuffing right out of our landscape plants, even those evolved in and adapted to hot and dry summers. Flowering species that were so luscious a month or two ago are looking sickly, and many of our favorite summer vegetables can suffer sun damage if exposed to too much heat and sun in the late afternoon.

Help is at hand! There is a large variety of shade cloths which you can use to protect plants that are exhibiting symptoms of sunburn, or that may just enjoy a break around 3 PM on. The cloth comes in different colors (primarily green, gray, and black) with a different percentage rating, from 30% to 80%. The percentage represents the amount of sun blocked by the cloth: for example, a 30% rating would allow 70% of the sun’s rays in.

For the best results, install the shade cloth on a simple frame along the sunniest side of your plant. Depending on the size of the plant you are protecting, you can drive t-stakes or plant stakes into the ground and clip the cloth to it; or you can bend flexible wire in a hoop shape over the plant and lay the cloth on it.

One of our informants says, “I use shade cloth routinely! Plants are much happier!”

Photographer: Jeanette Alosi