Lots of listener questions today!
Wide-ranging answers keep returning to common themes: beneficial insects -vs- applying poisons, hosing things off -vs- applying poisons, saving bees and other beneficial insects -vs- applying imidacloprid (a neo-nicinoid systemic poison that makes flowers poisonous to pollinators), thwarting phytophthora by watering deeper but less often, and conserving water in this drought year.
Specific discussions about:
plants for a dry front landscape [with LOTS of ideas!];
Colocasia ["elephant ears"] and taro root [for poi] CAN grow here!;
what ethylene gas is and what it does (ripening bananas and apples, strenghtening tree trunks) [including Don's suggestion for some kids' science fair projects!];
spider mites, predatious mites [which are small and red but are not chiggers!], and other beneficial insects;
'What causes leaf burn on maples?'; and
more about phytophthora [a word which traslates as "plant death"].
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Lots of science today! Phytophthora [fi-TOF-thir-a] is an organism [no longer considered a fungus] that has invaded world-wide. Many species exist. The one of concern in Davis and inland California attacks plants when ground conditions are HOT AND DAMP! (That is, high humidity and high temperature at the crown or roots for 48 hours.) Since we don't have rain here for eight months, the only way there can be enough moisture to allow Phytophthora to grow is if HUMANS apply water too often -- that is, they don't give the area time to dry out between waterings! Luckily, Don Shor has studied this organism extensively and helps us understand Phytophthora's life cycle and so learn how to reduce our risk. PS: That word "Phytophthora" literally translated to "plant death"!!! PPS: It's already here -- in the ground, on plant roots -- you can't avoid it if you garden.
Even old, established trees can be killed by Phytophthora if the watering changes. This photo is Dr Milton Hildebrand standing beside a cork oak he planted in 1949.
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NEW, EASY WAY to figure out your drought watering! Don shared the research from the University of California, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources -- Center for Landscape & Urban Horticulture, showing how little water different plants can survive on. Not be happy, but survive.
Lots of info about watering -- trees, shrubs, food plants, and beneficial insects. (Lois asked about making an insect watering hole with wet sand.) One listener writes about her "spider mite apacalypse" and wonders how to keep her melons alive until harvest.
Why do plants look stressed the third year in the ground when "they did fine last year"? How much water a plant needs depends upon how big it is! So as a young plant grows bigger, you need to give it more water (either water longer or add another sprinkler head).
"Grad Students Help with Soil" is the Davis Enterprise headline; "providing soil diagnosis [texture and pH test] and advice to gardeners" is the service; Saturdays (9:30-11:30) at Davis Farmers Market is the when/where. The service will continue every Saturday thru August 21.
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Watering in a drought. Reducing lawn water while keeping your trees alive. Root distribution of trees, "circle watering" strategy.
Coast redwoods in interior California. Many redwoods were planted in Davis years ago; should we add new ones now? What might we substitute for them?
What's wrong with these struggling tomato plants?
Compacting soils can cause problems.
"Mulch is for on top, not underground."
And more answers to listeners' questions. Submit yours for inclusion in a future show by emailing Don Shor and Lois Richter at DavisGardenShow@gmail.com
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Don Shor and Lois Richter talk about July pests -- what 's around now and how to handle things -- and lots about fruit trees -- including broken branches, thinning possibilties, reduced size method, and summer pruning. From that Facebook @ re feeding squirrels -- just don't!
And, of course, we talk about the GLORIOUSLY WONDERFUL WEATHER this week.
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Too many questions to get to all of them! Come back next week and hear the rest.
Mid-June topics:
La Niña and rainfall patterns. How to water -- and how not.
What plants want you to do when there's a heat wave. Or, better still, BEFORE one!
Privacy plants -- including avoiding undesired co-habitants (like raccoons and rats)!
Figuring out how/when to plant seeds. Some tips and tricks for certain seeds!
and more ...
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What's a cultivar? What's a hybrid? What's a selection? What's a variety? We get a long answer to a short question about Ceanothus "Concha" and Ceanothus "Ray Hartmann."
Also today we have a discussion of soil pH (probably not the problem in the situation described); the challenges of planting in compost instead of soil; raised planter woes; and details on local water issues and Davis' good situation. |
"See you again next year!" Today we discuss Don's list of Favorite Summer Perennials, and then we start going through his list of plants that "reseed freely." Both strategies mean we will see the same species in our garden year after year -- with perennials the plant stays in the same place, with re-seeding the species moves around (and sometimes changes color). We also discuss common name confusion, weed cloth over plum tree roots, the city's "Tree Watering" flyer, fruit set on tomatoes and zucchini and their expected yields, and (as usual) the weather and how it is affecting our plants.
Don Shor and Lois Richter are your hosts each week on the Davis Garden Show. To submit a question, email them at DavisGardenShow@gmail.com
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Did your tree-removal company leave you with a bunch of chips? Stump grinding can lead to problems with your replacement bushes. How, you ask? Listen up!
Don Shor and Lois Richter answer garden questions -- including dealing with drought, lawns, ant farming, ant management, mistaken culprits, and more. Ask your questions by emailing us at DavisGardenShow@gmail.com.
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Cool week ahead! But we still have watering challenges. A few questions (about new plantings and fungus gnats) lead to several important discussions about:
- Proper planting techniques (why planting trees ONLY with native soil is so important);
- How roots grow (and get damaged), and how that shows up in a full-grown tree;
- Home remedies (which have no research done on them and are NOT labelled for pesticide or herbicide use).
A large portion of the show is a discussion of each of Don Shor's 20 Favorite Summer Herbaceous Perennials. An "herbaceous perennial" is a plant that blooms every year but dies down every winter (different from a shrub, bush, or tree). These twenty bloom from the late summer into the fall. (We only got part way thru before running out of time, so listen to the 24 June show for the rest of the story.)
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