It’s perfect weather for rust

What happens when you combine mild weather, a rain that lasts for a day or two and rapidly growing plants fighting for space? Nature has provided perfect growing conditions for the disease rust.  One of the most common fungal diseases of garden plants, there are thousands of different species of rust that infect trees, shrubs, …

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Herbicides can kill more than just weeds

A fast and easy way to get rid of weeds is to use one of the popular weed killers – just spray it on and the weeds die within days. But what if that same product contacts desirable plants, like your roses, vegetables, or fruit trees?  You certainly don’t want them exposed.  Herbicides, aka weed …

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Could it be Fire blight?

As you drive through neighborhoods in mid-February, you may be delighted by the large trees clothed in puffy cloud looking blossoms of white.  Common throughout Marin, ornamental pear trees, specifically ‘Bradford’ pears, put on a spectacular show. In the mid-1960’s landscapers and municipal planners planted lots of them – they grew fast, took any kind …

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Take a Good Look at your Indoor Plants

Weather so far this season has been really really cold, and of late, nice, and wet.  Not a great time to be outside wording in the yard.  It IS, however, a great time to do some much-needed primping of your indoor plants.  If you keep your plants clean and neat, they’re not only more attractive, …

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Creeping Garden Thugs do a lot of Damage

It’s likely you don’t need an introduction to snails and slugs, the bane to most gardeners. Loosely related to octopi and oysters, they glide along on their muscular foot, secreting mucus to facilitate movement, leaving their trademark glistening trail behind.  With similar biology, the snail carries an external shell while slugs have evolved without one. …

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Good or Bad Guy Chomping Your Tomatoes?

If you notice a quarter of a tomato plant missing overnight, but you can’t figure out what’s causing it, look closer!  A master of disguise, the tomato hornworm may be the culprit! These are enormous caterpillars – up to four inches long!  Their striping pattern makes them hard to spot despite their size. One tell-tale …

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What’s Chewing Your Tree Trunk? 

Could be voles. Also known as field or meadow mice, voles are small rodents that resemble hamsters.  With a compact, heavy body, short legs, a short-furred tail, they can measure 5 to 8 inches long, including the tail. These rodents are plant eaters, with an appetite for a lot of different plants – from artichokes, …

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