Don’t be fooled! This is NOT a green ladybug! The cucumber beetle is a common pest that feeds on the vegetable gardens and may also attack ripening stone fruit, although it’s not fussy and can be found in many parts of the yard, even on roses. These beetles may spread cucumber mosaic virus or wilts […]
Those aren’t Green Ladybugs! Read More »
May 20 is World Bee Day. The United Nations designated this day to raise awareness of the importance of pollinators, the threats they face and their contribution to sustainable development. Bees and other pollinators, such as butterflies, bats, and hummingbirds, are increasingly under threat from human activities. Pollination is a fundamental process for the survival
It’s World Bee Day! Read More »
If you’re getting spring fever and wanting to add new plants to your garden, take care with your choices – don’t plant a pest! Plant pests, commonly called Invasive plants, are plants that are non-native, reproduce and spread quickly, and cause harm to the environment, economy, or human health. Plants may be invasive in some
Don’t Plant a Pest! Read More »
Got roses? They’re at the peak of bloom right now. Hopefully, they’re free of the ugly disease called rust, that loves the cool, moist morning temperatures. This fungal disease is easy to identify – look for orange, powdery pustules on the undersides of leaves. Early in the season they’re yellow to light orange, with the
Rust on your Roses? Read More »
May is National Lyme Disease Awareness Month, and it’s a good idea to learn more about this debilitating disease and how to prevent it. Lyme disease is a bacterial infection; in our area it’s primarily transmitted by black-legged ticks. These tiny arachnids are typically found in wooded and grassy areas. Although people may think of
Ticks carrying Lyme Disease found at CA Beaches Read More »
April 22 is Earth Day – a time to reflect on what you can do to help protect the planet, beginning in your own back yard. Here are five things you can do: Grow your own fruit and vegetables. You’ll cut down on fuel used to transport food. Compost kitchen and garden waste. You’ll make
Five things you can do help the planet Read More »
For many gardeners, a big challenge to growing healthy plants is keeping them free of disease, especially blackspot, rust and anthracnose. Caused by fungi, this trio of diseases are typical in wet spring and fall months but can infect gardens during our dry summers given the right conditions. Blackspot produces characteristic round black spots with
Spring is here and so are the weeds! Are you seeing grasses, dandelions, bindweed, and even wild blackberry popping up in your lawn, flower beds, vegetable gardens, or other exposed spaces? Even in teeny spaces between bricks on your patio? What’s a gardener to do with such a bounty of weeds? The most effective method
Get those weeds early! Read More »
Whiteflies on geraniums, roses beaded with aphids or spider mites on other ornamental plants – all are examples of nasty pests that, with a little preventive action now, can be reduced or eliminated from the upcoming spring garden. That bit of prevention comes in the form of dormant spraying – it is done during the
Prevention is the Best Medicine Read More »
