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Master Gardeners of Lake Tahoe Issue#5
In This Issue Quick Links
What's Bugging You...
2015 Master Gardener Training
6th Annual Conservation Landscape Tour
Garden Q & A: Deadheading
New Coordinator Joins Master Gardeners of Lake Tahoe...
Gardening Resources
Quick Links Master Gardeners of Lake Tahoe Favorite Gardening Resources
Events and Workshops Like us on Facebook
What's Bugging You...
by Maggie Gordon
Fall Newsletter 2014 Master Gardeners of Lake Tahoe strive to meet the horticulture needs of the Lake Tahoe Basin Community, we are pleased to extend research-based information to fellow gardeners on home horticulture. Our Master Gardener volunteers receive training and certification from the University of California Cooperative Extension and provide practical scientific gardening information.
We can be reached at 530-543-1501 ext. 101
Email us at [email protected]
2015 Master Gardener Training
The next UCCE Master Gardener of Lake Tahoe Program Training is scheduled for the spring of 2015.
Training begins on March 13th and runs for 11 weeks. Classes will be held on Fridays from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. If you would like a notification when further details of the training, please fill out the Interest in Master Gardener
As a new Master Gardener, this was my least favorite subject. I thought I could be a successful gardener without learning about insects. I used a non-descriptive insecticide for any and all related insect problems. Consequently, I was not successful and caused myself much frustration. My first assignment, as a Master Gardener, was to be a presenter for the Green Thumb lectures. I drew the subject of INSECTS for my presentation. Now I had a reason to read research and learn from the University of California, Davis, Extension Service and then practice in my own garden. I was amazed at how interesting insects can be and how easy it is to be in control of your garden with a little knowledge. I learned that there are more good insects than bad insects. There is one or more predator for every bad insect making it very important, that once identified, the treatment only affects the bad insect and does not wipe out the predators. Specific plants attract specific bad insects making plant identification important. Use this web site, www.ipm.ucdavis.edu, where you can look up your specific plant that has been attacked by an insect and it will give you descriptions of problems related to that plant to help you identify the insect that is chewing or sucking on your plant. It will outline solutions to the problem. Once you identify your plant and identify the insect now you can choose a treatment. Knowledge of pest biology is important before implementing treatment. There are some insects that go through 4 stages of development in two days and only one stage is the chewing or sucking stage that damages your plant. Often the treatment will be to cut out the damaged parts of the plant or spray with water to knock off the insects or spray with an insecticidal soap or Neem oil. You could do nothing and the insects will move on. Integrated pest management promotes using a variety of methods to minimize the impact on human health, the environment and non-targeted insects. Some of the most common insect pests in Lake Tahoe gardens are: ants, aphids, bark beetles, cabbage worms,
Training Survey or call/email the UCCE Master Gardener of Lake Tahoe Office at 530-543-1501 x101 [email protected] and ask to be included on the interest list.
Successful 6th Annual Conservation Landscape Tour...
by Jennifer Cressy The UCCE Master Gardeners partnered with the Tahoe Resource Conservation District to host the 7th annual Landscape Conservation Tour featuring vegetable gardens of Meyers on August 21. The evening event invited
community members to learn how to grow a variety of cool season and warm season vegetables, extend the growing season, compost, and attract beneficial insects through one on one conversation with the home gardeners and demonstrations lead by the Master Gardener volunteers. Garden visitors enjoyed harvesting bags of greens from one of the gardens and marveled over cabbages the size of basketballs. Climate
controlled greenhouses bursted with giant tomato plants and vegetable beds where adorned with antique bed headboards. Did you know that you can grow your veggies in straw bales on your deck, driveway or sunny garden space? Neither did most of the garden visitors at the tour but we bet a lot more people are going to give it a try.
earwigs, thrips, and mealybugs. ANTS: There are beneficial ants and some are common pests making it very important to identify which ant you are concerned with. The bad ants often are protecting aphids and eating their honeydew or boring into wood. Early detection by checking your garden weekly to control aphids as well as proper pruning and care of your plants is a good prevention. APHIDS: If you have aphids you will see yellowing of leaves and curling and dropping of leaves. If you look close you will see dense groups of fat little insects on the stems, 1/8 inch or less. They are difficult to disturb. They can be different colors. They have many natural enemies. Try to knock them off with a forceful stream of water several days in a row. They cannot climb back on the plant. You could also prune out the affected leaves and stems. You could do nothing and they could move on. As a last resort, you could spray with a Neem oil or insecticidal soap. Here in the Tahoe basin you just need to expect to see some aphids. I have learned to be tolerant and allow a few in my garden. BARK BEETLES: You will suspect bark beetles if your conifer needles begin to turn yellow, or you see mines between the bark and sapwood or on twigs, branches or the trunks. You might see tree pitch or saw dust around the tree. You could see tiny holes or tunnels under the bark. There is little that can be done once the bark beetle invades your tree. Early detection with insecticide or pruning could save the tree. You would need to remove and destroy the infected tree. Prevention is to keep your trees healthy with proper irrigation and avoid compacted soil around roots or injury to roots due to construction.
We hope you'll join us next year to get ideas on how to grow beautiful native plants, attract the birds and the bees and save water in your landscape. We are currently seeking properties to highlight the above features for the 2014 tour. If you would like to share your home garden and experiences with your fellow garden community, please contact Jennifer Cressy: 530-543-1501 ext.107
Thank you to all the participating homes!
Garden Q & A: Deadheading
by Lynne Brosch
Question: Should all flowering plants be deadheaded? Answer: Deadheading, which means removing the dead flowers from your perennials and annuals is often a way to promote continuing or returning bloom. Flowers should be pinched off at the stem as soon as they fade. Many annuals will be able to bloom over the entire summer months with constant deadheading. For perennials, the bloom time is usually shorter but there may be a chance of extending bloom by removing the dead blossoms. The idea
CABBAGE WORMS: For the vegetable gardener this could be a problem that you will recognize by greenish brown fecal pellets next to the cabbage or cabbage butterflies flying around the plants. They have natural enemies but you may want to use an organic spray. It is important to check
your cabbage regularly. EARWIGS: This insect is not harmful to people but is a predator of aphids. They are chewers. They do damage to seedlings, chew holes in flowers and gnaw on plastic irrigation parts. If you have earwigs it is best to trap daily by rolling up a wet newspaper and laying it on the ground near your problem area. Using drip irrigation and removing debris in and around your yard to reduce hiding places and moisture is a form of prevention. MEALYBUGS: These insects are .02-.05 inch long. You will see cottony masses on your plant, premature leaf drop, twig dieback, honeydew or black sooty mold if you have mealybugs. You can use a forceful stream of water to knock them off your plants and also destroy the ants around eating the honeydew. Maintaining a healthy garden is the best prevention for the mealybug. THRIPS: Thrips are less than 1/20 inch long and they feed while hiding. If you see scabby discoloration on leaves and petals, stunted growth, dark specks of excrements, distorted, curled, galled or dead shoots tips and leaves, you might have thrips. You can identify thrips by shaking the foliage or flowers over white paper to dislodge them. Trap them by hanging a bright yellow sticky trap nearby. Cover healthy plants until the problem has cleared up. The most important thing to remember about insects is prevention. Buy healthy plants, plant in a proper place in good soil, use effective water management, inspect your watering system and your plants weekly, use good compost
with the removal of the flowers is to trick the plant into thinking that it has not completed its cycle of flower to pollination to seed and done. Pansies, dahlias, geraniums, marigolds, snapdragons, and zinnias benefit from deadheading whereas impatiens drop their withered blooms on their own
There are some perennials where the seed heads are so attractive that you may want to leave them for structure interest and late season attractiveness when all the flowers are gone. Some of these seed heads can provide food for birds as well, such as purple coneflower and sedum. With roses you should stop cutting flowers by late August and September so that the plant can realize its growing cycle has ended and it will prepare itself for winter. If you want to save seeds from a plant to start new plants then of course you must wait for the seed heads and not remove the flowers. Blanket flower, yarrow and salvia should be deadheaded to encourage more bloom. Also if you want to limit the area covered by your flowers you will want to prevent the seeds from forming and dropping to spread your plants.
Deadheading a large garden of bloom can be very time consuming so you may want to choose to do only your most colorful pots.
For a more complete list of which plants benefit from deadheading check out this website: http://www.provenwinners.com/learn/care/deadhead-or-not-deadhead
Resources: http://extension.missouri.edu/extensioninfonet/article.asp?id=1355 http://clark.wsu.edu/volunteer/mg/gm_tips/Deadheading2.html
New Coordinator Joins Master Gardeners of Lake Tahoe
and protect the good insects by educating yourself on best pest management practices.
HAPPY GARDENING! MAKE FRIENDS WITH THE GOOD INSECTS. For more information: www.ipm.ucdavis.edu
Additional Photos from the 6th Annual Conservation Landscape Tour-- Vegetable Gardens of Meyers
Greetings! My name is Megan Suarez-Brand and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to join the amazing team at UCCE Master Gardeners of Lake Tahoe. I am inspired by what this group has been able to accomplish in just a few years. I live in South Lake with my husband and children. I was raised in Wisconsin and attended the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee where I received my Bachelor's degree in Anthropology. I went on to Humboldt State University and received my Master's degree in Environment and Community. I have worked for a number of non-profit organizations including Friends of the Dunes where I conducted research on environmental education for school aged youth and taught indoor and outdoor lessons. I also have worked locally with the USDA Forest Service in the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit at the Taylor Creek Visitor Center. More recently, I was the Program Director at the Sierra Nevada Alliance where we developed region-wide watershed and sustainability based conservation programs. I am excited to put my skills to work with all of the highly talented Master Gardeners of Lake Tahoe. Feel free to contact me at: [email protected] 530-543-1501 ext.101
UCCE Master Gardeners of Lake Tahoe Program
870 Emerald Bay Road, Suite 108 South Lake Tahoe, Ca 96150
http://cecentralsierra.ucanr.edu/Master_Gardeners/LTMG/ [email protected]
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