October Tips & Events for Santa Clara County |
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“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.” ~ Albert Camus
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Martial Cottle Park Fall Festival |
Saturday, October 1, 9 am–2 pm
Our demonstration gardens will be open for visitors with free classes and tours. Stop by to see what’s growing and ask your own gardening questions. Free admission, $6 parking on-site (space limited).
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What’s Wrong with this Lemon Tree? |
One of the most frequently submitted questions to the Master Gardeners Help Desk pertains to unsightly, curling leaves on citrus trees, like the ones in this photo. What causes young, healthy leaves to become gnarled and disfigured and what can be done about it?
Read to the bottom to find surprising answers.
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Photo: Help Desk submission
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Picking Pomegranates Properly |
Picking pomegranates at the right time is important because they don’t continue to ripen after harvest. Clues to watch for: deepening color of the fruit, a metallic sound when tapped, and softening skin that can be scratched with gentle pressure. When harvesting, clip the stem close to the fruit instead of pulling it off the tree. This prevents open wounds that may rot. Pomegranates are susceptible to splitting when watered unevenly, so if you've reduced irrigation because of the drought, you may want to harvest them quickly once winter rains start.
Photo: Pomegranate at our Martial Cottle Park demonstration orchard, Allen Buchinski
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Beneficial Spiders in Your Garden |
While we use spiders as spooky Halloween décor, common garden spiders are only spooky to the insects and other pests that they prey on. Spiders such as orb weavers catch our attention with their large, dramatic webs, while dwarf spiders are so small, we may not even notice them. Others, such as jumping spiders and flower spiders, hunt their prey without spinning webs. Widow spiders are indeed venomous, but they are also very shy and hide in dark places. So even though they are common, bites from them are rare. Follow the link for a video about spiders and the myths surrounding them.
Photo: Johns Hopkins University
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Photo: Cabbage white butterfly and imported cabbageworm, by Kathy Keatley Garvey (butterfly) and N. Anderson, OSU (caterpillars)
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Pretty Butterflies, Hungry Caterpillars |
Have you seen these small yellowish-white butterflies fluttering around? Cabbage white butterflies feed on many flowers, but for laying their eggs, they favor the cabbage family, such as broccoli, cauliflower, and mustard. The velvety green caterpillars, also called imported cabbageworms, feed on the leaves after hatching. While mature plants tolerate a few holes munched in their leaves, young seedlings don't have foliage to spare. Cultural controls include handpicking the caterpillars, brushing the eggs off the undersides of leaves, and using row cover to protect the seedlings. UC lists additional options in the link below.
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Don’t Amend Planting Holes |
You may be tempted to amend the soil when planting trees or shrubs, but it’s no longer recommended. If the soil in the hole is amended, it creates soil moisture differences that discourage the roots from growing into the native soil beyond the hole. For best results, dig a hole about twice as wide as the container. Rough up the sides to help the roots penetrate. Don’t loosen the soil in the bottom of the hole or the plant may settle too low. The goal is to keep the crown of the plant slightly above the surrounding soil. Then simply backfill with the native soil from the hole.
Photo: Proper tree planting demonstration, by Anne Schellman, UC
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Ouch! Don’t Touch without Gloves!
Our gardens are pleasant places but not if you find burning nettles (Urtica urens) among your flowers or vegetables. You’ll know they are there if you brush against them and immediately feel a burning or stinging sensation. Leaves and stems are covered with hair-like tubes that inject an irritating substance when touched. Look for them in late fall and early spring. Remove them as soon as they appear, using gloves for protection. They can produce viable seeds in just five weeks and produce 1,500 seeds per plant. A thick layer of mulch or cover crops with dense canopies can help suppress germination.
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Quiz Answer: Citrus Leafminer
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This damage is due to the citrus leafminer moth which lays eggs on new citrus leaves. Its larvae burrow into the leaf and leave tunnels as they feed, visible as meandering serpentine mines. Our advice: don’t worry about it. Leafminers can slow the growth of young trees but even heavily damaged trees are unlikely to die. Leafminers only attack young leaves – the tough leaves of mature plants resist infestation and fruit is not affected. Damaged leaves still produce food for the tree, so don’t cut them off. If you do, it will stimulate the tree to produce more new leaves — which will attract more leafminers! |
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Photo: Help Desk submission |
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Our monthly Plant Clinic Online is an opportunity to chat with a Master Gardener via Zoom to diagnose a plant problem. You can also listen and learn while other people ask questions. It takes place on the second Saturday of the month (October 8), from 10–noon. Priority will be given to questions that are emailed in advance; instructions are in the Zoom registration confirmation. October’s Plant Clinic will be a special session on warm and cool season vegetables. Registration required.
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Check our calendar for the latest schedule of events. Videos of many past presentations are also available.
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University of California Master Gardener volunteers promote sustainable gardening practices and provide research-based horticultural information to home gardeners. Visit our website for more information including:
Have a gardening question? Ask us. We’re here to help!
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