News
UC Master Gardener Program News:
-
Winners of the 2023 UC Master Gardener Photo Contest
In the 2023 UC Master Gardener Photo Contest, the diverse talents of UC Master Gardeners from across the state were vividly displayed. From delving deep into the richness of the soil and crafting native landscape paradises to nurturing our communities,...
-
Cast Your Vote in the 2023 UC Master Gardener Photo Contest!
The summer of 2023 brought a burst of creativity within the UC Master Gardener Program, as volunteers across California have submitted their best shots to this year's Photo Contest. The photo contest offered a fun opportunity for UC Master...
-
Sacramento County: Video Learning Reaches Larger Audiences
In 2020 near California's state capital, UC Master Gardeners of Sacramento County awaited with excitement for its annual Harvest Day they organized each year. But the ongoing pandemic forced the cancellation of this much-anticipated event leaving the...
-
Award-Winning Excellence, Community, and Empowerment in El Dorado County
In the rolling foothills of El Dorado County, Calif., a beautiful community garden thrives. Not just an ordinary garden plot, but a community space that cultivates life skills, self-confidence, and weaves a vibrant tapestry of community. The architects...
-
Bring on the Tomatoes! 5 Common Tomato Problems and Solutions
Almost any home gardener will tell you that one of the most versatile and rewarding plants to grow in a summer edible garden is a tomato. In fact, a 2023 study by the National Gardening Association revealed that 86 percent of gardeners grow...
-
From the Classrooms to the Garden, Transforming Education in Placer County
As parents across the country start preparing for the next school year, the UC Master Gardeners of Placer County are demonstrating the extraordinary impact that school gardens can have on the community. UC Master Gardeners' dedication to...
Pests in the Urban Landscape:
-
Poisonous Plants in the Landscape
Plentiful rainfall in California this spring created an ideal environment for many plants to thrive, including wildflowers, trees, and shrubs that desperately needed the water. However, other potentially harmful species also benefited from the unusually...
-
Disinfectants and Sterilizers: The Lesser-known Pesticides
Did you know that disinfectants and sterilizers are pesticides? Any substance that claims to kill, destroy, prevent, or repel a pest, including germs, is considered a pesticide. So cleaning products that claim to sterilize or kill germs on surfaces or...
-
Another Eucalyptus Pest: The Dotted Paropsine Leaf Beetle
Eucalypt trees have become abundant in the California landscape, but so have the many invasive eucalypt pests that have arrived in California in the last couple decades. In the fall of 2022, yet another invasive pest was added to the hoard of...
-
Sudden oak death: what is it?
Sudden oak death (SOD) is a disease syndrome that has killed millions of native oak trees (Figure 1) along the west coast of the United States, from Big Sur in California up to Southern Oregon. The disease may involve several organisms, but its main...
-
White After Labor Day?
It may be after Labor Day, but some of your plants may still be wearing white, breaking that long-standing fashion “rule”! While many of us don't adhere to this old rule for our wardrobes these days, you may care about white stuff on your...
-
Defoliated Sycamore Trees?
Have you been seeing a lot of defoliated sycamore trees recently? Sparse foliage and early leaf drop on sycamore trees might be due to anthracnose. The cool, wet spring in many parts of California provided the perfect conditions for this disease....
Green News From UC Agriculture & Natural Resources:
-
UC scientists share techniques to sustainably grow agave in California
Tasting event showcases research on production of agave for tequila, mezcal and more A group of University of California researchers and collaborators is developing innovative agricultural techniques for growing agave in California without...
-
4-H youth project helps Siskiyou County prepare animals for emergencies
Planning brochure for pets, livestock fills crucial need as fires an increasing threat With the McKinney Fire creeping closer to Yreka in the summer of 2022, Emily Jackson and her mother potentially faced the enormous task of getting all their goats,...
-
Farmers save money, water by adopting climate-smart agriculture practices
CDFA, UC ANR help farmers access $36 million in grants to improve water-use efficiency, reduce greenhouse gas emissions A Hmong small-scale farmer in Merced County has saved about 14.4 acre-inches of water annually and reduced...
-
UC awards Brodt $2M to advance soil health, climate-smart farming practices
Regional farms will demonstrate practices such as cover cropping, reduced tillage, compost and mulch use, hedgerow planting, optimized irrigation systems To accelerate adoption of climate-smart farming practices, the University of...
-
New database helps Californians understand proposed groundwater plans
Sustainable Groundwater Management Act allows for flexibility in local conservation strategies To achieve groundwater sustainability under California's Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, or SGMA, demand management – policies that...
-
UCCE San Diego advisor educates growers on complex water regulations
‘Ag Order' for San Diego County expected to be enforced by end of 2023 Generally known for its steady warmth and picturesque beaches, San Diego County is also home to nearly 5,000 small farms and is an economic hotspot for nurseries and...
Bug Squad Blog:
-
UC Davis Entomology and Nematology's Fall Seminars Begin Monday, Oct. 2
Conservation ecologist Paul CaraDonna, a research scientist at the Chicago Botanic Garden and a professor of instruction at Northwestern University, will launch the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology's fall seminar schedule on Monday,...
-
Monarch Butterflies as Pollinators
"More than beautiful, monarch butterflies contribute to the health of our planet. While feeding on nectar, they pollinate many types of wildflowers.--National Park Service. Have you ever seen pollen on a monarch butterfly? This morning a male migrating...
-
Bohart Museum Open House: What You Should Know About Mosquitoes
If you've been following the breaking news about the invasive mosquito, Aedes aegypti, detected recently in Yolo, Solano and Sacramento counties--you can learn more about these disease-carrying mosquitoes at the Bohart Museum of Entomology...
-
Bohart Museum Open House: Learn About Mosquitoes, Ticks, Bed Bugs, Lice, and Fleas
You won't want to miss the Bohart Museum of Entomology open house on "Household Vampires," targeting mosquitoes, ticks, bed bugs, lice and fleas. The open house set from 1 to 4 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 23 in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge...
-
Bee Flies: Pollinators with a Bad Reputation
The late Argentine-born biologist Beatriz Moisset (1934-2022) of Willow Grove, Pa., called the insect "A Pollinator with a Bad Reputation." Moisset, who received her doctorate from the University of Cordoba, Argentina, and authored the...
-
Bohart Museum of Entomology: All That Glitters Is Not Gold...
All that glitters is not gold...think insects! When the Bohart Museum of Entomology hosts an open house on "Household Vampires" from 1 to 4 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 23, activities will take place both inside and outside. Inside? The presenters...
