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Learn secrets of eco-friendly pest control

Nevada County master gardeners offer two-part IPM virtual workshop

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Debbie Arrington PUBLISHED MAY 25, 2021

Aphids are one of the more common pests in gardens.

Learn how to manage them and many others without

using pesticides. (Photo courtesy UCCE Master Gardeners)

What’s bugging your garden? And what can you do about it?

Don’t reach for the pesticide. Take a more thoughtful approach instead. Birds, bees and butterflies will thank you. (And your garden will be healthier, too.)

Integrated Pest Management, or IPM, is the key to harmonious gardening with nature and wildlife in mind. Learn IPM basics during a free two-part virtual workshop, presented by the UC Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners of Nevada County.

Held via Zoom, the online sessions will be held at 9 a.m. on consecutive Saturdays, May 29 and June 5. The links, passcodes and more are available here: http://ncmg.ucanr.org/ . No advance registration is required.

“IPM is a process you can use to solve pest problems while minimizing risks to people and the environment,” say the master gardeners. “IPM can be used to manage all kinds of pests anywhere – in urban, rural, agricultural and wild land or natural areas.”

This two-part workshop will cover IPM techniques and why they work.

“You’ll learn how to manage pest damage long-term through a combination of techniques such as biological control, habitat manipulation, modification of cultural practices, and use of resistant plant varieties,” say the master gardeners.

IPM uses nature to manage nature. But making this form of pest management to work needs observation and proper identification of which pests are at work.

“IPM focuses on long-term prevention of pests or their damage by managing the ecosystem,” explain the master gardeners. “Monitoring and correct pest identification help you decide whether management is needed, and how to remove only the target organism. IPM programs combine management approaches for greater effectiveness.”

For more on Integrated Pest Management: https://bit.ly/3vnObY3

In addition to the IPM workshop, the Nevada County master gardeners also will host Saturday virtual workshops on “Softwood Propagation” (June 12), “Container Gardening” (June 19) and “Garden Makeover: Lawn to Landscape” (June 26). All are free and open to the public.

For details and links: http://ncmg.ucanr.org/ .

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UCCE master gardeners gardening Sacramento integrated pest management online workshops pests UC IPM aphids Nevada County

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Garden Checklist for week of Nov. 3

November still offers good weather for fall planting:

* If you haven't already, it's time to clean up the remains of summer. Pull faded annuals and vegetables. Prune dead or broken branches from trees.

* Now is the best time to plant most trees and shrubs. This gives them plenty of time for root development before spring growth. They also benefit from fall and winter rains.

* Set out cool-weather annuals such as pansies and snapdragons.

* Lettuce, cabbage and broccoli also can be planted now.

* Plant garlic and onions.

* Keep planting bulbs to spread out your spring bloom. Some possible suggestions: daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths, tulips, anemones and scillas.

* This is also a good time to seed wildflowers and plant such spring bloomers as sweet pea, sweet alyssum and bachelor buttons.

* Rake and compost leaves, but dispose of any diseased plant material. For example, if peach and nectarine trees showed signs of leaf curl this year, clean up under trees and dispose of those leaves instead of composting.

* Save dry stalks and seedpods from poppies and coneflowers for fall bouquets and holiday decorating.

* For holiday blooms indoors, plant paperwhite narcissus bulbs now. Fill a shallow bowl or dish with 2 inches of rocks or pebbles. Place bulbs in the dish with the root end nestled in the rocks. Add water until it just touches the bottom of the bulbs. Place the dish in a sunny window. Add water as needed.

* Give your azaleas, gardenias and camellias a boost with chelated iron.

* For larger blooms, pinch off some camellia buds.

* Prune non-flowering trees and shrubs while dormant.

* To help prevent leaf curl, apply a copper fungicide spray to peach and nectarine trees after they lose their leaves this month. Leaf curl, which shows up in the spring, is caused by a fungus that winters as spores on the limbs and around the tree in fallen leaves. Sprays are most effective now.

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