Garden Checklist

From The Fresno Bee, October 8, 2009 (edited)--
Steps Taken Now Can Control Garden Pests Later--by Elinor Teague

"Regularly and thoroughly cleaning up in the garden during the fall months is truly one of the most efficient means of disease prevention insect control." Raking leaves every few days and removing weeds helps to decrease insects next year. Try to remember what insect problems you had last spring and summer in the garden.

Hoplia beetles chew holes in light-colored roses and other flowers in May and June. The hoplia beetle larvae hide in the soil in undisturbed areas. Removing weeds and sprinkling beneficial nematodes over grassy areas this month will kill many of the larvae.

"Earwigs make nests and lay their eggs to overwinter in decaying garden debris." Getting rid of decaying leaves and such will lessen nesting areas.

If winters are mild, whiteflies can breed all year long. Broad-spectrim insecticides are not effective in eliminating whiteflies, and will kill the beneficial insects that feed on them, resulting with an increase in whiteflies. Remove plants that seem to have been a whitefly magnet to remove whitefly eggs.

"Fungal spores can easily survive our fairly temperate winters." Be sure to rake up all fallen leaves of plants that have had problems with powdery or downy mildew. Remove any dead leaves still clinging to the branches.

"Anthracnose is a group of fungal diseases that are spread by splashing water or rain in late winter and spring." Sycamore, evergreen elm and ash trees can be devastated by anthracnose. Signs of anthracnose is that the first leaves in spring turn brown and fall off, then new green leaves appear when it turns warm and dry. Keeping leaves, weeds and garden litter cleaned up will help decrease anthracnose next spring.

-------------------------------------------

Garden Checklist:

Enjoy the last flush of blooming roses along with the bounty of the fall harvest.

Tasks: Adjust watering cycle
Pruning: Deadhead and shape rosebushes to promote a final fall bloom
Fertilizing: Wait two weeks after planting new flowers and vegetables before feeding with organic or complete fertilizer
Planting: This is the best time to plant shrubs and ground covers; larkspur (Consolida ambigu), delphinium; iberis; garlic and onion sets clematis, dogwood (Comus), hawthorn (Crataegus), sago plam (Cycas), pineapple guava (Feijoa)
Things to Ponder: Do not replace vinca with pansies in the same bed due to a soil borne fungal root rot that affects these plants

-------------------------------------------

Raised Bed Gardening class--Garden of the Sun
9:30 am, Saturday, October 10, $15.00
1944 N. Winery Ave
456-7285