The Digging Fork Jan Feb 2008

The Digging Fork A Davis Garden Newsletter January - February 2008 January Planting

Cool season hardy annuals Perennials: CA natives, most everything except frost tender plants Cool season vegetables: cilantro, potatoes (end of month),

see Plant Notes

Seeding directly into the garden

Bare-root plants: asparagus, artichokes, strawberries, berries, rhubarb, grapes, fruit trees, ornamental trees, shrubs, vines, roses Cool season hardy annuals Cool season vegetables: Cilantro, peas (late Jan., soak seed overnight, then pre-germinate 4-5 days between moist paper towels)

see Plant Notes

Seeding inside or greenhouse

Warm season vegetables: basil, eggplant, peppers, tomatillos, tomatoes (to be

February Cool season hardy annuals Perennials: see January Cool season vegetables: broccoli, cabbage, lettuce, cauliflower, cilantro, potatoes, artichokes Bare-root plants: see January Warm season bulbs: gladiolus Cool season hardy annuals Cool season vegetables: beets, carrots, cilantro, leeks, parsnips (presoak seed overnight), peas (soak seed overnight, then pre-germinate 4-5 days between moist paper towels),

radish, Swiss chard, green onions Warm season vegetables: basil Warm season flowers

planted in the garden mid-April)

Warm season flowers

Fertilize Pest & Disease Control

Citrus with citrus fertilizer Spray nectarines and peaches with fixed copper around New Year’s Day for peach leaf curl. Spray fruit and nut trees, roses with dormant oil to control over-wintering eggs and fungal spores. Control for snails, slugs, earwigs and cabbage worms as needed.

Spray nectarines and peaches with fixed copper around Valentines Day for peach leaf curl. When pruning look for borer damage and cut off infected limbs. Continue control of snails, slugs, birds, cabbage worms

Protect seedlings from birds.

Tasks

Prune: deciduous trees, shrubs, roses, fruit trees (except apricots), grapes. (Don’t prune spring flowering shrubs, trees, vines or once blooming roses until after bloom)

Continue garden cleanup: pick up leaves, cut back herbaceous perennials (don’t cut back frost tender perennials until late spring),

remove unwanted seedlings or transplant, cultivate with digging fork, weed and mulch Divide and replant herbaceous perennials. see Plant Notes

Water

Order warm season bulbs for spring planting Frost protection continues. Don’t prune frost damaged plants until new growth begins.

Pruning continues Finish pruning deciduous trees. Finish pruning fruit trees before they bloom. Finish pruning roses by Valentines day. Paint trunk of newly planted trees with whitewash to protect from sunburn. Garden clean-up continues and should be complete this month to enjoy the spring. Divide & replant perennials Ornamental grasses: cut to the ground in late winter to early spring, when new growth appears.

Water under large eaves.

Water under large eaves.

Hydrated plants survive frost better than dry ones!

Check drip lines for leaks and flush them -- easier now with less plant growth.

Unknown fungus in Patricia’s garden

Fungi in the Garden Fungi are no longer classified as plants but are still an important and very interesting part of the garden. Without chlorophyll, fungi can’t photosynthesize and must get their food from their environment. Saprophytic fungi get their food from dead organic matter, both plants and animals, and greatly helps with decomposition. This group of fungi is the one that produces many of the mushrooms we see during our wet season. Most of the fungus organism is under the ground or in decaying logs and is a white, threadlike mass called mycelium. These often can be found clumping groups of leaves or pine needles together and under moist boards or loose bark on rotting trees. It is when the mycelia form the fruiting bodies (mushrooms) that we see the diverse and interesting types of fungi that exist. The function of this fruiting stage is to produce the large number of minute spores that disperse to grow into more mycelium. Some of these mushrooms are edible, some hallucinogenic and some very poisonous! Yeast used in breads and beer making and penicillin used for medicine are saprophytic fungi. Parasitic fungi get their energy from plants and animals that are living, often to the determent of the host. Examples of this type of fungi are seen in our gardens as rust on hollyhocks, mildew on roses, corn smut (edible fungus Mexicans call huitlacoche) and the lichen that grows on trees. Gardeners are spraying fixed copper now to control the peach leaf curl fungus on peaches and nectarines. Mycorrhizal fungi is the third type of fungus common in the garden and it has a symbiotic relationship with plants. Both the plant and fungus benefit from this association! The network of mycelium and roots of the plant form a swelling called mycorrhizae that we can easily see on many plant roots, like legumes. This is the area where the plant provides carbohydrates for the fungus and the fungus helps supply water and nutrients to the plant. The mycelia are an extension of the roots and helps provide many of the minerals the plant needs but has trouble absorbing easily, like nitrates. Symbiotic relationships form between specific species of plants and fungus, and this is why a specific fungus will only be found under a certain tree species. A large number (90%) of plants benefit from such a relationship, and many can’t grow without it. This winter look for some of the fascinating fungi growing in your garden. See photos of the many found in Patricia’s garden. http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/fotm.html Fungi of the Month written by Tom Volk, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse

Plant sales and events UCD Arboretum Plant Sale and Social (Members only, but can join at door) March 15, 9 am to 1 pm Lots of great guided tours and workshops coming up!! For information

752-4880

www.arboretum.ucdavis.edu

Davis Garden Club Program TBA January 28, 7 to 9 pm Growing Cut Flowers February 25, 7-9 pm For information 222-3052 Dog vomit fungus is not a fungus at all – it’s really a slime mold

Bonsai and Miniature Landscapes January 9, 7 pm What to do with Anthuriums (3 arrangers) Feb. 6, 7 pm Ikebana March 5, 7 pm

Local classes and workshops UCD Project Compost Workshops

For information contact the President at 756-6722

Plant Sales at The Gifted Gardener

Backyard Composting January 26 Worm Composting March 1 For information contact Project Compost or http://projectcompost.ucdavis.edu/

www.davisgardenclub.org

Davis Flower Arrangers

An elf cup fungus

Saturdays January 26 and February 23 9:30 am to 3 pm 18th and J Streets, Sacramento. Sales benefits local charities Information [email protected] (916) 923-3745

754-8227

Woodland College Mini-courses:

Friends of the Davis Library Book Sale

Landscape Pruning Feb. 15 to 16 Gardening: Selecting Trees & Shrubs Feb. 29 to Mar 1 Gardening: Design the Yard Mar. 14 to 15

February 1, 2, 3 Often good finds on gardening books! For information and times

757-5593 or Erik at 753-3926

San Francisco Flower and Garden Show

These courses are held Friday evenings and Saturday mornings. For information 661-5720 www.yccd.edu

March 12-16 http://www.gardenshow.com/sf/index/index.asp

Gardening Skills Class – Davis Adult School Tuesdays, January 29 to March 11, 6:30 to 8:30 pm Plus two garden field trips -- Sunday February 3 and 24th Taught by Lyle Wilen and Patricia Carpenter Information 757-5380 www.djusd.k12.ca.us/AdultSchool

Master Gardener Workshops Rose Pruning Clinic January 5 10 to 12 am Planting Bare-root Fruit Trees & Grape Vines January 26 10 am to 12 noon Fruit Tree Training and Pruning January 26 1 to 3 pm Workshops are free and held at Woodland Community College http://ceyolo.ucdavis.edu/Gardening_and_Master_Gardening/

Woodland Library Rose Club Rose Pruning Seminar

January 12 9:30 am to 12 noon

This fungus is only about 1” tall

Corn smut (huitlacoche)

Leake Room, Woodland Library. Bring pruning shears, gloves.

Davis Central Park Gardens Rose Pruning Workshop Saturday, January 19 For more information

Cool and warm season vegetables and flowers

10 am

Cool season, hardy annuals can be planted or seeded in the fall, but the end of January to February is the last chance to get them into the ground. This allows for ample growth before the warmer temperatures begin in May. Hardy annuals generally bloom in the spring. The hardy annual cilantro loves cold weather and will bloom (bolt) when the weather warms. Halfhardy annuals can’t take extreme cold so are planted when the weather is starting to warm in early March, when there is little chance of frost. Most of these plants bloom in early summer to fall. Sunflowers are half-hardy annuals that start to sprout up in the garden in March. Warm season plants (sometimes called frost sensitive perennials or tender annuals) need to be planted in the garden when the soil and air temperatures are warm , which is usually mid-April to early May. Planting earlier usually does little good and for some plants, like eggplant, growth is stunted and the plant never seems to recover. Seeds for these plants can be started indoors right now to be transplanted into the garden later. The Digging Fork newsletter for Sept/Nov 2007 has information about planting cool and warm season annuals, both vegetables and flowers.

http://www.centralparkgardens.org

Herbarium Specimen Preparation Workshop Saturday, January 19 9 am to 3 pm Held at UCD Cost is $40 to the general public For more information or to register, contact Ellen Dean, Curator of the Center for Plant Diversity (530) 752-1091 http://herbarium.ucdavis.edu

City of Davis Worm and Garden Composting Free compost bin by taking Davis Compost Correspondence Class Information

www.davisrecycling.org

(530) 757-5686

Fungus on a dead log

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Plant notes! Here is more information about some plants mentioned in this newsletter.

Cool season annual flowers: See The Digging Fork Sept-Oct 2007 for more information annual chrysanthemum Chrysanthemum paludosum annual clary sage Salvia viridis Ammi majus breadseed or opium poppy Papaver somniferum california poppy Eschscholzia californica cornflower, bachelor’s button Centaurea cyanus farewell-to-spring, godetia Clarkia amoena Flanders, corn and Shirley poppy Papaver rhoeas forget-me-not Myosotis sylvatica larkspur Consolida ambigua . sweet peas Lathyrus odoratus knotweed, kiss-me-over-the-garden-gate Persicaria orientale red flowering flax Linum grandiflorum

Fan rake, bypass pruners, kneepads, forged trowel, long and short handled loppers with bolted handles, stirrup hoe, gloves, folding pruning saw, bow rake with compression attachment, digging fork

Garden Tools

Cool season perennials: cyclamen

For every task, having the correct tool is a must for ensuring the job gets done as efficiently as possible. Gardening is no exception. There are numerous tools available to gardeners but some are more useful than others when it comes to everyday gardening. The amount spent on a tool is up to the gardener, but investing in quality tools is going to save time and money from constant repairs and quick replacements. When looking for tools, materials can make a difference. Wood handles are usually lighter but if left out in the elements degrade faster then heavier metal ones. Stainless steel tools are becoming more available and don’t rust. There is less breakage with forged, one piece tools. Look for tools with handles that are attached by rivets or screws rather than compression. The compression weakens and the trowel or rake head can fly off. Tools with ergonomic handles are available and generally cause less stress on the wrist when digging or pruning. Below is a list of gardening tools we think are essential. Digging fork: Of course this was going to be first on the list, but joking aside there are plenty of reasons to have one in your gardening arsenal. Traditional shovels lift soil in large clumps making the soil compacted as well as making cultivating difficult on the back. Digging forks cultivate the soil with minimal lifting and compaction. They are also great for mixing compost into the soil, lifting bulbs, digging up plants and weeding. Hand pruners: A garden essential. Used for deadheading, cutting back and pruning branches up to 1” in diameter. Hand pruners can either be bought with an anvil blade or a bypass blade. Anvil blades are good for pruning dead material but can crush live material. Bypass blades tend to work better all around. Hand trowel: Necessary for digging small holes for annuals, bulbs, planting in pots and weeding. Loppers: Gets the job done where hand pruners leave off by cutting limbs 1” thick or greater. Long handles give a better reach and leverage but can be a bit more cumbersome than shorter handled ones. Blade selection is anvil or bypass. An added bonus of having a bypass blade is the shape of the blade sometimes acts as a hook to hold the branch while you make a cut. Loppers are also great for pruning rose canes. They allow cuts to be made in the center of the plant without getting your hand scratched up.

C. persicum (florist) and C. hederifolium (hardy)

Tubers of hardy cyclamen are planted in summer and bloom in fall before leaves emerge, very easy to grow. Iceland poppy Papaver nudicaule Short lived perennial grown as annual. Easy to find in nurseries. ornamental cabbage Brassica oleracea Often grown as an annual, but better to cut back before it bolts and it will produce many rosettes the following fall.

pansies Viola x wittrockiana primroses Primula Polyanthus Group Plant under deciduous trees as they need summer shade.

snapdragons Antirrhinum majus Short lived perennial stock Matthiola incana Short lived woody perennial often planted as an annual. Easy to find dwarf varieties in nurseries.

Bare-root: artichoke Perennial that can be planted as bare-root or plants can be added to the garden throughout the year. Cut off main stalk after harvesting crop to encourage side sprouts and a second crop. asparagus Takes a lot of space but nice to harvest fresh spears each spring after a couple years of establishing the plant. berries Black berries and boysenberries do well here - best grown on some kind of trellis. Canes grow the first year without fruit. The second year the fruit grows on these canes, then the cane dies and needs to be cut to the ground. But new canes are growing for the next year’s harvest. Blueberries need very acid soil and might be grown in pots. fruit trees It’s worth doing some research on varieties, rootstock, winter chill requirements and planting tips for our area. See article in The Digging Fork Jan-Feb 2007 grapes Do well in Davis and can be used to cover patios structures. Mildew problems are lessened with good air circulation and the vines must be pruned each year. ornamental trees, shrubs and vines Planting bare-root is generally cheaper than buying potted plants. roses Redwood Barn Nursery and Youngmark Nursery in Woodland have a good selection. strawberries June bearing plants have a heavy crop in late spring and everbearing plants have two crops per year, spring and fall. Plant the crown high. Fruit production stops when temperatures reach 85 deg. F.

Warm season bulbs: amaryllis Hippeastrum Often forced to bloom inside. Then plant outside in sunny location to bloom again the following year in June.

begonia (tuberous) Begonia Prefer cooler areas with pm. shade. calla Zantedeschia A favorite-- Z. elliottiana is yellow and likes sun!! dahlia Dahlia Bait for snails and slugs when leaves emerge!! daylily Hemerocallis Tuberous roots, evergreen and deciduous types. gladiolus (grandiflora) Gladiolus To extend the bloom, plant bulbs every 15 days starting in February.

Peruvian daffodil Hymenocallis narcissiflora Bulb from the Peruvian Andes. Available in white or creamy yellow, bloom in July.

rain lily, fairy lily Zephyranthes Will naturalize and spread. spider lily Lycoris radiata Red flowers in fall, multiply.

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More gardening tips!

Bucket: Can purchase a bucket with a handle or use a black five to fifteen gallon pot that a plant came in. These are great for collecting weeds, debris and dumping mulch in a flower bed. A nice advantage to black plant containers is the holes in the bottom that allow water to drain out if it is left out in the garden during a rain or overhead irrigation. Wheelbarrow or garden cart: For moving compost or mulch into the garden or removing weeds and debris out of the garden, a wheel barrow or cart is helpful. They come in all sizes so whether your garden is small or large there is one to fit your needs. If the thought of having to balance a load in a wheel barrow is frightening, a garden cart may be for you. Most come with four wheels. A wheelbarrow with a flat tire is frustrating. To prevent this, consider replacing the tire with a solid rubber tire that will never go flat! Garden hose: Mandatory for most gardens. Having several throughout the garden will help lower the frustration of having to drag the hose a long way, often damaging plants. Investing in a good hose will save a lot of headaches. Kinkfree is hard to come by but usually thicker hoses kink less. Buy hoses with metal fittings versus plastic as they stand up to being dropped on the ground better. Pre-coiled hoses sound like a great idea, but they kink very easily and have to be staked into the ground if left to water in plants. Adjustable fan rake: Can rake over most plants without causing damage. Can change the width to cover larger areas or make it smaller to fit in between plants. Oscillating (stirrup) hoe Imagine a hoe with the inside removed. This is a great tool for weeding large areas without having to bend down. Dragging the hoe back and forth over the area removes young weeds, roots and all. For larger weeds, the hoe decapitates them, killing them if they are annual weeds and slowing the growth down if they are perennial. Pruning saw: Great for cutting off limbs. Look for blades with three-sided razor teeth that cut with both forward and backward strokes. There are many with folding blades, but be wary of wing-nut versions which can loosen and fold on your hand while pruning. Bow rake: Good for spreading compost and mulch, dethatching grass and leveling out planting beds. Rakes have hard metal teeth about 3” long. Shovel: A pointed shovel is good for digging large holes, moving loads of compost, mulch or soil. In clay soils, shovels tend to compact the sides of holes. Kneepads and gloves Definitely optional. If you have ever been bitten by a centipede you might reconsider not wearing gloves. Knee pads make gardening more enjoyable.

The Yolo Gardener This quarterly publication by Yolo County Master Gardeners has an article in the Winter 2007 issue about planting and maintaining fruit trees that includes many useful websites. https://ucce.ucdavis.edu/mg/users/documents/6215The%5F Yolo%5FGardener12841.pdf

Planting bare-root. Soak bare-root plants for a few hours before planting. Plant on a mound for better drainage. Make sure the graft side of the trunk with the concave curve points to the north-east to avoid sunburn damage. In addition, paint the entire trunk and lower branches with white latex paint mixed with water. Tree guards will protect the trunk from pest and equipment injury.

Great book about Vegetable Gardening! Garden Secrets by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent and Diane E. Bilderback. 1997 edition. Peas can germinate at soil temperatures as low as 40 deg. F but this can take up to 36 days. At 68 deg. F the peas are up in the garden in 8 days. To speed up germination in our cold February, soak seeds overnight, then pre-germinate 4-5 days between moist paper towels. Take care when planting these fragile sprouts.

Pre-germinated peas ready to plant

Carrots ready to harvest

Carrot seeds take forever to germinate and are difficult to get growing if they dry out. After planting, water well and cover seed bed with a wet burlap bag to keep the ground moist. Moisten the bag often and remove it when the seeds have sprouted.

Spraying peach and nectarine trees with copper based fungicide with at least 50% copper (fixed copper) will help prevent peach leaf curl. Cover the entire tree with the spray. If you are having difficulty finding fixed copper, try Redwood Barn Nursery. See the links below for information about dormant sprays. http://www.redwoodbarn.com/dormspray.html http://www.redwoodbarn.com/spray_organic.html

Look for tools at local nurseries and : Peaceful Valley Farm Supply www.GrowOrganic.com Lee Valley Tools www.leevalley.com Gempler’s www.gempler’s.com Artichoke stalks should have been cut

Spider lily

Newsletter created by: Marlene Simon -- UCD graduate in Horticulture Patricia Carpenter -- Garden Design and Education, with over 30 years of Davis gardening experience. The bi-monthly newsletter is free if received by email. If mailed, the cost is $15 per year. To be added to the subscription list or to unsubscribe, contact us at: [email protected] Florist cyclamen

Hardy cyclamen, leaves just emerging

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