Public can 'attend' virtual convention Sept. 29-Oct. 1
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Landscape expert and lifetime master gardener Pam Bone talks about root problems during Harvest Day 2019. Bone is one of four still-active members of Sacramento County's first master gardener group. (Photo: Kathy Morrison)
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California always has been a state full of gardeners, but the UCCE Master Gardener Program has been part of California gardening for just the past 40 years. The trained volunteers follow the program's mission to assist and advise the state's many backyard gardeners: "Advice to grow by ... Ask us!"
And here's the local angle: Sacramento County was the first Northern California county to have a program of master gardener volunteers; Riverside County had the first in SoCal.
A few of the hardy souls from those days are still around: Fran Clarke, Marsha Prillwitz, Virginia Feagans and Pam Bone. In 1980, Bone was on the UCCE staff when she became Sacramento County's original master gardener. Later she became a super-busy MG volunteer, often speaking at events and on Farmer Fred Hoffman's radio shows.
Later this month, the California master gardener program, which covers 50 of the state's counties and includes more than 6,000 active volunteers, was due to celebrate its milestone year during a Lake Tahoe convention.
We all know what has happened to plans like that this year, with the threat of coronavirus keeping everyone at home (and in their gardens). But the convention will still take place, although in radically altered form.
The best change: The public is welcome to attend the online event, which will be streamed via the statewide master gardener YouTube channel and Facebook page . It’s free, and doesn’t even require registration.
Mark your calendars now for these events:
Tuesday, Sept. 29
9-10 a.m. -- "Celebrating 40 Years of the UC Master Gardener Program"
Noon- 1 p.m. -- "Gardeners With Heart: Incredible Volunteers Doing Incredible Work"
3-4 p.m. -- "Houseplants: Soil, Water and Such for Sustainable Indoor Growing," with Ernesto Sandoval, director of the Botanical Conservatory at UC Davis
Wednesday, Sept. 30
9-10 a.m. -- "Composting for Soil Health," with Kevin Marini, coordinator, UC MG program, Placer-Nevada County
Noon - 1 p.m. -- Search for Excellence Winner: "Reminiscence Gardening," UC MG program of San Diego County
3-4 p.m. -- Search for Excellence Second Place: "Gardening with Underserved Communities," UC MG program of Contra Costa County
Thursday, Oct. 1
9-10 a.m.: "Fire Safe Landscaping, So. Calif. focus," with Valerie Borel, coordinator, UC MG program of Los Angeles County
Noon- 1p.m.: "Preserving Your Garden Harvest," with Sue Mosbacher, UC Master Food Preserver program, Central Sierra
3-4 p.m.: Search for Excellence Yhird Place: "Lessons in the Garden for Schoolchildren," UC MG program of Santa Clara County
All presentations will be recorded and available for viewing after the event. Additional information about the UC Master Gardeners Mini Conference can be found here .
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Garden Checklist for week of Jan. 19
Dress warmly in layers – and get to work:
* Apply horticultural oil to fruit trees to control scale, mites and aphids. Oils need 24 hours of dry weather after application to be effective.
* This is also the time to spray a copper-based oil to peach and nectarine trees to fight leaf curl. The safest effective fungicides available for backyard trees are copper soap -- aka copper octanoate -- or copper ammonium, a fixed copper fungicide. Apply either of these copper products with 1% horticultural oil to increase effectiveness.
* Prune, prune, prune. Now is the time to cut back most deciduous trees and shrubs. The exceptions are spring-flowering shrubs such as lilacs.
* Now is the time to prune fruit trees. Clean up leaves and debris around the trees to prevent the spread of disease. (The exceptions are apricot and cherry trees, which are susceptible to a fungus that causes dieback if pruned now. Save those until summer.)
* Prune roses, even if they’re still trying to bloom. Strip off any remaining leaves, so the bush will be able to put out new growth in early spring.
* Clean up leaves and debris around your newly pruned roses and shrubs. Put down fresh mulch or bark to keep roots cozy.
* When forced bulbs sprout, move them to a cool, bright window. Give them a quarter turn each day so the stems will grow straight.
* Browse through seed catalogs and start making plans for spring and summer.
* Divide daylilies, Shasta daisies and other perennials.
* Cut back and divide chrysanthemums.
* Plant bare-root roses, trees and shrubs.
* Transplant pansies, violas, calendulas, English daisies, snapdragons and fairy primroses.
* In the vegetable garden, plant fava beans, head lettuce, mustard, onion sets, radicchio and radishes.
* Plant bare-root asparagus and root divisions of rhubarb.
* In the bulb department, plant callas, anemones, ranunculus and gladioli for bloom from late spring into summer.
* Plant blooming azaleas, camellias and rhododendrons. If you’re shopping for these beautiful landscape plants, you can now find them in full flower at local nurseries.
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