Master Gardeners

May in the Garden:

What to plant?

Direct seed in the garden cucumbers, melons, summer squash, beans, corn, and annual herbs.
Plant sunflowers, zinnias, cosmos, marigolds and aster in the flower garden.

Chores:

Fertilize summer blooming flowers early in the month.
Apply (or re-apply as needed) organic mulch to all beds to keep the soil cool and enrich the soil. Be sure to leave space around the base of the plants.
Trim the dead flowers but not the leaves from spring bulbs. The leaves restore the bulb; so wait to remove them until they turn yellow. Fertilize the bulbs after the bloom is finished with bone meal.
Later in the month prune spring flowering shrubs to shape, removing old and dead wood. The plants flower on the growth that happens during the summer; do not prune in the fall or winter or you will have no flowers on the shrub.
Continue the battle against slugs and snails.
Deadhead (cut off spent flowers) to get continuing bloom on annuals and perennials.
Thin peaches, plums and nectarines so there is 6” between fruits.

Asian Citrus Psyllid

Asian Citrus Psyllid is an insect that carries a devastating disease in Citrus trees and there is no cure. The insect and disease is usually detected in home citrus first. Click here to read more about the Asian Citrus Psyllid and the Huanglongbing disease.

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Master Gardeners

The University of California Master Gardener Program provides the public with UC research-based information about home horticulture, sustainable landscape and pest management practices. The program is administered by local University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) county offices that are the principal outreach and public service arms of the University’s division of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

The UC Master Gardener program supports sustainable gardening practices that protect the environment, conserve natural resources, and take into consideration each gardener's lifestyle and goals.

What do UC Master Gardeners do?

UC Master Gardeners are trained to help residents of California become better gardeners. Using a variety of activities such as workshops, lectures, and garden hotlines these volunteers answer questions about home horticulture, sustainable landscaping, and integrated pest management using University of California research-based information.

After their training UC Master Gardeners are qualified to help the public with problems in areas such as:

Weed Control
Plant Problem Diagnosis
Integrated Pest Management (insect and pest control)
Soils, fertilizers and irrigation
Selecting and caring for fruit and landscape trees
Growing annuals, perennials and food crops
Lawn care
Vegetable Gardening
Plant Pathology
Composting

Each county develops programs to address local needs. Some typical activities are:

Using mass media to disseminate gardening information
Teaching workshops, or lecturing on gardening practices
Participating in research activities with academics within UC
Answering gardeners’ questions via email or helplines
Speaking to the public on horticultural and gardening topics
Manning county fair information booths
Consulting with gardeners to improve their landscape practices

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Featured Plant

Latin Name:	Cerastium tomentosum
Common Name:	snow-in-summer
Type:	Groundcover

Master Gardener Blog

Poor ol' Ladybug

Cellar spider traps and wraps a ladybug. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The lady beetle, aka ladybug, was at the wrong place at the wrong time. We don't know how she managed to get tangled in the cellar spider's web or why the cellar spider opted to have her for dinner instead waiting for a tasty honey bee, a nutritious...

Posted on Friday, May 17, 2013 at 9:36 PM

Comments: 0

Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey

Tags: cellar spider (1), ladybeetle (1), ladybug (16), predator (2), prey (2)