March Tips & Events for Santa Clara County |
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“The garden year has no beginning and no end.”
~Elizabeth Lawrence
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This shovel-headed invertebrate lives in the world of snails, slugs, and earthworms, but it’s a predator and they’re the prey. You might find it hiding under a rock or pot, or even out on a sidewalk after rain. Do you know what it is? |
Photo credit: Jean-Lou Justine, Leigh Winsor, Delphine Gey, Pierre Gros, and Jessica Thévenot, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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Insect Egg Identification |
Have you ever found a cluster of dots on a leaf, a trail of flat discs attached to a stem, or cylindrical pellets on the ground? These are likely insect eggs. These eggs come in different shapes, sizes, colors, and arrangements and can appear at various locations in your yard or home. While some insects like aphids give birth to live young, most female insects lay eggs outside in an environment where young can find food, whether they are near other pests or on your plants. Should you keep it or get rid of it? What insect does it hatch to?
To find out, join us for a fun webinar that will cover the different types of insect eggs you might encounter and whether they are beneficial or pests.
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Photo: Left to right, top to bottom: convergent lady beetle eggs, katydid eggs, American cockroach egg cases, green lacewing egg, Jack Kelly Clark |
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Photo: The root flare should show at the soil line. Left by David Snow, Michigan Extension, right by Sarah Browning, Nebraska Extension |
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Don’t Plant a Telephone Pole |
When you plant a tree or shrub, look for the root flare; it’s the point at the base of the trunk where the roots start. The soil should be at that level when you put the plant into the ground (or even into a new pot). Planting too deep can prevent the roots from getting the oxygen they need or cause the bark to deteriorate at ground level. Either can stunt plant growth, resulting in branch dieback or causing bark cracking. Don’t assume a container plant is at the correct level; you may need to remove soil to find the root flare. |
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Spring Garden Fair on April 27 |
Mark your calendar for our Spring Garden Fair on Saturday, April 27, 9 am–2 pm. We hold it at our Martial Cottle Park Demonstration Garden in San Jose. Browse our plant offerings and start dreaming about your summer garden. We will have a wide variety of tomatoes, peppers, herbs, flowers, native plants, and succulents for sale, selected for best performance here in Santa Clara County. And stay tuned for details about the chance to participate in a public research trial on new tomato varieties.
Photo credit: Tuan Hoang
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Our monthly Plant Clinic Online is back! This popular event allows members of the public to chat with a Master Gardener via Zoom for help diagnosing a plant problem in their yard. Everyone gets to listen and learn while people ask questions and get answers. The Plant Clinic Online takes place on the second Tuesday of the month from 7–8:30 pm, March through October. Details for submitting questions in advance are in the Zoom registration confirmation. Start making your list!
Photo: Entomosporium leaf spot on Rhaphiolepis, Jack Kelly Clark, UC ANR
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Getting Started with Native Plants |
Photo credit: UC Davis Arboretum
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Quiz Answer: Land Planarian
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This strange-looking worm is a land planarian, Bipalium kewense, also known as a terrestrial flatworm or hammerhead worm. They come in different colors and stripy patterns, but they’re all predators that wrap themselves around their prey, consuming them with a mouth located on their underside near the middle of their body. They’re not a problem for people or plants, but they can reduce the earthworm population. Management is difficult to impossible. And don’t just cut them up because they can regenerate from the pieces.
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Photo: An exotic planarian, Bipalium simrothi, from Malaysia, ©2006 Arie van der Meijden, CC BY-NC-SA 3.0
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Our monthly Plant Clinic Online is an opportunity to chat with a Master Gardener via Zoom to diagnose a plant problem. You can also listen and learn while other people ask questions. It takes place on the second Tuesday of the month (March 12), from 7pm - 8:30 pm. Priority will be given to questions that are emailed in advance; instructions are in the Zoom registration confirmation. Registration required.
Gardening for Beginners, Saturday, March 2, 10 am–noon, Camden Community Center, 3369 Union Avenue, ($59 (San Jose resident), $63 (Non-Resident)), San Jose
MCP Seed Starting is Easy!, Saturday, March 16, 10–11:30 am, Master Gardener Teaching Pavilion at Martial Cottle Park, 5283 Snell Avenue, San Jose
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Check our calendar for the latest schedule of events. Videos of many past presentations are also available.
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University of California Master Gardener volunteers promote sustainable gardening practices and provide research-based horticultural information to home gardeners. Visit our website for more information including:
Have a gardening question? Ask us. We’re here to help!
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