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Do you have a gardening question? The UC Master Gardeners of Santa Clara County can help. Our volunteers are part of the University of California’s Cooperative Extension program and we are trained to use research-based information to educate our fellow residents on sustainable gardening and landscaping practices specifically for our area.
Our monthly “Ask a Master Gardener” column will answer your questions and offer tips. Have a question? Email lifestyle@embarcaderopublishing.com.
I’m seeing earwigs in my garden. Are they harmful to my plants, and how can I control them?
Answer: Earwigs are third only to snails and slugs in causing plant damage. While they are beneficial because they eat insects such as aphids, they also feed on soft plants. Earwigs can do quite a lot of damage if there is a high population. They feed at night and hide in moist, tight-fitting places during the day. Trap them by putting out moistened, tightly rolled newspaper or corrugated cardboard in the evening. In the morning, dispose of the paper and the trapped insects. Other control methods are described in this UC Pest Note on Earwigs.
How can I tell how deeply moisture has soaked into my soil?
Answer: You’re watering your landscape and garden, but do you know how deep the water is penetrating into your soil? You don’t need an expensive moisture meter to check. A simple probe can help you find out. Use any item sturdy enough to push a foot or so into the soil, for example, a long screwdriver or metal rod. Push the probe directly into the soil using firm pressure. It will go through moist soil and stop when it hits the underlying dry soil, showing you how deep your water has penetrated. Watering deeply but infrequently is recommended.
More information: Checking Moisture Depth
Why do the leaves on my roses look unhealthy?
Answer: Many rose problems aren’t caused by disease or pests.
Roses are notoriously susceptible to many diseases, including rust, black spot and powdery mildew. For this reason, they are often planted at the edges of vineyards to give an early warning about diseases that can affect the vines. Yet not everything that negatively impacts roses is a disease or pest, so don’t automatically reach for the chemicals. Abiotic disorders – issues caused by nonliving factors – can be addressed with changes to your plant care.
Blackened areas on canes can be from sunburn. Brown-edged leaves may signal a high concentration of salt in the soil. Yellow leaves may be due to nutrient deficiencies. Deformed growth may be due to exposure to glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup. Good air circulation allows the morning dew to dry and helps prevent rust and powdery mildew.
Some practices to keep your roses healthy are to choose hardy varieties, enrich the soil with compost, fertilize regularly (but not too much), irrigate directly to the root zone, and remove suckers (the rapid-growing, long canes) from roses. Prune them below the bud union (the base of the rose plant above the roots where all the canes come from). There’s a lot more information in this article “Roses: Diseases and Abiotic Disorders.”
How can I manage ants so they don’t become a problem in my garden?
Answer: Have you seen lines of ants scurrying along tree trunks, plants, edging, or even in your house? They’re probably Argentine ants, the most common species in California. These pests are attracted to the sweet honeydew excrement that is produced by aphids, mealybugs and soft scale insects. They love this honeydew so much that they actually protect scales and aphids, increasing their population. What to do? Reduce their food source by managing honeydew-producing insects. Band tree trunks with sticky substances like Tanglefoot insect barrier. Buy ant bait that comes prepackaged as ant stakes or in small containers. Ants bring the bait back to their nests and feed it to others that die. Here’s a good resource with more information. Good luck!
Have more questions? Visit our demonstration gardens in personÂ
The UC Master Gardeners of Santa Clara County have eight demonstration gardens that showcase best practices for home gardeners and provide hands-on experiences.
You’re invited to visit, ask questions and garden with us when we’re working in the garden. We also offer classes, events and plant sales at some of our locations.
The Palo Alto Demonstration Garden, located at 851 Center Drive in Palo Alto at the Eleanor Pardee Community Gardens in Palo Alto (View map), is among our gardens.
Established in 2003, the garden (commonly called PADG) has two distinct areas: The “Edible Garden,” which demonstrates edible landscaping using a variety of seasonal vegetables, fruits and flowers, and the “Water Wise Garden,” which showcases beautiful landscaping with native and low-water plants.
The Edible Garden was once a bare-earth parking lot for city vehicles! Now, it’s an in-ground and raised-bed display of vegetables, fruit trees, berry bushes, herbs and flowers that create an aesthetically pleasing design. The food grown here is donated to the Palo Alto Downtown Food Closet.
The Water Wise Garden demonstrates how native California and Mediterranean climate plants can be used to create a beautiful, low water, natural garden. Once established, the plants in this garden require a minimum of supplemental summer water and provide food and shelter for beneficial insects, butterflies, and birds. There’s also a Lawn Alternatives area which demonstrates how native California and Mediterranean climate plants can be used to create a beautiful, low water, natural garden.
Every Saturday from May through October, we offer Open Garden Days. You can explore the edible and ornamental gardens, ask questions, and get plant and garden advice right from the Master Gardeners. And there’s generally a workshop on gardening topics the first Saturday of the month. Join us on Saturday mornings this summer.
June UC Master Gardener events
There are several UC Master Gardener gardening events taking place all over the county this month. Here are some of them, with a more complete event schedule for the month.
June 8: Planting in Containers (Cupertino)
June 11: Growing Garlic and Other Edible Alliums  (Saratoga)
June 11: How to Establish Healthy Soil in Your Garden (online)
June 15: Native Gardens Guided Tour at Martial Cottle Park (San Jose)
June 15: Growing Culinary Herbs in Santa Clara County (San Jose)
June 26: Growing Tomatoes and Peppers Successfully (Cupertino)
Do you want to ask a UC Master Gardener about a plant problem? Submit questions to our Help Desk online. Find garden events and classes here.Â
Ask questions or listen in at our monthly Zoom Plant Clinic which is held the second Tuesday of the month from 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. Dates for 2024 are June 11, July 9, August 13, September 10, October 8
You can also subscribe to our monthly Tips and Events newsletter. San Mateo residents can also find gardening advice on the UC Master Gardeners of San Mateo and San Francisco website.