Friday, March 30, 2007

Orange County Chapter Grafting DVD Available

The Orange County chapter's "Techniques of Grafting" DVD is ready to ship. It includes different techniques performed by specialist:Julie Frink on Splice GraftingDennis Luby on Bark GraftingDon Winterstein on Cleft GraftingRoger Meyer on Air Layerng andRiley Holly on Clonal PropagationIt's a must have reference guide for only $12.00 including shipping in the United States.For more information contact/e-mail: graftingdvd@ocfruit.comHerb Leeherblee@bates-lee.com714.549.1757 x215

Friday, March 23, 2007

Light brown apple moth

Contra Costa Times says: "A fruit-eating Australian moth has arrived in the continental United States for the first time, landing in the East Bay and threatening major economic damage to crops if the infestation spreads, state agriculture officials announced Wednesday."

Read more here:
http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/community/16949106.htm

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Santa Clara Valley chapter meeting Sat, April 14

We will have our next meeting on Sat. April 14 from 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM at Prusch Farm Park on budding and grafting citrus and avocados. Prusch Park is located at 647 S. King Road in San Jose. Bring fruit to taste.

Nancy Garrison
Santa Clara Valley chapter

Monday, March 19, 2007

See where your organic bananas come from

If they're Dole organic bananas, that is. Go to doleorganic.com, and type in the farm number from the sticker to see info and pictures about the farm the bananas came from. They show a picture of a sticker, with farm number 776, so you can try it out even if you don't have any of their bananas on hand.

(Other interesting produce sticker info: conventionally grown produce has a four-digit number on the sticker. If it is preceded by a 9, the produce is organic. Preceded by an 8, it is genetically modified--look out!)

Thursday, March 8, 2007

Clytia Chambers, 84; PR executive developed Fruit Gardener magazine

If you would like to read more about Clytia go back to the May/June 2000 issue of our Fruit Gardener magazine.

Clytia Chambers, a retired public relations executive who turned a newsletter about exotic fruit into the bimonthly magazine Fruit Gardener, died Feb. 20 of complications related to old age at a Pasadena care facility, said her husband, Robert Chambers. She was 84. The complete article can be viewed at:http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-chambers8mar08,0,5063762.story?coll=la-news-obituaries

Monday, March 5, 2007

Calamondin demise




















I took out our calamondin today--it was at death's door. I am wondering if it had Oak Root Fungus/Armillaria, or if this is some other fungus. The white "stuff" is not thick like plaques of mycelium, and there have been no mushrooms, no rhizomorphs that I could find, no fungal odor.

Anyone have experience of something like this/know for sure what it is?



CRFG LA Chapter March/April Newsletter

From the LA chatper:


There are 5 wonderful events happening in March and April. Be sure to check them out and try to make it to them. You will have a lot of fun and learn a lot.

Pat Valdivia,
LA Chapter
Newsletter Editor





LOS ANGELES CHAPTER

March 2007 Volume X Issue 2
Our website-- http://www.crfg-la.org
CRFG website: www.crfg.org

March Meeting
Date: Saturday, March 24, 2007
Time: 10:00 A.M.
Place: Sepulveda Garden Center
16633 Magnolia Blvd., Encino, CA 91316

Program: Dr. Greg Partida will speak on “The Treatment on Freeze-Damaged Avocados”. Greg is a dynamic speaker with over 30 years of experience in the area of AG Biology and fruit industries. He has consulted in cultural practices of avocado throughout the production area of California.
.
April Meeting **NOTE-Tour is on a week day. **

Date: Thursday, April 5, 2007
Time: 10:00 A.M.
Place: Boskoivich Farms, 711 Diaz Ave. Oxnard, CA (805 487-2299)

Program: Tour of the Boskovich Farms packing house. Since 1915, the name Boskovich has been associated with the finest fresh produce. Today, three generations later, they're still family owned and operated. They grow on more than 10,000 acres of land, producing nearly 30 vegetable crops and strawberries year round. In addition, their processing division, Boskovich Fresh Cut, provides a diverse line of fresh-cut produce for foodservice and retail.
**Wear flat shoes (no high heels: There will be a fair amount of walking)
.Wear warm clothing (The "chilling facilities" are quite cold).

Directions: From Los Angeles head "north" on the 101 (toward Ventura). Exit at Rose Avenue. Turn left over the freeway and go about two miles. When you cross the railroad tracks, cross 5th street also-(don't turn on 5th street) and go one more block. Turn right on Mountain View. Next, turn Right at Richmond. Look for Boskovich Farms truck entrance. You will enter there.

California Cherimoya Association Annual Meeting and Program will be held Saturday, March10th starting at 10 am. The event will take place at the Faulkner Farm in Santa Paula. There will be a tour of the Faulkner Farm in the morning followed by a BBQ lunch. After lunch there will be a tour of Calavo. The price of the BBQ is $20.00 per person. The event itself is free Call Scott Van Der Kar at 805 684-7900 for more information.

Directions: Corner of Briggs and Telegraph, Santa Paula, CA 93060. From Hwy 126 take Briggs Rd. offramp north ¼ mile. Parking entrance is on Briggs Rd. through the gate on the left side (before reaching Telegraph Rd).















TASTING TABLE: If your last name begins with A-M, please bring something for our March Meeting.




California Freeze Wrecks Havoc





COOPERATIVE EXTENSION OF VENTURA COUNTY
Agriculture & Natural Resources
University of California
669 County Square Drive, Suite 100
Ventura, California 93003-5401
(805) 645-1451 Fax: (805) 645-1474
E-mail: ceventura@ucdavis.edu
Website: ceventura.ucdavis.edu
Rehabilitation of Freeze-Damaged Citrus and Avocado Trees
by Nick Sakovich and Ben Faber

For the first time since the great freeze of '89-90, we have experienced a little more than minor damage to our crops. Compared to the San Joaquin Valley, Ventura country escaped without major damage; although there were some areas harder hit like the Ojai Valley and some canyons near Santa Paula. Many parts of the SJV were hard hit.
As in the freeze of 1990, your trees must be cared for in the same way during this post freeze period. In 1990, advice was issued to the grower about the rehabilitation of their trees, both citrus and avocado. We would like to review that information for you at this time. How can we best aid tree recovery so that tree growth and yield will proceed most rapidly?
FREEZE DAMAGE
Citrus and avocado leaves appear wilted or flaccid during periods of low temperature. This is a natural protective response to freezing temperatures and does not mean the leaves have been frozen. Leaves will be firm and brittle and often curled when frozen. Leaves become flaccid after thawing, and if the injury is not too great, they gradually regain turgor and recover, leaving however, dark flecks on the leaves.
Seriously frozen leaves collapse, dry out, and remain on the tree. Foliage form recent flushes are most susceptible to this damage. If twigs or wood have been seriously damaged, the frozen leaves may remain on the tree for several weeks. If the twigs and wood have not been damaged severely, the leaves are rapidly shed. Trees losing their leaves rapidly is often a good sign and is not, as many growers believe a sign of extensive damage.
Cold damage to the twigs appears as water soaking or discoloration. In older branches and trunks it appears as splitting or loosening of bark where the cambium has been killed. Bark may curl and dry with many small cracks. Dead patches of bark may occur in various locations on limbs and trunk.
Sensitivity to frost is dependent upon many variables. In general, mandarins are the most cold hardy followed by sweet orange and grapefruit. Lemons are very frost sensitive with Eureka decidedly more sensitive than Lisbon. For avocados, Hass is about as cold tolerant as lemons, while Bacon is more cold tolerant. Limes are the least cold hardy. Healthy trees are more tolerant than stressed ones. The rootstock also imparts sensitivity onto the scion.
Injury to the foliage and to young trees may be immediately recognizable but the true extent of the damage to larger branches, trunks, and rootstocks may not appear for on to four months following the freeze. No attempt should be made to prune or even assess damage from the frost until spring when new growth appears.
WHITEWASHING
The only treatment that should be done rapidly after a freeze is whitewashing. Often the most sever damage following a freeze results from sunburn of exposed twigs and branches after defoliation. Avocados and lemons are the most susceptible to sunburn, oranges not as much; but, if the tree has been defoliated, applying whitewash would be precautionary. Temperatures do not have to be extremely high to cause sunburn.
PRUNING
Pruning should be carried out to prevent secondary pathogens and wood decay organisms from slowing tree recovery. Again, however, there should be no rush to prune. Premature pruning, at the very least, may have to be repeated and, at the worst, it can slow tree rehabilitation. It should be remembered that when pruning, all cuts should be made into living wood. Try to cut flush with existing branches at crotches. Do not leave branch stubs or uneven surfaces. Tools should be disinfected in bleach or other fungicide before moving on to the next tree.
The extent of pruning is dictated by the amount of freeze damage:
Light Damage
Where only the foliage and small twigs are injured, pruning is not required.
Medium Damage
Where a considerable part of the top has been killed but the trunk and main crown limbs show little damage, branches should be removed back to living wood above vigorous sprouts.
Severe Damage
Where the top and crown limbs are severely damaged but there are sprouts above the bud union, the tree should be cut back to the uppermost sprout.
Extreme Damage
Where trees are killed to the bud union or the rootstock has been girdled, the trees should be removed and replaced with new trees.

IRRIGATION
Irrigate carefully! Remember that when leaves are lost, obviously evaporation from leaves is greatly reduced, and, therefore the amount of water required is also greatly reduced. A frost-damaged tree will use the same amount of water as a much younger or smaller tree. Over irrigation will not result in rapid recovery. Instead, it may induce root damage and encourage growth of root rotting organisms. This is particularly true for avocados. Irrigation should be less frequent, and smaller amounts of water should be applied until trees have regained their normal foliage development.
FERTILIZATION
Fertilization of freeze-damaged trees should be carefully considered. There is no
evidence to indicate that frozen trees respond to any special fertilizer that is supposed to stimulate growth. If trees are severely injured-with large limbs or even parts of the trunk killed-nitrogen fertilizer applications should be greatly reduced, until the structure and balance of the tree become re-established.
Trees should be watched for evidence of deficiencies of minor elements. Deficiencies of zinc, manganese, copper, and iron are most likely to develop. For citrus, these materials should be applied as sprays, and they should be used as often as symptoms are observed.
Two or more applications may be required the first year.
Pierce College Agricultural Science Department FARMWALK
Don’t miss a fun day at Pierce College Our LA Chapter will have a booth, so we’ll look forward to seeing you there!
Sunday, April 22, 20079:00am - 4:00pm
6201 Winnetka Ave. Woodland Hills, CA $5.00 donation per person Children under 12 free
California Dairy Council's Mobile Classroom (cow milking demonstrations) BBQSimply Marie & Her Canyon Cowboys "Live"Sheep Shearing & Wool SpinningHorse Shoe- Forging- Exotic Animal ShowsPetting Zoo - Kung Fu Demonstration California Women for Agriculture Booth Agriculture Educational Center Booth) and much more!



PACAY By: Alfredo ChiriPACAY - Inga feuillei - FabaceaeDonated by: CRFG/Barkman and planted in 1998 (r.f.-06)Common names: Ice-cream beans, Pacae, Guarma, Guamo, Rabo de MicoThe Andean "Pacay" is widely grown in highland valleys as well as in coastal lowlands of PerĂº and Ecuador. The tree pods have been favorite snacks for their sweet, mealy pulp and are eaten as fruit. The species has also been introduced across most of tropical South America, Panama and Costa Rica. The tree is most widespread in areas without a dry season (Andean South America, western Brazil) or with a dry season of 3 to 4 months and minimum rainfall around 1200 mm. In South America this tree is often employed as a shade tree in the coffee and cacao plantations.The Pacay pods have been called in English the "ice-cream beans" because they are reminiscent of cotton candy.The Pacay tree grows up to 51 feet tall, with broad spreading crown. The bark is pale gray, and the trunk is cylindrical to 12 inches in diameter. Branching starts at 3 to 6 feet from base, forming a broad, flat, moderately dense canopy. Leaves are once pinnate, up 4 to 12 inches long, with 4-6 pairs of opposite oval leaflets. Between each pair of leaflets they are separated by a winged rhachis.Flowers are fragrant, solitary, arranged at the tips of stems or solitary in upper axils. Corolla is silky. The tree may flower throughout the year, but in regions with a short dry season it is most likely to flower at the beginning of the wet season.The fruits are ribbed, cylindrical pods, straight or spirally twisted, up to a yard long, occasionally even longer, and 1 to 2 inches in diameter. The fruits contain fleshy green seeds (1 inch long) in a sweet, white, cottony pulp. Seeds sometimes begin to germinate in the pod. The pods do not ship well. The seed storage is very poor.The Pacay tree can tolerate short droughts. The tree is tolerant of acid soils, outgrowing many other leguminous trees under such conditions. It is a forest gap generator, and although seedlings often establish themselves in the shade of other trees, it needs light to grow and flower. In the forest it becomes a canopy tree, but it is also common in secondary forest.Like most legumes, the Pacay trees fix nitrogen and improve the soil around them. The litter is high in organic nitrogen, lignins and polyphenols. It is slow to decompose but provides a long-term build-up of organic nitrogen.



Please note: 1 ½ cups of flour were missing from last month’s newsletter
Recipe is from Phyllis Parker of our Los Angeles CRFG Chapter
GREEN TOMATO BREAKFAST CAKE:
Nonstick cooking spray
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
2 or three green tomatoes, cored and cut into eighths
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp granulated sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon.
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-inch round cake pan with oil. 2. Cream butter and sugar, when slightly fluffy, beat in eggs and vanilla. 3. Combine flour, baking powder and salt and sift into the creamed butter mixture; beat well. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Arrange green tomatoes pieces in concentric circles over batter. Sprinkle lightly with sugar and cinnamon. 4. Bake 50 minutes to 1 hour or until cake is firm and golden and tests when done. Serves 8.



CITY OF RIVERSIDE’ CITRUS HERITAGE CELEBRATIONOn Saturday, April 21, 2007, the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences at UC Riverside, 900 University Ave., Riverside, CA 92521 will hold an even bigger and better version of the 2006 Agricultural Experiment Station Open House. This time CNAS will partner with the City of Riverside’s Citrus Heritage Celebration to create a fun-filled event for the whole family.

From 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., the college will host all comers in fact-filled tours of its fabled Citrus Variety Collection, Agricultural Operations station and fields, Entomology Museum, Botanic Garden, and greenhouses.
Check out the famous Citrus Tasting Booth with world-famous UCR-developed varieties of oranges, grapefruits, and tangerines.
Visit booths explaining up-to-the-minute research on plants, soil, water, and pests; eat barbeque; and dance to a live band. Much of the fun takes place in Lot 30, at the corner of Martin Luther King Blvd. and Canyon Crest Dr., across from The Agricultural Operation Field. Buses will take you to other attractions.


In April we will open up for blueberry orders. Interested purchasers should go to the Fall Creek Nursery site (www.fallcreeknursery.com), click on the "commercial" icon, and then on that page click on "Southern Varieties" to get to a catalog of plants and their description. For those not on the internet Lynn has order forms. Those on the internet can simply email him with each variety and quantity desired. He will acknowledge all orders

Saturday, March 3, 2007

Homework for the next chapter meeting

There is an article in today's Chronicle about the decline in bee populations.

BEES ON THEIR KNEES, GARDENERS TO THE RESCUE / A world without bees is a world without chocolate / UC professor says urban ga...

Here is a link to Professor Gordon Frankie's Urban Bee Gardens website--fascinating & useful.
Guide To Bee-Friendly Gardens - Home

Friday, March 2, 2007

Durians--Not in My Hotel!

Thanks to Bruce Goren for sending us this link to a National Geographic video: Video: Durian "Wars" Fought in Malaysia Hotels

Thursday, March 1, 2007

Central Coast Chapter CRFG Newsletter Posted

The March/April newsletter is posted at: http://www.crfg-central.org/newsletters.htm The mango is the featured fruit. Alice

Looking for Container Gardening Editor

I know how hard it is for chapters to get volunteers so imagine our plight. Our Container Gardening editor has just submitted his last column and we need to find a replacement. Please poll the folks in your chapters to see if there is any interest. No wealth and certainly no great fame, just the satisfaction of passing on some information and hearing from grateful (and frequently helpful) readers. The volunteer gets the title of editor of Fruit Gardener, which might look good on the resume. Please let me or Ron Couch (fg@crfg.org) know if you have any volunteers or even a candidate.

Looking for Container Gardening Editor

I know how hard it is for chapters to get volunteers so imagine our plight. Our Container Gardening editor has just submitted his last column and we need to find a replacement. Please poll the folks in your chapters to see if there is any interest. No wealth and certainly no great fame, just the satisfaction of passing on some information and hearing from grateful (and frequently helpful) readers. The volunteer gets the title of editor of Fruit Gardener, which might look good on the resume. Please let me or Ron Couch (fg@crfg.org) know if you have any volunteers or even a candidate. Bill Grimes wagrimes@sonic.net