Gardening

Index

Local Gardens

The public is welcome to stroll through these local gardens:

Local Arboretums: info, tours, plant sales, ...

Flower Shows: Natural and produced

Native plants:

Local Nurseries

Disclaimer: This is a partial list of nurseries in the area and is provided for as a convenience, not as an endorsement or any other representation.
The independent nurseries tend to have long-term staff who are typically knowledgeable and helpful.

Other Nurseries of Interest

Native Plants: California

Fertilizers, Composting, ...

On-Line Gardening Reference

General
Pruning
Tree/Urban Forest Advocacy Groups
Seed Catalogs
Bulb Catalogs

Other Catalogs

Other Products

Diseases and Pests, General

Pest Info: Firs & Pines in Barron Park
Pest Management Guidelines for Bark Beetles and How to Manage Pests from the Statewide Integrated Pest Management Project at the University of California, Davis

Article: Pining Away from the 1997 July 18 issue of the Palo Alto Weekly

Message from Palo Alto's Arborist: David Sandage
From: David_SANDAGE@CityOfPaloAlto.org (David SANDAGE)
Date: 97-05-29 23:48:51 EDT

Engraver beetles (Ips paraconfucius) is a common pest of Monterey pine. It attacks stressed pines, homing in on the scent of terpines generated when the tree dehydrates. Two other serious pests of Monterey pines are Pitch Canker, a new fungus that causes bleeding sap. This disease is spreading through the M. pine forest of the west coast and is expected to decimate them. It attacks other pines and perhaps Douglas fir, which would cause an enormous economic impact. Another pest of M. pine is the Turpentine beetle, which infests the base of stressed trees, making a few sites where pink frass ("sawdust") and pitch exudes from the hole. This pest can be controlled by injecting each site.

As you said, controls are limited to prevention sprays of chemical insecticides and are not very effective. No control is available for Pitch Canker. Increasing the vigor of the tree is your best course of action, by means of regular maintenance practices.

Call or visit the office of the University extension education offices for San Mateo or Santa Clara or the Agriculture Commissioners office for printed information and the most current advice. (Check the County pages in the phone book.)

---------Dave Sandage

Message from Bob Moss
From: <Bobgmoss@aol.com>
Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 09:29:33 -0400 (EDT)
To: bpa@Sunset.AI.SRI.COM (current address: bpa@bpaonline.org)
Subject: Fwd: Engraver Beetles

... Based upon our experience, plus other distressed ones we see in the area, it appears that there is at least some infestation of engraver beetles in Barron Park and probably in Palo Alto in general. We pulled some info off the Internet that suggests that after killing large numbers of Monterray pines the beetles moved to other pines and firs. It isn't real clear which other types of trees are in danger, except as Dave says, if they are weak or stressed they can be attacked. In our case we keep the trees trimmed and watered, and did not consider them at risk, so it is a real surprise to have one attacked. We do not plan to remove it except as a very last resort, and hope that agressive application of insecticide will control or kill the beetles.

It would be prudent to check all fir and pine trees for signs of stress and attack - especially dead branches. Cassandra Moore noted a tree near her. We also are suspicious of the health of the huge tree in the front yuard of the renovated house at Laguna and Illima. Regards, Bob

Green Management of Unwanted Greens


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Copyright 2000 by Douglas B. Moran
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