Master Gardener: Missing out on a garden bounty, plus a mystery in the trees
Laura Simpson writes the Master Gardener column each week.
Q. What happened to summer fruit this past summer? I look forward every summer to abundant, affordable peaches, nectarines, plums, and more. This past summer, however, no market I checked out had any more fruit than usual, and all at the usual $2/lb. or more prices. What happened to the fruit? And at those prices, what family could afford it?
Although there are several economic reasons for the increase in produce prices (cost of water and the increase in fuel and fertilizer prizes), I will address the issues affecting fruit quality and productivity, especially for home gardeners.
The unusually cool early summer affected fruit production in several ways. We saw delayed flowering this year due to the cooler weather. The trees still thought it was winter when they should have been coming out of dormancy and producing flowers. Pollinating insects were also less active, probably due to the lower temperatures and lack of flowers.
Once the trees flowered and started setting fruit, the ripening period had been shortened by a few weeks. For many early bearing fruit, this meant less time to stay on the tree and develop flavor. The later-ripening fruit was less affected. The prices you see at market, even for the late-season fruit, are a reflection of higher prices overall.
Q. Noticed something on an apple tree branch; it’s one inch long, one-half-inch wide, and firmly attached to the branch. I have been an avid Southern California gardener for over 50 years and have never seen before. Help!
No need to worry! That is a praying mantis egg case. Praying mantises are voracious predators and are useful in keeping pest insect populations down. Keep in mind that they will also eat “good” insects such as ladybugs, butterflies, lacewings, and hoverflies. The larger ones have also been known to catch and eat hummingbirds. Overall, though, they are a beneficial addition to your garden. Just make sure that if you see one camped out at your hummingbird feeder you may want to relocate him.
A note to readers:
I have received several inquiries about the heat treatment device for mosquito bites. Although, as a master gardener, I am not supposed to give any specific product endorsements, I will say that if you search the term “mosquito bite itch relief”, you will see several similar products pop up. Most of them are between 20 and 30 dollars and are definitely worth the cost!
I have also received requests for other specific product endorsements. Although I appreciate your confidence in my ability to evaluate your product(s), I simply cannot do endorsements due to the nature of the master gardener program. For instance, we can recommend products by their generic names, but we can’t promote any specific company’s product by brand name.
Los Angeles County
mglosangeleshelpline@ucdavis.edu; 626-586-1988; http://celosangeles.ucanr.edu/UC_Master_Gardener_Program/
Orange County
ucceocmghotline@ucanr.edu; http://mgorange.ucanr.edu/
Riverside County
anrmgriverside@ucanr.edu; https://ucanr.edu/sites/RiversideMG/
San Bernardino County
mgsanbern@ucanr.edu; 909-387-2182; http://mgsb.ucanr.edu