Fruit trees
Praying mantis
Posted in Fruit trees, Wildlife on September 23rd, 2011 by rmd – Be the first to comment
New Projects Underway
Posted in Fruit trees, G. gallus domesticus, Vegetables on December 9th, 2010 by Peter – Be the first to commentThe chickens are growing so the coop construction must be completed soon. The drip irrigation heads are installed and the lines need to be run. The Valencia Orange is the last of the potted citrus that needs to be planted. (The kumquat will stay in a pot.) The fig and the bay we lost this summer need replacing. It’s also about time to set up the seedling starting station in the shed.
Invasion!
Posted in Fruit trees on September 12th, 2009 by rmd – Be the first to commentPsyllid sounds like Cylon, but it’s more District 9 than BSG. These guys are smaller than Prawns or skin-jobs. Also they are not intelligent and don’t have guns. And they’re from Asia, via Mexico, not outer space.
Asian citrus psyllids in Echo Park! They carry Huanglongbing, a plant disease that threatens the state’s citrus industry.
So far, our Nagami kumquat, Meyer lemon, Bearsss lime and Valencia orange are psyllid-free. The Dept of Food and Ag is spraying insecticides that go by innocuous sounding names like Tempo and Merit. We aren’t even in spraying range, because the bug was found on a backyard calamondin south of the 101 in Filipinotown. I’m not one to panic, either about insecticides or the demise of California’s citrus growers, but I’m glad we won’t get sprayed. In the meantime, I’ll be on the lookout for eggs like this: 
Right now, I’m more concerned about getting the poor trees out of the pots and doing something about those nasty leafminers who are threatening my supply of cocktail ingredients.