General
School Garden Advice
Need help with a school garden? Be sure to check out all of the useful school garden advice we have gathered for you. If you need additional assistance, we can work with you to advise, mentor and answer gardening questions. Please complete and submit ...
Arborists and Tree Services
We recommend consulting with a certified arborist for many tree issues. While we are not able to recommend commercial services, the website for the International Society of Arboriculture has a search feature to help locate arborists who work in your ...
Peach Tree Pruning
Peaches and nectarines are usually pruned during the winter dormant season. It's important to know that fruiting takes place on one year old wood. The UC Integrated Pest Management website has a brief summary of peach and nectarine tree pruning. Even ...
Fire-Safe Gardening
Resources related to fire-safe gardening: Landscaping for Fire Protection, The California Garden Web (University of California) Make Sure Your Landscaping is Fire-Resistant, Santa Clara Master Gardeners Blog Prepare for Wildfire—Fire Safe ...
Planting on a Hillside
Here are some resources about hillside planting: Gardening on a Hillside, Sonoma County Master Gardeners Planting a Steep Hillside for Erosion Control, Contra Costa Master Gardeners Prevent Soil Erosion on Your Property, Natural Resources ...
Cover Crops
After feeding your family all summer long, perhaps you feel it's time to feed your soil. Cover crops are ideal for putting nutrients back into your soil and keeping weed growth to a minimum. In fact, cover crops can be used in summer or winter, and ...
Sources for Pesticide Information
Here are some of the best sources for pesticide information for the home gardener: UC IPM Pesticides in Home and Landscapes: this website includes information about less toxic pesticides and includes an active ingredient database detailing potential ...
Sterilized Pruning Tools: Nuisance or Necessity?
The Center for Landscape and Urban Horticulture has an online publication on Pruning that recommends "If diseased plants are pruned, disinfect pruning equipment after each cut to prevent spreading disease. Denatured alcohol or a chlorine bleach ...
Tomato plants are beautifully green but don't produce fruit
There are several reasons that tomato fruit may fail to set: If the plants are producing flowers, they may not produce due to nighttime temperatures below 50º F or daytime temperatures over 90º F. Pollination failure or blossom drop may result. The ...
Changing Soil pH
Soil pH is important for plants because it affects the availability of nutrients. While the ideal range for pH is 6.0–6.5, some plants prefer higher or lower pH. Use a soil test to determine the pH of your soil. If you need to change it, the UC ...
Tomato leaves turning yellow, plant dying
A few yellow leaves at the base of a tomato plant are often of no concern. However, when the plant has a significant number of yellowing leaves and the problem starts with one branch or side of the plant and then spreading, it may be infected with ...
Blossom End Rot
Blossom end rot is a common tomato problem. According to the UC Pest Note for blossom end rot, affected tomatoes will "show small, light brown spots at the blossom end of immature fruit". Typically, the damage occurs when the plants are water ...
Citrus Tree Problems
If you have problems with a citrus tree—including orange, lemon, lime—UC has resources that may help: Citrus Diseases and Disorders of Leaves and Twigs covers a range of problems including branch dieback, sooty mold, yellow leaves, and more. This ...
Sheet mulching
The easiest way to replace a lawn with low water plants may be to plant on top of the lawn. Sheet mulching is a process for covering a lawn to do just that. It can be used to kill weeds as well. Sheet mulching is using cardboard or newspaper (2 or ...
ANR Publications Discount
You can get a 10% discount and support our Master Gardener Program when purchasing books at the ANR online bookstore. Simply enter promotion code PRCLA43 at check-out to get the discount. A portion of the sales will benefit the Santa Clara MG ...
White grubs
We often get questions regarding grubs in people's gardens. Your grubs are most likely the larvae of golden brown beetles or green fruit beetles. The golden brown beetle larvae, known as a masked chafer, is often seen in and can cause damage to ...
Where to get composting worms?
The Master Gardeners offer composting education but do not offer the worms. The Master Composters website lists sources of red wigglers. If you still have some worms in your bin, you may be able to increase the population by carefully tending your ...
Can you recommend someone to prune my trees?
As volunteers for the UC Cooperative Extension, we are not able to recommend commercial services. We recommend finding a certified arborist. The website for the International Society of Arboriculture has a search feature to help locate arborists who ...
Why are my citrus leaves yellow (winter)?
Yellow citrus leaves are fairly common in late winter, often after winter fruit production and before spring new growth. You will want to apply fertilizer before the tree begins to bloom again. The UC Integrated Pest Management website has cultural ...
Can I Get a Home Visit or Hire a Master Gardener?
Master Gardener volunteers do not do any work in private gardens, but we do have many resources available to you. Call or email us: the Help Desk is staffed by Master Gardener volunteers on non-holiday weekdays. We answer horticultural questions for ...