Frost Protection

Frosts kill tender plants so protection is a good idea on those cold winter nights. Place stakes around tender plants and cover with clear plastic or fabric such as a sheet or old drapery. Don't let the plastic touch the foliage. Wrap larger plants with strings of small Christmas tree lights and cover with a sheet. Turn the lights on at night. If plants are potted, then move them to a sheltered area such as a porch, under the eves on the south side of the house or even under a tree. Be sure to uncover them during the day. Moving them indoors to a cool room would be good if possible. Don't prune frost damage on a plant until new growth starts in spring. The dead material helps protect the plant from further damage. One additional step would be to take cuttings of favorite tender plants to grow in a protected area just in case we have a hard frost that does kill the plant.

Winter Watering

In recent years we have come to expect unusual winter weather and we also know that predictions aren't infallible. Plants can become stressed with periods of too much moisture followed by periods of too little moisture. If there has been no rain for a week or two, check your soil using a shovel to make sure that it is evenly moist down six inches. If the soil has dried out, then apply additional irrigation to prevent stress for plant roots. This is especially critical for newly installed plantings.

Pruning Apples

Apple trees produce fruit terminally on spurs located on wood 2 yrs. to 8 yrs. old. Weak and unproductive branches should be thinned out to allow the sunlight into the tree for good spur development. Older spurs can be rejuvenated by cutting back, especially following a light crop year. Tree height is maintained by cutting back upper branches to shorter laterals. Excessive pruning of a bearing tree can negatively affect its vigor and fruit. As with most deciduous fruit trees in San Jose, prune in January and February. The California Backyard Orchard website offers more information on pruning.

Pruning Blackberries

Little or no pruning is required during the first year after planting. Blackberries should be pruned as soon as the harvest is completed. All wood that has produced the current crop should be removed. The canes should be trellised immediately after pruning. Put up only the larger canes and prune the small ones. Generally, no more than 9 canes should be put up on the trellis. A fan-like arrangement is the best way to trellis the vines. The fruiting wood on canes about 6' to 8' long is well spread out over the wire, put them over the top wire, wrap them around the middle wire, and then remove the tip. In coastal areas where canes are 10' to 12' long, they are taken over and under the top and middle wires three or four times; this is referred to as the barrel roll.

Tipping (removing the end of the canes) forces out the laterals on which fruits will be borne the following season. A cane that is not tipped will continue growing. The farther berries are from the crown of the plant, the smaller they will be. Winter pruning is done around Thanksgiving. Prune to remove all laterals below the lower wire and head back the long laterals at the top of the trellis to 12" to 15".

Codling Moth In Walnuts

Symptoms are the nutmeats are larva-infested and shells have dark stains where worms entered. Green nuts may drop or dry up on the tree. The coddling moth larva is 3/4" with white to pinkish body and amber head with dark markings. Remove and destroy all old nuts during the winter. Use sticky traps. Chemical spray may be necessary. See the Pest Note on Codling Moth for more control information and Fruit Tree Care Calendar for the schedule.

Flour and Meal Moth

The larva is 1/2" long, white or pinkish color that transforms into silky cocoons. Webbing or matting of food particles will be evident. Look for damaged packages or long stored open packages such as spices, pet food, pasta, cornstarch, crackers, cereals, etc. The insect can easily chew through cellophane and cardboard packaging. Remove and destroy infested packages, vacuum the area to get all spills out of cracks and store susceptible food in containers with tight fitting lids. Kill by putting infested food in the freezer for 2–3 days.

Grafting and Scions

This is done in February or March. Good scion wood should be about pencil diameter and 8"- 12" long. Unbranched one year old is choice. It's best to cut the scions from your trees in late December when your trees are their most dormant and store them in your refrigerator in plastic bags. A great source of information is the annual California Rare Fruit Growers Scion Exchange with classes and materials usually held in January. Learn more at their website at http://www.crfg.org. Expect to find apples, apricots, cherries, figs, grapes, pears, plums, peaches nectarines, paw paws, persimmons, and more.

Harvesting Kiwis

Pick kiwis in late fall while is still hard like an avocado, softening at room temperature. Watch the vine for signs of ripeness. A few fruit will turn soft or the skin color goes from greenish to full brown. Some believe a light frost improves the flavor. Fruit can be left on the vine after leaves have fallen. You can store in the refrigerator for up to 4 months or at room temperature for about 2 weeks.

Mistletoe

Mistletoe is a parasitic plant that reduces the vigor of the host tree and can threaten its survival, especially if it's drought weakened. Cut off affected limb 18" or more below mistletoe attachment. If this isn't possible, remove mistletoe and wrap the infected area with black plastic to kill any resprouting. More information about this strange plant is in the Pest Note on Mistletoe.

Oak Root Fungus

This fungal infection can cause foliage becomes sparse and eventually kill the tree. The white or cream-colored fungus will grow between bark and wood of roots and up into the lower part of the tree trunk. It smells like your typical grocery store mushroom. In spring or fall there maybe mushrooms growing around the base of the infected tree. If the disease has not progressed too far, you can cut out infected tissue and expose the base of the tree and roots to air. Reduce watering especially close to trunk. No chemical treatment is known to be effective. Root rot information can be found on page 314-318 of the California Master Gardener Handbook; Publication 3382. The Armillaria mellea resistant plants are found here.

Peppertree Psyllid

This pest can cause some damage to California pepper trees. The damage is done when the insect is in its immature stage. They make doughnut-like pits on leaves that wrinkle or twist the leaves as well. Parasitic wasps provide satisfactory control. Since pepper trees are invasive plants in California, see the Pest Note on Psyllids for similar looking replacement trees.