LAWN MAINTENANCE: Adjust mower a little higher to allow grass to grow a little higher. This will help your lawn resist heat stress.

UC GUIDE TO HEALTHY LAWNS: Want to know what type of lawn you have and how to maintain it? Want to put in a new lawn or renovate an old one? Need lawn pest info? The new UC Guide to Healthy Lawns is an excellent resource. So is the UC "Lawn Watering Guide for California".

SHADE TREES: Having any tree concerns? Call a certified arborist for help.

BACKYARD ORCHARD TREES, SHRUBS & VINES: Thin certain fruits. See variety-specific thinning methods on the University of California's The California Backyard Orchard website. Suckers & water sprouts: Watch for these in trees and shrubs. Remove so they don't sap strength of trees, shrubs.

Wrap fruit tree trunks with sticky tape or Tanglefoot to control ants.

The following links to the University of California Backyard Orchard care sheets will keep you on track and on your way to a tasty harvest:

CITRUS

RECOMMENDED FERTILIZER APPLICATION RATES:

NITROGEN (N): regular application required
1 to 2 year old tree: 2 tablespoons nitrogen fertilizer 3 to 4 times per year or 1/10 lb. nitrogen fertilizer per year
3-year-old tree: 1/4 lb. nitrogen applied to dripline before watering
4+ year old tree: 1 lb. actual nitrogen per tree per year. So, if your nitrogen fertilizer contains 33% actual nitrogen (33-0-0), you will need to apply 3 lbs. Some references recommend dividing applications into thirds, totaling 3 applications per year (early spring, summer and fall). If you follow that recommendation, make sure you avoid feeding oranges and grapefruit during summer to avoid thick rinds, lower juice content and re-greening of Valencia oranges.
PHOSPHORUS (P): 1 lb. phosphate per tree every 3 to 4 years per mature tree
POTASSIUM (K): as needed (deficiency: general leaf pattern begins as a yellowing of the tips and margins, which then gets broader. Necrotic areas and spotting can develop on the leaves) 2.5 to 5 lbs. potassium per mature tree per year for 2 years if deficiency is noted.
MAGNESIUM (Mg): as needed (deficiency noted by yellowing between veins of older leaves followed by dropping.)
ZINC: as needed (deficiency symptom is "mottle-leaf", exhibited by "small terminal leaves with mottling between large leaf veins". Apply late-winter or early spring foliar spray (carefully follow label directions)
IRON: as needed (deficiency symptom is yellowing between large leaf veins... i.e. interveinal chlorosis)
foliar spray (follow label directions)
MANGANESE (Mn): as needed (deficiency: young leaves turn light green between veins, often more noticeable on tree's north side).

Combination "micronutrient sprays" are available at your local nursery if you suspect multiple deficiencies. A specialized citrus fertilizer or "citrus food" likely contains all necessary macro- and micro-nutrients.

References: California Master Gardener Handbook and the following books:

IRRIGATION: Adjust your irrigation controller for hotter weather. We're into the dry season, so chances are if it isn't a native plant, it will need supplemental watering. The goal is to water as deeply and infrequently as possible. Shallow, frequent watering (i.e. 10 min/day, 7 days/wk) is a no-no because you'll end up with shallow root systems that need frequent watering and conditions that encourage disease.

Now is a good time to check your drip system for problems. If you're like me, you've managed to chop many of those long tubes into penne pasta-sized bits and repairs will be in order...

Download the free UC publication "Lawn Watering Guide for California". This excellent guide solves the mystery of when to water and how much to apply. Pay special attention to young or newly-planted additions to your garden and check your pots daily!

ANNUALS: Yank out fading spring color. Shift into "summer color" mode. Think impatiens, petunias, zinnias and more.

PERENNIALS: Deadhead blooming perennials regularly to stimulate continued blooming! Stake top-heavy perennials like dahlia.

WEEDS: See the UC Weed Gallery for proper identification and the UC IPM Pest Notes for how to manage them.

PESTS: Visit the fabulous UC IPM website for control measures. Here are a few timely links to pest pages:

Slugs & Snails: http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7427.html
Aphids: http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7404.html
Mosquitoes: Eliminate bodies of stagnant water where possible and use mosquito dunks where not. http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7451.html
Ants: http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7411.html
Earwigs: http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74102.html

A blast of water from the hose helps keep aphids off your roses and other plants. Noticed any tiny winged insects buzzing around your rose bushes? Don't panic, they might be beneficial non-stinging wasps parasitizing your aphid pests. Local rosarian and entomologist, Baldo Villegas, says...(click here).

Want to see what the GOOD GUYS look like?