The Coastal Gardener

Asian Citrus Psyllid and Huanglongbing Disease While counties behind the Redwood Curtain have thus far been immune to the effects of Huanglongbing disease, it is important for growers of citrus and related plants to know of this devastating disease.

Sometimes found on the lower part of the tree, ripe or ripening citrus fruit may develop a light brown appearance with a pungent odor. This is a water-soaked decay called brown rot. Infections are caused by pathogen spores that are water-splashed from the soil during rainstorms.

When I think of Halloween and the decorations displayed, bats always come to my mind. Why, I wonder? Perhaps it is the Vampire bat and the fictional character Dracula the Vampire, both which have the common diet of blood. Thankfully, Vampire bats are not found in the USA and Dracula is fictional.

This has been a special year at the Moss Family Temperate Woodland Garden in the Humboldt Botanical Garden. The Gaultheria pseudonotablis bloomed beautifully and bore fruit.

Lemons taste like summer. I have great memories of picking lemons from my grandmother's tree in Oakland, cutting them in half, sprinkling them with sugar and sucking the juice out.