The elusive, white-flowered Ceanothus crassifolius
Ceanothus bushes, also known as California lilacs, have enamored me for a number of years. They are a native plant that grows in great number in my part of inland San Diego County so I've added many to my yard. But one I can't seem to possess. I first noticed it about...
Girdling avocado trees for consistent fruiting: update, results
I'm going to start harvesting from my Hass tree soon so I thought I'd show yield results from the girdles I did on it in the fall of 2022 and the flowers that are emerging from the girdles I did in the fall of 2023. On those recent girdles, I used narrower cuts so I'd...
Talk on Fruit tree pests with CRFG South Bay
Join me and the California Rare Fruit Growers, South Bay (Los Angeles) chapter on Saturday, March 16, for a talk on fruit tree pests. The meeting will be held at the South Coast Botanic Garden in Palos Verdes, starting at 9:45 AM. Please see the South Bay chapter's...
Avocado varieties in the cold: observations 2024
Now that it's March and it's very unlikely there will be any temperatures cold enough to be damaging to avocados through the rest of this winter, I took a walk around my yard to make some observations about how different avocado trees fared during the single freezing...
What to do in a Southern California food garden in March
March is citrus month. Almost every kind of citrus tastes good in March in Southern California. While some are still ripe, others are just starting to taste sweet. What I mean is, some are wrapping up their seasons now, like navel oranges and blood oranges and Kishu...
Transplanting fruit trees in Southern California
Yes, you can move a fruit tree that you planted in the wrong spot last year. (I’ve done it.) Yes, you can move a fruit tree that you planted in your current yard to the yard at your new house. (I’ve done it.) I feel like I can give you tips on doing this successfully...
Cocktail grapefruit tree: a profile
My neighbor had a citrus tree that she called a grapefruit, but it made curious fruit: it was the size and shape of a grapefruit but the rind was golden yellow, unlike any grapefruit I’d seen, and the flavor was so sweet that it tasted artificial. How could this be a...
Avocados have brown skin? Here’s why
The spring of 2023 in California was abnormally cool, making avocado thrips abnormally populous. Thrips are tiny insects that chew on avocado fruit as the fruit is small, and this chewing becomes brown scarring. The thrips damage can result in large patches that some...









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