J
une! This is the month when summer begins, right? The weather seems to be a bit mixed up with excessive rainfall and temperatures below the seasonal average! The weather has contributed to several landscape and garden problems. For one, lawn mowers are definitely not getting a break this spring. Some garden plants are thriving, others are struggling, and disease and insect issues are on the increase.
This month I have used the radio programs, and the news columns to address gardening problems, especially bagworms, tomato leaf blight, and Japanese beetles (expect these soon).
Additionally, a new problem arose during the month associated with infected plants being sold at several local stores. Sudden oak death, a disease that has decimated various oaks and tanoak along the Pacific coast in California, Oregon and Washington, was identified on rhododendrons supplied to area Walmart stores and the Pittsburg Home Depot store. The infected plants all had the same origin, a nursery in Oklahoma. It was extremely important that the information out the infected plants and the potential problems that SOD could cause was publicized as quickly as possible. If established, this disease has the potential to adversely affect our native oak forests. I’ve discussed this issue at length on the KGGF Wednesday morning show.
July is just around the corner and we’ll be transitioning into summer and county fair season. Please keep in touch; you can hear us live on the Wednesday morning gardening show on KGGF 690 AM radio station (air time is from 7:40 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.). Be sure to listen to our pre-recorded news reports on KGGF, KLKC and KKOW radio stations that play throughout the week. Also, catch our reports on the Wildcat Wednesday program on KOAM TV.
Press Coverage: Sudden Oak Death (SOD)
KGGF RADIO
http://kggfradio.com/local-news/446973
PITTSBURG MORNING SUN