Balancing Evapotranspiration and the Water Table in an Enclosed Bio-Sphere
Balancing Evapotranspiration and Plants in an Enclosed Bio-Sphere is done by placing an air gap between the water table and the first contact of soil. Traditional water tables go many feet down into the ground. In enclosed Biosphere we don’t have the luxury of a deep table. The water table at the bottom is generally a [...]
Capitol WholeSale Nursery- San Jose
Capitol Wholesale Nursery of San Jose has over 30 years experience as a grower, broker, re-wholesaler and retailer of over 15,000 types of the best landscape plant varieties from throughout the west. If you print out this webpage and present it to one of the associates, 10% will be taken of whatever you buy that [...]
How to Prune Grapes
Pruning grapes makes or breaks the look of a vineyard. If left to their own, grapes will take over a fence or bushes and look wild. When grapes are left wild, they do not produce as many grapes as if they were pruned every year. Pruning grapes is not hard, but takes a little work. [...]
Tips and Case Studies for a Backyard Aquaponics – Video
Here are some Tips and Case Studies for a Backyard Aquaponics; how to choose the fish to adding iron to your system. This project starts with three sections; pond, fish tank and garden. One of the requirements is the fish cannot be feed. They need to live on their own without supplemental food. The energy [...]
How to Grow Grapes
Growing grapes can be rewarding and fun. A lot of times grapes can be used to shelter your house from the sun, thus lowering the summer inside temperature. I have use my grapes for just that. During the summer, the house temperature is 10 degrees lower. In the winter, the leaves come off the grapes [...]
Farewell-to-Spring – Clarkia unguiculata – elegant clarkia – woodland clarkia
Farewell-to-Spring is a common native California that grows in the understory of Chaparral, Foothill Woodland, Valley Grassland, Coastal Strand. It is an easy plant to grow. The pest part of this type of plant is it is an annual. That means it has to be grown from seeds every year. That is a good thing. [...]
Leaf-feeding beetles/insects
Beetles are generally characterized by a particularly hard exoskeleton and hard forewings. The beetle’s exoskeleton is made up of numerous plates called sclerites, separated by thin sutures. This design provides armored defenses while maintaining flexibility. The general anatomy of a beetle is quite uniform, although specific organs and appendages may vary greatly in appearance and function between the many families in the [...]
Gold Rush Nursery – Santa Cruz, CA
CA Native and Non CA Native plants. We specialize in plants that are water-wise and/or provide food or habitat for birds, butterflies and beneficial insects. We take care to ensure that none of our plants are invasive. The plants we grow are selected for their suitability for the greater San Francisco and Monterey Bay areas of [...]
Elm Leaf Beetle
Elm leaf beetle is a serious defoliator of elms. Insect predators, such as predacious stink bugs and plant bugs, may feed on various stages of the elm leaf beetle. Pupae may be killed by a small wasp that develops in the insects. Small numbers of pupae also may be killed by fungus disease. Weather probably [...]
Colorado Potato Beetle
The Colorado potato beetle, a yellow insect with ten black stripes down its back is probably one of the best known insects in the United States today. The insect overwinters in the adult stage a few inches beneath the soil surface. In the spring the one-half inch beetle emerges from the soil and searches for [...]
Flora Exotica
Here is a website to buy exotic plants and perennial veggies. They do shipping anywhere is the US and Canada. http://www.floraexotica.ca/index.htm For more information on Perennial veggies, Click here For more information on Perennial veggies, Click here
Florakill Miticide (bifenazate)
Usefull for controlling Spider Mites – Two Spotted, Pacific, Strawberry, European Red, Citrus Red, Clover, Southern Red, Spruce and Bamboo – Use as directed: Spider Mites on all types of ornamental plants 4 oz – 8 oz per 100 gallons of water. Bifenazate has a solubility in water of 3.8 mg/L at 20°C, and [...]
Trichoderma
mycoparasitic fungi Trichoderma viride For Identifying pests by pictures or by names (this also includes solutions), Click here For more Information on other Natural Pest Controls, Click here Where to buy this, Click here Trichoderma when introduced along with seeds or at root zone protect the seedlings from attack by soil borne pathogens that cause [...]
Aphids
What to use to Control: Beauveria bassiana Strain GHA For more Information on Beauveria bassiana Strain GHA and how to use it, Click Here
Snails
Snails are a wet weather pest for most vegetable gardens. They can destroy your whole garden in a few nights. If you do not look to eat Escargot, then here are a couple of methods to control this pest. What to use to Control: Diatomaceous Earth, Copper Strips, Chickens For more information on use, [...]
Slugs
Slugs are a wet weather pest for most vegetable gardens. They can destroy your whole garden in a few nights. If you do not look to eat Escargot, then here are a couple of methods to control this pest. What to use to Control: Diatomaceous Earth, Copper Strips, Chickens For more information on use, availability [...]
Oaktown Native Plant Nursery
Oaktown Native Plant Nursery grows a diverse selection of species from all major plant communities of the greater San Francisco Bay Area. Print this page and bring it to Oaktown Native Plant Nursery, you will receive a free plant with any purchase. For Current Inventory, see Current Inventory For Contact Information and [...]
The Nitrogen Cycles – Videos
In this episode we looking at two Nitrogen Cycles. This is a replacement for chemical pesticides and fungicides. Applications are done as compost teas. And applications are done with Azos bacteria. Nitrogen Cycle part1 from Paul Holowko on Vimeo. For More Information on Nitrogen Cycles, click here. Nitrogen Fixing Cycle Part 2 from Paul [...]
Xylella fastidiosa Bacterium
Also called Pierce’s disease, California vine disease, Anaheim disease (grapevine), leaf scorch (almond), dwarf (lucerne), phony disease (peach), leaf scald (plum), leaf scorch (elm, oak, plane, mulberry, maple), variegated chlorosis (citrus) Xylella fastidiosa Bacterium is carried by the Glassy-winged Sharpshooter. For More Information on the Glassy-winged Sharpshooter, click here. Xylella fastidiosa Bacterium proliferates only in [...]
Azotobacteraceae Nitrogen Cycle (Nitrogen Fixing Plants)
Azotobacteraceae’s purpose is to take food from the plant through the roots, eat it, change it to a protein. Once the protean is released, nitrifying bacteria covert it to a Nitrate. Nitrate is fixed nitrogen. It is the same thing as chemical fertilizer but made by the soil ecosystem. You can buy Azotobacter from any [...]
Cabbage worm
Cabbage worm Use: Bacillus thuringiensis, Kurstaki(This product is produced by: Biobit, Dipel, MVP, Steward, Thuricide) This can be purchased at any hydroponic store. Where to buy this, Click here Videos on Natural Ways to Control Insects. Click here if you want to learn more. More Insect Control. Click here if you want to see more.
Growing Potatoes in a Stacked Box
Here is an interesting way to grow potatoes in a small area like a small back yard, balcony or porch. With just a few pounds of starting potatoes you can buy in the local grocery store, you can have up to 100 lbs of potatoes at the end of the summer. Potatoes grow from the [...]
Microbiology For Leaves -Video
How disease suppression on leaves works is no secret. On the leave surface, each leave cell has many ports where fungi and bacteria can connect to. This is a normal process for plants. Good and bad fungi can connect. Good and bad bacteria can connect. Each micro organism takes up a connecting ”portal” on the leave [...]
Testing Confocal Microscope on Compost Tea
Here is an interesting test case of compost tea made this week. The tea was brewed with protists and fungi in mind. The tea was made in a 5 gallon bucket with 4 tablespoons of liquid kelp and 4 tablespoons of fish hydrogisate. It was bubbled for 48 hours at 68 degrees F. Below is [...]