Saturday, September 25, 2010

Bumping Up #6

Beth, David, Bob, Drew, John and Noelia came out to help today. Drew brought in 2 walnut trees he started from seed at home, pictured, which were collected Crystal Cove State Park (with permission). Very nice. Beth and Noelia trimmed current plants, repaired pots and then spared all potted plants with neem-oil based spray for fungal gnats and fungus.
David repaired our outside irrigation lines that had been gnawed on, the ¼” pipe that had not been covered. The running premise it is the rabbits, but we don’t know this for sure.
Bob and Drew bumped up the white monkey flower and the prostrate buckwheat into 1 gallon pots. They also cleaned up the area, as when Betty came by for a visit she nearly fell over “junk” twice.
The Argentine ants are out in force now that the weather has warmed up. The cool summer has even delayed the ant behavior to late summer, rather than early summer. We are using low-tech, environment friendly technique to encourage them to move from Nursery: we’re watering where they are nesting. You can see them moving their larva to higher ground and away from Nursery.
The weather was hot and dry, as it has been for the week and is forecast for the most of next week. Drew said he’d seen the hot weather coming in Fall, and Ranger Barbara has called off restoration with seed because of forecasted low rainfall (La Niňa). (Click any pic to enlarge)