California Wildfire Information

As the wildfire season commences here in California, I would like to refer you to 2 excellent informational resources on tracking the location and progress of fires California and throughout the country.




Geomac Wildland Fire Support Wildfire Viewer

California Wildfire Information - California Wildfire Alliance



UPADTE: (620pm PDT): Here is another wildfire mapping resource MODIS Active Fire Mapping Program from Remote Sensing Applications Center.

Fallen Fruit

I have often bemoaned all the fruit I see "wasted" each year as I walk around the neighborhood. A few years ago I heard of a group that would gather your fruit, leaving you a portion for your own use and donating the rest to food banks.

The people at Fallen Fruit have taken a different tack. The web site publishes maps of local LA neighborhoods and the fruit trees that can be found there. It seems there is a law on the books in Los Angeles, that fruit overhanging sidewalks become public property and can be gathered by anyone.

Maybe I should work up a map of our neighborhood here in Van Nuys. I know we have oranges, lemons, grapefruit, peaches, figs and more.

Los Angeles maps of fallen fruit ripe for the taking

Mark Frauenfelder: Fallen Fruit is a website run by people who encourage you to grow fruit on the perimeter of your property and allow others to harvest it. They also have maps of Los Angeles neighborhoods that are bearing lots of free fruit.

(Via Boing Boing.)

Darn Whiteflies!

For whatever reason, whiteflies seem to LOVE my hibiscus plants. I have aggressive removed them with blasts of water and tried the sticky yellow cards you see advertised in gardening catalogs, but nothing seems to help. I don't really like to use pesticides in the garden, but I am afraid that the whiteflies are really starting to hurt these plants.

Any ideas?

Fall Colors - for the geeks

I noticed yesterday that the liquidambar trees are already starting to change color. I posted last week about the hows and whys of the Fall color change, but here is a link for the science geeks among you. Want to learn about proteins that trigger the Fall show, look no further.

By the way, the photo accompanying the previous post are liquidambar trees that I photographed several years ago near a friends apartment.

Why Leaves Change Color Autumn starts officially tomorrow and we'll soon be able to look at all the marvelous colors of autumn leaves, at least if we live in a place where autumn means something. And I'm sure you know why tree leaves change color in the fall. It's because chlorophyll is disappearing from the leaves. While it's true, there is a responsible for the fading of the green pigment bound to a protein called LHCII. RedNova News reports that European researchers from Sweden and Poland say that a "single protein triggers the glories of the season." This protein, or more exactly, the protease FtsH6, is at the origin of the degradation of LHCII, revealing the other red, yellow or gold pigments which give to autumn leaves their wonderful colors. Read more

(Via Roland Piquepaille's Technology Trends.)

Early rain for 2005

Last night a band of thunderstorms moved in from the South and started lighting up the sky around midnight here in the San Fernando Valley. I had expected this to be a fast moving storm without much rainfall, but instead it has settled into a day-long gentle rain with periods of showers.

This is very early in the season for us to get such significant rainfall. My journal shows that the first rainfall in 2003 was on Halloween night. This has come more than a month earlier.

Of course, this is not our usual Winter storms, which come out of the Northwest, so it is possible that we might not see rain again until next month or beyond. Only time will tell if I need to keep irrigating or can let nature take its course for another season.

...and some to grow on!

I have mentioned in the past the my garden survives on benign neglect, but even so, I do try to help out the plants, on occasion. Today, I whipped up some liquid fertilizer and fed all the roses on the property. I noticed they were beginning to spin off some Fall grow, and after checking my favorite handbook, Pat Welsh's Southern California Gardening Guide, I found that it was indeed time to feed. One small job off my list!

As I was out in the garden, I was also reminded that it was time to do a little pre-rainy season cleanup around here. While I love how many trees we have on the property, they can lead to a few problems. We have tons of leaf drop every year and it is almost more than I can handle. I have been remiss in cleaning up for the last few months, but now the neighbors may be treated to the odd site of me on the rooftop with a push broom, or even my leaf blower.

The fact is, I need to clear the roof before the first rains arrive. I have seen leaves dam up the water on the roof and force it back under the shingles in a very heavy downpour. I certainly don't need to be inviting any damage to the house, so up I go. It isn't really a lot of work, but I am not terribly comfortable up there, especially on the steep angle of the addition in the back. I will take the opportunity, though, to do a little light pruning on the trees that I can reach more easily from the roof. Might as well get as much done as I can.

Looking in my journal, I see that Halloween night was our first rain of the season last year, so I have a little time. Still, I don't want to be surprised by an early storm.

Book: Sharp Gardening

I came across this book while browsing the gardening section of my local book store. While it is certainly a niche book, if you are into using cactus and other succulents in your garden, you will want to take a look as soon as you can. the plant information, writing and photos are all top rate.

From Amazon.com...

Book Description

With a keen interest in spiky plants, Holliday argues that gardens don't have to look "nice"---packed with delicate roses and pretty clematis. There is much to be said for a crisp, clean-lined planting style featuring swords, straps, and spikes. This book presents a careful selection of plants that are spiky, sharp, or brittle, whether in their stems, leaves, or flowers, so that gardeners can choose new and exciting plants that work well in their landscape. From xeriscapes to maritime gardens and everywhere in between, all adventurous plantspeople will find fresh ideas for adding a little excitement to their garden.

From the Inside Flap

With a keen interest in spiky plants, Holliday argues that gardens don't have to look "nice"---packed with delicate roses and pretty clematis. There is much to be said for a crisp, clean-lined planting style featuring swords, straps, and spikes. This book presents a careful selection of plants that are spiky, sharp, or brittle, whether in their stems, leaves, or flowers, so that gardeners can choose new and exciting plants that work well in their landscape. From xeriscapes to maritime gardens and everywhere in between, all adventurous plantspeople will find fresh ideas for adding a little excitement to their garden.

Fall Colors - Why?

This nice article from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reveals the whys and wherefores of Fall Color. The paper has an excellent RSS feed on gardening topics that bring information right to your desktop.

We don't get a lot of color here in Los Angeles, but I do remember the beautiful Fall color of my Ohio hometown. We used to go leaf-peeping in our general area when the colors were at their height.

That said, Carol Leigh's Picture This web site, provides a clearing house for California Fall Color information each year about this time. There are no reports yet, but you will be prepared for the coming onslaught.

Garden Basics: Chlorophyll isn't last word on fall colors What makes leaves turn color in autumn? It's such a simple question, yet so difficult to answer. That's because there is no one single cause for deciduous trees to turn.

(Via Seattle Post-Intelligencer: Gardening.)

Washers, soakers and some time outside

Unable to take any more of the news, the newspaper and the Internet, I sought a bit of solace in the garden today. It seems that every washer on every hose and every hose-end sprayer has failed over the last 2-3 weeks. I have nearly worked through the small package I always keep on the pegboard above my workbench. I suppose there is a theoretical lifetime on washers and I am obviously reaching it.

I took a few moments to perform a semi-scientific experiment with the long (100') soaker hose that outlines the front garden. It is actually 2, 50' soakers connected together. I have noticed that the end of the soaker does not appear to be working very well. The flow is very low. I turned on the soaker and then placed pie plates at several places along its length. After a typical 2 hour run, I compared the water level in the pie plates. There was a dramatic difference between them.

I don't think the second half of the soaker has gotten clogged, but it is probably worth a check now. I think I can force water through the hose backwards and see if any mud or debris is dislodge.

I have thought about trying to find a remedy for months, but I think I am going to have my landscaper friend drop by and install a new standpipe on the other side of the yard. Then I can split the pressure between the two.

One dead rose the driveway bed was removed and I finally got some tables from the garden party, over a month ago, cleaned up and put back in storage. Granted, I don't have to worry about rain for a few more months, but it was a job that was nagging at my conscience. I fixed a few more items and it felt really good to knock some things off my to-do list, even if it had nothing to do with business.

Finally, I put a few peanuts out for the scrub jays and the squirrels and headed inside for dinner. A good day, overall.

Prevent a plant invasion

The Home section of the Los Angeles Times highlights "Don't Plant a Pest", a PDF guide with alternatives to some pernicious invasive plants that are threatening to take over the Southern California landscape.

I was surprised at how many plants I see every day are NOT recommended, as they can quickly take over both gardens and surrounding wild lands.

Don't Plant a Pest Brochure (PDF)

Don't Plant a Pest Web Site