Topics in Subtropics

Avocados in some parts of coastal California have been blooming. Some of them got hit by the cold weather in the first part of February. In the coldest areas there was a little bit of new leaf damage, but this has been minimal.

Dr. Peter Ako Larbi is a Cooperative Extension Specialist in agricultural engineering with UC ANR.

Horticulture is the cultivation of plants as ornamentals or for the production of food. When things go wrong (plants grow poorly or not at all), horticulturists sometimes turn to products that can cure, revitalize, invigorate, stimulate or enhance the growth of their plant or crop.

California agriculture saw significant gains in 2017, with the state's counties experiencing a 5.1% jump in total production value. The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) says combined sales, excluding timber, totaled $59.57 billion.

We recently had a series of workshops on Avocado Root Rot and how to manage it. A common question was how to figure out whether the tree was diseased or just stressed from lack of water or from an accumulation of salts that is also a reflection of how water is being managed.