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to remove the infected wood. To locate the correct site to cut, find the lower edge of the visible infection in the branch, trace that infected branch back to its point of attachment, and cut at the next branch juncture down without harming the branch collar. (The branch collar is the slightly thick area at the base of each branch) This will remove the infected branch and the branch to which it is attached.

With tree varieties that are less susceptible the disease will progress fairly slowly, so it is advisable to wait until the disease slows down in the heat of the summer or even winter to cut out diseased wood. Unfortunately, most Asian pear varieties are particularly susceptible to the disease and young trees even more so. Once the diagnosis is confirmed, we recommend you remove diseased wood as soon as possible. If possible, you should remove the branch that is infected and the branch it is connected to down to the branch collar. That is the slight thickening where the branch connects. This is because the disease will have traveled under the bark beyond the area of symptoms you can see. Sanitize your pruners or pruning saw with ten-percent bleach solution between cuts to prevent further spread of the bacteria. Fire blight can easily kill a young tree once the disease reaches the trunk. If that appears to be the case, you will unfortunately need to remove the tree.

Should you need to remove the trees and want to continue to grow Asian pear trees, Shinko is the only Asian pear variety that is resistant to fire blight. The fruit is reported to be excellent. The sites below provide further descriptions of fire blight with photos.

n https://www2.ipm.ucanr. edu/agriculture/pear/fire-blight/ n http://ipm.ucanr.edu/ PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7414. html

Question: Hi, I have a question about a tomato plant that disappeared overnight. I have a 2-foot deep raised bed that's on top of compacted gravel. Yesterday I planted three tomato plants. This morning, one of them was gone, with only a few leaves left where the plant was. Nothing else in the garden was disturbed and I've never seen this happen before. It was quite a large tomato plant at just under a foot tall. Do you have any ideas of what could have done this, and how to prevent it happening in the future? A Yolo Gardener.

Answer: We are sorry to hear about your tomato plant. Tomatoes are members of the Solanaceae family and are mildly toxic. Even so, a surprising number of critters and insects will eat them. If you haven't already disturbed the area too much, it would be good to start with some investigation. Look closely at the area to check for animal droppings, feathers, snail trails, or other indications of animal activity.

Given that your entire tomato plant disappeared in one evening, the culprit is likely a small mammal. A raccoon might have eaten your plant although they are more often interested in the fruit. Raccoons are common in rural areas and some Yolo County towns. It could also have been a squirrel which is ubiquitous in our urban and rural areas. They are more likely to eat the fruit but nibbling the plant is not unheard of if they are hungry. Pocket gophers are another good possibility. They could pull a plant that size down below the ground. If a gopher, you will be able to find a tunnel below the spot your plant previously lived. Gophers can get into raised beds from below unless the beds are covered with wire mesh scale on the bottom, but the compacted gravel should be a deterrent.

Plants can be protected from most small mammals with a wire or plastic protector. If you're interested in that, you can find it at a nursery, or find instruction online for making them yourself. These will not help with gophers, but here are several traps on the market that may help eliminate them. Some articles that may help with your investigation are listed below. This information may be helpful background for your vegetable gardening in any case. A one-foot tomato plant disappearing in a single night is an unusual event. We hope you are able to replace your tomato plant. UCCE Master GardenersYolo. n https://ucanr.edu/blogs/ blogcore/postdetail. cfm?postnum= 23564#:~:text=They%20 feed%20primarily%20on%20 roots,a%20gopher%20 pulled%20it%20under. n https://ipm.ucanr.edu/ PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7427. htmlhttps://ipm.ucanr.edu/ PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7427. html

— If you have a gardening question, contact the Master Gardener Help Desk at 530-6668737. Or send an email, with pictures attached if that would be helpful, to mgyolo@ucdavis.edu

Stop by the Master Gardener desk at the Davis Farmer’s Market to ask a question in person.