Did you know that UC IPM has an online tool that provides month-by-month pest prevention and management tips? It's called the Seasonal Landscape IPM Checklist! You can select your region of California to view activities to do in the landscape each month. You can also subscribe to receive an email at the beginning of each month for your designated region.

Follow these general tips for the month of January. To view more tips specific to your region, visit the checklist on the UC IPM website.

• Monitor for damage and pests such as brown rot, snails, and Asian citrus psyllid on citrus plants.
• Clean up mummies and old fruit and nuts around trees to avoid harboring pests. Remove fallen leaves from beneath deciduous fruit trees and roses.
• Protect sensitive plants from freezing and frost damage.
• Adjust irrigation schedules according to the weather and plants' changing need for water. Reduce irrigation frequency or turn off systems if rainfall is adequate. Irrigate deeply but infrequently if the winter is dry.
• Prevent mosquitoes by eliminating standing water in gutters, drain pipes, flowerpots, etc. Place Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies israelensis in birdbaths and ponds to selectively kill mosquito larvae.
• Apply a preventive spray for peach leaf curl once or more during late fall through bud break in spring if leaf curl has been a problem on nectarine or peach.
• Prune deciduous trees and shrubs such as apple, crape myrtle, pear, rose, spirea, and stone fruits. Make cuts properly to encourage good form and structure. Remove dead, diseased, and borer-infested wood. Certain pests (e.g. shothole borer) and host plants such as apricot and cherry warrant summer pruning.
• Manage weeds using nonchemical methods such as cultivation and handweeding, or mowing. Control young weeds as soon as they pop up.

Don't see your county on the checklist or want to provide feedback? Let us know!