San Bernardino Regional Seed Library

Did you know that CAL FIRE’s L. A. Moran Reforestation Center is home to the State’s only native tree Seed Bank? Over 30,000 pounds of seeds from a range of lan...dscapes and elevations are stored there. Harvesting superior seeds require using cones produced in the top one-third of the tree. To get them, climbers ascend tress across the state to conduct cone sampling and cone collections, ensuring the seed bank stays well stocked. Collected cones are sent to the Reforestation Center for processing, testing and storage. For more information visit: https://www.fire.ca.gov//landowner-a/reforestation-center/ See more

AGROBIODIVERSIDAD Por largo tiempo, los pueblos originarios, inventores de la agri-cultura, han seleccionado especies y variedades que mejor le parecen, ha sido... un trabajo arduo de selección. Año con año, las comunidades campesinas, seleccionan preferentemente semillas con diferentes características: resistencia a sequía, resistencia a plagas y enfermedades, ciclos de vida, productividad, color, sabor, aroma; escogen según sus necesidades y condiciones, las que les pueda ser útil, la de mayor gusto. Así es como se ha podido diversificar la gran cantidad de plantas cultivadas, un gran número de variedades de maíz, frijol, calabaza, chile, jitomate, papa, arroz, trigo, y cientos de cultivos más, sin la acción cultural no hubiera sido tal diversidad. La diversidad no es sólo resultado de factores ambientales y biológicos, sino también de la acción cultural. Actualmente son las comunidades originarias y campesinas, quienes continúan manteniendo esta diversidad en sus milpas, huertas, solares y plantaciones (Hernández, 1971; Boege, 2008; Toledo, 2009). Imágenes: Uli Westphal. "The Cultivar Series". #AgriCultura #ManoVuelta #Agroecología #SinMaízNoHayPaís #AutonomíaAlimentaria

What a Seed Wants, What a Seed Needs! Uncover the secrets of seed germination on our new Forever California podcast episode. Every towering coast redwood, ever...y ancient oak tree, every golden poppy among millions in a superbloom began life as a seed. Within each seed is a blueprint for a plant’s entire life and the energy to kickstart this unfolding story. In addition, seeds are imbued with an amazing array of adaptations - a bag of botanical tricks - to start life at just the right moment. On this month's Forever California podcast episode, we speak to Cheryl Birker, Seed Conservation Program Manager, about the amazing germination trials she conducts to test the viability of seeds in storage at our California Seed Bank. The California Seed Bank is the largest collection of seeds that have been stored and safeguarded for native plant conservation. You can listen to Forever California podcasts on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, as well as on our website. Listen now on our website: https://www.calbg.org/p/what-a-seed-wants-what-a-seed-needs

Our Master Gardener fall trainee class application is open!!! We would love to have you join our team!! http://mgsb.ucanr.edu/Become_a_Master_Gardener_2/

What a Seed Wants, What a Seed Needs! Uncover the secrets of seed germination on our new Forever California podcast episode. Every towering coast redwood, ever...y ancient oak tree, every golden poppy among millions in a superbloom began life as a seed. Within each seed is a blueprint for a plant’s entire life and the energy to kickstart this unfolding story. In addition, seeds are imbued with an amazing array of adaptations - a bag of botanical tricks - to start life at just the right moment. On this month's Forever California podcast episode, we speak to Cheryl Birker, Seed Conservation Program Manager, about the amazing germination trials she conducts to test the viability of seeds in storage at our California Seed Bank. The California Seed Bank is the largest collection of seeds that have been stored and safeguarded for native plant conservation. You can listen to Forever California podcasts on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, as well as on our website. Listen now on our website: https://www.calbg.org/p/what-a-seed-wants-what-a-seed-needs

Researchers in the US, Australia, and Germany created a survey to see how gardening has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Please consider taking the 10 -... 15 minute survey to help us understand: 1) what motivates gardeners during the pandemic, 2) whether gardeners’ use of their gardens has changed, and 3) what additional support would be beneficial for gardeners. Take the survey: https://swinuw.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_88LTM30joDzA2hf Toma encuesta: https://swinuw.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9GoIxrHCYUQZ1Dn

We're beginning to harvest our 2020 seed pods from early season crosses! They're good to go when the pod appears slightly withered and/or a small opening begins... to form. And yes, we cover pods with bright red mesh bags when they first form. While it protects the seeds from falling to the ground, we do it mostly so that we can easily find the pods this time of year ! ~Enjoy! #WednesdayWorkShare #craftonhillsirisfarm #redlandsca #irishybridizing #tallbeardediris

Rare strains of corn, beans, squash and other native crops might have been lost forever if not for the protection efforts of the Potawatomi and Ojibwe tribes an...d the Jijak Foundation in Hopkins, Michigan. Thanks to the salvation efforts of these tribes and a seed-lending library, native foods are making a comeback and being used in traditional ceremonies. https://greatbig.is/2VEKgVL See more

Its Terminology Thursday

Check out our newest video! Today we are learning about Ag Science with San Joaquin Farm Bureau Federation and conducting a fun engineering challenge. https://youtu.be/qv6pfVg5vr8

Just wanted to take a moment to say how thankful we are for all of our Master Gardener volunteersthey are meeting our communities challenges with overwhelming... kindness and innovation....while they are not able to serve the public in person they are sharing their knowledge (and also seeds, cuttings and home grown produce, in a socially safe and responsible way of course!!) and keep on helping people through our helpline, social media and more! We so appreciate all you do....we see your kindness and desire to empower and help uplift the community and are proud to say we know and work with youYou are the heart of our program and all that we do! Thank you!!!Miss you all and can't wait to volunteer with you in the future!!! See more

What is the difference between dominant and recessive traits? Dive deep into the topic during #TheGenePBS, premiering Tues, April 7 at 8/7c.

Water-wise Wednesday: Mature plants have an established root system and should be watered deeply and infrequently. However, young plants have shallow roots and need to be watered lightly and more often until properly established in the landscape.

While our seed library is closed for the time being we know lots of you are out there planting seeds right now.... so we will start posting some tips for seed success and please let us know if you have any questions!!! We will start today with a link from the UC IPM site(a great resource for trouble shooting many plant and bug issues) to a common cause of frustration to many seed gardeners .... something called "damping-off" And don't forget that the seed library is a project of the UCCE Master Gardeners of San Bernardino County so you can always email or call our helpline if you have questions!! http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/r280100111.html#COMMENTS

We have some exciting news related to our Seed Conservation Program. California’s new budget provides funding for rare plant seed banking to the tune of $3.6 mi...llion dollars to be spent over the next five years! It’s called the California Biodiversity Initiative, and it’s a total game-changer for RSABG and the other established seed banking institutions working collaboratively through the California Plant Rescue. Funding has always been a limiting factor for this crucial work, and now we’ll be able to apply for state funding to make seed collections and improve infrastructure in our seed bank. We’d like to thank CNPS California Native Plant Society for their important work educating lawmakers on the importance of seed banking and Assemblymember Ash Kalra Ash Kalra for his support in securing this funding to help fight the extinction of California’s rare plants. To learn more about how the California Biodiversity Initiative came to fruition, check out the Center for Plant Conservation’s January Newsletter. Stay tuned for photos from the field as we work toward our goal of seed banking all the rarest plants of California! Resources to check out: https://saveplants.org/2020/01/07/january-2020-news/ https://www.caplantrescue.org/ https://www.cnps.org/

Volunteers Needed to Help Clean Native Seeds for Forest Restoration Projects. This Friday, January 10, 12:00-2:30, at the Big Bear Ranger Station. Space is lim...ited to 15 people, so please email Lisa Underwood, to reserve your spot: [email protected]. Bring a coffee cup, refillable water bottle, and a friendly attitude to visit, enjoy some hot coffee or tea, and get some good work done to help restore our beautiful forest. Age limit: 9 yrs and older We hope to see you there!

Good thing to do with old seed catalogs!!!