In this Spring 2025 issue, our Featured Articles present important updates on pests of nursery plants relevant to the nursery industry in California, including the Dotted Paropsine Leaf Beetle threatening Eucalyptus and the detection of invasive Thrips parvispinus in San Diego. In the Science to the Grower section, we discuss why nursery irrigation and fertilization methods should complement each other, assessing the benefits and drawbacks of liquid and controlled release fertilizers and how these methods relate to irrigation. Additionally, we will review the significance of plant-parasitic nematodes in California and current efforts to exclude further introductions. Next in our Get Cultured series, we continue with the second of five articles regarding soil and water pH. Finally, in Campus and Research Updates we announce the topics for our upcoming Ask the Advisor series, provide an recap on a recent workshop directed for California restoration nurseries, and share updates on the efforts of UC ANR advisors to help growers in the Los Angeles Basin comply with new water discharge regulations meant to protect groundwater and maintain high water quality. 

• I. Featured Articles: Pests of Nursery Crops
• The Dotted Paropsine Leaf Beetle Threatens California's Eucalyptus
  
  Thrips parvispinus Invades California
• II. Science to the Grower
• Exclusion of Non-Native Invasive Plant-Parasitic Nematodes
  
  Why Your Irrigation and Fertilization Methods Should Go Together
• III. Get Cultured: Horticultural Methods, Techniques, Growing Practices, & Principles
• Soil and Water pH, Part 2: How Is Nutrient Availability Affected by pH?
  
  Mulching Containers to Reduce Weed Pressure
• IV. Campus News and Research Updates
• 2025 Ask the Advisor Schedule
  
  UCNFA Advisors and LA Irrigated Lands Group Assists Growers with Irrigation and Nutrient Management Plans
  
  Highlights from Our Southern California Workshop on Phytophthora Prevention in Habitat Restoration
  
  New Hire Announcement

Contributing Authors: Chris Shogren, Eric Middleton, Jörn Ole Becker, Antoon Ploeg, Grant Johnson, Don Merhaut, Gerry Spinelli, Bruno J.L. Pitton, Sebastian Fajardo, Emma Volk, Johanna Del Castillo Múnera

Prepared for publication by: Dean Watson