Mark Allen
“Importance of honeybee pollination” 
Mark will discuss the relationship between honeybee pollination and fruit production in California.  His presentation will include an observation hive (glass-walled "cage" housing live bees at work) to illustrate the biology and behavior of honey bees. Many southern California cities allow a small number of hives.  Backyard beekeepers enhance the health and yield of surrounding gardens.

Jim Bathgate
"Persimmons and other low chill fruit"
Along with wisdom from his extensive experience with persimmons, Jim will also be imparting details on growing other deciduous fruit trees in a warm climate. 

Gary Bender
"The Future of Tree Crop Agriculture in Southern California"
Gary will look into the crystal ball to deduce how growers will respond to coming challenges such as possible water shortages, climate change, market and regulatory pressures, new diseases, etc.   Will tree crop agriculture be profitable in the future?  Or will we be buying all of our fruit from foreign countries?!

Tom Del Hotal
“Proactive strategies for pruning citrus”           
Conventional guidelines for citrus tree pruning state that citrus need little pruning except for the removal of dead wood.  A proactive approach to citrus pruning will help develop healthier, stronger and more productive trees. Tom will teach strategies for pruning citrus that will prevent the development of dead wood as well as reduce insect and other pest problems. Pruning techniques to help control tree shape and size, improve tree structural strength, and improve citrus fruit quality will also be discussed. 

Julie Frink
"Which Avocado Variety Would Best Suit Your Needs"
Julie will briefly talk about the taxonomy of the avocado species and explain why different varieties have differing characteristics.  The goal will be to give people the information they need to judge which varieties will best suit their needs.

Kevin Hauser
"Growing apples in a warm climate"
Starting out as a hobbyist, Kevin’s involvement with apples has grown phenomenally over just a few years, to the point where he’s published a book on the subject and has become vigorously involved with propagating the trees. 

Mark Hoddle
"Potential New Avocado Pests for California from South of the Border" 
Mark will share insights gleaned from studying pests in Guatemala and other countries south of the border. 

Kern Hunewill
 "Growing avocados in marginal areas"
Kern will talk about his experiences tracking down healthy avocado trees in marginal areas and getting them to grow. 

John Kabashima
“The right to grow fruit trees: threats, opportunities and the "Butterfly Effect"
Will your rights to grow fruit trees be threatened in the future?  What does the "Butterfly Effect" have to do with growing fruit trees, and how to turn the potential threats from Mother Nature and human society into opportunities.

Ramiro Lobo
“Pitahaya Production in California: A Research Update”

The presentation will address issues and challenges related to commercial pitahaya production in California and present results to date from research efforts conducted by UC Farm Advisors and Specialists at UC South Coast Research and Extension Center in Irvine.

Steven J. Markell
"Nutritional value of fruit"
Steven has a broad and deep background in both orthodox and complementary medicine and the role of nutrition in supporting human health.  He will discuss details of fruit nutrition and go on to take questions from the audience, a task he much enjoys. 

Roger Meyer
"Let's grow something different"
What can we grow that is unusual for our area? Roger will be talking about unusual plants he is working with to see how they do in southern California. He will bring potted examples of these plants and discuss how they are doing.

Tom Mortell
"Plant nutrients"
Tom will make a well-organized presentation that will include details of mineral nutrients and their effects on plant growth. 

Greg Partida
"An overview of avocados"
Greg will discuss the three races of avocados, rootstocks currently used, why we graft the trees, flowering of the trees, importance of weather, frost protection, irrigation and fertilizer needs and general cultural practices and insect problems. 

"Avocado culture: treating the problems"
Greg will discuss root rot, collar rot and sunblotch virus.  He will also cover what to do when the trees are hit by frost and how to prune avocados in order to maintain size and increase production.

Ben Poirier
"Fruits of the Myrtaceae family"
The Myrtaceae family contains many varieties of fruit trees, including guava, feijoa, rose apple, Surinam cherry and grumichama.  Ben will share his extensive experience growing and propagating such plants. 

Charles Portney
"Feed the soil, not the plant"
Chemical fertilizers are manufactured to give a temporary boost to plant growth without regard to the long-term health of the soil.  Organic methods in contrast emphasize long-term sustainability, where plant growth is stimulated not with a temporary “fix” but with improvements to soil health.  Charles will discuss how the organic approach generates these lasting improvements to the soil. 

"Plant propagation"
As an avid gardener Charles has grown and propagated a great variety of plants.  In this talk he will share his broad and deep experience with plant propagation. 

Pieter Severynen
“Perfect Orchard - Happy Owner: how to keep your fruit trees and yourself happy, healthy, and productive, the natural way” 

Part I: Beginners' Basics
“Beginners' Basics” is an introductory and refresher course.  Pieter first takes a broad look at how fruit trees function. In a lively and richly illustrative style he explains their biology, photosynthesis, transport and storage of food, buildup of trunk and branches and self repair mechanisms. He then paints the underground jungle picture of roots and mycorrhizae, soil types and microbiota. Next he briefly explains water management, nutrition and fertilization. He shows why performing a site analysis before you do any planning or planting results in a better functioning orchard. Pieter then demonstrates how to guide nature with a gentle hand, preventing tree diseases and pests by keeping trees healthy, and using natural means as opposed to harmful chemical ones where ever possible.
 
Part II: Veteran's Views -Advanced Techniques
This builds upon knowledge gained by the veteran fruit gardener or acquired in Part I described above. Here Pieter contrasts the trees' needs and wants with our demands for unusual, out of locale, tasty fruit, high production, easy pickings, great looks, low maintenance and communion with nature. He shows why with the best of intentions we so often do not get the results we want because we don't know the trees' requirements (they are alien species after all), but how our understanding of proper plant functioning is the basis for successful trees and happy fruit growers. He explores tree selection, planning and placement in greater detail and demonstrates many unusual pruning and other tree guidance techiques. Optimum mulching, watering, fertilizing, maintenance and integrated pest managment are reviewed, and Pieter shows how some sound engineering choices in our orchards coexist happily with our emotional and artistic decisions.

Edgar Valdivia
“Growing semitropical fruits for California”
I will be talking about my experiences growing such fruits as cherimoyas, guavas, passion fruits, sapotes, pitayas, sapodilla, canistel, lucuma, Surinam cherries and other fruits not commonly known in California.

Jon Verdick
"From Twigs to Figs"
Learn to acquire, propagate, and enjoy the many hundreds of fig varieties available to the home gardener. Learn to use online resources and connect with the larger fig-growing community around the world.

Rick Yessayian
"Fruits from pole to pole"
Rick has traveled a lot and has a keen eye for the fruits that grow in different parts of the world.  His talk will include fruit photos from Australia, South America and North America through Alaska.   

"Frozen Desserts"
Rick will describe how to turn fruits into ice creams, sherbets, sorbets, etc.