Xtremehorticulture

Xtremehorticulture of the Desert

Espalier or Trellising Fruit Trees or Grapes Can Reduce House Cooling Costs

Leave a Comment / energy conservation, espalier, fertilizer fruit trees, hot walls, reduce cooling costs, trellising /

Q. I just saw this video on the internet on espaliering fruit trees. It is located at  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MP7voRKFUoE Is that something that would work well in Las Vegas or just cause more stress to the tree? I have a small area on the south side of my house where the A/C unit is and would love to get a green wall of sorts on there to keep our bedrooms from roasting in the summer. I had thought about grapes, but the espaliered fruit trees might be an option. A. Great video! Yes, John. It will work here. Just keep your water emitters to the outside of the fruit trees and not near the foundation. We have high salts and don’t want to undermine the foundation or walls used for trellising. This will help direct roots away from the structures.             Make sure you whitewash the limbs as they can sunburn in hot, very exposed locations.             I can see you are thinking now in terms of microclimates and growing spaces in the yard. Plants are flexible. Make sure they have enough sunlight to be productive, match the plant to the microclimate and manage the plant to make it fit and make sure you commit the time to doing it. It is that simple.

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Rosemary Bush Very Susceptible to Dieback if Overwatered

Leave a Comment / collar root, dieback, irrigation, root rot, sudden death /

Rosemary dieback from reader Q. Can you diagnose what is wrong with my rosemary bush?  We have two rosemary bushes which are less than three-feet apart.  One is beautiful; the other has die-back in the center.  The one that has the die-back was replaced last year because the previous one had the same problem.      Both of these plants receive the same water and the same fertilizer.  When I replaced the rosemary plant last year, I did a 50/50 mix of compost and native soil.  I don’t see any pests on either of the plants.  Any suggestions? A. I looked at the pictures. There are no specific pests that would cause this type of damage on rosemary. The most likely culprits would be physical damage to the stems (broken stems) or root rot or collar rot from either planting it too deeply or keeping the soil around the one with dieback too wet. Healthy rosemary of reader             If the soil was heavily amended with mulch or compost and it was planted in this then it is possible it could have been planted too deeply while the other one was not. Sometimes plants will sink in the planting hole if the soil is too “fluffy” at the time of planting.             This sinking and soil consequently coming in contact with the stem due to follow-up waterings, can cause the main stem or side stems to decay and then entire stems can dieback.             I would carefully lift the plant out with a shovel and examine the main stem or trunk and side stems and see if they were planted too deeply. Rosemary is very susceptible to collar rot or keeping the soil too wet. If the stems are rotten, dispose and replant in a new location.

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Fig Cuttings and Transplants Benefit from Slow Immersion Into Harsh Outside Environment

Leave a Comment / acclimation, climatizing, fig cuttings, reduce transplant shock, transplants /

Q. I have several fig cuttings that are growing in a vermiculite and perlite mix inside the house.  Attached is photo. When is the best time to move them outside and transplant them into the ground? Or do I have to go through an interim stage of a small pot with potting soil first? A. I would move them outside into an area protected from late afternoon sun and wind as soon as you see signs of new growth but leave them in the containers. This is called “acclimating” the transplants.             All transplants grown inside the house or in a greenhouse should be acclimated to the outside environment before planting. This will improve the success of your transplanting and lessen transplant shock.             You could put them in a cardboard box for instance but they need to be exposed to the outside environment gradually before they are planted in full sun and full wind. Plant them in the ground with amended soil after 2 to 3 weeks of acclimating. At that time they can handle full sun and some wind.             Stake them if they need to be staked because a large canopy that can catch the wind and disturb them or potentially uproot them. Lightly fertilize them. Begin to deep water them with 1 to 2 gallons of water at each watering. A good sign of success is vigorous top growth.

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