Xtremehorticulture

Xtremehorticulture of the Desert

Bring Back Queen Palm from the Dead

Leave a Comment / cold, heat, iron, irrigation, queen palm, summer dieback, yellow /

Q. During the excessive hot spell in July our irrigation failed while we were out of town. As a result, one of our queen palms lost all its branches. In spite of subsequent life support, it does not appear to be coming back. Is that too much to hope for? Is there anything we can do to help it recover or should we just mourn its passing? Queen palms dead during first winter planted (1989/90) at local casino. Admittedly temperatures hit a 50 year low. A. Queen palms can handle heat but they struggle with extreme cold (25F) and hot, dry winds. In short, among the approximately ten palms we can grow here, they are not among the “chosen ones”. However, if these plants are water stressed or planted under poor soil conditions then they will not tolerate heat very well either.  Queen palm fronds from central bud yellowing during new growth             The only places here where I have seen decent, older queen palms has been in areas protected from wind, the soil prepared adequately with amendments and the use of organic surface mulches.  Queen palm with yellowing foliage after planting in rock mulch. Probably iron chlorosis and poor soil enrichment at planting.             Once they are stressed and water is withheld, they will suffer greatly. They need adequate soil preparation at the time of planting, good drainage, protection from winds and low temperatures, an annual fertilization program and organic surface mulches.

Bring Back Queen Palm from the Dead Read More »

Pohutukawa Tree: Maybe a Kiwi Can Help Out

1 Comment / christmas, metrosideros excelsa, new zealand tree, red flowers /

Q. I would like to purchase a Metrosideros excelsa ( Pohutukawa) Tree and would like to know if it can survive Las Vegas hot climate. Picture of Pohutukawa tree sent to me by reader. A. Well you have me on this one. This is the first question I have ever had on this tree. I had heard of it but never had read anything much about it and of course have no experience with it. So, all I can do is what I have done which is read as much as I could find out about this tree and how it has handled similar climates.  Maybe if there are any Kiwis reading this post from down under they can respond. But keep in mind the Las Vegas climate is DESERT, with summer temperatures reaching over 45C (115F+) very low humidity and soils that I would describe as “moon dirt”, structureless, high in salinity (but manageable most of the time) and winter lows of -8C ( below 20F for brief periods of time in the morning hours). First, there are no postings I could find from anyone in a desert climate trying this tree. We do know that it will handle temperatures down to about 20F ish…, it can be found growing naturally on very rocky soils in New Zealand, usually close to the ocean. So in the US it has been grown successfully along the California coast, mostly in northern California and up into the Pacific Northwest. So know this about the tree and some other things stuck in my head from my reading I would say the following. It is worth a try provided you can plant it in a place out of dry, desert wind, a bit protected from cold such as closer to town and really improve the soil at planting time. What I would expect from this tree would be that it will have some problems. Namely, it will probably never look as good as it does in coastal climates. The leaves will probably have a tendency to scorch and damaged by wind. It may also tend to get yellow due to a lack of available iron so I would be giving it an iron fertilizer annually. It will not like a desert landscape so if it can be planted in a lawn you will be better off. Expect it to dieback during some winters with very low temperatures. The degree of dieback will depend on the part of the valley you live and how well it is protected from winter cold and winter winds. Expect with these diebacks that it will tend to want to be more shrubby than tree-like. It can be easily started from seed. That is my best shot at it.

Pohutukawa Tree: Maybe a Kiwi Can Help Out Read More »

UNCE Orchard in North Las Vegas Posts Hard Freeze Temperatures in December 2013

Leave a Comment / did it freeze, freezing weather, how much rain, how much wind, what is the humidity, what was the temperature /

Earlier this month the UNCE Orchard in North Las Vegas (located near the intersection of North Decatur and Horse Drive) posted some very low freezing temperatures.  Winter tender plants will be killed to the ground at these temperatures. In particular bougainvillea and any tender vegetables (tomatoes, peppers, squash, basil, etc). Tender citrus will be damaged or outright killed to the soil level. Hardy citrus that will handle these temperatures include Meyer lemon and some grapefruit. Expect to see some bronzing of the leaves of palms and citrus. UNCE Orchard Weather Station Report From 2013-12-04 To 2013-12-10 Reported by Mike Barrett           __________Temperature________   Degree    Solar     RH     Rain-   ___   Wind___     Date   Mean  High   Time    Low    Time     Days    Rad       Mean   Fall       Speed Gust    12/04   36.5    44.7  14:30   25.0   00:00      0.0       153.7      40     0.00          5.3    26.0    12/05   31.6    42.1  14:30   22.4   06:30      0.0       151.3      41     0.00          0.2      7.0    12/06   31.5    42.2  14:30   20.9   07:00      0.0       148.1      45     0.00          0.5    10.0    12/07   40.2    52.8  14:30   27.6   00:30      0.2       131.6      42     0.00          4.0    19.0    12/08   34.2    41.2  13:00   27.8   05:30      0.0       145.0      17     0.00          3.6    17.0    12/09   31.7    40.3  14:00   22.9   23:30      0.0       150.6      17     0.00          4.9    20.0    12/10   22.6    28.4  08:00   20.3   04:30      0.0         20.9      42     0.00          0.0      2.0                                                                         0.2                               0.00            The Watchdog 2900ET weather station is located near the northwest corner of the south orchard, approximately 2.5 meters above ground, at the top of the tree canopy. Temperature – degrees F (±1ºF) Solar Radiation – Watts/m2 (±0.05) RH – Relative humidity (±3%) Rainfall – inches (±4%) Wind – miles per hour (±5%)

UNCE Orchard in North Las Vegas Posts Hard Freeze Temperatures in December 2013 Read More »

Vegetable Planting Calendar for the Mojave Desert

4 Comments / vegetable planting guide, what can I plant now, when to plant vegetables /

Calendar of planting (2000 foot (700m) elevation in Southern Nevada @ 36 deg N Lat.) If closer to 3000 feet, delay planting 2 to 3 weeks in the spring; plant earlier 2 to 3 weeks in the fall. If row crop covers are used, planting can be 2 to 3 weeks earlier in the spring and 2 to 3 weeks later in the fall on some vegetables. If hoophouses are used, planting can be four to six weeks earlier in the spring and 4 to 6 weeks later in the fall. These are approximate dates. Current weather conditions and soil temperatures must be monitored for the exact timing. January Beets, broccoli as transplants, radish, Spinach, Swiss chard, roasting garlic February Beets, broccoli as seed, broccoli as transplants, Brussels sprouts, cabbage as transplants, carrots, sweet corn (later in the month), kale, lettuce, onion sets, potato (later in the month), radish, spinach, Swiss chard, turnip March Bush beans, broccoli seed, broccoli as transplants, brussels sprouts, cabbage transplants, carrots, sweet corn, eggplant late in the month, green beans, pole beans, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, onion sets, onions as transplants, peppers late in the month, potatoes, radishes, spinach, Swiss chard, tomato late in the month, turnip April sweet corn, cucumber, eggplant, green beans, pole beans, melons late in the month, peppers, tomatoes, summer squash May cucumber, eggplant, melons, peppers, sweet potato, summer squash June melons July sweet corn late in the month, green beans, pole beans, melons August beets, broccoli from seed, broccoli from transplants late in the month, cabbage transplants late in the month, cauliflower transplants late in the month, sweet corn early in the month, green beans, pole beans, spinach, Swiss chard, winter squash at lower elevations September beets, broccoli from seed, broccoli from transplants, cabbage transplants, cauliflower transplants, carrots, kale, lettuce late in the month, spinach, Swiss chard October beets, broccoli from seed, broccoli from transplants, cabbage transplants, cauliflower transplants, carrots, garlic, green beans, pole beans, kohlrabi, lettuce, radish, spinach, Swiss chard, tomato November beets, broccoli from seed, broccoli transplants, carrots early in the month, green beans, pole beans, onion seeds, peas, radish, turnip, December beets, broccoli from seed, green beans, pole beans, spinach, Swiss chard

Vegetable Planting Calendar for the Mojave Desert Read More »

Acidifying Soil and Water Can Be Beneficial for Desert Soils and Sprays

5 Comments / acetic acid, acid, adding acid to soil, adding acid to water, alkaline soil, pH, soil sulfur, spraying and pH, vinegar /

Q. Have you ever heard of adding vinegar or citric acid when fertilizing plants in our area? A. Quite a few people have thought about it or tried it but the positive impact on the soil is short-lived and is usually considered not worth doing. Gardeners realize our soil is much more alkaline than the ideal garden soil. Methods used to acidify soils are frequent gardening topics. This includes the addition of acids such as acetic or vinegar and adding sulfur. Sulfur granules can sit on the surface of a desert soil for months or even years if it never comes in contact with water or is not ground finely. This does not help lower soil pH.             Our soils and our tap water from Lake Mead carry a lot of lime so the addition of anything to the soil to make it more acidic is usually short-lived.  A fairly effective long-term method for improving our soil is the addition of compost or other sources of organic matter that decompose, acidifying the soil as it does so.             However, adding weak acids to the soil is a short-term solution. How much acid to add to a soil is another question altogether. Much of that depends on the chemistry of the soil itself and varies from soil to soil.             Acidifying water used for foliar applications of a pesticide or fertilizer is a different story. This water should always be acidified to pH around 6.5 before adding the pesticide or fertilizer. The easiest way to measure this pH is with litmus paper, the type used for swimming pools or aquariums. Another option would be to use distilled or reverse osmosis water instead.

Acidifying Soil and Water Can Be Beneficial for Desert Soils and Sprays Read More »

Tropical Dragonfruit a Possibility for Backyard Culture in Las Vegas

3 Comments / desert gardening, desert horticulture, pitaya, tropical cactus, tropical fruit production /

Q. I am interested in raising dragonfruit.  Any suggestions or comments? A. The dragonfruit plant is a tropical climbing cactus that originated from Central and South America. The plant produces large edible fruit covered in scales. The edible fruit interior has a bland taste resembling watermelon or Kiwi with slight citrus overtones. Dragonfruit is produced by a “climbing” cactus.             There are several different varieties with skin colors ranging from green, yellow or red. The flesh, pulp or interior of the fruit is normally white but in some varieties it can be various shades of red. Here in a small orchard in south vietnam the vegetative cuttings are planted next to a cement post that will be used for trellising             Several other cacti also produce similar types of large edible fruit. Collectively these fruits are called pitaya.  The cereus cactus is commonly grown in the Las Vegas area, can withstand our cold winter temperatures and may on rare occasions produce a pitaya fruit. Although not dragonfruit or cereus, flowers typical of pitayas             Many of the pitaya-producing cacti have large white flowers that only open at night and frequently are very aromatic.  Moths or bats are usually responsible for pollinating these night blooming flowers. Many pitaya require cross pollination in order to set fruit and so a second plant in the vicinity may be necessary. Dragonfruit cactus in full production, trellised, in south vietnam             The dragonfruit plant itself is very sensitive to frost and harsh light intensities and must be protected from freezing weather. It will also benefit by being grown in a part of the landscape protected from late afternoon sun.             Just for fun, the plant can be started easily from seed collected from the fruit. The seed is small so you would plant it very shallow in good planting soil. The seed should germinate in about two weeks in warm soils.             However, commercially the plant is started from stem cuttings to maintain plants that are true to type.

Tropical Dragonfruit a Possibility for Backyard Culture in Las Vegas Read More »

Mesquite Bushes Can Be Trained to a Tree

Leave a Comment / form, growth, honey mesquite, irrigation, management, pruning, riparian, training, watering /

Q. I grew up in a part of Texas where mesquites were bushes not trees.  We have a small backyard here in Vegas with two mesquite trees in it; one large one and one slender one. There is little or no green on them, just wood. There are so many woody branches I am wondering if they will ever give us shade.  Would you please educate me on this? Native honey mesquite growing in the Mojave Desert just outside of Las Vegas, NV A. The Texas mesquite or honey mesquite is a shrub that we prune into a tree form. The plant grows well here but is usually not a preferred type of mesquite because of its long thorns. There are improved types of mesquites that are usually preferred.             With a little bit of care when they are young they can be trained into a tree form.             In our climate many mesquites drop their leaves in winter and so are considered deciduous to semi evergreen due to winter cold. In warmer climates they tend to stay evergreen during the winter unless there is a cold spell.  One of the ornamental mesquites in the nursery trade, claimed to be thornless, showing dense canopy and shade, a sign of abundant water.             We consider our local mesquite to be a riparian species of plant. In other words it puts on growth when water is available and slows down when water is not. When mesquite trees are watered frequently they can put on large amounts of spindly growth, perhaps 8 feet or more each year.             Mesquite are normally very deep rooted plants in the wild. Being deep-rooted gives them the capability of avoiding long periods of time without water. For this reason they can be very drought tolerant if they have rooted deeply. Native mesquite growing in the Sonoran Desert near Jerez, Mex, demonstrating sinker roots tapping into deep water from a nearby river.              If mesquite trees are watered too often, their roots will tend to be shallow and not deep-rooted, a frequent problem in over-irrigated landscapes. They also tend to put on a lot of wood because of frequent irrigations.             Mesquite trees handle pruning very well and their growth is very adaptable to landscape management. They do well with light fertilizer applications annually. They should be grouped with other desert plants for irrigation purposes.             After training these plants into a tree form they do not require a lot of pruning. In fact heavy pruning just encourages a lot of new growth. I would remove lower branches just high enough to allow traffic to pass under them.             Frequent irrigations will cause these plants to be lush and provide dense shade. Watering less often will cause them to become more open and provide lighter shade. Remove branches that are crossing or growing too close together.             Limbs would be removed at their point of origin, not by hedging or simply cutting them back.

Mesquite Bushes Can Be Trained to a Tree Read More »

Bulbs Forming on Top of Garlic

Leave a Comment / bulbil, cloves, planting, propagation, topsetting, walking onion /

Q. My garlic planted last year has a small bulb forming at the top of a few of the plants. From what I read about this type of plant the garlic is formed from the bulb at the top. Do they reproduce underground for future plantings? Bulbils forming on top of hardneck garlic at UNCE orchard A. We do find some garlic producing these small bulbs at the tops of the plants. They are sometimes referred to as bulblets or bulbils depending on who you talk to. These plants will also produce bulbs which can be used for planting the following year.             In the same family of vegetables there are onions which do the same thing. These are called “walking onions”. The flower at the top of the flower stalk, or scape, does not produce seed but produces miniature bulbs instead.             These bulbils are capable of reproducing the mother plant. They are called “walking onions” because the weight of the bulbils bends the scape over to the ground. If the soil is wet, these bulbils grow into new plants just inches from the mother plant. This new growth gives the perception that these onions are “walking” or moving from one location to another.             These types of plants can be self-seeding by dropping the bulbils into the garden and starting new plants perpetually.             Most garlic that produces bulbils are hardnecked types of garlic or sometimes referred to as “topsetting” garlic. They are called hardnecked because the flower stalk is very rigid compared to the “softneck” varieties which can actually be braided.             So to answer your question, yes you can plant these bulbils and they will produce new plants. It is good to remember that the size of the clove or bulbil you plant will impact the size of the bulb you produce. The larger the clove or bulbil, the larger the bulb.

Bulbs Forming on Top of Garlic Read More »

Permanent Bee Swarms Probably Need Disposal in Las Vegas

9 Comments / Africanized honeybees, capturing, killer bees, rehiving, rescuing, saving, wild bees /

Q. My brother and I live in California.  We inherited my mom’s home in LV which is now rented. The property manager tells us there are bees in the backyard and that we should have an exterminator in. We are both opposed to this plan because of colony collapse, etc. Do you know of a beekeeper who would take them?  They say there is honey; it is not a swarm. A. I do not know of a beekeeper that will take them. Beekeepers are very careful about “wild” bees they take into their hives. Many of them have become “Africanized” and they do not want these Africanized bees introduced to their managed hives.  Honeybees swarming from the hives at the UNCE Orchard in North Las Vegas. The top picture they have swarmed around some fruit trees. The bottom picture they settled in on one branch of one tree. They eventually returned to their hive about 50 feet away later in the day. Secondly, they are worried about diseases and other pest problems introduced to their bees which they spend a lot of money to protect from these types of pests. So by admitting “wild” bees into their hives they run a very big risk of having future problems that will cost them money and time to correct. Beekeepers do not make much money off of producing honey so the costs associated with management is very important to them. Once bees have become Africanized they will be a very real threat to humans and any other animals (dogs, cats, horses, etc) nearby since they are so aggressive. You can Google Africanized bees or “killer bees” and Las Vegas and you can see what kind of problems we have had with them in the past. I think you may have a problem if these bees are not in some way disposed of if they are in fact Africanized or become Africanized. One of the reason Italian honeybees were selected for commercial honeymaking is that they are very docile insects. They can be handled with a huge degree of safety. When a colony starts becoming Africanized, the bees will first start getting more aggressive than before (bump you if you are within 40 or 50 feet of their colony). If this perceived “threat” to their hive (YOU) does not go away, then they can get very aggressive and attack in huge numbers. In many cases they attack with no provocation and has led to death or hospitalization. Commercial beekeepers must “requeen” a hive periodically because bee hives WILL become Africanized over time. Simple things disturb Africanized bees like it could be windy outside, machinery operating close by, etc, could set them off. They are unpredictable and very aggressive unlike docile Italian honeybees which they eventually take over after a period of a few months. I would highly recommend you get a company to dispose of the colony and not take any chances.

Permanent Bee Swarms Probably Need Disposal in Las Vegas Read More »

Chinaberry Damage Probably Carpenter Bee, Not Borers

Leave a Comment / brittle, limb breakage, messy, Neem, persian lilac, poisonous, Texas Umbrella Tree /

Q. I have a 25 year old Chinaberry tree that I like because it has aromatic flowers in the spring but I also hate it because it is messy. Parts of the tree recently broke from the wind. There were still lots of leaves on the tree but the inside was dry and dead. How long do these trees live and is what I described normal? A. Chinaberry is also called Persian Lilac and here in the United States we sometimes call it the Texas Umbrella Tree. I like the tree because of its form, fragrant flowering and fruit clusters but many local horticulturists do not. Carpenter bee damage to dead palm frond remnants. Note the perfectly round holes the size of a quarter or about 2cm in diameter.             The leaves and fruit can be poisonous to humans but not to birds. It is a native to parts of Asia where the leaves and fruit have been used as a natural repellent of pests when drying food. The poisonous chemicals inside leaves and fruit are related to the natural pesticide Neem. The tree is a fairly close relative of the Neem tree.             Just like you said, it can be messy and the wood is brittle and can break easily in the wind. For these reasons, they do not last very long in landscapes.             The inside of any older tree is all dead wood. It is just the outside cylinder which is alive. Insects that tunnel or build homes in dead wood can cause damage to the tree if they get access to the inside. Wood rotting fungi however is seldom a problem since the wood resists decay. It is also a relative of teak and the wood is actually very pretty.             Boring insects feed on the living parts of the tree, not the dead parts. However insects such as termites and carpenter bees can utilize the dead wood inside the tree if they can get in there. If they do get in they can weaken the tree further where it will fail in strong winds.             I have never seen boring insects in this tree but I have seen Carpenter Bee damage to the interior dead wood. If you look closely I would suspect you’ll find large holes in the interior wood about the size of a nickel. This is a good sign Carpenter Bees were actively nesting in there.             You are probably better off replacing the tree with something else.

Chinaberry Damage Probably Carpenter Bee, Not Borers Read More »