Compost is very important to add before planting summer vegetables and herbs. Use it in place of fertilizers to feed trees and shrubs, improve the soil and growth. Add it to backfill 50/50 with soil dug from the hole for improved plant performance, rooting and growth. Don’t forget to mulch fruit trees after planting. Viragrow sale on compost ends in 10 days. Bulk and bagged. https://twitter.com/Viragrow/status/701075973534457857 http://www.viragrow.com/compost
Viragrow Delivers! : Growing Raspberries, Blueberries, Bananas, Papaya,…: Q. What soil and mix do you recommend for berry bushes like raspberries, blueberries and so forth. I am also planting some oranges and exo… Viragrow Delivers!
Viragrow Delivers! : Growing Raspberries, Blueberries, Bananas, Papaya,… Read More »
Q. I have a peach tree that has been in the ground one year. I was supposed to spray it with dormant oil spray before leafing out. Is copper fungicide okay for spraying in the spring? Want to avoid bad pesticides because of birds, good bugs, etc. A. There is a confusion out there concerning dormant sprays and dormant oil. Dormant sprays can be a number of different types of sprays. The name “Dormant Spray” is a trade name and tells me nothing about its contents. Dormant oils or horticultural oils help prevent insect pests in the coming growing season If I have the trade name (Dormant Spray) and the manufacturer then I can look it up and I will know exactly what it contains. There is no hard and fast rule that you can apply when you are talking about dormant sprays. However, dormant sprays are usually a traditional pesticide or combination of traditional pesticides that are sprayed during the winter or early spring. Sometimes they contain a fungicide that has copper in it and sometimes they contain an insecticide as well. They are not typically organic. Dormant oils, on the other hand, are very specific. They vary a little bit among manufacturers but not like dormant sprays. There is no reason for spraying a copper fungicide contained in the dormant spray if there are no problems to solve. However, dormant oils are very important to apply as a preventive measure for controlling some of the insects common on fruit trees. There is no reason for spraying copper fungicide now unless you have a good reason for it. Be sure you have a SPECIFIC reason for doing this before you do it. On a one year old peach tree I doubt it unless you have disease pressure from Coryneum blight/shothole fungus. If we have extended periods of wet weather or rain you might consider it after the rain has finished. But otherwise I would not do it.
Dormant Sprays or Dormant Oil? Read More »
Q. I have a very small back yard and a 20′ x 18″ planter against the back wall of our property that is now empty. We were thinking of espalier fruit trees in the space. My wife wants a Myers lemon and I like a peach or nectarine, pear, or even an apple. A. You can fit about three fruit trees on a trellis 20 feet long. They don’t have to be dwarf except for the apple. The easiest trees to trellis are those which produce fruit on spurs; most apples, pear, apricot, plum and pluot. Citrus will work if the location is in a warm microclimate during the winter and protected from the wind. Apple trellis to close to a century fence but not on the fence Nectarine can be difficult because it frequently requires a lot of spraying for Western flower thrips to prevent the scarring this insect causes to the fruit. Peach can be more difficult because it does not produce fruit in spurs. Purchase these trees at any local nursery or garden center but reference my list for the best varieties. You will find it on my blog or email me and I will send you a copy. Buy a small tree if you are going to trellis. The wires for trellising should not be against the wall but away from it at least a few inches so you can prune behind it. Trellis wires start at a height of about 18 inches from the ground and vertically spaced 18 inches apart. Everything growing towards the wall is pruned off. In the first year cut the top of the tree about 2 inches above the bottom wire. The growth closest to the cut is directed to the next wire above it. Two side branches are tied tightly to the bottom wire. Next year repeat this process at the second wire, then the third wire and finally the last wire. Once the tree occupies the entire trellis any branches growing above the top wire are removed. Branches growing away from the wall are cut back to three or 4 inches.
Small Area Will Fit Trellised Fruit Trees Read More »
Q. You had an article awhile back about trimming oleander down before spring. I have five in my backyard and have never done that. I am afraid to trim them down. Let me know because I am ready to fertilize. A. If oleanders are getting old and unsightly you have two choices if you want to improve their locks. You can cut them down to the ground leaving stubs about 3 to 4 inches above the soil and they will sucker and regrow from these stubs. This eliminates flowers early in the season but it will start flowering probably around July when it gets old enough. You can cut them back now. They grow back very quickly when it’s warm and they have plenty of water. The second option cuts back a few of the oldest and largest stems in the same way but leaves the smaller ones unpruned or only cut back with some of the foliage remaining. The advantage of the second way is that you don’t leave and open space and the remaining smaller stems will flower much earlier. Pruning them with a hedge shears in the spring and summer removes the future flowers and you’re faced with a green plant until it regrows and flowers. Fertilize them and water them after they are pruned. This is important if you want them to grow back quickly. Here are some places on my blog to check out http://xtremehorticulture.blogspot.com/2012/07/proper-way-to-prune-and-hedge-oleanders.html http://xtremehorticulture.blogspot.com/2014/08/best-time-for-pruning-oleander.html http://xtremehorticulture.blogspot.com/2015/12/when-and-how-to-prune-lantana-and.html
Cut Oleanders down Now Read More »
Q. I have a one-acre lot in east Las Vegas with large pine trees. One of the trees recently started dripping lots and lots of sap. Upon inspection, we found some horizontal lines of holes in the bark. Other areas the sap is just dripping from the natural seams of the bark. I looked online and it suggests a bird rather than a borer if the holes are in lines. Are there woodpeckers in Las Vegas? A. Yes, we have the yellow-bellied sapsucker here which is in the family of woodpeckers. They cause the kind of damage you are seeing and drill holes in horizontal lines which can drip sap. It looks a little bit like someone took a drill and drilled holes in the tree close together and in a straight line. There is not much you can do except to try to exclude these birds from the trunk which is difficult. The good news is that these trees can live many years with this type of damage from this bird if the tree is healthy and growing. Big pine trees use a lot of water so make sure yours is receiving enough water in the spring and summer months so that it will grow enough and recover from the damage. If damaged trees do not grow enough to recover from the bird damage then it can be a problem for the tree. Try looking here on my blog http://xtremehorticulture.blogspot.com/2011/08/someones-drilling-holes-in-my-trees.html http://xtremehorticulture.blogspot.com/2014/04/holes-in-trees-due-to-woodpecker.html http://xtremehorticulture.blogspot.com/2015/01/what-caused-holes-in-my-tree.html http://xtremehorticulture.blogspot.com/2015/01/time-of-year-for-holes-to-appear-in.html
Pine Tree Dripping Sap from Holes Read More »
Q. I have a lemon tree with the leaves eaten up by something. I have been spraying with soap and water weekly but I’ve not seen any improvement. Any ideas? A. I looked at the picture of the leaves you sent. Damage caused by critters is frequently characteristic to the feeder. The leaves are chewed from the tips and entire portions of the leaf are gone. Commonly we see root damage but this does not look like root weevil damage. Root weevil damage leaves a characteristic “notching” along the edge of the leaf. Rabbits can damage citrus but they usually eat the small twigs or branches and entire leaves. This damage usually extends only as high as they can reach. For cottontails it is about a foot. For jackrabbits it can be 2 ½ feet or more. Rabbits also damage the trunks if the trees are fairly young. It does not look like rabbit damage but I will not rule out rabbits. Look at where the damage is located on the tree and see if it extends to a certain height only which might point at rabbits. This damage resembles grasshopper damage to the leaves but I would not expect damage from grasshoppers this time of year because they are not active now. Perhaps this damage happened awhile back and you are just now seeing it. Soap and water sprays will not leave behind a toxic residue that kill pests. Soap and water sprays will only kill insects that you spray. Traditional pesticides like Sevin insecticide will leave behind a toxic residue. Try spraying with Sevin if the lemon tree is not in flower. The damage resembles the chewing from insects such as grasshoppers and Sevin insecticide should do the trick. Citrus leaves eaten diagnosis from University of California
Lemon Tree Leaves Eaten up Read More »
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Presidents Day Farm to Table Brunch in Moapa Read More »
Q. I have an ash tree which appears to be dying. I am considering taking it out but would like to have someone look at it before I do. A. The usual problem here with ash trees has been a disease called ash decline or ash dieback. I have posted questions I received regarding this problem on ash trees along with pictures of what it looks like and what to do if you have it. Ash decline Send some pictures to me of the tree showing the problem when you see the problem. I need close-ups of the leaves as well as a picture of the entire tree. Look at the pictures I have posted here or on my blog to confirm it. This disease is quite easy to identify from pictures. If you are certain the tree has this disease it should be removed. There is no cure for it. This email was confirmed as ash decline and the tree removed.
Don’t Confuse Leaf Drop with Ash Decline Read More »
Q. I have a small greenhouse I would like to heat at night to prevent the freezing of some seedlings. I am guessing I will only need heat for the month of February. I was thinking of a small space heater. A. It is much easier and more effective to provide bottom heat to warm seedlings than a space heater that only warms the air. Provide bottom heat by using waterproof heating mats beneath the seedling containers or trays. They are available locally from nurseries and garden centers. Many vegetables that grow during the summer months require warm soils for good germination. Seeds like tomatoes and peppers will fail or germinate very slowly if the soil is not warm. Years ago we would place seedling trays on top of the television or refrigerator where it is warm enough to complete or speed germination. As soon as they germinated, they would be placed in some light or directly under very bright lights. Drape plastic or a light blanket over the seedlings and heating mat at night and remove it during the day. Seedlings require 6 to 8 hours of full sunlight, or the same intensity from electrical lights, as soon as they germinate. Sunlight intensities or durations shorter than this will produce spindly transplants that will grow and transplant poorly. You don’t need expensive grow lights for growing transplants. Fluorescent lights or LEDs are fine but they must be placed within an inch of the leaves to produce enough intensity to support good plant growth. Be very careful when using incandescent bulbs, or lightbulbs, for growing seedlings. They produce a lot of heat and damage plants at distances close enough to produce enough light intensity. I leave electrical lights on about 16 hours each day when growing transplants.
Greenhouse Space Heaters Need Air Mixing Read More »