Q. I have two bay laurel trees planted in a narrow bed behind my swimming pool. They were planted there for about 7 years, and in the last couple of years, the leaves have developed brown borders and spots. There doesn’t seem to be excessive leaf drop, but the leaves don’t look healthy to me. Bay Laurel tree will be healthiest surrounded by woodchip mulch A. Sounds like an irrigation or soil issue if it’s affecting all the leaves on the tree.  Irrigation or Soil Problem I would guess it’s drought (not enough water) or the soil was kept too wet for a long period of time. Both give brown borders (scorch) to the leaves. My guess is that the trees need water applied to a larger area underneath their canopy. This will result in more water applied to that area.             Judging from the pictures you sent, this is not a true disease problem. Bay Laurel Planted from 24 Inch Box Add More Emitters for More Water             As trees get older and larger, their water requirement increases and the number of emitters placed under the canopy also must increase. By increasing the number of emitters under the tree, or increasing the size of emitters or both, provides more water during the same number of minutes. Don’t just increase the number of minutes on the controller. That results in all the irrigated plants getting more water. Bay Laurel can be pruned Don’t Water Too Often             A word of caution. If the soil is overly wet for weeks at a time, then it can cause the same look. When the soil is overly wet it causes root rot and the tree looks like it is not getting enough water (it’s not getting enough water because the roots rotted!). Leaves Tell You the Past             Whenever you look at old leaves, it tells you about its past problems. The new growth tells you how the tree is doing NOW! If you agree with me that it is probably a lack of water, flood the area under the trees with a sprinkler and look at the new growth in a couple of weeks. If the new growth looks strong, add more drip emitters under the tree canopies. After adding the emitters, refresh the top of the soil with a 3-inch layer of woodchips.

Q. I bought the trees and soils you recommended. I am curious if my Golden Lead Ball tree will produce “balls” this first year? Can you point out where to look on the branch, or is it obvious when it happens? A. Most likely it will not flower or “ball” for about six years, when it gets old enough. Many native desert trees like Golden Ball Lead Tree are like that. They are slow to flower but when they do start, it is perpetual every year. Yellow or Gold Balls Are Flowers             These “balls” are its flowers. All flowers are considered “modified leaves”. They always emerge from new growth and from the same places where leaves are formed. In some plants, the plant does not know if its new growth will become leaves or flowers until it figures out its status for that growing season. But these “balls” emerge from new leafy growth when its ready.             Early in its life is the time to start building a tree’s structure. You can do this with a couple of well-placed pruning cuts so the scaffold limbs originate at the right height and location.             Golden BallLead Tree is a very hardy small desert tree native to the Chihuahuan desert inareas of south Texas and northern Chihuahua (Mexico). Water it twice a week to about 18 inches deep to get them established. New growth is your signal that the tree is establishing. If you want to “push” its growth, then water deep once a week during the summer. If you want to slow it down, don’t water as often.             Established desert trees signal they need water when their leaf canopy starts to thin out. Water them 18 inches from the trunk to the edge of their canopy as they get bigger. Give them enough water to wet the roots to 18 inches deep. Watering them along with other trees in the landscape works for the first couple of years but they will grow very fast like that.

Q. I want to grow some desert flowering plants like Desert Marigold in my landscape. In the past, when I attempted to transplant them from seedlings, they did not make it. Is there a technique to transplanting or am I better off planting the seeds directly into the soil? Opuntia (nopal) cactus flower A. Once established, desert plants are difficult to move.  If you sow seed into the landscape, get them to grow and then try to move them to a new location, then that is probably why the died. It’s hard to harvest enough roots when moving desert plants to a new location. Start Wildflowers from Seed in Containers             You are better off starting plants from seed in containers and then moving them into the landscape once they have solid growth. Kind of the same as starting tomato or basil transplants from seed but without watering as often. If you do move them to a new location, take lots of roots with the plant and cut the top back to reduce its need for water!             Desert marigold is native to the Mojave Desert and can be grown from seed easily provided they are watered less often and the soil growing them doesn’t hold water. Wet or damp conditions kill new plants or the germinating seed. Spread twice as many seeds as you need on top of a well-draining, coarse gravelly or sandy soil in the spring and cover the seed lightly with a thin sheet of sand. Cactus soil works well.             Use small plastic or peat containers to start them but 8-ounce paper cups work as well provided you make sure they drain water easily. Don’t use rocks in the bottom of the cup but make sure there are holes that allow water to easily drain. Starting Wildflowers Seed in the Landscape             In the landscape, rake the seed lightly into the soil with a garden rake. Lightly apply a sand layer. After you’re done, water with a spray nozzle so the seed gets wet and the sandy sheet tucks them in. Then fight the urge to sprinkle them daily, or even every other day, until you see growth appear. Warning about Collecting Seed             Remember, don’t collect seed or plants from public lands. Secondly, get permission from landowners in writing when collecting seed or plants from privately owned land.

Q. I watched your pruning videos on YouTube and learned a lot! Is it possible to reduce the size of a standard sized apple tree to a dwarf size this way? “Dogleg” where scion was grafted to the rootstock about a year earlier A. Probably not. Standard sized apple trees may grow to 35 or 40 feet in height. You might be able to keep a standard sized tree under 20 feet tall (maybe 15 feet if you’re really aggressive) through pruning but I don’t think you will get it to eight feet tall which is what I aim for in pruning semi dwarf trees for backyards. I call the size of these fruit trees “ladder less”. The standard sized apple tree is just too vigorous for pruning to short heights. Dwarfing Rootstocks             Standard sized apple trees normally grow 30 to 40 feet tall. Buying these trees on semi dwarfing rootstocks will keep them smaller than this but it depends on which semi dwarfing rootstock the tree has been grafted onto. I have found that the M111 semi-dwarfing apple rootstock is probably the best semi-dwarfing apple rootstock for backyards in our climate.             Using this semi-dwarfing rootstock, I have been able to keep Pink Lady and Mutsu apples, for instance, pruned at eight feet through appropriate pruning methods. Apple trees grafted onto M111 rootstock will normally get to 80% of its mature height if left unpruned. Nursery Tags            Nursery tags on a fruit tree from Dave Wilson Nursery showing the rootstock (other color) and the scion (white tag) Nursery tags from Dave Wilson Nursery on a fruit tree of the rootstock and the scionrseries sell fruit trees with a tag that calls the tree a “semi dwarf” because most people don’t know the different kinds of semi dwarfing rootstocks. In our area an apple that is labeled as semi dwarf is most likely grafted on to M111 rootstock. There are online stores for fruit trees, such as Grow Organic and Bay Laurel, that specify the rootstock used and the most common semi-dwarfing rootstock available on apples for backyards in the Western US is M111.

Q. I have a 9-year old apricot tree that produced a bumper crop of delicious apricots each year.  However, this year there is an abundance of fruit set, but not many leaves. Unless the number of leaves increases significantly, I doubt if all the fruit will mature. I fertilized this apricot tree the last week of January using 10-15-15 fertilizer spikes as I do every year. Early apricots produce fruit first A. It is not uncommon for early apricots to set fruit first, followed shortly thereafter by leaf and shoot growth.  Apricot Flower Production Is Early The tree “invests” in its fruit production early by shoving stored food reserves into fruit production. You’re right. At some point the tree will not “invest” anymore and it will expect the leaves to start contributing. But that shouldn’t be for a few months.             Later in the year the apricot tree recovers its stored food investment plus more because of the new leaf growth combined with the presence of fertilizer in the soil. Fertilizer is applied just before growth starts happening. So, in mid-to-late January (very early Spring) is a good time to apply fertilizer. Look at Leaf Color             Over the next couple of weeks observe the new growth. Look at the color of the leaves and the strength of growth. Dark green leaves mean the nitrogen fertilizer is inside the leaves and ready to push new growth. If we experienced cool weather earlier, then growth is slow until it gets warmer and then the tree should grow like gangbusters! Nitrogen Produces Leaves and Stems             If you’re established tree is not putting on some new growth by April 1, apply a high nitrogen fertilizer around the tree such as 21-0-0 or a rich compost which does basically the same thing. Spread one bag of rich compost, or about 3 pounds of 21-0-0, in a circle around the tree 18 to 24 inches from the trunk. Water it a few inches deep into the soil by hand or sprinkler. It’s important not to apply fertilizer or rich compost too close to the trunk or it could cause the fruit to drop or damage the tree. Mulch Conserves Water             Secondly, spread a 3 to 4-inch layer of woodchips on the surface of the soil around the tree and out to at least the edge of its canopy. Keep woodchips away from the tree trunk a few inches to avoid inciting a disease called collar rot. This mulch layer helps keep moisture in the soil and enriches it as well. You should see the tree explode with new leaf growth in about a week or two.

Since most people are staying at home during these times and many are feverishly gardening now, you might want a raised bed or two at the Provident Garden Community Garden. Plots are $10 per month and ready to plant which includes your irrigation water. Members are avoiding contact with each other but still gardening! Many have not gone to the grocery stores in weeks! Provident Community Garden is located at 6001 W. Oakey, behind the Mountain View Church.  They have several 4′ x 8′ raised beds available.  The one time fee of $75 is currently being waived!  The only cost is $10/mo billed quarterly for maintenance which includes water. The Provident Community Garden is located near the cross streets of South Jones Blvd and West Oakey in Las Vegas. Contact me if you’re shy and I will forward your contact info. http://www.providentcommunitygarden.com/aboutus/

Q. I have mature Texas Privets that I neglected to prune back during the winter. They are now sprouting out new growth. If I trim them back now, will that prevent future new growth this year? Japanese privet, like the Japanese Blueberry, it comes from the great Japanese desert (joke). Avoid planting it here unless its on the cool side of a landscape AND the soil covered in woodchips. Always use compost when planting it. A. No, it won’t. You can prune now without any problems. What I worry about when it gets hot is sunburn. Now it’s not a problem. This is what it does when you plant it in rock after a few years. There is plenty of stored nutrition inside the larger stems for future growth. Japanese privets are versatile plants in the landscape and used either as small trees, shrubs or grown as a hedge. You didn’t say how you are using your plants. Privet used as a hedgerow (hedge) for privacy.             If you are using Japanese privet as a formal hedgerow then pruning with a hedge shears is appropriate. Pruning plants with a hedge shears is not appropriate for any other type of pruning.             Hedgerows are created by spacing plants slightly closer than their mature height. When pruning plants as a formal hedge, the top of the hedge should be pruned slightly narrower than the bottom of the hedge. Informal hedgerows are not pruned with a hedge shears but a hand shears, a.k.a. hand pruners. Informal pruning is best left to the commercial experts.             When pruning with a hand pruners or loppers, pruning cuts are made deep inside the plant canopy removing only a few of the larger stems to reestablish their size.

Q. I grow a lot of different plants in nursery containers in my yard. This past spring I found  three white grubs in the soil in one 5-gallon container! I also found them in the soil in my yard when planting new roses and trees. I’ve been manually picking them out and tossing them on the driveway for the birds to eat when I see them. Are they a threat to my flowers and veggies? Should I take any action against them? A. Finding large white grubs in the landscape where soil has been improved is normal during the spring months. However, finding a lot of white grubs in landscape soils is not a good thing because they can eat the smaller young roots of plants as well. Personally, I wouldn’t be overly worried if I found one white grub in a 5-gallon nursery container full of soil but three is excessive. I would take some action.             This is the immature grub of a scarab beetle, sometimes called a June beetle. When temperatures begin to warm they pupate in the soil and emerge in summer as a flying adult seeking the opposite sex and a place to lay its eggs if it’s female. Your landscape sounds like it’s a playground for these guys! Green metallic june beetles devouring Kadota fig             Probably one of the most frequent “June beetles” we see flying in the summer months is the metallic green June beetle. When flying out and about they love to eat white Kadota figs and just about any soft fruit that’s ripe! But we also see during summer months the brown June beetles as well which are another type of scarab beetle. Ten lined June beetle in the orchard another chafer or scarab beetle             Adult female beetles lay eggs in mid-summer. The female picks spots to lay her eggs where there’s plenty of food for her young to eat. She hones-in on soils that have been amended with compost since these young white grubs favor ripe or decaying organic plants mixed in the soil. Young tender roots of plants are mingled with decaying soil organics and they’ll feast on both. That’s the problem. Another June beetle picture sent to me by a reader             Traditional pesticides like Sevin insecticide applied to the area as a soil drench will easily kill these grubs if you lean in that direction. Sifting through the soil when you’re planting and handpicking them like you’re doing will get rid of most of them if you are organically inclined. Using Milky Spore bacterium for biocontrol only works if these white grubs are related to Japanese beetles. Most of our white grubs are not.             A preventive measure for future years is mixing beneficial nematodes into the soil that pursue various types of white grubs and not just the Japanese beetle. Your local garden center may carry beneficial nematodes, but they should be refrigerated when buying them. The best time to apply them is usually around August after egg laying has finished and the young grubs are starting to gain some size.             Beneficial nematodes should be kept in the dark and in the refrigerator until they are ready to be mixed in the soil. They will have directions for their use on their label.

Q. Is there any risk to my Chinaberry tree from the ivy that has grown exponentially through the canopy of this tree during the past few years?  It was kind of charming when there was just 4 or 5 feet of ivy on the trunk but now it looks a little too successful. Should I rip it off and if so, how? The Chinaberry tree is more important to me than the ivy, FYI. A. I looked at the pictures you sent to me and you’re right, the vine is an ivy. Probably English Ivy. Two things you should be thinking about with English Ivy growing in the Chinaberry is what kind of damage it can create for your Chinaberry and, secondly, how much shade it might produce if it gets a foothold throughout the tree canopy.             From the pictures it’s obvious to me that both plants are successful in that spot and it does look nice to have the ivy climbing on the tree. Congratulations.             Is that a single vine climbing that tree trunk or are there multiple vines? If there are multiple vines coming from the soil around the tree then pull the oldest one, or the one with the thickest stem, off the trunk. Cut it two or 3 inches above the soil. This will cause the vine to grow multiple shoots up the trunk and keep it young.             When you pull English Ivy from anything, it leaves woody aerial roots behind still attached where the vine was attached to the tree. That’s normal for Ivy and it’s one of its problems when it’s allowed to climb things. But the new growth of the young vines will cover anything unsightly left behind on the trunk when it’s pulled off.             If the vine is starting to climb inside the canopy of the tree,  prune this growth back to the largest limbs or the trunk. You don’t want the vine growing inside the canopy and smothering the tree. That will happen as you suspected. You might have to carefully prune it back two or three times a year to keep it under control.             If there is only a single vine climbing the trunk of the tree, then I would cut the single vine two or 3 inches above the soil and allow it to regrow up the trunk from several locations rather than just one. After it climbs the trunk you can pull off a larger vine like I described earlier and still allow others to grow on the trunk.

Q. I have an 8-foot x 8-foot raised bed garden about 3 feet deep. I used a soil mix with a rich compost about three years ago. I added rock dust and steer manure to the soil over the last two years. I would like to test it now before adding anything more. Are there any local soil testing laboratories I can use? A. There are at least two Las Vegas soil testing laboratories that can do this kind of work, but they specialize mostly in soils for construction and environmental protection. http://geoscience.unlv.edu/ESAL/ESAL.html https://www.ssalabs.com/services/ Las Vegas is not an agricultural community. I think the local laboratory is more expensive compared to existing agricultural soil testing laboratories and you must specify with them what you need done. Plus they have a minimum numbers of samples that must be submitted for the quoted price. It would be a good idea to do some comparison shopping.             When shopping for a soil testing service, know what you want done. They analyze a soil for its structural and chemical properties. For a small fee they include a computer-generated response about results, how to correct the soil if there are problems and what to add to it if it’s lacking something. I would recommend getting it.             Select a soil testing service that does a lot of desert agricultural soil testing. Selecting an agricultural soil testing service in Florida for instance may not give you desert appropriate feedback. I am comfortable with soil tests from A and L Agricultural Soil Testing Laboratory in Modesto California, IAS or Motzz Laboratories in Phoenix and Waypoint Analytical in Los Angeles. I’m sure there are others as well. Any of them would provide good information.             Some people may cringe when I say this but if you are careful and have analytical skills, the home soil testing kits are not bad and give you a rough approximation of nutrients and the chemistry of your soil.             My last piece of advice when taking and submitting a soil sample is, “garbage in – garbage out”. You must sample the soil from several random locations in your raised bed and mix them together. Use extremely clean tools and soil sampling containers. Sample the soil to a depth you know is actively supplying plants with nutrients. In your case, if you’re growing vegetables and herbs I would sample to 12 inches deep only.