Xtremehorticulture

How Can I Get Tomatoes Bigger?

Q. I have a tomato garden 4 ft x8 ft x 1 foot deep. Every year I put three new plants of Early Girl, Champion, and Roma varieties of tomato in this bed. I redo the soil every year and plants get very big with lots of flowers and tomatoes. My tomatoes only get about 2 inches in diameter. What am I doing wrong? Tomatoes produced in the Mojave Desert including Celebrity and Beefmaster A. All three varieties of tomatoes are solid producers for the desert. Other varieties that should perform well for you include Patio, Jet Star, most of the smaller cherry and grape tomatoes. None of these varieties are “beefsteak” type tomatoes but smaller in size and have been solid performers here for many years.             Small fruit is not necessarily a bad thing. Smaller fruit are frequently more intensely flavored than larger fruit coming from the same variety. However, we are conditioned to think that bigger is better. Celebrity tomato in a winter garden Water             Provide enough water so that plants are not stressed. Water is an extremely important, limiting factor when it comes to fruit size. If plants are water stressed when fruit is gaining size, the result will be smaller fruit.             Schedule watering before the heat of the day begins. Soil moisture monitoring is important but what can be more important is the use of mulch on the soil surface when air temperatures reach about 80° F.             The soil should stay evenly moist and not widely fluctuate between excessively dry and sopping wet. Surface mulch helps do this. It doesn’t have to be thick. ½ inch covering the soil is deep enough, like dusting with powdered sugar. Renew it as soon as you see the soil surface again.             Straw is recommended a lot. I don’t like it much because it’s hard to work into the soil at the end of the growing season and it’s no longer inexpensive. I like things that dissolve easily into the soil like shredded newspaper, rice hulls, pine shavings used for animal bedding, etc. Yes, these types of mulches can rob the soil of nitrogen but if you’re constantly feeding your vegetables it won’t make any difference. Pepper growing in 5 gallon nursery container with surface mulch of animal bedding (pine shavings) Soil Improvement             Encourage deeper rooting through soil improvement. Make sure the soil is amended, biologically active and easy to work before planting. A good quality compost mixed in the upper 8 inches goes a long way toward better rooting. A garden trowel should slip easily into a properly amended soil. Soil Pro Compost from Viragrow Fertilizers             Fertilizers improve fruit production. Use a pre-plant, high phosphorus fertilizer when planting. One phosphorus application at the beginning of the growing season is enough to boost flowering and fruiting.             Don’t forget the easily forgotten last number on the bag, potassium. Potassium has never been linked to fruiting but is very important in general health and well-being.             Apply light, monthly applications of nitrogen to the soil to keep plant performance at its peak.             This has nothing to do with the size of the fruit. You have to start rotating your tomatoes into new growing spots or you’re going to have problems. Please read about rotating vegetable crops.

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Is Ironite Safe to Use for Vegetable Gardens?

Q. Is Ironite safe to use in a vegetable garden? I have read somewhere that it’s not, but the label says you can use it. The Ironite sold years ago is not the same product as it is now.  A. The current Ironite products are totally different from the original Ironite product but carry the same name. Ironite was, and still is, a soil amendment/fertilizer used for correcting yellowing plants growing in alkaline soil. The original Ironite product did two things; it lowered the soil pH and added iron to the soil. It created a very good name for itself in the landscape and golf industry.             The original Ironite product came from recycled mine tailings. These tailings also contained heavy metals; lead and arsenic being the two that got Ironite into trouble. There was a long controversy regarding whether the lead and arsenic were problematic for food crops.             The Ironite label was changed to exclude applications to food crops to circumvent this problem. The old product came to an end when the mine supplying tailings used by Ironite was declared an EPA Superfund site in about 2005 and closed.             Ironite is now owned by Central Garden & Pet Company, through its subsidiary, Pennington. It is a totally different product from the Superfund site days but carries the same name. Because of its industry reputation, a line of products carrying the Ironite name has evolved.             So, in a nutshell, Ironite is not the same product as it was years ago. The Environmental Protection Agency allows the label to include application to food crops. Original article from Dallas Morning News on Ironite from the Dirt Doctor EPA Superfund Site Iron King Mine

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Repotting Orchids

Q. My phalaenopsis orchid has outgrown its pot. I’ve been told not to replant while its blooming. The problem is that it has never stopped blooming. It has had blossoms continuously for two years and doesn’t show any signs of stopping. What should I do? In orchid growing in Hawaii for cutting and commercial sale A.A crowded pot can be one of the reasons why it’s blooming so frequently. Congratulations! Moving it to a larger pot may slow down it’s flowering until the roots gets crowded again.Remember that these plants are epiphytes and grow on the surface of trees and deadwood in tropical climates. There flowering is timed very closely with rain. When there is rain or fog or high humidity, they flower, I would cut off the flowers and repot it. Sounds like to me it’s more about “bragging rights” than really a problem.:-) We should control the plant and have it respond us rather than the other way around. Otherwise the plant controls us Make sure that when you repot it you don’t use any soil. Crushed bark and some coconut coir is all that you need. I am guessing you have on a regular regime of spraying it with fertilizer and misting it.Keep up the good work!

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Eight Year Weed Problem Identified

Q. For 8 years I have tried killing these weeds, they won’t die with commercial strength weed killers. In.the last 5 years, I have hired 3 different la escape companies. Each has claimed they can kill them. No success. I finally had a landscape company remove all of my beautiful plants. Any ideas? We problem that won’t die. A. Judging from the seed heads I saw in the picture this is common Bermudagrass. Some people call it devils grass. A single application of a weed killer will not be enough. It will laugh you.If you try to dig it up or rototill it… hahahahahaha… You have just propagated it in multiple other locations. You can guess why to get this under control takes a lot of perseverance and repeat spraying about two weeks apart. Spray it, kill it to the soil. Let it regrow 45 inches then kill it again. You have to do this for a five times in a row to get any kind of control. Roundup concentrate at a 2% solution (2 ounces per gallon) will kill it back. When it regrow is a few inches, kill it again to the ground. Do this over and over and you’ll begin to exhaust the roots. This is the only way to get any control of this weed.  If it’s growing close to plants that you are afraid be damaged, use a produt called Fusilade In the same way. Yes, it does want to take over the earth where there is water.

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Branch Die Back in Fantex Ash Tree

Q. I have three fantex ash trees. Every spring there are branches that don’t seem to bounce back from winter. They sometimes get the tufts like they are going to get leaves but never do. This winter was unusual and this year it seems I have more partial branches (my guess is last years growth portion) that have no leaves. Do I cut these off or not worry about them? My largest tree of the three could be a runner up for the game of thrones throne….ok not that spiky but worse than I’ve seen it and it’s close to being above my two-story house. REALLY don’t want to lose that tree. No pictures submitted A. The it’s a little difficult to say without seeing what’s going on but I lean towards a disease that we’ve had problems with an ash trees over the past 30 years in the Las Vegas Valley called ash decline. I am assuming that these leafless branches are dry and brittle.  It is a slow, progressive disease that kills more and more in the canopy year after year. The trees struggle and don’t have a lot of new growth. It doesn’t seem to matter what you do to the tree, once they get this disease they eventually die over time. I have tried adding more water, more fertilizer and it doesn’t seem to make any difference.  Personally, I have noted that trees growing in rock landscapes seem to be coming down with this disease problem sooner than trees not going in rock landscapes. Eventually you’ll have to remove it and plant something else in its place. Ash decline   Same tree. Ash decline. Same tree, the trunk. This ash tree was growing in a lawn. You can look at some of my posts on ash decline https://xtremehorticulture.blogspot.com/2018/01/dieback-of-mature-fan-tex-ash.html https://xtremehorticulture.blogspot.com/2017/10/limbs-dying-in-20-year-old-arizona-ash.html https://xtremehorticulture.blogspot.com/2015/06/ash-dieback-or-ash-decline-they-both.html

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Selecting Trees to Reduce the Electric Bill

Q. I just stumbled by your blog and it is very informative! I am trying to get my front and backyard landscaped, and I live in the southwest area of Las Vegas. I want to add a tree in my front yard to provide shade as well as a privacy screen, since our backyard wall is pretty low. I would prefer to get a tree that doesn’t litter so much, since I live in a community that has HoA, however I’ve read that deciduous trees would be best since it will help with cooling during summer and heating my home during winter. My front yard faces west, and it has a space of 17 feet across, so a medium size tree would be ideal. So, I’m not so sure what to choose, given all this information! A. You want to shade the wall or walls of the home, not the roof. Size depends on the height of the home. Single story homes should have trees that are below 20ft or so. At 17 ft you could get two trees on that side if they are smaller trees. Shading the West and South walls is important for energy conservation and comfort. Plant them a distance of half their mature height from the wall. You can plant closer to the wall than this but it will take some pruning as they get larger to keep them from growing into the walls. If two trees are used then thwy can be put a little closer together than half their mature height. Two story homes should have 35 ft. smaller trees use less water than larger trees. Personally, I like the smaller trees more since they will get shade on the house faster. I don’t like to recommend plants so I will forward this to Andrea Meckley since she LOVES to make plant recommendations and is a Certified Horticulturist,with the American Society For Horticultural Science where I am an Associate Editor. Join my landscape design for the desert class starting July 7, 2018. It is a multiweek class and you will finish your own personalized landscape design under my guidance and learn how to install it. Bob Morris’ landscape design class Evergreen or deciduous is up to you.  Some people like leaves on trees all year (evergreen) and some like the “seasonal” look.  You mentioned low debris, so you may want to stay with an evergreen so you do not have fall leaves.  For an evergreen small to medium size tree in full afternoon sun with a west exposure I suggest you look at Mastic Tree (Pistache lentiscus) (15’w x 20′ h), or Xylosma (Xylosma congestum) maturing at around 15’w x 12′ h. Another couple of evergreen choices are Sweet Acacia (Acicia farnesciana)a hardy tree maturing around 20′ x 20′ andBay Laurel (Laurel nobilis) trees also stay small maturing around 12′ x 12′. For a deciduous (loses leaves in winter) tree look at Desert Willow (Chilopsis linearis) and hybrids with different color flowers maturing around 25’h x 20’w. Plant info and pictures of trees can be found at snwa.com. Another excellent resources to get more info on with different characteristics of plants is the ‘Regional Plant List’ by the Southern Nevada Regional Planning Coalition which can be found at https://wrrc.arizona.edu/sites/wrrc.arizona.edu/files/SNRPC_Regional%20Plant%20List.pdf.  Very informative. Hope this information helps.  Feel free to contact me with further questions or comments. Andrea Meckley Certified Horticulturist [email protected]

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Sapsucker Damage on Australian Bottle Tree

Q. I have a 5 year old Australian bottle tree that has a large canopy.  The canopy has very yellow leaves and I have found on  the trunk  about ¼ inch holes in the trunk. There are quite a few holes but I have not counted all of them. I don’t want to lose my tree. Can you tell me what is wrong with it?  No picture was submitted of the tree damage. A. This is probably sapsucker damage. They are in the family of woodpeckers.They are migratory in the Las Vegas Valley and probably overwinter mostly in northern Mexico. So you see this kind of damage on preferred trees twice a year. https://www.uaex.edu/publications/pdf/FSA-7561.pdf Sapsucker damage on Tipu. Sapsucker damage to Southern Live Oak Sapsucker damage to blue ghost eucalyptus For more information and some suggested control measures visit my blog at these locations. http://xtremehorticulture.blogspot.com/2011/08/someones-drilling-holes-in-my-trees.html http://xtremehorticulture.blogspot.com/2015/12/holes-in-trees.html

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Grape Leaf Skeletonizers Spotted in Summerlin

May 1 Grape leaf skeletonizer flying now in the Summerlin area. I would apply Spinosad instead of Bt since it will reduce the leafhopper population as well. They are about three weeks late. Spray leaf undersides and top. Repeat in three to four weeks. http://xtremehorticulture.blogspot.com/2015/04/leafhoppers-hornworm-and-skeletonizer.html http://xtremehorticulture.blogspot.com/2016/04/grapeleaf-skeletonizer-reported-flying.html http://xtremehorticulture.blogspot.com/2015/07/q_23.html http://xtremehorticulture.blogspot.com/2015/11/clean-up-debris-to-reduce-skeletonizer.html

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Multiple Reasons for Spring Yellow Leaves

Q. My Asian pears look sickly again this year with yellow leaves. Last year after their planted the new growth was yellow and again it’s happening this year. New growth on Asian pear is light colored or yellow. This can be for many reasons. A. There are several possibilities why plants have yellow leaves when they’re young. Some plants have light colored leaves when they are young and get darker as they get older. If this is the case, don’t worry about it.  Chojiro Asian pear growing in the Las Vegas Valley in the Eastern Mojave Desert. Planted too deep The first is rather simple. Their planted too deep. Fruit trees must be planted the same depth they were when growing in the nursery. Those fruit trees that are grafted or budded must have the dogleg above ground.             If the hole is dug too deeply and the soil is amended, it’s possible the tree will sink deeper after it’s planted and soil will fall around its trunk. Wet soil around the trunk can rot it. This is the reason it is best not to dig the hole deeper than is needed for the roots unless there is a drainage problem. This pomegranate was planted in a depression in a lawn. Are the roots staying too wet? No way to know until you check the soil  and see how wet it is just before the next irrigation. Soil doesnt drain water  The first sign there is wet soil around the trunk and it’s starting to rot are yellow leaves. If not corrected, it can kill the tree. If the bud union is below the soil, water can rot the union and it will die. In milder climates the top part of the tree can grow roots and you will lose the benefit of the rootstock. This is an apple tree growing in an orchard in the mountains of Lebanon on terraces. The soil was kept too wet near the trunk the tree developed collar rot. Borers Another reason for yellow leaves are borers. You would think that trees coming from a nursery wouldn’t have insect problems but they do. After supervising the planting of hundreds of fruit trees, I would estimate there are borers in two out of every 100. Trees most susceptible include peach, nectarine and apple. Others are also susceptible but less so in my experience. Borers in ornamental plum             Water drainage through the soil can also be a problem. If watering too often and the roots stay wet, they will begin to rot. Rotting roots decrease the plants health and this shows up as yellow leaves in the top. Check the soil moisture and make sure the soil is not watered daily. Soil improvement             Sometimes the soil is not improved enough at the time of planting. I like to see about 50% of the volume of the soil used for planting amended with compost if this is desert soil. Less compost is needed in other soils but it’s still a good idea.             Compost improves water drainage through the soil but it also helps the soil hold water. I know it sounds crazy but the soil structure where air is contained is improved while also the channels for draining water are improved at the same time. It is either drainage/water problem, planted too deep, borers or lack of fertilizer. If this lack of color continues, spray the leaves with a liquid fertilizer spray.  Mixing a liquid fertilizer and spraying the leaves. Use either a Fertilome, Grow More or even Miracle Grow product with high nitrogen. A lawn-type fertilizer would be good for young trees. You will need: Distilled water (tap water in Las Vegas is pretty bad quality) Water soluble fertilizer Use liquid spreader (baby soap or Castile soap liquid or  EZ wet from Viragrow) to help fertilizer get inside the leaves and. Add what it recommends on the label or ½ tbs per gallon. Steps Add water to the sprayer so it is half full Add water soluble fertilizer at rate on label. Finish adding water to the spray so that it mixes all well. Add spreader (EZ Wet) to the mix and stir. Spray leaves to runoff, top and bottom. You should see a change in leaf color in 48 hrs

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Learn the “Browns” and “Greens” of Composting

Q. When composting, we are told to mix “browns” and “greens” together for a good balance of carbon from the “browns” and nitrogen from the “greens”. I am puzzled. All living things have both until they are composted. To me, the browns add fluffy aeration to the soil while the greens clump together in the compost pile. Is it possible that the mix of browns and greens is as much for texture as it is for carbons and nitrogen? A. This is a huge question that requires a lot more space than this column permits. Compost is used as an amendment for soils for two reasons; because it can positively change the chemistry and structure of soil. I will try to answer it more completely in my blog. Composts applied to soilsboth chemically and physically alter it.Most compost have an acid reaction and lower the soil pH. It adds nutrients to the soil. The type of nutrients it adds depends on what was used to make it. A wide variety of “brown” and “green” will give it a wide variety of nutrients. Composting with wood products that have been industrialized with chemicals such as fire retardants, paints, preservatives will end up in the compost made. Garbage in, garbage out.             Browns and Greens The terms “browns” and ‘greens” are a simplification for the average person to make it easier to choose the correct plant ingredients when making compost. Dry wood, or sawdust made from wood is about 50% carbon by weight. The amount of nitrogen in sawdust is about 400 – 500 times less than the carbon. So, the carbon to nitrogen ratio of sawdust is about 400 – 500 carbons for every single nitrogen (brown).             A good compost should have only 40 carbons or less for every nitrogen or less. Extra nitrogen must be added to this sawdust from “green”. It just so happens that food waste (greens) has about 20 carbons for each nitrogen. This is about the same as coffee grounds, which happens to be “brown”. The “brown and green” rule doesn’t always work! Some composts are very rich (less than 20 carbons to one nitrogen) while others are not. Those very rich composts can also be used as a source of fertilizer for plants. They can’t be marked as a fertilizer because the fertilizer content is not the same with every batch of compost. There are fertilizer laws in every state in the US. To be called a fertilizer, the amount of nutrients in each sack or volume must be consistent.This is the reason composts cannot be called fertilizers.            Using Fertilizers As a Greens Substitute Another option is to add nitrogen to the carbon or “browns” with nitrogen fertilizer such as 21-0-0 or 46-0-0. A much smaller volume of fertilizer is needed than “greens”. This may not sit very well with some people such as the “organic crowd”. The plant doesn’t care where the nitrogen comes from but there are potential contaminants in mineral fertilizer products. Ornamental trees and shrubs that constitute “green waste” may be sprayed with pesticides. Sometimes it is impossible to know.             Animal Manure            Many composts use farm animal manure, rich in nitrogen, in combination with wood or paper products rich in carbon. Farm animal manures can be as low as 12 carbons for each nitrogen. Human manure can be as low as 6 carbons for each nitrogen. On top of that, animal manures are easier to collect and transport for composting.             When “browns” and “greens” are mixed together in the right proportion, voilà. The compost has the magical carbon to nitrogen ratio less than 40:1. I usually aim for a carbon to nitrogen ratio close to 20:1. Best to Carbon to Nitrogen Ratio             Finished compost with a ratio of carbons to nitrogen of 40 (C:N = 40) has a small amount of nitrogen to give to plants. Compost with C:N = 20 has much more nitrogen to provide and can act similar to a fertilizer when applied to the soil near plants. But carbon and nitrogen aren’t the only “fertilizers” supplied by compost. The composting process releases all the nutrients contained in the ingredients. What goes in, must come out.             So much for the chemistry. Compost also changes the structure of a soil. It acts very similar to peat moss and coir, making it more “fluffy”, while providing many more nutrients to the plants. I recommend the following: •           Learn how to estimate the C:N ratios and use it as a guideline about how much nitrogen to add to a compost •           Use a variety of feedstocks for composting since plants have a range of nutrients locked inside them •           Garbage in, garbage out. You cant make quality compost by adding feedstocks loaded with contaminants. •           I don’t agree about not composting animal carcasses or animal by-products. It can be done. On farm composting of dead animals is a common practice. But it must be done correctly.

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