Xtremehorticulture

Xtremehorticulture of the Desert

Prune Larger Shade Trees to Save Water and Be a Good Neighbor

Leave a Comment / African sumac, fruit trees, how to prune, pruning large limb, removing large limbs /

 Q. I have a 20-year-old African sumac nearly 30 feet tall which provides great shade in my backyard. It needs another pruning when it cools off. I did a major cutback last fall at the request of my neighbor because of leaf drop. Any suggestions on how best to do so and keep the shade and cooler temperatures it provides? Drop crotching an African Sumac that is too tall will save water. A. Two things you need to know if you are doing this yourself; drop crotching and how to do a 1-2-3 pruning cut. Stand away from the tree so that you can see all of it. Identify the limbs giving you the problems. Trace the limbs back to a lower crotch. A crotch is where at least two limbs come together. This is where the pruning cuts and lowering will be done. In a 1-2-3 cut the first cut is made 12 inches from the tree trunk and upward to prevent a large limb from pulling the bark from the trunk Make a 1-2-3 Pruning Cut During cooler weather remove the limbs that are offensive. Use a 1-2-3 cut to avoid stripping the bark from the tree. A 1-2-3 cut is done first by making an undercut six inches from a limb to about 1/3 of its diameter. The second cut is made outside of the first cut. Attached bark may strip down to the undercut, or first cut, so the falling limb will not tear the remaining limb and tree trunk. This is why the undercut is made first. A third cut is used to finally remove the remaining stub. It is a finished cut. The third cut is the smallest cut made that removes most of the stub remaining so the cut heals faster. If you have never done it, for safety reasons and a better-looking tree, hire a certified Arborist to make these pruning cuts so that it will make the tree smaller and keep it beautiful. Part of your payment is for decisions that result in a prettier tree than you could have done.

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Water Every Day and Still Not Enough

Leave a Comment / African sumac, watering newly planted trees /

Q. I put four African sumac trees in our backyard last September. I am watering them now every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday for 20 minutes. About two weeks ago the leaves turned brown and fell off. If this continues will the tree lose all its leaves? A. You can be watering newly planted trees and they can be suffering from drought at the same time. Container and boxed trees are grown in soils that are totally different from the soils in the landscape. Container soils are looser and lighter than landscape soils. When these trees are planted, the soil is pushed in around the root ball and, if you are lucky, the plants are watered in twice with a hose. A basin is placed around the trees so they can be given additional water until they are established. Irrigation emitters are sometimes placed too far from the trunk and the water from the emitters wets the landscape soil but it does not move into the root ball because the soils are totally different from each other. How to correct this? Always, always, always water newly planted trees and shrubs with water from a hose directed on top of the soil and at the base of the tree. Never, never, never rely on an irrigation system by itself to deliver the water where it is needed after an installation. Hand water with a hose twice a week. Supplement the water from the hose with your irrigation system on the same days you water by hand. Select your irrigation days and give the plants a rest (no applied water) for one or two days between irrigations.

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Why Does My Sumac Have Yellowing and Dying Branches?

5 Comments / African sumac, Leaf drop in African sumac, leaf yellowing /

Q. I have a 20-year-old sumac tree that has developed yellow leaves in several areas. There has been no change in watering or the soil. What is causing this and how can we treat it. Branches dying in the bottom of the canopy of sumac. This may be due to too much shade. If not, it definitely contributed to the problem. A. If the yellowing or browning of the leaves is occurring in shaded areas it might be because there is not enough light reaching the leaves. If the canopy is dense and creates too much shade then leaves and stems in these heavily shaded areas will die. When the leaves are first dying they turn yellow and finally brown when they are dead.             Try removing some limbs on the tree to allow more light to penetrate inside the canopy. The problem is that African sumac responds very well to pruning with new growth and limb removal might have to be done regularly. Regrowth or watersprouts coming from a large African sumac limb after removal.             Do not remove too many limbs but allow the entry of filtered light inside the canopy.             An easy way to see if enough light is entering the canopy is to look at the ground. If the ground beneath the tree is a solid shadow, not enough light is entering the canopy. It should be pixelated. Some limbs should be removed until the light on the ground is “speckled”.             You can do this pruning any time of the year and do not have to wait for winter. I would focus on removing limbs around 1 inch in diameter and no larger unless the tree needs major pruning work done. Do major pruning only in the winter months.             African sumac does not have very many diseases so I have ruled out the possibility of disease. At least in our desert climate.. It has a few insect problems but nothing serious except aphids which leaves a sticky or shiny appearance on the leaf surface.             Aphids would be a problem in the spring and fall months. Heavy feeding by aphids could cause yellowing of leaves as well but they will be sticky. They can usually be removed with soap and water sprays.

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Sneezing Might Be Due to African Sumac

Leave a Comment / African sumac, allergies, ash, Las Vegas, mulberry, pine /

Ash trees are starting to bloom now as well. I have noticed that African Sumac has been flowering and is still flowering now. If you have been sneezing over the past couple of weeks, this could be the problem. Ash trees are starting to bloom now as well. Flowers of African Sumac I know you could say fruit trees, flowering plum, ornamental pear are flowering too but usually plants with brightly colored flowers do not contribute much to allergy problems. Flowers of ash. Coming up very soon are mulberries, pine and canary island date palms for allergy sufferers.

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