Xtremehorticulture

Xtremehorticulture of the Desert

Orange Tree Leaves Losing Green Color (Yellowing) With Green Veins

Leave a Comment / citrus, iron chlorosis, poor color, sick, yellowing /

Q. I have 9 orange trees on my property and pamper them like my “kids”.  One of them (perhaps two) is losing the green color in the leaves although the veins are staying green in color.  I would like to send you a couple of leaves for your inspection as I have tried to trouble shoot the problem using the computer and pictures. A local nursery disagrees with my request for manganese sulfate to resolve the problem. Would you send me an address so that I can send a few leaves for your inspection and suggestions? A. A picture of the leaves will work just as well as sending me a sample. I will be out of the country and so samples will probably not reach me.             Nine times out of 10 a yellowing leaf with green veins, particularly if it is the newer growth at the ends of the branches, is iron chlorosis and not typically manganese or zinc. The manganese sulfate would be used for a manganese deficiency or you could use a manganese chelate.             You can sometimes take an iron solution with a few drops of Ivory liquid detergent and, making sure the iron solution is slightly acidic with a little bit of vinegar, dip the leaves in the solution for a few minutes. You should see a color change in the leaves in about 24 hours or less.             Otherwise you can take some liquid iron chelate with a little bit of detergent like Ivory liquid and spray the leaves three or four times over a period of a couple of days. This will also turn them a darker green if it is iron.             If it is something other than iron, it won’t do anything. Then go ahead and try your manganese application.             If this color change occurred during the winter it is possible it could be cold damage. This appears more like a bronzing of the leaves rather than yellowing. I hope this helps.

Orange Tree Leaves Losing Green Color (Yellowing) With Green Veins Read More »

Growing Fruit Trees in Containers and Transplanting Into the Ground

1 Comment / apricot, citrus, container, container trees, pluot, pomegranate /

Q. I would like to plant some trees in containers until I can plant them in my yard in a few years. Can they stay in containers if I’m careful with them?  I’m thinking about apricot, pluot, orange and maybe a pomegranate. A. If you have purchased these in containers you will probably not want to keep them in the same container more than perhaps that single growing season if you plan to plant them in the yard. Generally speaking, if you plan to replant them then they should be moved into progressively larger containers or the roots will be permanently damaged. Eventually, the containers you’ll need will have to be large, whiskey barrel-sized or larger. 15 year old Gold Kist apricot at the orchard with minor pruning for size control             Once these trees start to get bigger they will transplant into the yard with more and more difficulty. This just means they are more likely to suffer from transplant shock and recover from this shock more slowly when moved. I would recommend that if you want fruit trees in containers then keep them in the container permanently. When you are ready to plant in the yard then purchase trees specifically for the yard.              Of the group you mention, citrus is probably the best choice for a container. Try to locate a citrus on a dwarfing type of trifoliate orange rootstock. Trifoliate orange rootstock is very cold tolerant which you will need in our climate unless you can protect the plant from freezing temperatures. There are a few selections of trifoliate orange rootstock that are more dwarfing than others. Focus on these if you can find them.             My next choice for a container might be one of the smaller pomegranates like the variety ‘Sweet’ which would be a better choice for containers as opposed to ‘Wonderful’. The fruit is excellent, as good as or better than ‘Wonderful’. Read about Sweet pomegranate at Dave Wilson Nursery             If you select an apricot then I would pick one of the miniatures like ‘Pixie-Cot’ or a standard sized tree like ‘Gold Kist’ which tends to stay smaller when on Nemaguard rootstock at least. Read about Pixie cot and Gold Kist at Dave Wilson Nursery             Among the pluots for a container I would probably pick ‘Flavor King’ which stays naturally smaller than some of the other pluots but it will need a pollenizer tree such as ‘Santa Rosa’ plum. Read about Flavor King pluot at Dave Wilson Nursery             Don’t expect these trees to be long-lived if you keep them in containers. I hope this helps.

Growing Fruit Trees in Containers and Transplanting Into the Ground Read More »

Tom Spellman to Speak at Orchard 2 PM Thursday Feb 16 2012

Leave a Comment / citrus, class, desert, new introductions, Zaiger Genetics /

Tom Spellman from Dave Wilson Nursery If you are interested in fruit trees and hearing from true experts on the subject I would invite you to come out to the UNCE Orchard on Thursday afternoon at 2PM on February 16 to hear Tom Spellman from Dave Wilson Nursery. He will tour the orchard and talk about new fruit tree introductions from Zaiger Genetics. There is no fee. This only happens once a year and the first time I have offered this opportunity to the public. Tom is a true expert on citrus as well.

Tom Spellman to Speak at Orchard 2 PM Thursday Feb 16 2012 Read More »

When to Transplant Fruit Trees?

Leave a Comment / citrus, desert, fruit trees, grapefruit, planting, time of year /

Q. With this unusually mild LV winter, when is the best time to transplant dwarf grapefruit trees? A. By transplant I take it to mean you are moving a grapefruit from one location to another location. Planting or transplanting can be done now. You will have more success if the tree has not been in the ground more than three years. You will have even more success if the tree has been watered by drip irrigation in a fairly small basin or area next to the tree. You will have even more success if the tree was root pruned last fall around mid to late September. Roots of M111 on 12 yo Anna apple. We remove fruit trees from the orchard as we learn about them and then move on to those varieties we have not explored. Root systems can get large quickly and make it no longer feasible to relocate older fruit trees to new areas after about three years in the ground             Root pruning just means you went around the entire tree with a shovel and severed the roots in the approximate location where you are planning to dig and transport it. Given all that, prepare your hole for planting first before you move the tree. Dig deep enough to accommodate the root ball but not much deeper.             It is more important to dig it wide than it is to dig it deep. Get your soil amended and add some phosphorus to the soil. Move your tree as quickly as possible to its new location and try to orient it in a similar orientation, north to south, as it was in the old location.             Backfill around the tree. During planting, run a hose in the hole at the same time you backfill to remove air pockets. Drive a stake next to the tree and into the bottom of the hole into solid ground. This stake will immobilize the roots if tied to the tree tightly.             I usually use rebar pounded into the soil next to the tree after it has been planted. I wrap the tree and rebar together with green nursery tape to immobilize roots. This leaves the top to move in the wind.             The trees should be planted the same depth as it was when it was removed from the soil. No deeper and no shallower. If you have rabbits, protect it with one inch chicken wire after planting. Mulch the soil around the tree with wood mulch keeping the mulch away from the trunk a foot. After one season of growth, remove the stake.

When to Transplant Fruit Trees? Read More »

Lemon Can Get By On Few Hours of Sun During Winter But Not Other Times of Year

Leave a Comment / citrus, eureka lemon, Las Vegas, Myers lemon /

Q. I have a Meyers lemon that is currently potted.  Now that I have lived through a winter here I have paid better attention to my sun. There are two spots along the back wall that get maybe 3-4 hours of direct sunlight at the shortest time of year.  Do you think it would survive being planted against a warm cinder block wall with only that much sun?  Gloria Caruso’s immature Eureka lemon in Las Vegas A. Meyer lemon will freeze back in our harshest microclimates in the Valley. On the other hand some of the more tender citrus, such as the limes, can handle our winters just fine if they are placed in the right microclimate. The number of hours of sunlight in the winter is probably not as important as the number of hours for the rest of the year. Certainly four hours of sunlight is far too short for nearly all fruit producing and flowering plants if this light is during the spring, summer and fall months. But if this plant receives eight or more hours during these non winter months, when temperatures are at least warm, it might do just fine. To protect from freezing temperatures in the winter it is best that it’s placed near a very warm winter wall with very little exposure to wind. Some people wrap or drape them with materials and other use heat sources such as Christmas tree lights along with draping.

Lemon Can Get By On Few Hours of Sun During Winter But Not Other Times of Year Read More »