Xtremehorticulture

Xtremehorticulture of the Desert

July Todo: Pick up fallen fruit

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Confused sap beetle, one of these varmints that gets into your ripe fruit. He or she is about 1/8 inch (3mm) long. Photo courtesy UC Davis IPM website. Pick up fallen fruit. Decomposing fruit, you could argue, is like composting… it adds nutrients back to the soil so why should I pick up fallen fruit? Well, how does fruit fallen from the tree decompose?           The insects that begin the decomposition process are some of the same insects which can attack the fruit on your tree. You leave your fallen fruit on the ground and these scavengers build communities out of the fallen fruit. Insects like the dried fruit beetle or confused sap beetle multiply their populations rapidly. In a couple of weeks this population of scavengers are looking for new food supplies. More information on these pests, click here.           The food supplies they find are the fruit on your trees and now you have a problem with tree ripened fruit – fug infested fruit.           You thought the birds were bad, at least you could cut around the bird-pecked areas. You can’t do that with fruit infested with these varmints. And watch out for your compost pile. If you add fruit to your compost pile, these varmints will invest the fruit there as well and spread to the fruit on your trees. Make sure fruit that is added to the compost pile is well covered and not exposed.

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July Todo’s: Irrigation of fruit trees

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Basin irrigation of fruit trees Irrigate. If your fruit trees are being irrigated by drip or bubbler with a basin around the tree it will be critical to make sure they are getting watered regularly. We are usually irrigating three times a week when temperatures break 110°F or if it has been unusually windy.           This just doesn’t mean you’re irrigation clock is set correctly but that you also make sure that drip emitters or bubblers are not plugged. Most emitters and bubblers can be cleaned. Turn on your irrigation system and walk your irrigation lines looking for diminished flow rates or possible plugging. The inside of this bubbler is plugged with irrigation glue. Someone did not flush out the irrigation line after making an irrigation repair.           Under our desert environment, the soil surrounding your fruit trees irrigated by a basin or drip will be totally dry. These dry soils surrounding your plants “pull” water away from your trees and in competition with them. But surface mulches help reduce this problem.           If your fruit trees miss an irrigation, expect to see leaf yellowing and leaf drop the week or two after the water shortage. This can be very dangerous to fruit trees. Leaf drop opens the canopy for intense sunlight and sunburn on the fruit and limbs. If limbs are sunburned this makes them very prone for borer attacks.           This is the worst time of the year to miss an irrigation or cut back on your watering.

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