Xtremehorticulture

Where to Get Free Woodchips in Las Vegas?

Q. In one of your previous articles you mentioned free woodchips. Where do you go to get them? Woodchips are different from bark chips. Bark chips are prettier, but they float and blow away in moderate wind. Woodchips don’t do that. They don’t easily blow away (I have personally seen them withstand 70 mph gusts) or float. Woodchips should be applied at least 2 – 3 inches deep to control weeds and conserve water. Woodchips rot into the soil (where its wet) and improve it by increasing its organic matter content. A. You have to travel to North Las Vegas, but you can get a pick up load or trash bag full from the University Orchard. Call 702-257-5555 and get an update from the Master Gardeners regarding woodchip availability and what days and hours to get them. Woodchips are usually available on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays in the mornings (except holidays). Woodchips are usually available in North Las Vegas (in the Aliante area) about 100 yards east of North Decatur and Horse Drive at the Center for Urban Water Conservation. Bark chips or bark mulch floats in water and blows in the wind. It resists soil rotting. It is inferior to woodchips (chopped up) from the entire tree.              Woodchips are different from bark chips. Bark chips blow in the wind, resist soil decay and are water proof. Woodchips are made from grinding the entire tree so it can be taken to the dump. Yes, it includes bark woodchips but it is a smaller percentage of the chips and it is mixed together. Woodchips includes ALL of the tree ground up into woodchips, not just the bark.  The weed in the picture is perennial nightshade and, along with bermudagrass, will grow through the woodchip mulch. Why? Because they are perennial and push through two inch mulch. Most weeds controlled by a surface mulch like woodchips are annual weeds. Most first weeds are are annuals.              Bark woodchips are pretty. They make a prettier looking surface mulch. If you want your surface mulch to look pretty, then use a bark mulch. Or use both separated in layers.  Bark chip (bark mulch) doesn’t rot as easily as woodchips because the bark is made to be weather resistant.             Tree woodchips are not as pretty but functional. When laid on top of the soil in a layer at least two inches thick it saves water, controls most weeds and improves the soil. This is what can happen if mulch is not used. Annual and perennial weeds have a field day growing. No competition for sunlight, air and water! Weeds have a field day.             Organics in our desert soil is severely lacking. To rot woodchip mulch takes water. Water and organics in the soil are linked. More water applied, more organics in the soil. Most trees and lawns require at least 2% organics in the soil. Vegetables need more, usually closer to 8% for quality vegetables.  Map of the US soil organic matter content (scientists call it soil carbon content) https://extension.umn.edu/soil-management-and-health/soil-organic-matter-cropping-systems How to judge if your soil has organics in it? Use the color first. If your soil is very low in organics it will be closer to light brown or even tan in color. If organics are present, desert soils become darker and start develop some structure. The higher the ‘organic content” in the soil, the darker its color. If a soil has 2% organics in it, it has a color similar coffee with a creamer in it. If it has 8% organics, it is a “chocolate brown” in color. Mojave desert landscape soil in Las Vegas, Nevada Visually is how to judge if organics should be applied to Mojave desert soils or not. In most Mojave desert soils, we judge a soils “organic content” from its darker color. That’s because it starts off light tan in color. If your soil has a darker color and you can make “dirt bombs”, then adding organics such as woodchips won’t help much when planting trees and shrubs. But that organic content may not be suitable for growing quality vegetables without compost added. A method to use to judge soil organic content is the color of the soil. This is a jar test of a desert soil.

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Can I Use Chipped Pine for Mulch Around Fruit Trees?

Q. Our neighbor’s pine trees are going to be cut down soon. I would like to use the wood chips from the tree as mulch for our recently planted fruit trees. I remember you recommend 4 inches deep. What are your thoughts on fresh mulch as this? A. Nothing wrong with fresh pine chippings. We provide an assortment of wood chips, fresh, at the orchard for the public. You will have no problems with it. As it is decomposing make sure you give the soil some extra nitrogen amongst the bark and soil. Collectively we call this “Green Waste”. It would normally be taken to landfills where it is a waste of a natural resource. Community mulch pile at the Orchard in North Las Vegas. The mulch is supplied by local tree services like First Choice Tree Service. We exclude palm and mesquite from the mix due to hazards from thorns and poor breakdown of wood like palm with very thick fibrous wood.             Keep any wood mulch away from the trunks of new plants about a foot for the first few years until the bark on the trunk gets woody. If they grind out the stump of the tree with a stump grinder, those are some of the best wood chips. Good luck!

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Figs Dropping From Tree

Q. We planted a fig tree a couple of years ago. Year before last it produced a couple of figs. Last year there were perhaps a dozen figs which never got larger than a small grape. These did not emerge until November and never grew to full size. The tree was fertilized with 16-16-16 commercial fertilizer, and had plenty of water. Can you tell us why the fruit did not mature and what we might do to have a better result this next season? A. The usual problem is not watering at the right time and keeping the soil moist during production of fruit. We can get two good crops of figs here. The first one is called the Briba crop and is borne on last year’s wood (2013 growth). This is the Briba crop. Notice how the figs are developing on older, brown wood from last year. You can see the new growth pushing from the terminal bud, is green and about two inches long.             The second crop is the Main crop and grows on the current season wood (2014 growth). If the tree is pruned or last years wood is killed by freezing weather, you will only get a main crop. This picture shows you the larger Briba crop still developing at the bottom on older wood. Above these fruit are smaller fruit still developing on this years growth, the main crop. The Briba crop will be harvested while the main crop is still developing.             The main crop occurs when it gets hot and if the tree is not getting enough water the figs will get button sized, get hard and drop off. There is a potential third crop in about September and October but the weather does not stay warm enough in the fall for it to mature.             This third crop will get button sized and will fail to develop due to winter weather coming in. That third crop may form without the summer crop if the tree is not getting enough water. Then in the fall it is getting enough and tries to set fruit but it is too late and fails. Although this is another readers picture, this is what this reader is probably talking about. Late season figs never get to ripen. However, if you keep the soil moist during the summer months, the first two crops will ripen.             I would mulch around the tree with about four inches of wood mulch and cover the soil to a distance of about six feet from the trunk. Water in a basin around the trunk about six feet in diameter.             The basin should be able to hold at least two inches of water but four would be better. Fill the basin with water each time you irrigate. Water once a week now, twice a week in May, three times a week in June, drop it to twice a week in September and once a week mid October.             Once the leaves fall off in winter you can water about every 10 to 14 days. Fertilize once in February with a fruit tree fertilizer or four fertilizer stakes per tree, one in each quadrant of the irrigation basin.

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Trumpet Vine Slow Growth and Leaves with Red Spots

Q. I sent you some pictures of my trumpet vine which I planted as a small plant this last spring.  The plant has barely grown and the leaves have developed red spots all over them.  I believe it has a 2 gph emitter and watered three times a week for 20 minutes. Red spots on leaves of trumpet vine. A. Thanks for giving me such good irrigation information. From this I can estimate you are giving the plant about 7/10 of a gallon each time you water, three times a week. This is probably enough water for this plant when it is small but it will not be enough as it gets larger. If you cannot increase the number of minutes, then I would add a second emitter at the base of the plant. Drip emitter at base of trumpet vine             Trumpet vine is a hardy plant and thrives in most of the country where the soil is good and it gets plenty of water. It loves the heat. In fact, this plant can grow like a weed, extremely aggressive and in some places become invasive.              I don’t think we have to worry about invasiveness here. It is not a desert plant so it will need a little bit of extra care.             I see these red spots on leaves a lot with our fruit trees, particularly peaches. To me it is a sign of stress. There are two things that you should concentrate on to get this plant up and going and these focus on soil improvement and fertilizer. Red spots developing on leaves of peach due to stress.             This plant would benefit from improved soils sold applying a thick layer of surface mulch is going to make a big difference. I don’t know what kind of soil improvement you made at the time of planting but this is a plant which would benefit from a lot of compost added to the soil at planting time.             The organic surface mulch is going to help but I would put down a layer of compost near the plant and just under the mulch. You can get a load of free organic mulch from the UNCE Orchard in North Las Vegas. Once you have solved the soil problem, this plant would benefit with added water as I mentioned.              In late January or early February I would fertilizer with a decent landscape fertilizer and combine that with an application of iron. The best soil applied iron is going to be in the iron chelate form called EDDHA in the ingredients. Make sure it is applied to the drip emitters and watered in with a hose. Peters fertilizer, a good quality plant fertilizer.             In about March, spray the foliage with a good quality foliar fertilizer such as Miracle Gro or Peters. If you follow this advice, you will see some dramatic improvements.

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Mushrooms Common in the Desert After Rain

Q. After the great rain last week I have large mushrooms with diameters of  8 inches in  my back yard.  One is in the middle of my Mexican Bird of Paradise.  Will it kill the plant?  My friend’s dog wants to eat the mushroom.  Is that dangerous? A. Mushrooms are common after rains in the desert and elsewhere but particularly in the desert. They feed off of decaying organic matter (organic debris like rotting wood, rotting plant life, particularly dead plants). They are a normal part of the recycling process. So when rain falls and wets dead organic matter that was previously dry due to the desert, the recycling process begins until it becomes too dry again and then stops. Just knock the tops off and destroy with a rake. Mushrooms in mulch at orchard after rain There are no guarantees the mushrooms are not poisonous so please dispose of them before the dogs eat them. The mushroom in the middle of your Mexican bird of paradise is feeding on something dead and decomposing. It will not attack something living so I would not be concerned.

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Can I Use Pine Cones and Needles in My Desert Landscape?

Q. 1 am wondering if you have any idea about pine cones and/or pine needles: could either be used in the garden/yard/ and/or in landscaping. We have rocks in the yard with huge pine trees. There is no end to the falling pine cones and the needles. We usually dump them out in the garbage. Is there any use for them? Could the cones and/or needles be used as ground cover around the tree trunks? Thank you in advance for your kind reply. A. We use of lots of chipped pine trees in our orchard and your landscape plantings. For our desert soils, do not be concerned with postings that the needles are too acidic or cause other problems. We have never found this to be the case with our desert soils. Pine trees are used quite often in desert landscapes particularly surrounding golf courses. If the soil is wet enough, they will decompose and be a nice addition to our alkaline desert soils. Regarding pine cones, we have never taken the time to shred or chip pine cones that come in with our mulch at the Orchard. They do look a bit funny when you see pine cones in the orchard surrounded by peach trees. Many people who are visiting the orchard asked where the pine cones come from since they are surrounded by peach trees. We explain to them that they come in with our wood mulch from local tree services but we do nothing on purpose to decompose them. I cannot answer what the effect of these pine needles might have on already acidic soils but my guess would be not much if they are combined with other wood chips. There is some anecdotal information warning about extreme acidity with the use of pine needles as a mulch but I would not be afraid at all to use pine needles and pine cones mixed with your mulch. If you can shred the cones, they could be added to a compost pile.

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