Xtremehorticulture

Fall Or Winter Head Cold or Allergies? Shoestring Acacia.

Shoestring Acacia is in bloom right now and has been credited with allergy problems. In fact, they will bloom through most of the winter. Shoestring Acacia flowers in Bloom in January Shoestring Acacia can grow up to 40 feet tall quite rapidly and it is relatively upright so it can be useful in more narrow locations and in scale with two-story homes and commercial buildings.They are good selection for desert landscapes but allergies might be a problem.   Shoestring Acacia with a fairly wide form. It is propagated from seed so there is a lot of genetic variability which means you can have narrow ones and you can have wider ones. If you are picking one that is intended for a narrow area, pick one that has a narrow habit to begin with in the nursery. Chances are if it is narrow in the container it is more likely to be narrow when it is older. If you pick one that is not so narrow when it is small, you do run the chance of having a fairly wide Shoestring Acacia.   Shoestring Acacia, narrow form. This tree is started from seed so there is a lot of variation in the trees. Pick one that is narrow to begin with and hopefully it will stay narrow if that is what you want. If you want one that’s wide, then pick a form that’s wide in the nursery. It hails from Australia which, like so many trees from Australia, blooms during the fall or winter months rather than spring and summer. It is popular here in the desert Southwest and some people consider that it might be over planted.  There are complaints from people that it is messy and the leaves, because they are long and narrow, are difficult to clean up. Whatever you do, don’t cut the top off. Trees that are pruned like this are ruined for life. Shoestring Acacia topped at commercial planting North Decatur and CC 215

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Eliminating Flowers and Fruit on Ornamental Plants

Q. Last year I bought a house with a 6 foot privacy fence consisting of Texas privets and was unable to enjoy my patio in the spring due to severe allergies. Is there a product available that would prevent the shrubs from pollinating and flowering A. This is the first I have heard of this plant causing allergy problems so I had to check around. And sure enough, there are some people who have an allergic reaction to the pollen or flowers.       There are chemical sprays such as Monterey Florel Brand Growth Regulator and their Fruit Eliminator but the problem is the dosage and the label. And it does not necessarily eliminate the flowers since you have to spray the open flowers to cause the fruit to abort. Normally sprays like this are applied early when the plant is in flower. However many plants are not on the label so the rates are not known and legally not permitted.             The other thing is to give it a butch haircut when the flowers come out. You can use a hedge shears. Eventually though this type of pruning will not be good for the plant over time. I think you can get this product at ViraGrow in Las Vegas. Q and A’s on this product and Label Monterey's Florel Fruit Eliminator

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