propagation – Xtremehorticulture

Divide Red Yucca After Five Years in the Ground

Leave a Comment / dividing, division, increase flowering, propagation, size / xtremehorticulture

Q. We have multiple red yuccas in our front yard. For the first time they have started turning yellow in the last few weeks. They are on a drip irrigation system and are watered twice daily for 5 minutes each time in the early morning and late evening. Any idea what the issue could be? This is what your red yucca could look like if it were divided every few years so that it produces more flower stalks. A. They are watered too often. Red yucca (Hesperaloe parviflora) is native to the desert Southwest. They can be found growing naturally in the Chihuahuan desert of western Texas, New Mexico and in the state of Chihuahua, Mexico. Red Yucca is okay planted in rock mulch but should not be hedge pruned. Instead red yucca should be divided when flowers begin to grow from the edges. Your natural way of propagation (getting more plants and more flowers) is by digging it up in the spring or fall and separating the clumps it has formed. These clumps prevent flowering from its center. They don’t need water frequently but they could sure could use applications of water 12 to 18 inches deep when they do get it! Slow applications of water, deep, are ideal for drip irrigation. Applying water every three weeks or so will get them to grow larger. Applying water every eight weeks, but still deep, will sustain their size. Producing flowers from this plant means dividing it. Watering frequently (once a week or less in the summer) causes desert plants to grow. They like water for growth…but not often….Irrigating them three weeks apart will get them to grow larger while watering them with the same amount of water, but less often than three weeks apart will make them keep their size. Experiment with your soil. Soils are different in how they hold water. They can be watered slowly with a garden hose or connected to the irrigation system with an irrigation clock, but using the timer only when the plant needs water. The key is to experiment with you soil but do the experiments when it is cooler.

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Some Houseplants Need Their Roots Pruned

Leave a Comment / propagation, root pruning, root to shoot ratio / xtremehorticulture

Q. We repotted a house plant that was constantly wilting and that seems to help. Is it possible that the plant is too large and needs a “haircut”? A. Potted plants benefit from root pruning as well as top pruning if it is possible to do so. I guess we could call this a “haircut”. Both the top of the plant and its roots should be “in balance” with each other. We sometimes refer to this as a plant’s “root to shoot ratio”. More about root to shoot ratios Not all plants can be root pruned and top pruned to make them smaller so they perform better in their container. Some plants will need a larger container. Some plants are made smaller by “dividing” the plants. Plants that require division are removed from their container and separating a “clump” of plants into individual plants with a sharp, sanitized knife or pruning saw. The cut ends are dipped into a fungicide before replanting. Some plants require renewal through propagation. Typically these plants are propagated using methods such as stem cuttings, leaf cuttings, root cuttings or layering. These specialized propagation techniques are specific to certain plants. The Internet is a good source of information on propagating interior or houseplants. Propagation of Houseplants

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Root Fig Cuttings in February and March

Leave a Comment / cuttings, how to take cuttings, propagation, stem cuttings. when to take cuttings / xtremehorticulture

Q. I just came across one of your oldest articles about growing fig trees in Las Vegas and I would like toask you when is a good time to cut off some of the bottom branches to make a new tree. I got this tree about 2 years ago from California and has been growing fast and big in my backyard. A. Figs are pretty easy to root provided you take the cuttings at the right time. The next months of February and March is the best time. You can root them in small pots or directly into the ground. You can use rooting hormone if you want or not. They don’t need rooting hormone but usually get more roots if you use it. You can get Rooting Hormone at Plant World Nursery on Charleston. In fact, I just bought some because I can usually get better luck using it. Hormex is a rooting hormone that contains IBA, NAA and hormones such as B1. I call it the “shotgun” approach. Contains IBA as the rooting compound. Not labeled for food crops. There are many ways to do it. The easiest is to stick it into the soil where you want it to root and then you don’t have to replant it. If your limbs are low enough you can just bend them into a trench in the ground, peg them so they stay put, water the trench and mulch the soil heavy. They will root directly in the soil as well still attached to the tree. As soon as you see roots forming, cut the rooted limb from the tree and transplant it. This is a grape cutting but you can see the new growth from buds on the cutting Use amended garden soil (with compost) or potting soil. Make sure the soil drains easily. Cut last year’s growth, around pencil sized diameter, into pieces about 8-12 inches long. Stick them vertically into the soil so at least two buds are in contact with soil. Roots can come from any place on the cutting that has a bud in contact with the soil. So make sure that there are at least three buds on the cutting. Stick it vertically in the soil. You should have two buds in the soil, the rest above the soil. One bud above ground is all you will need. It will root faster if the soil is warm so find a warm location for the potted cutting like on top of the refrigerator if indoors. If the soil is warm you could expect roots in about three to four weeks. I would stick several in the same container a few inches apart in case some don’t take. As soon as you see leaves, put them outside in the sun.

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Bulbs Forming on Top of Garlic

Leave a Comment / bulbil, cloves, planting, propagation, topsetting, walking onion / xtremehorticulture

Q. My garlic planted last year has a small bulb forming at the top of a few of the plants. From what I read about this type of plant the garlic is formed from the bulb at the top. Do they reproduce underground for future plantings? Bulbils forming on top of hardneck garlic at UNCE orchard A. We do find some garlic producing these small bulbs at the tops of the plants. They are sometimes referred to as bulblets or bulbils depending on who you talk to. These plants will also produce bulbs which can be used for planting the following year. In the same family of vegetables there are onions which do the same thing. These are called “walking onions”. The flower at the top of the flower stalk, or scape, does not produce seed but produces miniature bulbs instead. These bulbils are capable of reproducing the mother plant. They are called “walking onions” because the weight of the bulbils bends the scape over to the ground. If the soil is wet, these bulbils grow into new plants just inches from the mother plant. This new growth gives the perception that these onions are “walking” or moving from one location to another. These types of plants can be self-seeding by dropping the bulbils into the garden and starting new plants perpetually. Most garlic that produces bulbils are hardnecked types of garlic or sometimes referred to as “topsetting” garlic. They are called hardnecked because the flower stalk is very rigid compared to the “softneck” varieties which can actually be braided. So to answer your question, yes you can plant these bulbils and they will produce new plants. It is good to remember that the size of the clove or bulbil you plant will impact the size of the bulb you produce. The larger the clove or bulbil, the larger the bulb.

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