Xtremehorticulture

Xtremehorticulture of the Desert

HOA Removing Bay Laurel Trees

Leave a Comment / Bay laurel, HOA, removal, sweet bay laurel /

Q. Our sweet bay laurel trees face East and are watered by a drip irrigation system on a separate line for trees only. Obviously, these trees are not doing well. They were originally 24” boxed trees planted in 2013. Our HOA contends they are close to the end of their lives, and they will be removed. Any ideas? Bay Laurel Trees HOA Wants to Remove A. From the picture you sent (above) the leaves exposed to the heat of the sun are scorching along the edges. This means not enough water is getting to them either because there is not enough water supplied to the trees or there is damage to the trunk or limbs. Bay laurel trees struggle when temperatures are very hot (over 105F) and there is very low humidity. Particularly if it is windy. They are treated like desert trees, but they are not. They are a “mesic” tree, not “xeric”, coming originally from the Mediterranean area of the world, and not a true desert tree like the Palo Verdes, Desert Willow, Texas Mountain Laurel, or any trees native to our Southwest deserts. Big trees use more water than smaller trees As trees get larger, they require more water. As these trees get larger more drip emitters must be added to give them the water they need. You could increase the number of minutes but then everything on that “line” or valve would get an increase in water as well. There are other alternatives but adding more drip emitters is the most common. I would guess trees would need more water applied (change in the water applied) every three or four years until they reach maturity. It is better to add drip emitters to those plants getting larger than just adding more time; either is a challenge for HOAs as the cost of water increases and they are still trying to contain costs. Ways to Reduce Trees Need for Water There are three ways to reduce their need for water; 1) reduce their size as well as and other large plants, 2) reduce the total number of trees and shrubs, and 3) change over to desert native plants like I mentioned above. Doing any of the three does not reduce water used. Water used, irrigation, is a human landscape decision. Changes in irrigation management, as well as monitoring water applied to the soil, must be done by the landscapers. In the desert all plants use water. Think of ways to beautify your landscape that does not include water. We cannot have a landscape full of trees and shrubs in the Mojave Desert. It doesn’t make sense. Plants must have a purpose if they get water.

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Removing Bermudagrass for Desert Landscaping

Leave a Comment / common bermudagrass eradication, control, desert landscaping, removal /

Q. We are going to be removing about 3500 s.f. of bermuda grass. What is the best and easiest way to do this ? A. I am assuming this is common bermudagrass, not hybrid bermudagrass. Many of the hybrid bermudagrasses are more restrained in their growth and easier to remove and keep under control. Common bermudagrass is more wild or rank in its growth and more difficult to remove and get under control. The easiest way I feel would be to irrigate and lightly fertilize the bermudagrass and mow it a couple of times so it is growing well and healthy. Sod removed with sod cutter in prepartion for the installation of desert landscaping         You don’t want the Bermuda to enter into any kind of dormancy before you try to kill it and remove it. Once the bermudagrass is happy and growing well then you will try to kill it. The best time to remove it is in the fall when it is sending energy reserves into its roots and stolons. There is a net movement of stored energy in this direction in the fall. In the spring there is a net movement of materials towards leaf and shoot growth. You will not get the best control in the spring but it is what it is.         Like I said, get it happy and growing well and when you have a solid stand of grass which has been mowed then spray it with Roundup. Make sure that you use a spreader/sticker in the spray mix and follow the directions precisely. I would also use distilled water, not our tap water since it is quite alkaline. Some people have reported a better kill with Roundup if there is a small amount of nitrogen mixed with the solution. You can take a tablespoon of ammonium sulfate or urea per gallon and put it in the mix as well if you want to but it is not necessary in my opinion. It is important to get an even application of Roundup over the entire grassy area. You do this by spraying the Roundup in an East West pattern first and then spray the second time in North South pattern so that you get good coverage.         When you spray, you should be moving your spray applicator at a speed of about 3 ft./s over the area. Do not stop and give some areas a larger dose. You’re just wasting chemical. Keep the applicator moving at all times when your spraying. It is important to keep your spray applicator moving at the same speed across the area slightly overlapping the sprayed area each time you cover it. Let the grass dry for 10 minutes or so and repeat the application in the opposite direction. Do not irrigate for 24 hours after the application.         Give yourself about 10 days and you should see the grass beginning to decline. Roundup does not work quickly so do not expect to see dead grass the next morning. It won’t happen. Rent a sod cutter and cut the sod out as deeply as you can. Once the sod is removed begin irrigating the area heavily and frequently and apply a light application of fertilizer to try to stimulate any bermudagrass which is remaining.         You will probably see spots of bermudagrass trying to come back in seven days if it is hot outside. Spot spray these areas with the same Roundup solution as soon as you see them emerging. Stay on top of these spots and kill them as you see them. Do not let these get out of control. This is very important. I am not telling you to keep an old solution of Roundup. Every time you spray you need to mix up a new batch. These solutions are not stable very long and begin to disintegrate fairly quickly.         Once you feel you have most of the bermudagrass under control you can begin to develop your landscape. If you are putting in desert landscaping with rock mulch, the bermudagrass will reemerge where you have your drip emitters around the new plants. You can Spot spray this emerging bermudagrass with Roundup making sure none of the spray lands on desired plants. It is okay for it to land on the soil or rock but not on green leaves or stems of living plants.         Other chemicals you could use around shrubs and groundcover plants for bermudagrass control are Fusilade and Poast but they can be a little sketchy in their control. You can also grub new growth out with a hoe when you see it but do not let the grass go to seed or get very old or it will get established again. Bermudagrass will not grow in complete shade so making sure you  are shading the soil with rock, mulch or competitive groundcovers like turfgrass is good control. There is more information on Bermudgrass here. http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7453.html

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Removing White Salt Deposits on Walls With Acid

Leave a Comment / acid, hydrochloric acid, irrigation schemes, muriatic acid, muric acid, removal, salt, vinegar, white deposit /

Q. Our backyard block wall has some white stains on it. These appear where the sprinkler water hits the wall and I want to remove them.  I have read on-line to use things like diluted muriatic acid, but I don’t want to kill the plants my wife has throughout her garden.  How can I clean the stains, and can I treat the walls to protect from more stains forming Salt deposit on slumpstone wall when plants are being irrigated by bubblers. Salt in the water is carried up the wall where it evaporates, leaving behind the salts. The other side of the wall does not have sprinklers hitting it either. A. These are salts remaining from either those sprinklers or water from the soil wicking up the wall. Our soils contain quite a bit of salt as well as our water. Water coming from Lake Mead carries about 1 ton of salts for every 326,000 gallons. It sounds fairly dilute but it is not.              Our soils vary much more in salt and can be removed by leaching. The salt in the water of course is consistent. The combination of the two can mean some pretty high salt levels. Salt dissolves readily in water and when the water evaporates from the wall, it leaves the salt behind. These are probably the salt deposits you’re seeing on the wall. Even drip irrigation can cause problems like this since the water can wick through and into porous surfaces.             You don’t have to use muriatic acid but you can use and acid, even vinegar to help remove it. The major concern with plants is having the acid fall on foliage. This will damage the plant. Of course the best way to prevent it is to not use overhead irrigation.             In the case of drip irrigation, put the emitters on the opposite side of the plant from the wall, not next to the wall. Perhaps there is a treatment to the wall that could prevent this from happening. I don’t know of any.

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