Xtremehorticulture

Xtremehorticulture of the Desert

Differences Between Xeric and Mesic Plants

Leave a Comment / landscapes, mesic, shrubs, trees, xeric /

             Many homeowners don’t know the names of plants in their yards or landscapes. Most can look at a plant and know if it is a tree, shrub, or flower but not its name much less how often it should be watered and with how much. This pyracantha was known as a “plant with berries” to a homeowner trying to calculate its landscape water use. Pyracantha does have berries but it is considered “mesic” in its need for water. Xeric plants vs Mesic plants Lower water use trees, shrubs and flowers are watered less often. They should get the same amount of water when they are irrigated but don’t need it as often. That’s how xeric, or lower water use, plants operate.             One way to find out if an unnamed plant is xeric is to water it less often during the cooler months. In the long run xeric plants are watered less often. That’s how they, and you, save water in landscapes. If it starts looking bad to your eyes or dies, then it is most likely not xeric. Big Trees are Seldom Xeric             Another method is their size. Big trees are seldom xeric. Xeric plants are not big. They tend to be smaller. The bigger xeric trees and shrubs grow where water collects; arroyos, waterways, and desert springs. This young shoestring acacia is a 40 foot tall mesic tree from Australia that grows along waterways. This shoestring acacia was “topped” (not done that well I might add) probably because it was getting too tall for that spot. Shortening its height will reduce its water use but not how often it needs water. Big trees use more water than smaller trees. This is true even if you buy one that is small and it grows big when it gets older. Just like kids. You don’t know if your child will become tall or not until they get closer to that size. Oh wow…which side of the family did HE/SHE come from? How to Reduce Water Applied to Your Landscape             During these cooler fall months, start watering less often and see what plants start looking not so good. Try adding more drip emitters to those plants looking not as good as you are watering less often. This gives these plants more water but still less often.

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Best Time and How to Prune Ornamental Shrubs

1 Comment / pruning, shrubs, when /

Q. I have some shrubs in my yard that are getting rather scraggly looking.  I was wondering when and how far back I can prune it back in to shape. Shrubs improperly pruned with a hedge shears. Unfortunately, most people do not recognize bad pruning when they see it and now unfortunately are asking for this kind of pruning. A. First decide if now is the best time for pruning them or not. You can prune anytime during the winter months. Some plants look better through the winter if they are pruned now. Other plants look fine now but might not look as good if you were to prune them. As shrubs are pruned more and more into a gumball, in a few years they developed exposed strong stabs at the base.             Remember, if you prune now you will have to look at them the rest of the winter. If these are flowering shrubs, prune them soon after they finished flowering. If the shrubs do not have ornamental flowers, prune them anytime during the winter.             The best pruning methods remove the oldest growth from the bottom of the shrub with a lopper or hand shears. Hedge shears for pruning shrubs are, as the name implies, for hedges, not for shrubs. Properly pruned shrubs require to – 4 cuts at the very bottom to keep it looking good and juvenile.

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Clover-Looking Weed with Yellow Flowers is Very Difficult to Control

Leave a Comment / herbicides, iris, Las Vegas, lawn, Mohave Desert, Mojave Desert, nevada, oxalis, shrubs, weed control /

Q. I have oxalis clover look-alike as a weed. How can I control it? I am ready to use chemicals at this point having tried to rid it by digging and pulling with no success. Having it in my grass is bad enough but now that it is in my iris beds I want to kill the dang stuff! Oxalis looks like clover but has yellow flowers that resemble a daisy with only five petals. A. Oxalis is very difficult to kill. It may require repeat applications but one of the keys is to try to kill it when it is “happy” and is ready to grow and multiply. This is usually spring and fall. Go to your favorite nursery or garden center (you may have to look at several such as Lowes, Home Depot, Star and Plant World). Go to their weed killer section. Look at the active ingredients. Look for the following in the active ingredients list. The important chemicals to find on the label are either Dimethylamine salt of dicamba: 3,6-dichloro-o-anisic acid (it may be just called dicamba or Banvel) somewhere on the label. The alternative would be an ingredient called triclopyr, (chemically called 3,5,6-Trichloro-2-pyridinyloxyacetic acid) These chemicals are usually combined with other weed killers for better synergism (efficacy or improved performance). In cases of herbicide synergism 1+1 = 3 times more effective. So you may see 2.4-D listed as the first chemical (Dimethylamine salt of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid) or you may see 2,4-DP (mecoprop or Dimethylamine salt of (+)-(R)-2-(2 methyl-4-chlorophenoxy) propionic acid) listed as well on the label but the names in RED are the most important for oxalis control. I am sorry for the detailed technical response but this is really technical stuff to get you the right chemical. There are so many different manufacturers and labels with the same stuff in it, it is impossible to list them all so giving you the ingredients to look for is much easier. Next is the method of application. These chemicals will not damage a lawn if you apply at the right concentration but they WILL damage other plants. So you must spray them directly to the weeds and not overspray onto other plants!  Make sure you wear waterproof gloves when mixing and applying and wash thoroughly after an application. They are not THAT toxic but it is always a good precaution. Never spray on a windy day. Spray when weather is warm but not hot because the plants are better able to “absorb” the spray.  Mix about 1 tsp of ivory liquid detergent per gallon of spray to the finished mix and thoroughly stir it. Do not add it before you add water or it will just give you a lot of weed killer bubbles. This detergent helps the week killer enter the leaves.

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