Viragrow Delivers! : Pepper Leaves Curling. Bugs Again!: Leaves curling on pepper. Typical pepper leaf curled on the plant. Flip leaf over and we see evidence of aphids feeding. We see …

Q. I planted about 12 gardenias a month ago and if them appear to be dying. I checked the soil and it’s evenly damp. It has two 2gph emitters and they are all being watered 3x a week for 20 minutes right now. A. From the picture it looks like a lack of water. Just before you tell me “no”, I want to explain something. A lack of water to the plant can be for many reasons and only one of those reasons is that not enough water is being applied. Follow me on this. Water is applied to the soil. The water fills all the spaces between soil particles forcing the air which is in the soil to exit. As this water drains or is being used by the plant, outside air above the soil begins to enter into the soil filling the spaces that was previously filled with water.  Roots of plants need oxygen. The above ground, green portions of the plant need carbon dioxide and oxygen. If the soil particles are too close together there will not be enough room to provide the oxygen needed by the roots. This is why we add compost and other organic material to the soil so that we can build the structure of the soil to provide that oxygen needed by the roots. I know you have improved that soil for those gardenias so that is not the problem. There is another problem that can occur which can keep water from moving from the soil to the roots and finally to the leaves and stems. If there is something which is choking the stem of the plant, this can prevent water moving from the roots to the leaves. Mechanical injury to the stem from insects which chew or bore holes into the central stem can disrupt water moving from the roots to the top.  There is also a disease problem which can choke the stem near the soil level. This can happen on very young plants which have stems surrounded by wet mulch. If this mulch stays wet around these young stems, it can cause a rotting to occur at the soil to the level of the mulch. This is frequently called collar rot. Make sure that wet mulch does not come in contact with the trunk or stems of young plants. Young plants are very susceptible to this problem. As they get older and developed more wood around the trunk or stems, this problem lessens. So from judging just from the pictures to me it looks like water related and/or too much shade. Excessive shade can cause thin, spindly growth that can’t support itself. That is my best shot at it from the pictures.

Q. Are there any fruit, nut, fig, or olive trees that I can grow in North Las Vegas without using pesticides? A. Very few fruit trees require pesticides as a general rule. Most of the fruit at the orchard is grown without pesticides. I talk about them because they sometimes do occur. You will still get good production from apricots, peaches, plums, apples, pears, almonds, pistachios, pomegranates and figs. There are occasionally pests that do get in all of them.

Q. A few days ago we saw a cathedral oak at the Springs Preserve.  It was identified as “Quercus virginiana ‘Cathedral’”on its little sign.  Does it do well in Las Vegas?   Do its leaves fall at all (like pine needles drop)?  How tall/wide does it get in our area?  Is it a fast grower?  Any other facts? A. From Andrea Meckley. Below is some information about Quercus virginiana ‘Cathedral’.  I did contact Pete Duncombe at the Springs Preserve and his comment was   “they are performing very well”.  I have not seen any locally available and the nursery Pete got them from is now out of business.  This plant is listed on the Southern Nevada Regional Planning Coalition Plant List as a semi-evergreen, maturing about 40′ x 40′, requiring moderate to high water use. USDA hardiness zones for this plant are  7B through 10B covering Las Vegas at USDA zone 9a.  Personally I think it is a possibility, however because of the availability and water usage, I would go with one that Bob suggested, Holly oak. From:  www.sptreefarm.com The Cathedral Live Oak tree is a Quercus virginiana or Southern Live Oak and it is a cultivar (Quercus virg. ‘SDLN’ pp12015) meaning it is cloned from a mother tree with the same DNA to copy the dense and upward structure of the tree.  Properly pruned, the Cathedral Live Oak Tree will not sprawl as wide as a Standard Live Oak Tree. The Cathedral does grow as tall  and is considered a happy medium between the narrower Highrise Live Oak and a typical Standard Live Oak. Holly Oak (Quercus ilex) matures around 30′ high x 20′ wide.  An evergreen, medium water user, that has a slow to medium growth rate depending on soil and water conditions.  It forms a round head with dark green leaves covered with hairs beneath and seasonal acorns.  I have seen them available at local nurseries (Star and Plant world).   If you don’t see them, they can be special ordered.   I hope this info helps and you enjoy your new town of Las Vegas. Andrea Meckley, CH [email protected] Horticultural Consultant and ASHS Certified Horticulturist

ASHS Certified Horticulturists (CH) are practicing horticulturists who are skilled and knowledgeable in all areas of horticulture. Those with the ASHS CH certification are required to pass a rigorous four-hour exam based on the following areas of horticulture: Landscape Design and Maintenance Production of Fruits, Vegetables, Turf, and Ornamental Plants Shipping and Handling of Final Product Propagation Monitoring and Testing, Diagnosing and Managing Plant Problems Business Practices To qualify to sit for the CH exam, applicants must have more than three years of experience or a combined level of experience and education. Continuing Education Units must be reported in order to renew certification. For more information contact the American Society for Horticultural Science. How do I become a certified horticulturist?

Xtremehorticulture of the Desert: Control Peach Twig Borer Now: Peach twig borers are flying now and some are getting into early maturing peaches, nectarines and… If you don’t find the post you want, go to the bottom and click on “Older Posts” or type your question in the search engine.

Q. Last fall I planted five rose bushes and they appear to being doing well. Three of the bushes have one large stem growing from the the middle of the bush.  Should I cut the large stems back…. There are multiple buds on these stems as well as singular buds on the limbs which are half the size of the big stem.  My question is, should I cut the large stems back to make the bushes more symmetric? A. Very strong growth from plants that are grafted on to rootstocks is frequently a sign that the rootstock has sent up a sucker. This type of growth must be removed or it will dominate the plant and squelch the growth from the good part of the plant. In fact, if this growth is that obvious it should be removed anyway. Trace this growth back to its origin and identify where the union is located between the rootstock and the top of the plant that we value for the flowers. The union should be a swollen part of the plant that may resemble, in looks, like a gall or tumor but it is not. If this strong growth is coming from this spot or below it, remove it as close to the parent plant as possible. The cut does not have to be sanitized but your pruning shears should be and be careful not to let your shears touch the soil before cutting. You can transmit some problems from the soil to the plant on your shears through the open wound.

I will be at Viragrow every Monday and Friday through March for those who want to chat with me about current horticulture problems. Or bring in your own horticulture discovery and work with me to find a solution. Viragrow is commitment to successful southern Nevada horticulture and I appreciate this community support. Come in any Monday or Friday, 9 to 3, during March. [email protected] Sponsored by Viragrow, Inc. Viragrow, Inc. 1100 East Dehli St. North Las Vegas, Nevada, USA (702) 399 3868

Each year USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) buys nearly $2 billion and 2 billion pounds of frozen, processed, and fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, poultry, fish and eggs. How to Sell Domestic Foods to the USDA Thursday, March 20,  2014 2:00 – 3:00 Eastern Time      On Thursday March 20, 2014 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will present a free interactive webinar, “How to Sell Domestic Foods to the USDA.” Each year, USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) buys nearly $2 billion and 2 billion pounds of frozen, processed, and fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, poultry, fish and eggs.  Otherwise known as “USDA Foods.”  These healthy, American grown and processed products help feed millions of school children and are also distributed to food banks, disaster areas, and wherever else they are needed. AMS proudly buys “USDA Foods” from a diverse pool of companies, both large and small.  For this webinar, we will be placing special emphasis on contracting information for small, socially disadvantaged, women-owned, and service disabled veteran-owned businesses, as well as those in Historically Underutilized Business Zones (HUB Zones).  Note: The small business size standard for federal contractors in “USDA Foods” procurement is 500 employees or less (except for shell eggs, which is $12.5 million in annual revenue). Sara Hernandez and Dianna Price of the AMS Commodity Procurement Staff will: ·       introduce you to USDA purchasing activities and “USDA Foods,” ·       discuss the types of products USDA buys, ·       explain the solicitation and award process ·       outline the requirements for selling to USDA, and ·       give you the tools and resources you’ll need to explore doing business with the USDA. Following the formal presentation, the webinar will conclude with an interactive question and answer session.  Feel free to submit questions before the webinar to [email protected]. Visit the USDA’s AMS Commodity Procurement website to see what products AMS buys. Then tune in to this webinar to learn everything you need to get started selling your products to USDA. This informative webinar is designed for growers, producers, processors and distributors of all sizes.  The webinar is free and available to anyone with Internet access.   However, registration is  required and space is limited.  Visit (https://amsfv.webex.com/amsfv/onstage/g.php?t=a&d=664780806) to register today!  We will host webinars on more AMS programs and services throughout the year.  To view previous webinars online, visit our Webinar Archive.       We’ll see you online!   REGISTER TODAY! If you have any questions about the webinars or AMS, please contact Christopher Purdy at (202) 720-3209 or [email protected].

Of course since this is posted from the US so the number of views from the US is first. But I was shocked France was second for so long in the total number of pageviews for this blog! I saw UK creeping up on France and knew it would happen sooner or later. UK is now second! I wonder if my relatives in Blaenau Ffestiniog and Sheffield had anything to do with this…. Rule Britannia!