Back in 2005 Maxwell Norton, Farm Advisor in Fruit Production for the University of California Cooperative Extension in the San Joaquin Valley in California gave a pruning presentation and demonstration at the UNCE Orchard in North Las Vegas to Orchard volunteers and the general public. It was recorded and is presented here as a supplement for your own attempts at pruning grapes at home.

While in the Philippines I visited the farm of another member of the Rare Fruit Society of the Philippines where we learned about growing Giant Passionfruit and his sustainable fish farming practices.

While visiting in the Philippines with the Philippine Rare Fruit Growers they invited me to Dr. Roberto Coronel’s house which is also his nursery and grounds for plant trials. I sampled a delicious variety of lanzones called ‘Duku’ which slips off the seed easily and has a wonderful citrusy and sweet flavor.

Deep tree roots are important for large trees. We know that these roots help to stabilize large trees, keeping them anchored during high winds, and we know that it is important to get deep rooting established in landscape trees when transplanted into urban residential environments. Early research at the University of Arizona traced deep roots of native mesquite to depths below 200 feet. More recent research suggests that these deep roots are important for other reasons. Mesquite roots called sinkers in the Sonoran Desert in Jerez, Mexico, near a river that periodically overflows Global research which surveyed maximum rooting depth of plants (trees, shrubs, perennial grasses) in natural settings (290 observations, 253 species) found a range in average maximum rooting depths from one foot (plants growing in northern tundra regions) to over 200 feet in deserts like the Kalahari; 194 species had roots at least six feet deep, 50 species had roots fifteen feet or more and 22 species had roots more than 30 feet deep. When the researchers grouped these plants by similar natural habitats, they found the average maximum rooting depth to be 6 feet for cropland, 30 feet for deserts, 12 feet for conifer forests, and nine feet for deciduous forests. When plants were again regrouped into three groups based upon growth habit, then trees had an average maximum depth of 20 feet, shrubs 15 feet and herbaceous plants (nonwoody) 7.5 feet. This research showed that deep rooting is quite common in woody and herbaceous species in natural habitats, far deeper than the traditional view held up until now. Deep rooting is suspected, and research supports it, to be more important than just structurally anchoring plants in the landscape. Research supports that they could be very important for moving and releasing nutrients and water, both up and down, and redistributing water and nutrients among different soil profiles. Water movement up roots into drier surface soils may affect water use estimates trees and other plants growing in their vicinity. Many woody plants utilize deep roots for water uptake, particularly when surface soils are dry, but how they do this is not well understood. It was thought to be a combination of water “pulled” up through the tree by evapotranspiration and capillary action (like a soda straw) and little understood process called “root pressure” (like a submersible pump). Measuring water moved from deep in the soil by roots has always been difficult without disturbing the roots and accessing these roots. However a plant process for moving water deep in the soil profile to upper soil profiles through plant roots has been identified more recently. Research found that during periods without rain, upward flow through deep roots was continuous during both day and night using a plant process researchers call hydraulic lift. Researchers identified that this process contributed up to 20% of daily water movement from that depth with no evidence of nighttime transpiration and no water storage inside the plant. Research done in Texas on tree roots of two native trees found that roots growing at 20 to 60 feet below the soil surface contributed 20 – 50% of daily transpiration, depending on the water content of surface soils. As surface soils dried, more water was taken from deeper sources. All of this water from deeps soils was attributed to the plant’s hydraulic lift. Large quantities of this water are lifted at night. When hydraulic lift occurs at night then it is termed nocturnal hydraulic lift. The question then becomes, if available water is moved from deep sources through deep roots during nighttime, when the plant is not transpiring for transpiration the next day, then where is this water stored? Other research indicates that water lifted from the deep soil profile is redistributed to dry, shallower soils where it is stored and used in the future. Deep root water transport varies with changes in the environment. When shallow soils become wetted again due to rain and/or the plant’s need for water decreases, hydraulic lift stops or is reduced dramatically. Hydraulic lift is the passive movement of water from roots where water is more available to roots or root compartments where the soil is drier. It does not require plant energy. While the majority of documented cases for hydraulic lift are in native plants in desert or arid climates, recent studies (such as those in the Northeast with Sugar Maple) indicate that hydraulic lift is not restricted to desert or arid species or regions. Release of water into the upper soil layers has been shown to benefit plants neighboring roots responsible for hydraulic lift. Because soils tend to dry from upper soil profiles downward and nutrients are usually more plentiful in the upper soil layers, lifted water may provide moisture to dry surface soils and enhance mineral uptake, beneficial microorganism growth such as mycorrhizae, and uptake of nutrients by feeder roots which typically occupy shallow soils. Some researchers feel that this is a form of plant parasitism and may have been the primary selective force in the evolution of this process. Hydraulic lift may also prolong or enhance root hair activity by keeping them hydrated. The direction of water movement in deep roots may be upward, downward or horizontal depending on where soil moisture is more limiting. The transfer of water downwards by root systems, from lets say roots growing in wet shallow soils to dry deep soils, has been termed downward siphoning or inverse hydraulic lift; the reverse of hydraulic lift. Such downward movement through the root system may allow growth of roots in otherwise dry soil at greater depths, permitting more rapid establishment of some plants. The amounts of water stored deep in the soil are not likely to be significant contributions if plant drought is severe. However, downward transfer of water may be important to plant establishment and the reduction of waterlogging in certain soil types. Inverse hydraulic lift may facilitate root growth into deep soil layers and transfer water away from neighboring, shallower-rooted competitors. In addition

It is well known that urban forestry and the planting of woody plants in urban communities provide substantial benefits to these environments. Trees reduce summer temperatures by providing shade and evaporative cooling. Trees also reduce atmospheric pollution by capturing or sequestering or capturing carbon as they grow and reduce the demand for air conditioning. Trees can add needed shade to a desert environment but is one this large needed for shade? Appropriate tree selection can provide valuable wildlife habitat and protect the species diversity to urban dwellers. In most developed countries urban forests were considered almost entirely on the basis of aesthetics. More recently, environmental and economic benefits that these urban forests provide are being given closer scrutiny. In other parts of the world factors may drive plant selection such as the need for food, fuel, cultural heritage and shelter. Historically the role of forestry was seen as guaranteeing a supply of industrial wood products for a variety of uses that was harvested much like an agricultural crop. But the role of forestry has broadened dramatically over the past few decades to help address a variety of environmental issues such as biological diversity and amelioration of global climate change as well as a new area of forestry coined ‘social forestry”. Our cultural heritage may play a large role in how we view urban forests, plant selection and the composition of our urban forest. In a recent research article Canadian researchers surveyed community members representing three different cultural heritages; British, Mediterranean and Chinese; to find out how much actual influence cultural heritage has on the in residential component of Toronto’s urban forest. Researchers found dramatic differences in residential components of Toronto’s urban forest and influenced by cultural ancestry. In order to understand where these differences emerge from it is important to understand their historical and cultural evolution. Residents of Toronto from British origins valued primarily aesthetic landscapes composed of large trees. The researchers proposed that this was primarily due to Britain’s demand for English oak used to build wooden ships for their military navy and merchant marine. British landowners also supplied lumber for firewood and maintained their properties for producing wild game for the privileged. Prior to the industrial revolution, wood produced for shipping was valued and grown on properties owned by the aristocracy. This wood was harvested, sold to the government and provided a significant revenue to these landholders. Large trees were viewed as a sign of wealth, power and prosperity. Wealthy industrialists emerging later in Britain’s history viewed the landscape aesthetics of large mature trees as a sign of wealth and status. This was coupled with a backlash reaction to the industrial revolution that romanticized the world of nature. These views influenced the English school of landscape architecture toward greenspace planning and heavily influenced the evolution of the Garden City Movement in Britain and the United States. The Garden City Movement was founded in 1898 by Sir Ebenezer Howard in the UK. In his view, garden cities were to be planned and self-contained communities surrounded by greenbelts with a careful balance between residential, industrial and agricultural development. The Garden City Movement had an impact on the landscape development of New York’s Central Park and the downtown central core of Washington, DC among others. Much of the native vegetation in the Mediterranean region has been lost or dispersed for centuries and replaced by small scale agriculture. Cities in the Mediterranean region, beginning in the middle ages, lacked greenspace and forests but were surrounded by small scale intensive agriculture focused on the growing of fruit trees, grapes and vegetables. The Renaissance villa was intended to be an agricultural center owned by wealthy landlords. From this villa rich landlords could view the pastoral countryside and visitors could admire well manicured gardens. Villas weren’t renowned for their self-sufficiency where owners drank their own wine and pressed their own olive oil. Later the term villa was extended to describe any freestanding suburban home surrounded by a landscape, much of it secured for the growing of food. Mediterranean immigrants continued this agricultural tradition in their new homes of North America which was dominated by the emerging northern European aesthetic of urban forests. Very little greenspace existed in Chinese cities and what did exist was under the control of the government. Chinese citizens had very little direct influence on urban landscapes outside of their own home. The typical Chinese home, which has changed little in 3000 years, generally consists of several buildings belonging to an extended family. These buildings would all face one or more courtyards separated by family dining areas and communal gathering spots. This communal home was typically surrounded by a wall which closed the family off from the rest of society and was also used to bring the outdoors into the family’s private compound. Inside the compound landscape design was abstract and featured primarily water, stone and buildings with trees playing a less significant role. North American parks with large trees and expansive lawns might seem uninteresting to a Chinese immigrant. Researchers point out that three concepts play the largest and role in Chinese landscapes: private courtyards, abstract designs with little emphasis on plants, and a lack of involvement in landscape design outside of their courtyards. It was not surprising then that those surveyed who are from British origin were the most likely to plant shade trees while the Italian, followed by the Portuguese, had or would plant the most fruit trees. Chinese favored the least number of trees. When shown computer generated images of urban landscapes, the British reacted more favorably toward landscapes dominated by trees and shrubs while Chinese tended to favor brick and lawn dominated landscapes. In backyards, Mediterranean respondents tended to have the largest vegetable gardens while British had the smallest. In the Mediterranean group, Italians tended to plant more fruit trees in backyards than Portuguese which was still more than British which favored shade trees. Chinese was the only group which included untended space in backyard designs.

Q. My biggest question is how to rid my raised vegetable beds of the abundance of bugs of all sorts who have made their home there over the past couple years. I love the little “roly poly” bugs but have a thousand of them in my gardens causing problems. Is there an organic pesticide that you would recommend? I have just begun planting fall veggies and would really like to catch this problem now. Picture of pillbug from Texas A and M A. It is hard to determine what went wrong with your garden this past year. It could be a number of things but we generally use soap and water sprays about three times a week just to keep the vegetables free of bugs as much as possible. Roly-polys generally like decaying debris on the soil surface so keeping the soil clean and free of debris is always suggested to keep their numbers down. Not letting soft fruits touch the ground helps and keeping them trellised. Roly polys can’t fly or climb so elevating them off the ground helps.

Cutting back tomatoes in the hoophouse in July and August Q. I have ripe tomatoes on my vines right now in July but I want to know when should I cut them back for a fall garden? How high above the ground should I cut them back? A. You don’t have to cut them back. They will begin to produce again as the temperatures cool this fall. However, if they have gotten too large or you want to reinvigorate them then you can cut them back. In our hot desert tomatoes stop producing when temperatures climb over the mid 90’s or so. The ones that have set will continue to develp and ripen but no new fruit will set until cool weather sets in. Whatever you use if you cut them back make sure it is clean and sterilized. You can cut back about 1/3 plant just above some side branches. Cutting the plants back will cause them to begin to grow vigorously as they tried to reestablish their tops to the existing root system. Do not cut them back to stems only or they most likely will just die. If there is fruit still on the vine that you want to harvest and cutting the vine means removing the fruit than you might wait until after you finish harvesting. Then go ahead and cut. Once you have trimmed the plant back then lightly apply some foliar fertilizers that focus on fruit production. Do this in the early morning hours. Apply this fertilizer in the early morning hours while it is still cooler and the sunlight is not so intense. This would mean a fertilizer high in the middle number or phosphorus and lower on nitrogen. You want to stimulate some new growth but you want the nitrogen in the fertilizer to begin to fizzle out in a couple of weeks as daytime high temperatures cool into the lower nineties. I’m guessing that this will be toward the end of September but I am no weatherman. You can apply a fertilizer to the soil but these generally last too long and can cause your tomatoes to grow excessively before they bloom again. Foliar fertilizers are usually short lived and you will get flowers sooner after an application. Try mixing it at half the label rate. Whenever you are growing vegetables you should be applying light applications of fertilizer whenever you are harvesting. You are taking away from the plant so you need to give something back to it to help it recover from harvesting. I hope this helps.

Q. My purple plum has branches that are dying on one side of the tree. The leaves are all brown and crunchy while the other side seems healthy. Please help. A. It is important to try and find out what the problem is if possible. From your description 1/3 tree has leaves that are dead or dying. These leaves are brown, dry and withered and possibly dead. Something is causing water not to reach the side of the tree that is withered and appears dead. This means there is damage to the limb or trunk below that area. Please inspect the larger limbs and trunk below it for wounding or bark that is peeling away from the trunk. If the tree is in a rock landscape, which is really not good for this tree, make sure that water is getting to that side by turning on the irrigation system and making sure water is coming out. You might try putting a hose at the base of the tree and a soaking the area around the tree slowly over a couple of hours. Do this once a week along with your normal irrigations and see if this makes a difference. But my best guess is that something has damaged the tree below the problem area. You still have time this year to help get it recovering from this damage before leaf drop. Response from reader:  Yu are correct. I just inspected the tree, which is not in a rock landscape, and found several wounds at the base of the truck near the ground. There are places on the truck where the bark is peeling away. Additionally, the branch that did not produce many leaves has a ½ inch split in it; the wood looks dry. The only reasonable explanations for this problem that I can come up with are (1) the gardener may have damaged the tree with his mower or lawn edger, or (2) borers may have damaged the tree before I treated it for insect infestation. There is no well around the tree; the grass grows around the base of the truck. I am watering my tree now and praying for its recovery. My response to reader: Good detective work! You are right, if the damage goes a considerable way around then this could be the root (pardon the pun) of your problem. Let’s determine if it is weed whacker or borer damage, shall we? Pull any loose bark away from the trunk. Look for accumulations of sawdust in channels that run parallel with the bark but just under it. A pen knife might work well to see if this sawdust “frass” located in the exposed tunnels just under the bark indicates a borer problem or not. If this is weed whacker damage (can be very likely and a common problem when grass is allowed to grow right up to the trunk) then there will be no frass or elliptically shaped exit holes about 3/8 inch long. Regardless of the outcome, remove the grass out a distance of two feet from the trunk. Can be a circle if you want but doesn’t have to be. If you want to be creative make it a square or even a trapezoid! But get the grass away from the trunk so the weed whacker doesn’t damage it.

Picture from reader most likely sunburn on the berries Q. My husband and I attended your seminar earlier this year regarding growing grapes and making wine. It was very interesting and helpful. We have been growing the Thompson “tasteless” for about four years now and they are doing quite well, however, our second year wine grapes, Cabernet and Black Spanish, appear to have black rot according to the internet pictures. Can you tell me if this year’s crop can be saved? A. We don’t have this disease west of the Mississippi to my knowledge. That is an East Coast grape disease problem. We have very few grape disease problems in our climate due to our very low humidity and geographical isolation. It is more likely to be sunburn. From the picture you sent me the discoloration is typical of sunburn and it seems to be facing the sides toward the sun. Make sure when the berries are developing that they are in the shade of the canopy as much as possible during the heat of the day. They should have as much indirect light as possible to help in color development (which also helps in the color of the juice or wine). Grape trellis with parallel catchwires on the top to “catch” the new growth and provide shade to the berries When you trellis the grapes you want to make sure that the bunches are shaded from direct light as much as possible by the overhead canopy of the vines. We use a catchwire about 18 inches above the cordon wire to do this so that the fruit remains protected but still allows for plenty of indirect light. The fruit needs sunlight to develop good color and antioxidants. They should also have plenty of air movement around bunches so that the few disease problems we have are minimized. We sometimes pull leaves off of the vine surrounding the bunches to increase indirect light and air movement. Grapes berries usually turn color (called veraison) in July through September depending on the variety being grown. Most of our wine grapes are ready for harvest in late July and into most of August. Veraison will also turn the berry a different color as it spreads through the berries but from your picture this is not what I am seeing. Our wine grapes entering into veraison at 115F (46C) daytime temps Not all the grapes will be turning color at the same time nor will bunches be ready for harvest all turn at the same time. In the extreme heat of July and August color development can be very spotty through the bunches with some much further along than others. I have attached a picture of our wine grapes entering into veraison with some berries totally dark while others are still green and yet others turning color.

Q. Do you have any idea how to get rid of snails? I have a factory! There are literally hundreds throughout my grass andplanters. They are very small and we rarely see the large ones so not sure if they are regular snails or what. But I’d like to get rid of them because they grab onto the kids shoes which can bring them in the house. Picture of the snail culprit from the reader. Out, out, dam ned snail! A. Snails are not usually a huge problem here due to our lack of moisture and sparse plant growth. However in a garden situation where there is plenty of water and debris on the ground they can get established, usually being brought in on nursery or garden materials. The basic strategy is to minimize water by using drip irrigation whenever you can and clean up ground debris to remove hiding and egg laying places. Traps can be put out which is basically used so that you have some central locations where you can find them and kill them. Usually once you get these traps established and conduct raids daily for about two weeks you will lower their numbers substantially. Then once or twice a week is all that is necessary to maintain lower numbers. There are some devices such as copper barriers and diatomaceous earth that can be used to keep them out of specific places. Then there are the chemical baits containing metaldehyde and Sevin, an insecticide. The following I copied verbatim from the University of California IPM website a couple of months ago. But check to make sure the information is current at their website located at http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7427.html Snails and slugs are among the most bothersome pests in many gardens and landscapes. The brown garden snail, Cornu aspersum (formerly Helix aspersa), is the most common snail causing problems in California gardens. It was introduced from France during the 1850s for use as food. Another troublesome snail is the white garden snail, Theba pisana. It currently is established only in San Diego County but has been found in Los Angeles and Orange counties as well. Several species of slugs also cause damage including the gray garden slug (Deroceras reticulatum,formerly Agriolimax meticulatus), the banded slug (Lehmannia poirieri), the three-band garden slug (L. valentiana), the tawny slug (Limacus flavus), and the greenhouse slug (Milax gagates). IDENTIFICATION AND BIOLOGY Both snails and slugs are members of the mollusk phylum and are similar in structure and biology, except slugs lack the snail’s external, spiral shell. These mollusks move by gliding along on a muscular “foot.” This muscle constantly secretes mucus, which facilitates their movement and later dries to form the silvery “slime trail” that signals the presence of either pest. All land slugs and snails are hermaphrodites, so all have the potential to lay eggs. Adult brown garden snails lay an average of 80 spherical, pearly white eggs at a time into a hole in the soil. They can lay eggs up to 6 times a year, and it takes about 2 years for snails to mature. Slugs reach maturity after about 3 to 6 months, depending on the species, and lay clear, oval to round eggs in batches of 3 to 40 beneath leaves, in soil cracks, and in other protected areas. Snails and slugs are most active at night and on cloudy or foggy days. On sunny days they seek hiding places out of the heat and bright light. Often the only clues to their presence are their silvery trails and plant damage. In areas with mild winters, such as southern coastal locations, snails and slugs can be active throughout the year. During cold weather, snails and slugs hibernate in the topsoil. During hot, dry periods or when it is cold, snails seal themselves off with a parchmentlike membrane and often attach themselves to tree trunks, fences, or walls. DAMAGE Snails and slugs feed on a variety of living plants and on decaying plant matter. They chew irregular holes with smooth edges in leaves and flowers and can clip succulent plant parts. They also can chew fruit and young plant bark. Because they prefer succulent foliage or flowers, they primarily are pests of seedlings and herbaceous plants, but they also are serious pests of ripening fruits that are close to the ground such as strawberries, artichokes, and tomatoes. They also will feed on foliage and fruit of some trees; citrus are especially susceptible to damage. Look for the silvery mucous trails to confirm slugs or snails caused the damage and not earwigs, caterpillars, or other chewing insects. MANAGEMENT A good snail and slug management program relies on a combination of methods. The first step is to eliminate, as much as possible, all places where they can hide during the day. Boards, stones, debris, weedy areas around tree trunks, leafy branches growing close to the ground, and dense ground covers such as ivy are ideal sheltering spots. It won’t be possible to eliminate some shelters such as low ledges on fences, the undersides of wooden decks, and water meter boxes, so make a regular practice of trapping and removing snails and slugs from these areas. Locate vegetable gardens or susceptible plants as far away from snail and slug hiding places as possible. Reducing hiding places allows fewer snails and slugs to survive. The survivors congregate in the remaining shelters, where you can more easily locate and remove them. Switching from sprinkler irrigation to drip irrigation will reduce humidity and moist surfaces, making the habitat less favorable for these pests. Choose snail-proof plants, such as those listed below, for areas where snails and slugs are dense. Copper barriers can be useful for protecting especially susceptible plants. Though baits can be part of a management program, it is better to use them in conjunction with other habitat modification, especially in gardens that contain plenty of shelter, food, and moisture. Plant selection can greatly affect how difficult your battle with snails and slugs will