Xtremehorticulture

Xtremehorticulture of the Desert

Plant Roots Prefer Water and Nutrients Applied to the Same Place

Leave a Comment / drip irrigation, plants, roots, vegetables /

Q. I have read that plants grow better with water delivered to their roots, at the same spot, over and over again. Is this true? Eggplant growing with drip irrigation in a raised bed without sidewalls. A. Yes, it’s true but you probably won’t notice the difference. Why? Unless you compare plants growing with water applied to the same spot, over and over, with plants watered at different places you wont see much difference.              Plant roots get used to the amount of water and air when water is delivered to the same spots and depth, over and over. That is one reason why drip irrigation, along with the proper spacing of emitters, is so successful as long as the plant “wets its roots” to the appropriate depth each time. Watering with a hose will not as consistent.             Water should wet the roots to the same depth every time. Small shrubs need to wet their roots to a depth of 12 to 18 inches, medium sized trees and shrubs 18 to 24 inches deep, and tall trees or shrubs should have wetted roots to a depth of 36 inches deep. This water should be applied to at least half the area under the plant’s canopy. Obviously then large plants need more water applied to them, and this water applied to a larger area, than the smaller plants.

Plant Roots Prefer Water and Nutrients Applied to the Same Place Read More »

Vegetable Seed Use and Storage

Leave a Comment / planting, seed, storage, vegetables /

Q. I have some old vegetable seed that I planted. I was told I wasted my money and time. Do you think I did? Vegetable seed storage for longevity depends on which seed or cuttings depending on the vegetables but maintaining an appropriate temperature and low humidity are important. A. It depends on the seed, how it was stored and how old it was. Usually, large seed doesn’t store as long as smaller seed; maybe two or three years. Small seed might store for 5 or 6 years or longer.             The best temperature and humidity to store seed totals less than 100. That is directly from the National Seed Storage Lab in Ft. Collins, Co. For instance, if the temperature that they were stored totaled about 70F, then the humidity should be less than 30%. If the humidity was 70%, then the temperature needs to average around 30F. Of course the best temperature and humidity for seed storage is close to freezing for temperate seed. Having them both total less than 100 is suitable for a couple of years.             When using old seed, plant two and expect one to live is a good motto.             When storing seed, I try to keep the temperature and humidity of vegetable seed as low as possible. I stay away from buying seed exposed to heat or direct sunlight. I use a desiccant (corn starch works okay), put them in a glass jar with a screw lid, and put them in the fridge. They will keep this way for several to many years depending on the oil content of the seed. Small seed (e.g., tomato, eggplant, beet, carrot) usually has less oil in it than larger seed (e.g., beans, corn).

Vegetable Seed Use and Storage Read More »

Containers for Vegetable Gardening Offer Options

Leave a Comment / container, vegetables /

Q. We are planting a family vegetable garden. Would a container/raised bed do well in this environment? We’re used to summers in Colorado, and wondering if there are specific tomato, cucumber, pepper, and lettuce varieties that do well here? Will root crops like carrots and radishes do well in containers? The west side of our house gets late afternoon shade from the neighbor’s house, and that is the only space we have. Would this be okay? When is the best time to plant? Soon? A. I sent a vegetable growers Bible written by Dr. Sylvan Wittwer when he was growing vegetables in southern Nevada. Anyone interested who wants a copy can ask me for it and I will email it to you. It contains a planting calendar. He is a traditional gardener and not organic. Substitute organic alternatives if you want to use a different soil, fertilizer, or pesticide. Container vegetable gardening offer several alternatives when growing vegetables. When possible, use older varieties that are known successes until you get the hang of growing vegetables in this climate. When using raised beds, use compact varieties that produce fruit quickly and then throw them out and replant. Plant cautiously any new varieties. They sound cute. That’s a marketing gimmick. Sometimes they perform well in the desert and sometimes they don’t. Plant new varieties for three years in a row before calling them a “desert success”. Want to try some root crops like radishes or beets? If planting a “viny” plant, let the “vines” sprawl. The roots are important to the plant, not the “vines”. Keep weeds under control. Weeds breed bugs. Bugs eat plants or spread diseases. “The success of a garden equals the time your shadow passes over it.” Inspect and walk it at least daily. Strawberries, yellow peppers, and herbs are just a few of the suggestions. I like containers. Double pot them so they don’t get so hot when the sun shines on the outer walls. Use five to fifteen gallon nursery containers and fill them with your favorite soil to within one inch of the top rim. Put a three-inch layer of gravel in the bottom of the outer pot to keep them from lodging. If you are using tap water, filling these containers within one inch of the top will have some water coming out the bottom. This helps remove salts when you irrigate.

Containers for Vegetable Gardening Offer Options Read More »

Cracks in Tomatoes

Leave a Comment / crack, cracking, cracks., tomato, tomatoes, vegetables /

Q. What causes cracks in the tomatoes near the top where the stem is? I have also seen some of my tomatoes with very deep cracks. Let me know what you can tell me about this. The types of cracks speaks volumes. Longitudinal cracks, like this one running the length of the fruit, is caused by expansion of the fruit when it is ripening. Cracking that are radial, or run around the fruit is mostly genetic. A. There are two types of cracking, longitudinal cracks (which you have) and radial cracking (which you don’t have). Yours are longitudinal cracks. Radial cracking is mostly a varietal issue. Some varieties of tomatoes show these radial cracks more than others. If you have radial cracks, grow a different variety next season. That will lessen, but not eliminate, radial cracking. This is a so-called “Heirloom” variety called ‘Caspian Pink’. It demonstrates radial cracks typical of the variety ‘Caspian Pink’. Not much you can do about it except lessen it under better conditions but the radial cracks will still be there. All type of cracks do not harm the fresh eating of these fruits unless it spoils.             Another possibility is uneven amounts of water to the fruit. These types of skin cracking causes mostly longitudinal cracks. The swelling of the fruit and then shrinking back to its original size can cause cracking because of the expanding fruit. This type of cracking (longitudinal cracks again mostly) is lessened by using a surface mulch on top of the soil. Sometimes watering differently will help.  Longitudinal cracking of the fruit by irregular watering even with a surface mulch of straw applied. If you are using surface mulch, I would recommend wood or pine shavings (like rabbit, horse, or hamster bedding). It “melts” (decomposes) into the soil easier than straw which has fibers that are tough to decompose. Straw works but is more difficult to get it to break down quickly.             You don’t need a thick layer of surface mulch but just enough to shade the ground and lessen water lost by soil surface evaporation.

Cracks in Tomatoes Read More »

Can I Use Burlap as a Shadecloth?

Leave a Comment / herbs, shade cloth, vegetables /

Q. Can I use burlap for shade cloth? Burlap fabric  A. Don’t use burlap as a solid piece in place of shade cloth for permanent shade. It is fine for creating permanent shade for people or pets but not for plants. Be careful how much heat it traps under it if it is located too close to humans and other animals. Plants are green and need sunlight for photosynthesis. Usually about 60 to 70% sunlight. People and pets don’t need as much. Use Shade Cloth Instead It comes in different percentages of shade ranging from about 30% to 100%. Shade cloth for plants ranges from 20 to about 50% shade. Plants that flower and produce fruits like tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant need more light than leafy plants: 20 to 40% shade. Shade more than this interferes with flowering and fruiting. t This is 30% shade cloth used on a tunnel for growing sun sensitive vegetables and herbs in the desert sun in Las Vegas Plants that only grow leaves and no flowers such as lettuce, spinach, Swiss chard, greens can handle shade up to about 50%. After 50% shade, they grow poorly. Too dark. Not enough light. Most burlap I have seen produces much more shade than this and would not be a good choice when growing plants.  You can make 50% shade out of wooden 1×2’s by omitting every other piece of wood. These are called “lathe houses”. Similarly, 30-40% shade can be done the same way but by eliminating 2 and leaving every 3rd 1×2.

Can I Use Burlap as a Shadecloth? Read More »

Getting Asparagus Ready for Winter

Leave a Comment / asparagus, vegetables, winter /

Q. I’ve been getting e-mails about preparing asparagus ready for winter. They recommend cutting the stems 2″ above the ground, then apply compost then mulch.  Is that what I should be doing to get the plants ready for winter? When temperatures get cold and start to freeze, asparagus will turn brown, the tops die. Sometimes they stay green all winter long if we have a warm winter. A. That’s not what I liked to do with asparagus. I found that 2 inches of “stubble” created by cutting the stems above ground interfered with my work getting ready for next year’s spring crop. I preferred to cut this woody stem growth about an inch below the soil surface with a thick knife or asparagus knife on about January 1.  I prefer to cut the spears when I harvest them and sort them in the shed or kitchen. I find that the asparagus stubble scattered in the field interferes with walking and harvesting. https://www.harryepstein.com/asparagus-knife-usa-weeder.html?gclid=Cj0KCQiA2sqOBhCGARIsAPuPK0jTKUY5H9kiydW_sFC5-Nf8fPNb1csto5wpHWzPw97TMJAXE-aI5SoaAjRlEALw_wcB If we have a cold winter these stems (called fronds) freeze and turn yellow. With a warm winter they stay green. Don’t reapply asparagus stems as a mulch to your old asparagus bed or to any vegetables due to allelopathy. I would burn it instead. Regardless of how they appear in the winter these ferns still need to be cut back to get ready for next year’s production. After they are cut and in late winter, a fertilizer such as rich compost or regular compost plus a mineral fertilizer high in nitrogen, needs to be applied. Asparagus loves rich soil. Bare Soil Warms Faster Bare soil warms up faster than a cold winter soil covered in mulch. A warmer soil means an earlier asparagus spear harvest. If you can keep an eye on your asparagus emergence, then apply the mulch when you first start seeing spears if you want early production and not earlier than this. Next year’s production can start as early as January. If you want production later in the spring, then mulch them immediately after you apply the compost or manure.

Getting Asparagus Ready for Winter Read More »

Application of Insecticides Depends on the Label

Leave a Comment / fruit trees, imidacloprid, soil drench, vegetables /

Q. Please advise where I can find this borer control product you recommended to me for soil drenching. The product I found has only 1.47% imidacloprid in it. Is this strong enough for soil drenching? A. This question opens a “can of worms” I tried to avoid earlier by only recommending a single product. Initially when evaluating a product for borer control as a liquid soil drench, two questions should be asked: 1. Does this product contain imidacloprid in the ingredients? 2. Do the instructions explain how to apply it as a soil drench to the type of plant I am treating? The instructions will tell you how to use it correctly. Homeowner vs Professional Concentrations             There is frequently a difference in concentrations of imidacloprid between “homeowner products” and “commercial products”. The obvious difference of course is availability to homeowners of commercial products but the other one is in the lower concentration that you mentioned.             Homeowner products are frequently less concentrated than commercial products. This is because commercial applicators should have more knowledge about safe use of these pesticides and access to PPE (Professional Protective Equipment) when applying it. Plus, the homeowner uses less product.             For commercial applicators, imidacloprid is contained in several products and atconcentrations much higher than 1.47%. “The dose makes the poison” and having a less concentrated product available to homeowners can be “safer” for the uninformed to use. It also means less “left over” product when finished. Read the Label             Is 1.47% strong enough to use as a soil drench?  Look at the directions for use. Does it say you can use it as a soil drench for your purpose? A reliable manufacturer will want you to be successful, tell others about your success and use their products again. A reliable manufacturer will give you the right instructions and concentration that will be effective. This formulation of imidacloprid allow for a soil drench of vegetables and fruit trees. It has 0.233% imidacloprid and the label tells you how to mix and apply it. If the label doesn’t allow it, then by law it is not allowed.             It’s up to you to read the directions and make sure this product is applied correctly as a soil drench and for your purposes. Make sure it is applied after the plant flowers in the spring to avoid “honeybee” problems which it clearly states on the label.

Application of Insecticides Depends on the Label Read More »

Starting a Fall Vegetable Garden

Leave a Comment / fall gardening, herbs, vegetables /

Q. Could you help me get a fall garden going? Please send me a list of crops that grow in Las Vegas. I live in the northwest area off of Ann Road and Jones in Las Vegas A. I posted a calendar for planting in the fall on my blog. Download a copy there but I will give you a rundown of the crops which are normally started this time of year in the eastern Mojave Desert.             First, some background. There are two planting times each year. Plant cool season vegetables and herbs that withstand frost and cold during the late summer, fall, winter and spring months. Plant the warm season, winter-tender vegetables and herbs when danger of frost has passed and into the mid-summer months. Warm season crops die or perform poorly during cold or freezing weather.             Even though it’s still hot now, this is the time of year to plant several fall and winter crops. Notice that I said many, not all. Exact planting dates vary with soil and air temperatures, the time plants require before they are ready to harvest as well as the quality of the end product.             Cool season crops that require 60 or more days before harvesting will be just fine if planted now. It is too early to plant crops like radishes which are ready to harvest in 30 days.                         Exact planting dates vary with your garden microclimate. Gardens located in warm microclimates have different planting dates from those gardens in cooler microclimates. If you are lucky enough to have a landscape with more than one microclimate, you can stagger your planting dates so that the same crops mature a few days or even a week or two apart.             Plant gardens that face West or South later in the fall but earlier in the spring. Gardens facing east or north are planted in the reverse order.             The following vegetables can be planted during September from seed or seed pieces for fall, winter and spring harvest: beets, broccoli, carrots, collards, endive, Irish potatoes, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, peas, rutabagas, spinach and Swiss chard.             The following could be planted as small transplants: broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, celery and Chinese cabbage. If temperatures are unusually hot, delay putting in transplants until weather cools off a bit.             Mulch the soil to keep the seeds and roots of transplants moist and cool.

Starting a Fall Vegetable Garden Read More »

Yes. You Should Fertilize Plants During the Summer

Leave a Comment / can you fertilize plants in the summer, flowers. lawns, fruit trees, vegetables /

Many people believe you can’t or shouldn’t fertilize during the summer months. That is incorrect. Fertilizers are important to apply when plants need them, not according to the weather. The reason people are told not to is because fertilizers can be more dangerous to plants during hot summer months. This is how you can and should fertilize during the heat. It is not magic. It is common sense.  Ammonium sulfate can burn plants, is fast in its release and dissolves totally in water. I use it but you must be very careful using this fertilizer in the summer. The major problems with fertilizing during summer heat is the combination of high temperatures and fertilizer salts. Salts in fertilizers can be damaging alone but in combination with high temperatures, they can be lethal. The amount of fertilizer you can safely apply is much higher in cooler months than in hotter months. You are not going to change the temperatures, but you can apply less fertilizer. Rule No. 1. Apply less fertilizer during hot weather.  Salts are all around us. They are in the food we eat. They are in the water we drink. They are in the soils we use to grow vegetables. Most organic fertilizers release fertilizer salts more slowly than conventional fertilizers. Not always, but generally speaking. So using organic fertilizers is usually a safer thing to do than using conventional fertilizers. Rule No. 2. Use organic or slow release fertilizers during hot weather. Fertilizer salts are salts. Salts can damage plants in two ways. First, drying out plant roots and stems through dessication or pulling water out of the stems against the desire of the plant to keep water inside the stems. Salt applied to living tissue pulls water out of the tissue. This type of damage to plants is much more severe when soils are dry. Never apply fertilizers to dry soils during summer months. When you are finished with a fertilizer application, water the fertilizer into the soil. Blood meal is an organic fertilizer, safer to use than ammonium  sulfate but you still need to be careful. Rule No. 3. Irrigate soils first. Apply fertilizer next. Then water in the fertilizer. Fertilizers applied 1 to 2 inches next to the stems of plants can damage or kill. Salts in fertilizers pull water out of stems. If fertilizer is accidentally applied too close, don’t panic. Either scrape it a few more inches away from the plant or push the fertilizer away with a stream of water and water it in. Apply fertilizers near the water source and no closer than 4 to 6 inches from small plants. Whether you think dry fertilizer landed on plant leaves or not, it is always safest to wash the leaves with water after a fertilizer application. Rule No. 4. Keep applied fertilizer a safe distance from plants. Temperature is important when fertilizing plants. Apply fertilizers in the cool morning hours or when there is a break in the summer heat. Osmocote is a slow release conventional fertilizer but a safer fertilizer to use in summer months. Rule. No. 5. Apply fertilizers to plants during the cooler times of the day.

Yes. You Should Fertilize Plants During the Summer Read More »

Vegetable and Herb Planting Calendar Re-Posted as PDF

Leave a Comment / desert, herbs, Las Vegas, planting calendar, vegetables /

I made some changes in the one I posted earlier and embedded it from Scribd as a pdf document. Please let me know if you have trouble downloading it by posting here on the blog. This has been put together for elevations of about 500 ft (160m) to 3000 ft (1000m) elevations at 36 degrees N. Latitude in a desert environment. Vegetable and Herb Planting Calendar

Vegetable and Herb Planting Calendar Re-Posted as PDF Read More »