Q. You are certainly correct about some of the persimmon fruit getting sunburned. I had to remove 15 persimmon fruit because of sun damage. One thing I have noticed is that some of the new growth from the main branches are aimed downward so I am hoping to eventually grow the tree closer to the ground so more fruit is in the shade. All the fruit is small. Hopefully, since this is the first crop, the situation will improve as the tree gets bigger. A. You’re right, persimmon fruit does get a bit larger as the tree gets bigger, if it is “thinned” appropriately, and fertilized in the spring. Play around with it. It may be a bit late for your trees, but try planting persimmon fruit trees on the east side of your home so it gets afternoon shade. Hopefully, it will reduce the number of fruit that have sun damage. Tree fruit needs only about 6 to 8 hours of full sunlight. Morning sun is best for persimmon trees of all kinds. If fruit trees are planted too close together, they may get too much shade. Try growing the variety ‘Giant Fuyu’ if you want larger fruit when the tree is three to five years old. Your persimmon varieties do not have lower limbs to provide some shade for themselves and they are planted very close together. I like semi-dwarf fruit trees planted 8 to ten feet apart and no more than ten feet tall from pruning. If the persimmon tree is already planted in …
Q. My apricot tree is 15 years old. I have emitters around most of the canopy. I gave it fruit tree fertilizer in early spring. This spring it developed a lot of apricots then a few weeks later the leaves started turning brown and falling off. I fear my tree is dying. Any suggestions? A. This is the time of year we see borers finish their nasty work. This is not peach tree, or crown borer that gets into the soil as it does further north. These borers have been tunneling just under the bark, staying in the tree, and are “flatheaded borers”. It is possible that borers may have been a problem before your tree was 15 years old. When we see the tree dying it is often times later in the year (usually July or August) when it gets hot. Often times the tree has an exposed trunk facing west or south. The trunk gets hot, scorches or sunburns and the borers infest the tree where there is damage. Like I said, this borer infestation can happen over several years when it is older like yours. In young trees it can happen over one or two years. What to do? Look for borer damage of the tree trunk where it is exposed to direct sunlight. I would get borer control insecticide containing the active ingredient imidacloprid and treat it now. Make sure a soil drench is mentioned on the label. You can always look for borer damage after you apply the soil drench treatment. …
Q. I really want a red bird of paradise in our yard. I killed a new plant last year by over-watering. We have the typical irrigation of watering in the early morning and after 7pm. Other than size of the sprinkler heads we use I don’t know how to water my new plant. Can you help me? A. This plant died from watering it too often. It may not use a lot of water, but it needs to get watered more often than a desert provides or it will die. It, and its relatives, grow naturally throughout the tropics and subtropics where water is available ideally more often. Secondly, the only plants that need daily watering in the summer are very shallow rooted lawns (ex. tall fescue), most annual vegetables (e.g. tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, etc.) and annual flowers like petunias and snapdragons. Generally, the larger the plant, the deeper its roots. Woody plants that grow to three feet tall have roots that can grow as much as 12 inches deep; woody plants up to 12 feet tall have roots that can grow as much as 18 inches deep, plants that are 25 feet tall have roots that can grow 24 inches deep, etc. Water according to the 40-30-20-10 rule. If any sized root (12 inches to three feet) is divided into fourths, the top fourth consumes the most water, next is the second quarter, then the third, etc. When water use is calculated from dead plants, it is found that the top fourth uses …
Q. Tell me what you think about this product. Could we use it on a fruit tree to kill borers and eat fruit the same year? A. I am looking at the label you sent. I am looking at the active ingredients listed. The active ingredients tell me that I am applying “Imidacloprid at 1.47%”. The remaining 98.53% are “OTHER INGREDIENTS”. The active ingredient is a small percentage (in this case1.47%) of the total product (100%). This active ingredient still must be diluted with water at 1.5 teaspoons of this product per gallon of water in order to spray it or use it as a soil drench (8 to 30 ounces of this product for each gallon of water depending on the size of the fruit tree). This product gives one season long control of borers. However, after three weeks of application, whatever remains of this product in the fruit, is safe to eat according to the label. It is your call. I get worried when it “gives season long control” of borers but it is safe the fruit is same to eat after 21 days. I prefer telling people to throw the fruit out that remains on the tree for one season even though the label indirectly says the fruit is safe to eat. Follow the label if you want and eat the fruit after 21 days.