Nectarine Fruit Scarring Spray for Thrips Control

If you have a nectarine fruit tree or a relative of nectarine like Nectaplum, expect your fruit to be scarred unless you spray.

Grapeleaf Skeletonizers Flying Now in Las Vegas

Q. My grape vine is started to leaf out. What is the spray I need to use to prevent the leaf eaters? I saw a black wasp like bug today (April 9)

Spring Rose Show To Be Held April 19

Planting and Watering Ocotillo

Q. I have a recently planted ocotillo. It is tied together by wire when should I cut the ties?  Also, I heard that I should spray the plant with water frequently. What’s frequently?

Rose Flowers Small and Wilting May Be Damage from Thrips

Q. I recently had my yard refreshed with a new irrigation system,  new plants, rose bushes and even a small tree. My roses had suffered badly the last couple of seasons. No matter what I did, the mealybugs and aphids were victorious. Even if my roses bloomed they were small and quick to wilt.

Apricot Leaves Cupping and Dropping Off

Q. My Blenheim apricot tree is not doing well. A few branches have lost all their leaves. Other leaves are starting to curl and cup. This year it had plenty of apricots but few leaves. I thinned them out since the tree is young. I thought this would also help the tree put more energy into leaves.

How to Use Organic Pesticides Effectively

Organic pesticides work but they are aimed more for prevention than correcting an existing problem.

Slugs Can Cause Early Plant Damage to Lettuce

While in Kosovo recently a farmer complained about the lower leaves of his young lettuce plants were damaged, wilting and not looking very good.

Stinkbugs Cause Plant Damage Early in the Season

Most gardeners recognize the stinkbug in southern Nevada. But the populations may be on the rise in home gardens particularly early in the season.

Apricot Fruit Needs Little Thinning

Apricot fruit doesn't need thinning....or does it?

Thinning Apple and Pear Fruit is Similar

Apple and pear fruit are produced in clusters of fruit on the tree. Leave only one fruit remaining in each cluster.

Thin Your Peach Tree While Fruit is Still Small

Thinning fruit, or selectively removing fruit so remaining fruit gets larger, should be done at an early stage of fruit development. See examples of the spacing of fruit for good size.

Apricot Leaves Cupping and Dropping

Q. My Blenheim apricot tree is not doing well. A few branches have lost all their leaves. Other leaves are starting to curl and cup.

Japanese Blueberry With Orange Leaves a Sign of Leaf Death

Q. My water accidently turned off for two weeks and my Japanese Blueberries are all orange. I do see new growth on the edge of the branches. Is the tree shedding old leaves? Did the cold snap in November cause this?

Quince Tree With Dark Brown Bumps on Branches

Q. We have a 3 year old Quince tree which looked very good to me until today when I notice brown/dark purple small pee size bumps on the top branches. Removing the bumps causes a fluid to ooze out. I guess the fluid must be sweet since there are ants running up and down the branch.

Will PawPaw Fruit Trees Grow in the Desert?

Q. Do you know if paw paw trees will grow here? If so, what type of conditions (partial shade, full sun etc) and what type of soil amendments? 

Bamboo Damaged Just After Winter

Q. Do you have any advice on what I can do to green up these bamboo planted in rock mulch? Give them iron perhaps?

Orange Tree Flowering Now and Not December

Q. We have an orange tree that did not produce any flowers this last December.  Over the last week in March the tree has started covering itself with buds all over.

Do Not Mulch Cat Claw Vine?

Q. I believe in one of your columns regarding cat's claw to avoid mulching the base of the plant.  Of course I had already done this and the plants are struggling where I very much want them to thrive and go nuts with no issues. 

My Onions are Not Growing

Q. I bought a package of onion sets several months ago. They aren’t getting big.

Holes in Trees Due to Woodpecker?

Q. Do we have woodpeckers in Las Vegas?  This is the north side on the trunk of my Carob tree, at about chest high.