Independence Nectarine Fruit Damaged

Q. I have a Independence Nectarine tree which I have been nurturing for two years now. This is the first year I have had fruit!  Of the nectarines I kept I am seeing something on them that looks like dried droplets of sap. It is not sticky to the touch but I have 2 nectarines that do not have it.  Are you able to determine if I have some sort of blight with the fruit? Will I just need to take this plant out?

Warty Growths on Limbs Tree Solved

Recently some pictures were sent to me of some warty growths found on the limbs off crepe myrtle. But the tree did not look like crepe myrtle. And I did not recognize the warty growths. Read on to find out what was going on.....

Japanese Blueberry Top Dieback Part II

Q. The trunk/branches of the bad trees appear like they’re peeling. The limbs are very brittle so I don’t think they’ll recover. Could I, for example, simply cut the top 12” of the trunk and save the rest of the tree?

Japanese Blueberry Tops are Dying Part I.

Q. I’m having a problem with my Japanese blueberries. Some are fine and the two on the end appear to be drying out but only towards the top? Do you have any idea what’s causing this? The soil is not dry and they all get the same amount of irrigation.

Japanese blueberries tops dying back

Get Ready for the Leaffooted Plant Bug Invasion

Q. What is the best attack for these pesty, scarey looking creatures.  We had them last year.  Haven't seen them yet this season.  Is there something to keep them away?

Centurylink.net Problems in Emails

Just a warning for people who send me emails using centurylink.net....I had several of my return emails rejected by this provider. So if you sent me emails using an email address with centurylink.net after your user name and I never responded...well....maybe it got rejected. Please use a different email address when communicating with me.

Thanks.
Bob Morris
aka 'Extremehort'

Bay Laurel Good Choice for Chain Link Privacy

Q. I would like to plant an "evergreen" vine/screening plant along a chain link fence to block the neighbor's yapping dogs (little dogs).

Bay Laurel recently planted

'Firethorn' Pyracantha a Good Choice to Cover an Ugly Wall

Leafcutter Bee Perfect Circles Now Seen on Plants

Leafcutter bee damage to bottle tree.

Q. My recently planted Carolina jasmine vine and rose bush are being shredded by cutter bees!! I've been told there is no insecticide to kill or deter them. Is this so? Both of these plants are adjacent to other plants but the others are not affected. I'm at wits end seeing perfect circles in the leaves! Also, why would you WANT cutter bees?

Concord Grapes Ravaged by Skeletonizers

Q. Over the past two days, my two Concord grape vines have been completely defoliated by a larva-like worm.  It is yellow in color with black bands around the body and a wider blue band at each end of the body. Is the vine infected and needs to be removed or can the grape vines be saved? The damage is done, but is there a preventative action I should have taken?

No Reason to Remove Female Inflorescence from Sago Palm

Q. It is my understanding that the ball growing in the middle of my Sago palm is part of its reproductive system. However, since I do not plan on pollinating the plant, how and when can I remove the growth?  Also, can you tell from the images if it is male or female Sago?

In This Case Pruning Paint Might Be the Right Choice

Q. I have a large pine tree in my front yard. I trimmed this tree in the past and had buckets and buckets of sap coming from large limbs that were cut. I may need to prune heavily again this winter. But since I just completed relandscaping under it, I'm worried about all the sap that is going to fall on everything I just put down. I'll never get off all the sap that will drip on everything!! Is there a way I might prevent or stop the sap from dripping such as pruning paint? Is there anything to save all my hard work from being completely being encapsulated in sap?

Fig Fruits Drying Usually Lack of Water to the Tree

Q. This is the first year my seven year old Black Mission Fig is “behaving” strangely. The fruit came on, some even started to ripen, and now they are shriveling on the tree. The tree looks perfect and so do the leaves. I did read your article on figs but ours always seems to be treated the same, year in and out.