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Friday, June 13, 2014

Calling All Las Vegas Gardening Bloggers and Social Media Types!

Social media types and those who have been thinking about getting started and need a little help. Please RSVP to me at Extremehort@aol.com so I have an idea about how many might be coming.

I have been wanting to meet bloggers and other social media types in the Las Vegas area for quite awhile. My idea was to get together, socialize, share some ideas and help promote each other. I have a meeting already scheduled at Viragrow in North Las Vegas on Saturday, June 21,and I would like to specifically invite you as well.

I would suggest a very open agenda:
Introductions
Brainstorming of ideas.
Resolution of ideas.
Adjourn.
 
Viragrow is located at 1100 East Dehli St. near Cheyenne Exit of I15 and Losee Road in North Las Vegas.
Exit on Cheyenne and drive West toward Losee Road.
Turn right or north on Losee approximately 150 yards to the first traffic light which is Colton.
Turn left or west on Colton a distance of 20 yards and take an immediate or first right on Bruce.
Travel north on Bruce about two blocks and Delhi St is on your left or west.
Viragrow is about 50 yards west on Delhi St.
It is best to park outside the fence next to the road due to truck traffic into and out of the yard.
 
A map can be found here. http://www.viragrow.com/directions

Horticulture/Gardening Meeting Saturday Morning June 21 Las Vegas

This is an exploratory social get-together for interested desert gardeners, horticulture and social media types in the Las Vegas area. I am proposing a 9 am meeting at the Viragrow meeting room on Saturday, June 21, for those interested. There will be some healthy and not so healthy refreshments, coffee and tea available.
 
Please RSVP to me at Extremehort@aol.com so I have an idea of numbers who might be coming.
I would suggest a very open agenda:
  • Introductions
  • Brainstorming of ideas.
  • Resolution of ideas.
  • Adjourn.
Viragrow is located at 1100 East Dehli St. near Cheyenne Exit of I15 and Losee Road in North Las Vegas.
  • Exit on Cheyenne and drive West toward Losee Road.
  • Turn right or north on Losee approximately 150 yards to the first traffic light which is Colton.
  • Turn left or west on Colton a distance of 20 yards and take an immediate or first right on Bruce.
  • Travel north on Bruce about two blocks and Delhi St is on your left or west.
  • Viragrow is about 50 yards west on Delhi St.
It is best to park outside the fence next to the road due to truck traffic into and out of the yard.
 
A map can be found here. http://www.viragrow.com/directions

Sunday, June 8, 2014

Importance of Surface Mulch for Vegetables

Surface mulches are under appreciated when growing shallow rooted vegetables during the heat in hot, desert or arid climates. Learn why.

Lack of Flowers in Petunia May Be Tobacco Bud Worm

Q. My husband planted some gorgeous petunias in early April. At first they were all blooming but now there isn't a single flower in either of the planters. We noticed many holes in the leaves so my husband sprayed them with Sevin thinking that would do the trick. All we have is two planters filled with very healthy green plants but no flowers.

Caterpillar Webbing on Texas Mountain Laurel Now

Now is the time you may be seeing some webbing in your Texas mountain laurel tree or shrub. This happens nearly every year but is relatively easy to control.

Roses With Strong Growth Needs to be Controlled

Q. Last fall I planted five rose bushes and they appear to being doing well. Three of the bushes have one large stem growing from the middle of the bush. Should I cut the large stems back to make the bushes more symmetric?

White Flowers from Purple Locust Tree?

Q. We had a beautiful purple locust in our back yard that produced a profusion of purple flowers every spring until it was called to locust heaven. Before departing this world it sent off a runner which has sprouted into a lovely tree that is now eleven feet tall and producing white flowers. What's with that?

Queen Palm Damaged From Irrigation Problem

Q. During the excessive hot spell our irrigation failed while we were out of town. As a result, one of our queen palms lost all its branches. In spite of subsequent life support efforts it does not appear to be coming back. Is that too much to hope for? Is there anything we can do to help it recover or should we just mourn its passing? If so, what do you recommend we replace it with that has similar height and shade? The remaining queen palms will be wrapped for winter to keep them alive.

Month Old Gardenias Dying

Q. I planted about 12 gardenias a month ago and if them appear to be dying. I checked the soil and it's evenly damp. It has two 2gph emitters and they are all being watered 3x a week for 20 minutes right now.

Should I Remove Immature Fruit From My Orange Tree?

Q. I have an orange tree I planted nine years ago.  It is about 4 feet high and only produced about 2 oranges a year.  Last winter it did have some freeze damage. I trimmed and fertilized it with iron and nitrogen and watered it once a week with a hose instead of the drip system. It is looking real good and has about 40 pea sized oranges on it.  Should I cull some of them as I don't think the tree can handle that many?

Boxwood Hedge Slower to Recover From Pruning Damage Than Rosemary

Q. I have a neighbor concerned about his rosemary and boxwood hedges. The foliage has been falling off. Landscapers recommend he cut them to the ground to get them to recover but he opted to cut them back halfway instead. Now there is a lot of bare wood exposed with no leaves. What should he do to help them recover?

Bamboo Can Be Cut Back to Repair Winter Damage

Q. I have bamboo that was damaged last winter as you can see from my pictures. New growth is emerging from them but they are still yellow and brown. Should I fertilize them or give them iron?