Beneficial Nematodes and Diatomaceous Earth

Q. Will the diatomaceous earth I have used in my garden and around fruit trees kill beneficial nematodes?

A. Diatomaceous earth has the same effect on beneficial nematodes as any other nematode. I don’t know of any solid research that shows diatomaceous earth will reduce nematode populations. You might be wasting your money.

When nematodes are damaging plants, most recommendations are to mix compost into the soils to reduce nematodes populations and encourage more rapid growth. Some fruit trees such as stone fruits are grown on rootstocks, such as Nemaguard©, that are somewhat resistant to nematodes.

Some sources will tell you to grow varieties of vegetables resistant to nematodes, reduce nematode populations periodically using a technique called “soil solarization” or abandon the spot. I wish they were easy to control but they are not.

Figs Producing No Fruit

Q. My fig tree produced almost no fruit and no new growth last year.  The leaves looked burned on their perimeter. Any recommendations?

A. This sounds like a water issue; not enough water applied or not watering often enough or both. Water and nitrogen fertilizer is what pushes new growth. They work together.

Fig trees could be considered desert adapted plants (Mediterranean actually). Lack of enough water is a common problem when growing figs here. I see this a lot with figs grown using drip irrigation.

Figs grown in Las Vegas raady for the Farmers Market

The amount of water depends on the size of the plant. Generally, productive figs that have been pruned correctly will require about 30 gallons of water once a week at this time of year. This amount will be applied twice a week around May 1 or when temperatures approach 100F.

Cover the soil with wood chips to a depth of 3 to 4 inches (minimum) and extend it to a distance of at least 3 feet in all directions from the trunk. This will help reduce fruit drop.

If the tree is irrigated with drip irrigation, increase the number of emitters or increase the number of minutes, until you approach the volume of water I am recommending.

Kadota figs grown in Las Vegas

Flood the area under the tree with water from a hose now and capture this water in a 6 foot diameter basin or moat around the tree. This should help flush any possible salts that may have accumulated in the watered area and get the tree off to a good start.

Rock mulch is not a good idea for figs. There is no reason why you cannot have a bountiful crop with nearly any variety of fig in this climate. They all do well here when they are managed correctly.

Clover-Like Weed Not Clover, Difficult to Control

Q. I have reddish, clover-looking weeds that have taken over my lawn.  Last year they nearly covered it.  I tried weed and feed several times but that didn't seem to get rid of them.  A friend of mine had the same problem and had to remove all of their grass and re-sod their lawn. They bought their own lawnmower made their landscaper use it because they said the lawnmowers that landscapers use can spread this clover everywhere.

Readers picture of "clover"

A. the picture you sent to me appears to be oxalis and not clover. Oxalis has a yellow flower. Clovers usually have white, pink or reddish flowers. They both have clover-like leaves.

            Oxalis is extremely difficult to control once it gets established. We see them growing in flowerbeds and shrub beds as well as lawns. In beds, it is usually brought in with the plant material as a weed contaminant in the container. But it also can be brought in on lawnmowers.

Oxalis

Focus on weed killers for lawns that include the weed “oxalis” on the label rather than clover. If you are not sure, give me the name of the product in an email and I can help you from there.

Control it now or in the fall, not during summer heat. If there were not too many, you could consider digging out the contaminated lawn areas to a depth of about 6 inches and replace it with sod.

In your case it sounds like it’s covering the entire lawn. There are many different lawn weed killers labeled for controlling dandelions. They contain several weed killers in different combinations to control a different array of weeds. Look at “dandelion” weed killers but make sure the label includes controlling oxalis. Use a product that is sprayed rather than a dry granular applied to the lawn.

Related links to this post

http://xtremehorticulture.blogspot.com/2014/02/clover-looking-weed-with-yellow-flowers.html

http://xtremehorticulture.blogspot.com/2012/11/this-clover-looking-weed-is-hard-to-get.html

Unknown Tree With Branch Dieback Not Ash

Q. I have a tree that appears to be dying but I don’t know what it is. I was reading your article about the disease on ash trees and tried to access the pictures of ash trees but couldn't find them. I believe the tree is about 15 years old.

Readers tree

A. Thank you for sending me pictures of your tree. I can tell you it is definitely not an ash tree. It was difficult to identify from the pictures but from the close-up of the leaves I think it is Japanese privet, sometimes called wax leaf privet.

This is a tree or sometimes grown as a shrub commonly planted in southern Nevada. If this is wax leaf privet you should see clusters of white flowers followed by black berries about the size of blueberries in the same clusters.

Privet with leaf drop and twiggy dieback due to irrigation

They frequently have the same problem here which is dieback of small branches which makes them look very “twiggy”.  I posted a picture of this plant growing in southern Nevada on my blog that shows this branch dieback and leaf drop I am talking about.

This plant doesn’t like our desert environment or drip irrigation very much. It definitely does not like rock mulch. They prefer growing in a much lusher environment.

The only time I really see them looking good is when they're surrounded by a lawn that receives a lot of water. You might try putting bedding plants that require watering water every couple of days and surround the tree with wood mulch or a very lush lawn.

They do great in East Texas all the way back to the Carolinas but do not look all that well in landscapes located in the dry or desert West.

See these links in this blog

http://xtremehorticulture.blogspot.com/2014/08/privet-dieback-due-to-irrigation.html

http://xtremehorticulture.blogspot.com/2011/07/q.html

Myrtle Good Choice for Desert Landscapes

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