Not Enough Bees for Pollination?

Q. I think I don’t have enough bees to pollinate my vegetables. What should I do?

Honeybee pollinating peach flower.

A. To improve vegetable pollination, plant herbs in the garden or in containers such as rosemary, dill, lavender and tarragon to attract bees. Herbs that flower during the winter like rosemary are a good choice for cool season crops. Other herbs that flower in the summer keep pollinators coming back.

            Water also attracts pollinators in the summer so put out a shallow tray of water with some rocks in it and clean the tray and water once a week.

            Remember pollination will be erratic in the garden anytime temperatures climb above 90° F. Its not because the pollinators like honeybees are not active. They are. Many are busy during summer heat hauling water back to the hive to keep it cool. Once temperatures exceed 105° F,  few plants get pollinated during that kind of heat because of "pollen failure". Successful pollination occurs again when the air temperatures start dropping in the late summer and early fall and pollen tubes and sperm can succeed in pollination.

Palm Container Problem

Q. We are next to Santa Cruz, Ca. A skilled gardener friend of ours suggested one could support the palm, dig a hole below it, and drop it down the necessary foot or so. I haven’t explored the extent of the rooting, but I may attempt that if it doesn’t have any depth to it.

A.  Is that a broken container around the base of the plant? It looks like the palm was in a container and rooted into the soil beneath it. Then broke the clay container as it got larger and the owners let it root. Queen palm? I am used to the Mojave Desert so that is my focus. It looks like queen palm.

Problem

What worries me is how constricted the trunk is from being in that container. I am not sure how weak the trunk is from that constriction and how strong it will be in the future as the top gets heavier. 

Solution

To be on the safe side I would get rid of it or, if you want to be daring…try burying the trunk as you replant it so the constriction is below ground and hopefully the trunk will send out new roots from that area. That does work in some palms as long as you don’t keep the soil around the trunk too wet. Otherwise it looks like its in good health. I would be concerned what kind of liability this tree might have on other people who visit, property or neighbors. Good luck!

https://www.hunker.com/13428846/what-is-the-root-base-of-a-queen-palm-tree

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/242586654_Palm_root_growth_and_implications_for_transplanting

 

Japanese Blueberries and Yew Problems in the Desert

Q. About one month ago my landscaper recommended watering six days a week for 20 minutes because he thought one of our Japanese blueberries and Podocarpus (Japanese Yew or Yew pine) were not getting enough water. They were planted about six months ago during the winter months when it was cool and now they are not looking healthy.

A. If you follow me here or on my blog you know I’m not a big fan of planting Japanese blueberries in our desert climate and soils. Maybe one or two as specimens but not a bunch in a straight line and used for privacy. I don’t like Yew pine either for similar reasons, but I seldom get questions about yew pine. I get more complaints about Japanese blueberry failing in home landscapes than any other plant except maybe bottle tree.

Wrong Exposure

            People buy both Japanese blueberry and yew and put them in the wrong places in a landscape, fail to amend the soil properly at planting and surround them with rock. Someone is doing a good job selling them as privacy hedges near a wall. That’s a mistake in my opinion and I wish it would stop.

Watering

            I am assuming you are watering these plants three or four times a week and your landscaper is suggesting watering daily. Watering three or four times a week will be enough water for these plants during the summer if they receive enough water each time. Daily watering any types of trees and shrubs is a mistake. That’s not an opinion. That’s a fact. Don’t go there if you don’t have to. Your plants may not be any better off after this change if they were planted in the wrong place at the start.

            I suspect that both types of plants were planted in the wrong location in the landscape. Both plants like shade in the afternoon when temperatures are above 100° F. They struggle if planted in full sun in our desert climate. They will look bad during the hot summer months when planted near hot walls. Remember this when you are evaluating your plants.

Amend Soils

            Both plants prefer highly amended soils at the time of planting. They are not true desert plants, so they will require extra TLC. If these plants are surrounded by rock they will begin to struggle in 3 to 5 years. If you do plant them, make sure the soil is amended with a good quality compost at planting and surround them with 4 inches of woodchips on the soil surface rather than rock.

What to do? 

Rather than increase your irrigation to daily, increase the number of emitters or size of emitters around those plants. Increase the amount of water delivered to them so that it wets the soil to at least 18 inches deep. This can be done without increasing the minutes needed. The soil should be wet out to the dripline of the plant. Irrigate them deeply 3 to 4 times a week, not shallow irrigations daily. The only plants in a landscape that require daily irrigations during the summer are lawns, raised beds and annual flowers.

            If you think these plants should be moved to a different landscape location, replant them during the fall and winter months. Remove 1/3 of the tops after they are moved. You can successfully move plants that were growing up to two or even three years in the ground if done correctly.