'Red Push' Chinese Pistache Damage

Q. I have two ‘Red Push’ Chinese pistache trees planted about three years ago and doing well. Recently one was shocked and I’m not sure what happened. This occurred almost overnight. I gave it a few extra gallons and added two drippers to each plant. I don’t use any Round up or anything like that. Can it be saved? 

'Red Push' Chinese pistache are damaged with high winds

A. It will take a while, but the tree should be fine. The tree will use its stored energy to put on new leaves and replace the dead ones. In the future it’s important to note the weather occurring during that time because we did have some strong winds a few times this summer. 

Strong Winds are Damaging and Trees Use More Water

Strong winds are particularly damaging in the spring when leaves are new and tender. Strong winds equals increased water lost by plants. Sudden death of leaves right after strong winds signals a need for water. But that water application is usually just once. 

However, frequent watering coupled with poor drainage might also cause this problem. My guess is that leaf death was coupled with the wind. So be careful with applying water to landscapes. It can be the “giver of life” in the desert, but it also can be the "giver of death". 

Established Trees Have Stored Food

A three-year-old tree like ‘Red Push’ has stored “food” in its branches that it relies on when pushing new leaves. It takes a bit longer for the tree to respond during the spring and early summer months because it has “used up” all its “spring” buds putting on new growth. It’s like a double whammy. It may take the tree a bit longer to produce new buds and new growth. 

Chinese Pistache is Mesic not Xeric

Tree response to leaf death occurring in late summer and fall is much more rapid since the buds are already formed and new growth happens much faster. Remember that any of the Chinese pistache trees are mesic in their water use; they can tolerate desert soils but need a little bit of irrigation help. They grow best when surrounded by other plants that require water. As with most mesic trees, they can tolerate lawns when there is decent drainage.

More "White Fuzzies" in Landscapes

Q. I live in the central Las Vegas Valley and noticed a creep of linear white deposits on the stems of plants in my raised vegetable garden that has recurred in some desert-adapted plants elsewhere in the yard. It first appeared on sunflower stems, then lacinato kale, some basil, tomatoes and their stems, and now on new growth from a Vitex tree and turpentine bush. It seems to be spreading, in other words. Can you advise what this is, and any way to remedy it?

A. Those “white deposits” are probably tiny “cocoons” of tiny insects in the landscape. I reorted these on my blog in previous years, calling them “white fuzzies”. I didn’t know what they exactly were either, but I knew that they were insect related.

A horticulturist in the Phoenix area guessed that they were sharpshooter (insect) pupae, and he may be right. In any regard, these insect pupae “were just passing through” the landscape where they were “incidental” and probably not damaging these plants.

Generally speaking, when we see white deposits on many different kinds of plants it’s usually not disease-related but may be related to insects. If guessed that these white deposits in this case are “insect related” then look at the plant and note any damage you might see. If there is no damage, then these insects are “incidental” to your plants.

If you see insect damage to the plants, then they might not be “incidental” and it’s best to use your favorite least toxic insect spray and see if that stops the problem. Soap and water is usually a good first, least toxic spray and readily available. You can always try something more toxic as your second spray if that doesn’t stop the damage.

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Walker River Paiute Trible Signs Local Food Cooperative Agreement with USDA

 

USDA Announces Walker River Paiute Tribe Signs Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement

Date: Friday, July 15, 2022 - 3:00pm

Contact Info

Public Affairs

PA@usda.gov

(202) 720-8998

Release No. 090-22

WASHINGTON, July 15, 2022 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) today announced it has signed a cooperative agreement with Walker River Paiute Tribe under the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA). This is the first LFPA cooperative agreement between USDA and a tribal government. Additional agreements with tribal governments will follow in the coming weeks.

“USDA is excited to partner with Walker River Paiute Tribe to promote economic opportunities for farmers and producers and to increase access to locally sourced, fresh, healthy, and nutritious food in this community,” said USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Jenny Lester Moffitt. “The Local Food Purchase Cooperative Agreement Program will improve food and agricultural supply-chain resiliency and increase local food consumption around the country. I am so honored to partner with Chairman Torres on this first-of-its-kind tribal agreement.”

The federally recognized Walker River Paiute Tribe is located on the Walker River Paiute Reservation, located in Schurz, Nev., a rural community in midwestern Nevada about 100 miles southeast of Reno, Nev.

Through LFPA, the Tribe will work with the Agai-Dicutta Local Food Purchase Program to source and distribute locally and regionally produced eggs, dairy, and produce at the Walker River Paiute Reservation. This two-year project will increase local food consumption among historically underserved populations while building economic opportunity for local, regional, and underserved farmers and producers.

“We are excited to collaborate with USDA by being the first tribal nation to sign a Local Food Purchase Agreement. Our partnership will benefit local producers throughout the Great Basin area and provide our tribal citizens access to healthy foods. We are happy to be a part of promoting tribal nutrition security, keeping dollars circulating within our local economy and building relationships with local farmers, ranchers and producers,” said Walker River Paiute Tribe Chairman Amber Torres. “I truly believe no one knows the needs of our tribal citizens better than the tribe and the people we serve. Despite the challenges the Covid-19 pandemic presented the tribe over the past two years, this program continues to show our resiliency as a tribal nation. We appreciate the flexibility and trust to administer our own program and the acknowledgement of our tribal sovereignty. Our congressional leaders made sure that Indian country was not an afterthought through tribal allocations in the CARES Act and American Rescue Plan Act, both of which provided seed funding for our Food Sovereignty project.”

The LFPA program is authorized by the American Rescue Plan to maintain and improve food and agricultural supply chain resiliency. Through this program, USDA will award up to $400 million through non-competitive cooperative agreements with state and tribal governments to support local, regional, and underserved producers through the purchase of food produced within the state or within 400 miles of delivery destination.

AMS looks forward to continuing to sign agreements under this innovative program that allows state and tribal governments to procure and distribute local and regional foods and beverages that are healthy, nutritious, and unique to their geographic area.

More information about the program is available on AMS’s Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program webpage.