Winter/Spring Flowering Plants to Attract Bees

Q. I’ve been trying to attract bees to my garden and thinking about a hive at some point. Need to put in some year-round flowering plants first. Rosemary comes to mind. Any thoughts or literature that comes to mind.

Rosemary flowers during the winter and spring when honeybees are active and looking for open flowers.

A. Rosemary is a good choice; it flowers during the winter and is lower in water use since it is a Mediterranean plant that is smaller. Any plant that has conspicuous flowers during early spring and is cold hardy will work. That is one reason roses work so well. Other plants to consider that flower during that time and are cold hardy for our climate include the different Texas sage and Tecoma types.

Tecoma stans and Texas ranger also flower during the winter or spring.

Don’t forget a mixture of annuals and perennials that have brightly colored flowers. Use many different colored flowers like mustards, clovers, desert bluebells and blue eyes, and the like. Scratch the seed into the soil with a rake and start watering them twice a month in December and January with 15 minutes of water from a sprinkler. Turn off the water when your fruit starts flowering.

Flowering mustards, many are winter annuals that flower during the late winter.

Don’t forget water. Honeybees like to haul water during the winter as the hive starts to warm up. Bird baths and plastic troughs dug in the ground help attract bees and other critters. Don’t let the bees drown. Put rocks in the water so bees have a place to land. Honeybees are active during the daylight anytime temperatures are in the mid-50s, clear and sunny and little to no wind. Night flowering plants such as some cacti don’t work because bees need to see the sun to fly. Honeybees are supplemented with sugar water when they can’t find flowers they like. Feeding the colony with sugar water helps to keep the population alive during the coldest parts of winter.

Honeybees like to haul water in the summer to cool the hive. Give them a chance by putting some stones in the water and give them clean water to use.

Tropical Plants for the Mojave Desert

Q. Besides freezer damage, what other differences do tropical plants have from non-tropical plants?

Our farm in the Philippines and champeduk, a tropical fruit similar to durian and jackfruit.

A. Tropical plants freeze sooner, which just means they start getting injured at temperatures below 55F. Tropical plants and fruit experience damage starting much higher temperatures than temperate plants (plants that can tolerate freezing temperatures). Temperate plants experience freezing injury starting at 32F. Damage to bananas (soft and brown) occur at higher temperatures; a few hours after putting them in the refrigerator (39F). Not even a freezer! Even tomato fruit are damaged when put into a refrigerator. Most tropical plants and their fruit are damaged at storage temperatures higher than temperate plants (apples, peaches, strawberries, pomegranate, ash, poplar, mulberry).

A banana, locally produced in Las Vegas.

            Much of this type of damage occurs because plants don’t have “legs”. Plants, more than animals (which can move from place to place because of “legs”) are more sensitive to changes in their environment. They can’t move! Plant damage due to freezing is the most obvious. But other environmental changes are also important such as the strength of sunlight, wind, water availability and quality, air, and soil changes. Plants don’t like it. They are damaged or dead. Animals don’t like it. They move.

Coconut palms near our farm in the Philippines. We have several coconut palms at our farm including a "dwarf" form.

            The better we can provide for these damaging environments (garage protection from cold, west side vs east side of buildings due to light intensity, protection from wind, change in humidity, irrigation and drainage), then the plants are better off.

Citrus freeze protection in Las Vegas.

Starting a Raised Bed...Again

Q. I want to start up my raised vegetable bed again after two or three years. Can you help?

A. Raised beds can be simple or complicated. It's what you want or like.

Raised beds can be made out of cement block or wood.

1. Mix compost into the soil first. You can use “steer manure” but it should be done in the fall so it has time to “rot”. Remove your irrigation and mix a layer of compost into the soil as deep as possible. If the soil is ten inches deep in your raised bed, then mix the compost that deep. The soil should be similar from top to bottom to improve drainage.

Raised beds can have side walls or not. Make side walls out of 45 degree sloping soil. Add compost once a year.

How much to mix into the soil depends on how much is there. You might mix a 1/4-inch layer each year in a well amended soil. Or you might mix to as much as one fourth of its content, and then one annual quarter inch layer after that, if it is raw desert soil. You can judge how much is present by digging with a hand trowel or check it visually using its color. For vegetables the soil should be easy to dig with a trowel when it is moist and dark.

Adding compost to raised beds without side walls.

Add water to settle the soil.

Raised bed made from lumber.

Next is how much fertilizer to add. That depends on how “rich” the compost was. Some animal-manured composts are rich, while others are not. Most soils are darker after composting and ready to plant “as is”. Some need a “starter fertilizer” added. Again, ask your salespeople.

Fertilizer is added just when plants start growing.

Finally, is the “when and how much” to water. Get the soil wet from top to bottom. Add at least a quart to the soil or about 30 minutes of water. Irrigation is trial by error. but once you have it established, watering seldom changes. If you are using Las Vegas tap water, then water until the entire soil mix is wet from top to bottom. Watering like that flushes salts in the water out of the soil. This takes around 30 minutes, but it might be more or less depending on your soil and irrigation system. How often to water depends on the time of year. 

Water is filtered and pressure reduced. Hopefully there is a way to shut off the water when needed.

In the summer, water once before it gets hot. That is usually once a day. Watering only once when it gets hot allows for the roots to get water from top to bottom.

If you are using well water, hopefully there is a way to flush the irrigation lines of debris and bacterial growth. This is done in the opposite end from the incoming water.

There is a trend to water as often as nine times a day! Water only once! If you are using drip irrigation it will be added slowly. Be careful. Frequent irrigations (more than once or at the most twice per day) encourages lots of surface roots and loss of heat tolerance because shallow roots is where the water and dissolved fertilizers are located. Plants with lots of surface roots are not very tolerant of the heat. Instead use a light application of mulch and irrigate once, during the heat and in the morning. You want your vegetables with water when they enter the heat of the day.

Irrigation can be on a raised bed without sidewalls. The vegetables need water at least once a day to grow in the summer. Preferably at the beginning of a hot day!

Plant Roots and Water Follow the 40-30-20-10 Rule

Q. Please explain the 40-30-20-10 rule when watering. Why is it important? There are lots of different ways to water plants.

Doesnt matter how deep the roots are, all roots generally use water following the 40-30-20-10 rule. Divide the roots into four equal parts. The top fourth of the roots uses 40% of the water, the second quarter uses 30%, 20% and 10% follow suit. Drawing citation lost.

A. Most plants use water stored in the soil following the 40-30-20-10 rule. Divide the roots of plants into four equal parts. If it is a large tree and its roots are three feet deep, divide this three feet into four equal parts (nine inches for each part). If one-foot-tall plant roots are one foot deep, divide the roots into four equal parts (3 inches for each part).

After a heavy rain or a full irrigation, plant roots start using the water stored in the top quarter (25%) first. When this top layer starts getting used, then the plant begins using the second (25 to 50%) layer of stored water, then the third and finally the fourth. When the plant finishes using water stored in the soil, it uses this water following a 40% (top)-30%-20%-10% (bottom) rule. Plant roots, just like the top, grow when they use water. This is one reason plant roots grow deeper when they are watered deeper.

Use Weather App on Your Phone

Q. Why use a weather app? I have planted tomatoes at the same time every year and they have done well.

Weather app for Henderson, Nevada

A. You were lucky. Sometimes warm season plants like tomatoes, peppers and eggplant are planted as early as mid-February. Other times the weather stays cold until mid-March. Using a weather app on your phone helps predict the weather two or three weeks ahead.

            Warm season crops like tomatoes prefer growing in warmer air and soil temperatures than winter or cool season crops. Having two raised beds, one in full sun and one in seasonal shade, can add about one month to your growing season. But there are other tricks you can use as well. Look at your phone’s weather app. Covering the prepared soil with clear plastic a week before the weather starts to warm up helps get an early jump on warm crops like tomatoes.

Containers for Vegetable Gardening Offer Options

Q. We are planting a family vegetable garden. Would a container/raised bed do well in this environment? We're used to summers in Colorado, and wondering if there are specific tomato, cucumber, pepper, and lettuce varieties that do well here? Will root crops like carrots and radishes do well in containers? The west side of our house gets late afternoon shade from the neighbor’s house, and that is the only space we have. Would this be okay? When is the best time to plant? Soon?

A. I sent a vegetable growers Bible written by Dr. Sylvan Wittwer when he was growing vegetables in southern Nevada. Anyone interested who wants a copy can ask me for it and I will email it to you. It contains a planting calendar. He is a traditional gardener and not organic. Substitute organic alternatives if you want to use a different soil, fertilizer, or pesticide.

Container vegetable gardening offer several alternatives when growing vegetables.

When possible, use older varieties that are known successes until you get the hang of growing vegetables in this climate. When using raised beds, use compact varieties that produce fruit quickly and then throw them out and replant. Plant cautiously any new varieties. They sound cute. That’s a marketing gimmick. Sometimes they perform well in the desert and sometimes they don’t. Plant new varieties for three years in a row before calling them a “desert success”.

Want to try some root crops like radishes or beets?

If planting a “viny” plant, let the “vines” sprawl. The roots are important to the plant, not the “vines”. Keep weeds under control. Weeds breed bugs. Bugs eat plants or spread diseases. “The success of a garden equals the time your shadow passes over it.” Inspect and walk it at least daily.

Strawberries, yellow peppers, and herbs are just a few of the suggestions.

I like containers. Double pot them so they don’t get so hot when the sun shines on the outer walls. Use five to fifteen gallon nursery containers and fill them with your favorite soil to within one inch of the top rim. Put a three-inch layer of gravel in the bottom of the outer pot to keep them from lodging. If you are using tap water, filling these containers within one inch of the top will have some water coming out the bottom. This helps remove salts when you irrigate.

Colder than Normal Spring Weather and Tomatoes

Q. We read your early spring article in the RJ on tomatoes and planted 6 plants in mid-March.  We planted a mix of ‘Sweet 100s’, ‘Champion’ and another plum tomato.  We have been watering, using Miracle Gro for tomatoes and watching them closely.  The plants appear stunted.  We have them in cages, and they have only grown a short distance up the cage. Any suggestions?

The smaller tomatoes, pear, cherry and grapes are always a sure thing in Las Vegas. The larger tomato is 'Black from Tula', an heirloom type. When the spring season is long and cooler, tomatoes do better.

A. Planting dates for tomatoes in our climate can range from mid-February to mid-March. Watch the weather and use your weather app on your phone. It’s been cold lately. Wait for temperatures to warm up a bit. Tomatoes are a “warm season” crop, and they prefer soil and air temperatures a bit warmer than our spring provides at times. Our spring temperatures have been erratic. Low soil temperatures can slow tomato growth even if the air temperatures are high.

 Its short stature gives this away as a determinate type of tomato.

            About a week before you are to plant tomatoes, cover the soil with clear plastic and seal the edges. This is so the warm temperatures under the plastic don’t “leak out”. Warm the soil temperature to at least 65 F in the top few inches. I would slit the plastic and plant at that temperature. A soil thermometer stuck in the soil an inch or two deep helps you to check it.

Tomatoes can be started a bit earlier if the soil is covered with plastic and there is good weather.

            Raised beds in full sun warm up much faster in the spring than those raised beds in the shadow of a wall or home. Have two raised beds: one for early production in the spring and another for later production.

Leaf Roll in Apricot

'Katy' apricot with leaf roll.

Q. I planted apple and apricot bare root trees in February of last year. My apricot seems to have leaf roll last year. My apple leaves had some red on the upper surfaces of the leaves. I am deep watering these trees and they both have bark mulch. The trees look healthy otherwise and were planted as specified when they were picked up. Both trees were painted with the 50/50 mix of white paint as specified.”

A. Some leaf abnormalities always exist. Plants aren’t perfect! Whenever planting “bareroot” it is always best to keep the roots wet. It only takes about 20 to 30 seconds for those very small roots, called “feeder roots”, to die from a lack of water. It is a mistake to let any roots, die. Whenever there is root death of a plant, there can also be “transplant shock” or failure to grow at first. It just sits there. Make sure the roots are kept wet after planting. This does not mean watering every day!

A citrus with rolling leaves.

            Secondly, its okay to buy plants with branches that are too low. It is easier to remove branches than put them back! Our desert sun can be intense, particularly when its shining in full glory on the West and South sides of a tree. Painting the trunk with white latex paint, mixed half and half with water so it goes farther, gives you only about 5 or 6 degrees of cooling below the trunks surface temperature. When the sun is full bore for ten or fifteen minutes on the trunk of a fruit tree, that can be devastating with or without tree paint! It is important to keep the direct sunlight shaded on the trunk or limbs of a tree until it can provide its own shade.

Peach with scaffold limbs too high off the ground. This limits the fruit production from the tree. Limbs don't move up once they grow. It is easier to remove limbs than "glue" them back on once they are lost.

            Fruit trees will be much better off when they get bigger and provide their own shade.

Tropical Plants Can Be Fun to Grow in the Desert

Q. A couple of years ago I sent you pictures of my ‘Cavendish’ banana. I continue to overwinter the plants in the garage, cutting the leaves back and providing a little water once a month. I put them outside when the night temperatures reach 50 degrees. I separated the mother plant from the biggest baby this spring as I moved them outside, and now another baby has developed and is bigger than the mother. No bananas yet, but the plants are pretty and fun to grow.

Tropical plants like bananas can be fun to grow in Las Vegas. Just protect them from the cold winters. Growing plants that don't belong here take more time, effort and money but can be fun.

A.  Bananas are a lot of fun to grow. Some varieties, like the plain old ‘Cavendish’ variety can get 8 to ten feet tall and 4 feet wide. ‘Dwarf Cavendish’ are about the same size! The reason ‘Cavendish’ and ‘Grand Nain’ (Chiquita) bananas were successfully exported is because of their long keeping quality and acceptable flavor. There are other bananas that are sweeter, but their keeping quality is not as long. The smaller types, usually denoted as “Dwarf”, are usually better for containers when moving them into a garage during freezing winters.

No, this is not a grocery store type of banana but a variety grown usually in the Philippines called 'Lakatan'.

            The usual temperature for getting chilling damage when growing in the spring is around 50F. During the winter many can handle near freezing temperatures better which is why many types survive the cold of garages. The low temperature of the garage negates their need for light and reduces their water use. Just make sure when you water, water until water comes out of the bottom of the container. You don’t want salt build up which will happen with tap water originating from the Colorado River.

This is a smaller banana given to our Farm in the Philippines. Very sweet! We have lots of bananas on the farm.

            Bananas are what we consider “herbaceous perennials” meaning they don’t develop any wood, they are called “trees” because of their size and main trunk. They develop flowers from the newest growth when they get to a certain genetic size and height. From these flowers, fruit (called bananas and usually seedless) develop. Another term we call this type of seedless fruit are “parthenocarpic” because of its lack of seeds.

Bananas are what we consider as herbaceous perennials which means they grow again from suckers from their rhizomes once they flower and fruit.

            Bananas are started from suckers taken from the mother plant. Suckers are removed when they are small and replanted in a new location or allowed to grow in the same spot when the mother plant is removed. The mother plant, after the fruit has been harvested, is cut down and composted. At our farm in the Philippines the mother plant harvested, chopped, mixed with molasses, and used for animal feed.

This is a molasses truck. We get molasses from a truck like this and mix it with chopped tropical plants for animal feed. This molasses is not for human consumption.

Transplanting Lemon Tree a Matter of Age

Q. A lemon tree was growing in my neighbor's yard. I dug it up and transplanted it into a large pot. I am not sure what type of lemon it is. It did well for about a week, then suddenly all the leaves went limp. The plant doesn't appear to be dying, but the leaves remain limp and hanging. What gives? I've never seen this before.

A. Move plants to a new location during the cooler times of the year; usually in October or February. When moving any kind of tree from one location to another, I recommend removing about one quarter to one third of the tree’s canopy to compensate for the loss of roots. I would also recommend staking the plant (so the roots can’t move) until it grows new roots. Establishing it again may take a year or two of staking depending on the size of the plant. It should go without mentioning, amend the soil for a distance of about three times the size of its roots and to a depth of at least 18 inches. Keep everything wet!

Compensating the top growth for the loss of roots can be a challenge. Sometimes older fronds are pruned from the base of the plant and not the top. Just depends.

Root loss is a matter of age; the older the tree or how long its been in the ground can be the difference between life and death. Also the time of year. Fall trees moved have both the fall and spring to recover.

Sometimes leaves are removed from the bottom and not the top as was done before moving this cycad. Remove the entire frond to the trunk. Don't leaves stubs.

Leaf loss usually occurs as the temperatures get warmer and the weather is windy. If you are successful in moving the plant, there should be no losses. It should take off when it gets warmer. If you don’t remove enough of the top canopy, then part of the plant will die to compensate for lost roots. When not enough of the top is removed and the plant is moved or the plant does not get enough water, new growth of the tree or shrub occurs at the base of the tree and the top dies.

When moving any kind of plant, do it as quickly as possible. Have the hole predug, the amendments and stakes ready.