Utah Sweet Pomegranate Good For Our Area But Be Patient

Utah Sweet Pomegranate
photo courtesy Joe Real
and Ed Valdivia

Q. I have, as you suggested, a Utah Sweet pomegranate in Henderson, Nevada.  The bush is dropping all of its blossoms and if this continues I will get no fruit from it this year.  Any suggestions as to how I can help it retain its blossoms and fruit?

A. Make sure you use a surface mulch and watch your watering. Make sure it is watered deeply but not too often and even more importantly the soil does not go dry between waterings. May 1 you should be irrigating deeply twice a week.

            If this is a small plant (five gallon) then five to ten gallons of water at each watering is plenty. Depending on the variety, some pomegranates will set fruit when they are young and others are slower to set fruit. There is a definite difference among varieties in how young they start setting fruit. One of the earliest to set fruit is Sharps Velvet, also a good variety for our area. Stay calm and patient. This is an excellent variety for here.

When Are Different Fruits Ready to Harvest in Southern Nevada?

Q. Do you have a rough timeline of peach production for different varieties.  I would like to go out to the orchard to try some of the different types you have out there so I can decide what I want to plant next spring.  Do they keep track of what they pick and have to sell at the stand so I can know?  When are pluots generally ready for harvest?  Is there a source or another newsletter for the orchard of what is producing and ready for purchase?  Also, will you or someone be organizing a bare root order again this fall?

A. There is a great timeline for most fruit tree varieties which can be found on Dave Wilson Nursery website at http://www.davewilson.com/homegrown/promotion/chart.html

Dave Wilson bare root fruit trees arriving
at the Orchard in North Las Vegas

            We have matched our production dates at the Orchard in North Las Vegas with those on this chart and they are usually within two to three weeks of these production dates. You will find on this chart many varieties of peaches, apricots, plums and many other fruit tree varieties and when they produce their fruit. Download it, it is a pdf file and you can enlarge it to see it better.

There is no flier or newsletter notifying you when fruit is ready at the orchard.

            As far as whether the orchard will be carrying bare root fruit trees it is best to contact the Master Gardener helpline, 702-257-5555, and find out. If they are putting in an order for fruit trees it will be in September so don’t wait until December to order. It will be too late.

The Proper Way to Prune and Hedge Oleanders

Formal oleander hedge, no flowers

Q. Would you please comment on the proper method and timing to prune and hedge oleanders.  This is two questions.

A. There are two types of hedges; formal and informal. You have to make up your mind which kind you want. Formal hedges are pruned with a hedge shears while informal hedges are pruned with a loppers or even a pruning saw.

Formal hedges are supposed to be pruned so that the bottom is wider than the top but they are maintained in a tight boxy shape. To maintain them properly, formal hedges need to be pruned two to three times during the growing season to keep the new growth restrained and maintain that boxy shape.

Oleanders flower on current season or summer wood

            Informal hedges can be pruned every two to three years, most of the pruning is done at or near the soil level and is done during the winter months. Formal hedges are best done on nonflowering plants that have small leaves. Informal hedges are best served by other types of plants, particularly those that flower during the summer.

You can prune any plant used for hedging in any manner you want but there are some big advantages in picking the right type of hedge for the right plant.

            Oleanders flower on new wood. In other woods after the winter rest its new growth supports the flower throughout the summer. Formal hedges, since they are pruned to maintain that boxy look, are pruned during the time of year when it is growing. If it wasn’t pruned then, in a few short months it would no longer be in that boxy shape. The problem you can see right away is that in picking a formal hedge for oleander you will prune off most of the wood that supports flowering so it will be pretty much a green hedge.

Shubs in this streetscape are "hedged" for no apparent
reason other than creating more income

            If you want to enjoy the flowers then convert it to an informal hedge. The problem is that 95% of the maintenance companies DON’T KNOW HOW TO PRUNE FOR AN INFORMAL HEDGE.  And it is very simple, there is far less mess, the cleanup time is very short but you ONLY HAVE TO DO THIS EVERY TWO TO THREE YEARS.  Now if I were a maintenance company, which type of hedging would I like to charge for. Hmmmm…. Once every two to three years or two or three times a year….

            Now if I really want to do a lot of work then why not make ALL the plants in a landscape boxes! That way I would have to prune them several times a year rather than once every two to three years! If I can’t make money mowing a lawn any more then lets charge for making all the plants in a yard into boxes… or gumdrops.

            Pruning for an informal hedge is quite simple. During the winter, once every two to three years, remove one third of the plant at or near the soil level. Pick 1/3 or ¼ of the largest stems and cut them off. This will only work on shrubs that have lots of stems coming from the ground. On plants which have a single stem or only two or three coming from the ground then you have to move this technique higher in the plant and inside the canopy.

Loquat Turning Brown in Rock Mulch

Andy's loquat

Q. I planted a five gallon loquat in my front yard three months ago in April .  It seemed to be taking just fine at first.   A few weeks ago I noticed that the older leaves were beginning to turn brown and  the newer leaves seem to be shriveling up.  When I purchased it I was told it was OK to plant in full sun.    

During this heat I drip water it every two days.  I estimate it receives about six gallons per watering.   I check the soil regularly to make sure the soil is not drying out.  Any thoughts.

Attached are some photographs. 

-Andy

Closeup of Andy's loquat

A. Andy,

As you found out Loquat will not like it in rock mulch in full sun. It will do all right in full sun in a mixed planting with lots of other greenery around but it will actually do better in a more protected location.

If you can put it in an area with protection from late afternoon sun and surround by other plants it will perform better. Loquat does tend to get borers easily if heat stressed.

Some Cacti Can Be Grown for Fruit

Nopal fruit or tunas

Q. I would love to put op-a-la-ah (not sure of spelling) cactus. the kind that looks like mickey mouse ears and grow red cactus pears aka prickly pears. several of my neighbors have them. the problem is the tiny stickers on the fruit. I have heard that there is a variety that does not have stickers. please advise me what they are called and where to get them.

A. I am sorry but I could not figure out what cactus you mean. However, I have grown cactus for their fruit. The fruits that we see commercially typically come from Opuntia cactus. These fruits, called tunas in Mexico, are harvested ripe from the pads. Typically we can see both red and yellow or green fruits. If you have the right type of cactus or selection they can get pretty high sugar content.

Dragonfruit orchard in Vietnam

            I don’t know of any totally spineless ones that have good fruit but there are some which are nearly spineless but you still have to prepare them with caution. Wear gloves or use newspaper to protect your hands and use a sharp knife. If you look at the harvested fruit it resembles a barrel in shape.

            The ends of the barrel are cut off and the sharp knife then cuts down the fruit lengthways (barrel end to barrel end) just below the skin of the fruit. The skin is then peeled back exposing the inner pulp. The pulp is full of hard seeds but the pulp is sweet.

            Other cacti can be grown for their fruit as well such as the vine cacti like the pitayas and dragonfruit, some columnar cacti like the cereus.

Using Herbicides Can Reduce Landlord's Weed Problems

Q. Please tell me if this is not the correct way to send you a question, your blog is great.  We are still trying to move out from New York, the house we own out there has a good size back yard, and with tenants in the house until we can move, the weeds are not usually pulled, so although I hate to use pesticides I think we need to.

            When should we use pre-emergent and post emergent pesticides for the greatest effect?  We want to keep the weeds down, but don't want to poison the trees or shrubs (or the ground) any more than absolutely necessary.  thanks very much.

A. Yes, you can reach me at Extremehort@aol.com or through my blog or newsletter.

Herbicide damage to a lawn. Herbicides were applied to the
shrub area and water moved the weed killer into the grass
where it was not supposed to go.

Pre emergent herbicides are applied to the surface of the soil and watered in lightly. They kill germinating weed seeds by putting down a barrier poisonous to many different weeds that germinate from seeds.

            The timing of this is usually in the spring, with applications scheduled about the first of February for many weeds. The barrier must be in place and active when the seeds germinate. The soil is cleaned up of any existing weeds and the pre emergent weed killer is applied. Once the barrier is put down the soil should not be disturbed or you will disturb this barrier.

            There are several weed killers to pick from in the nursery or garden store. Read the label to find out how to use it best and any potential dangers.

Wood mulch applied to fruit trees to reduce the weed problem

            Post emergent herbicides are applied to weeds when they are present. These are chemicals like Roundup that are nonselective and so will kill many different types of weeds but not all weeds. Round up will kill or damage anything that is green and sprayed. Direct it on to the weeds, not plants you value.

            Timing is critical and these weed killers work best when weeds are actively growing and not during times of stress like from heat or drought.

            One very effective method of weed control are mulches. This is a thick layer of wood mulch or rock mulch that covers the soil surface and helps prevent weed seeds from germinating. Post emergent weed killers are then used to kill weeds that emerge from the mulches.

Shoestring Acacia Losing Lots of Leaves

Freeze damage to shoestring acacia

Q. I had three shoestring acacia trees planted 5 years ago and right now they are losing a tremendous amount of leaves. They are on high flow emitters that are adjustable and putting out a large amount of water. They get watered every other day for 15 minutes. The trees are approximately 20 feet tall.

            Is there any reason why they would lose so many leaves?  My understanding with these trees is they produce very little litter but that is not the case. I would appreciate any help you could give me on this. Also there are 4 emitters for each tree about eight to ten feet from the trunk.

A. Shoestring Acacias (Acacia stenophylla) has a long record of success in desert regions of the west.  This good history of success is often the result its adaptability and letting the soil dry between waterings. 

Flowers of shoestring acacia

            Your comment that the 'leaves' are falling (Oddity fact: The long thin 'leaves' are in fact phyllodes and not true leaves but do the photosynthesis) leads me to think the very frequent watering has set up conditions not conducive for a maturing tree.

            After 5 years in the ground I would think your watering cycle could be as much an issue as anything.  Unless you live on some of the very sandy, stable dune soils of Palm Springs or in southern California/southwestern Arizona (Yuma mesa area) trees in the ground for 5 years would be better watered much less frequently with a larger volume at each watering.  This would also include having the source of the water being moved out away from the trunk targeting the water out closer to the drip line of the tree. 

            Whether there might be a disease involved and complicating the situation is nearly secondary.  The watering regime you described could easily have set up the conditions for the fungus to get started and any treatment would include a change in watering schedule to allow drying between waterings.

            Please feel free to respond if you have any questions or other things that might have 'hit' the tree. Things like: root damage from digging, severe wind that may have damaged the trunk, certain herbicide (weed killer) usage, pool back flushing, inadvertent chemicals spilled in the area, compaction from parking vehicles in the tree's shade, etc. 

            I would be interested if you live in a marginal cold area.  This tree begins to suffer if the temperatures drop to the high 'teens.

Terry Mikel

Leaves of Shrubs Dry, Burnt and Falling Off Could Be Several Reasons

Leaf scorch on Cherry Laurel

Q. I now water once a week but my shrubs are looking like they might in the hottest part of the summer. Leaves look dry, burnt and falling off. My average shrub is about 3'x3' and receives 3-4 gallons per week week based on my emitters and time on. Did I cut back too much ? What should I do to try to revive them ?

A. Your watering sounds very appropriate and probably what I would have scheduled as well. You have to make sure, however, that the water which is scheduled to be delivered to your plants is actually getting there. Make sure you check for plugged emitters when the system is on. You should have a filter on your drip system even if you are on city water.

Leaf scorch on mockorange due to chlorosis and inadequate
plant nutrition

             It could be several possibilities. I have to walk through them with you because I don't know much about their previous history. For me, it looks like possibly watering, possibly collar rot at the base of the trunk where the rock mulch sits against the stem, it could be very low temperature damage as possibilities. If there were some very low temperatures just prior to that than this could be just that. If there were no low temperatures than most likely it is not. Then we have to look at watering issues including the rock against the trunk.

First determine whether the plant is dead or not. Bend some branches and see if they snap. If they are still supple and just have damaged leaves then it is a temporary setback and they will regrow and set new leaves in the spring. If they snap when you bend them, it may be dead. You will have to pull it anyway so start bending the branches and see how much of the plant is dead. If the amount is sizable, remove it. When you remove it look at the trunk where the rock mulch was resting against it.

Planting so shallow that the container mix from the nursery
is exposed to the open air and wicks water from the
rootball

Use a knife or your thumbnail and scrape the bark away from the trunk starting about an inch above where the rock mulch sat and down along the stem to the roots. Look to see if there appears to be a dark area or rotten area in the trunk or bark around the rock mulch line. If there is, then it is collar rot. Make sure on any new shrubs that rock mulch does not lay against the trunk or, in some cases, the plant was not planted too deeply. It should have been planted the same depth as it was growing in the nursery container.

Nurseries don't have many plants this time of year because they are trying to reduce their inventories. You can look for a replacement plant but chances are you may not find one that you like until next spring when it gets warm.

I hope this helps.

Flies A Big Problem in Parts of the Las Vegas Valley

Q. My husband and I spend four months away from the Valley during the summer. When we returned in late September we could not believe the number of flies in our yard.....and because we are used to leaving our doors open....in our house. We have always bragged to those less fortunate than we are and live elsewhere in the country, mainly in the East, how we have virtually no flying insects in Las Vegas. I've had to eat my words this fall....along with some flies. I have not been able to even sit outside and read without being bombarded in the face with these nasty insects. We live in Sun City Anthem....the far southern end of the valley. Is there something blooming/growing in my yard that flies really like? Has anyone else noticed this proliferation?

A. Yours is the first report I have seen about an increase in flies this year. I do not know the products that are used for flight control, which is not an area of expertise for me. I would suggest however that somewhere, someone may be using a source of compost or manure products that are attracting flies.

The best advice I can give in the safest is to find out what is attracting them and where and address the problem there. If you do not do it this way and simply spray to control flies or use some sort of sticky trap you will not solve the problem but just work on the symptoms of a problem. I hope this helps.

PS. Since this was printed in the newspaper several people wrote to me and said they had the same problem. I lived in the valley at the time and I didn't really notice it. Anyone else have any suggestions?

White Fluffy Stuff on Cactus Can Be Removed Easily

Cochineal scale on Opuntia or beavertail cactus

Q. My wife and I read your interesting article regarding white spots on cactus. Yes, we have them and didn't know what to do about it. Now we do. I zapped the beavertail with a solid water stream and within seconds the spots were gone and the beavertail looked as good as ever. Many thanks for the simple solution to an otherwise difficult problem.

Using a hose and sweep nozzle to wash off cochineal scale

A.This is cochineal scale. A very similar cousin to this one was used for making a beautiful red dye. Remember that this does not get rid of them permanently.

They will come back relatively soon and you will have to repeat spraying with your hose. If this becomes bothersome then you will have to rely on a pesticide such as Sevin after you hose them off.

Make sure you read the pesticide label before applying it.

Blue Point Juniper Unique to the Las Vegas Area and Probably Has Mites

Q. My 9-foot tall cone-shaped blue point juniper has a huge area that is turning brown. What can I do to restore the burnt-like brown to a normal green? I looked at the brown area closely and found whitish cobwebs with little white dots on the area.  What mites are inhibiting the juniper and what is the best way to get rid of them?

Click here to see a Blue Point Juniper

A. Junipers are notorious for two things and uprights possibly a third; spider mites which are frequently associated with webbing, root rot when they are planted in heavy soil or if they are watered too frequently or both and possibly borer damage. Damage from overwatering usually appears at first as single branch dieback.

            Blue Point Juniper is a small to medium sized upright very small tree or shrub that is cone shaped with a bluish green color. This is a very pretty plant in the right landscape. I have not seen very many of them growing here in our landscapes.

Webbing from spider mites

            Spider mite damage can cause browning but normally the surrounding foliage of the juniper appears to be dusty looking. Most of this dustiness appears, to me, to be dead mites. Spider mites are extremely small, about the size of the period at the end of this sentence.

            The webbing may not mean anything. Just because there is webbing does not mean it has a problem with spider mites. Spider mites can be of a type that creates webbing or it may be of a type which does not. Secondly, there are good mites and bad mites. The good mites help to control the bad mites so spraying a chemical aimed at controlling mites may just backfire.

            The best way to determine if spider mites are an issue is the paper test. Take a white sheet of paper and a branch of the juniper and slap the branch or foliage against the white paper. Hold the white paper still and look at the dust or debris on the paper. If spider mites are present you will see a number of tiny dots the size of a period moving on the paper.

            Usually spider mite problems begin developing during the heat of the summer, not when it is cool. Soap and water sprays once a month during the summer is a common way to try and keep spider mites from becoming a problem. If the problem is severe than that may require a miticide or insecticide for controlling mites.

Scanning electromicrograph of spider mite the size of a
pencil dot.

            Since you have had this juniper for quite a while it is probably not root rot due to overwatering unless you have recently changed the irrigation pattern or if there has been a release of water near the plant in the past few months. This might be from a leaky irrigation valve or broken pipe.

            Borers in major limbs or branches are a problem on some upright junipers such as the Hollywood twisted juniper. It might be on this plant as well. Boring insects that tunnel into these branches cause these limbs to die while the surrounding area stays green. Pull the canopy of this juniper apart and look at the limbs inside of it to see if there is sap coming from a limb or limbs. The damaged limb is pruned out just below the sappy area.

            Once a branch is damaged and it has turned brown it is difficult to get it to come back to green again. If the damage is not severe it might come back over time if the problem that caused the browning is corrected. If the damage is severe it may be permanent like the toothless gap of a smile and never repair itself.

            The nurseries to carry a green paint that can be used to help the plant cosmetically. This is a problem with plants that grow beautiful, perfect cones of canopy.

Response

Thank your very much for your detailed response.  My two blue point junipers are doing quite well now after I sprayed them with insecticide.  I live in Sun City Anthem and you are right--nobody else has these trees.  Mine are now six years old, eight feet tall and trimmed to a conical shape.

What are Those White Fuzzies on My Plants?



White fuzzies on bell pepper.

Q. I have one coreopsis among many that also is showing the white fuzzy on the stem. In addition there are black specks on the leaves. Same thing, two different stages, or two different problems? The coreopsis in general is sickly, and I see that something is eating the leaves. Planted around the edge of the watering basin (5' in diameter) of an old peach tree. Watered by filling the tree basin twice a week. I have not sprayed with anything.

A. Those are the egg casings of a couple different critters .  One can be one of the Sharp Shooters (not the ones that vector Oleander Leaf Scorch/or on grapes Pierce's Disease - Same bacterium different stains but all carried by the Glassy Wing-, Smoke Tree-, and Emerald- Sharp Shooters)  . . .

These Sharp Shooters are kind of cool when if standing under a tree with the sun on the other side of the tree i.e. back lighted you can see the raining of fluid from the Sharp Shooters . . Sometimes if you stand under a tree you can feel the moisture raining down . . Just try and remember it's bug pee . . Another critter with similar egg cluster is a close relative that passes through our lives nearly non-detected except for the egg casing . .

White fuzzies on Coreopsis

They tend to show up on just a few plant stems and a few more plants on their petioles .  . Most think it's a fungal infection . . The Sharp Shooter impact to plants is negligible so in this case the education value far outweighs any possible impact to plants . .

-Terry Mikel

Reader Had No Luck Using Spinosad and Soap and Water on Leafhoppers on Grapes

My picture of grape leaf with leafhopper poopoo
(the black specks)

This came in from a reader regarding his lack of luck using Spinosad or soap and water sprays for leafhopper control in grapes.

I want to share my experience using the diluted spray of a wettable clay compound to prevent leaf hopper damage to our grapevines. Last year our grapevines were greatly infested with leaf-hoppers. Repeated applications of insecticidal soap and spinosad could not make a dent in the insect damage.

This year, we began early, when there were about 10 leaves on each arm of the vine, trying a natural wettable clay powder called Surround, that leaves a white coating of clay on wherever sprayed. We flocked the leaves both sides as best we could in a manner reminiscent of Christmas tree flocking, and left a white residue on both sides of the leaves that was intended to make leaf hoppers unable to damage the leaves through the clay barrier. The reapplication of spray becomes more difficult as the season proceeds and requires a definite commitment of the gardener to persist.

Surround application to pear, turns the
foliage white from the clay

We can now say that for all our efforts, leaf hopper damage is much the same as last year. But there are two positives. First, the grape skeletonizer eggs don’t have a chance as they are dead abornin’. Second, the birds who are inclined to peck every last one of our figs, do not peck the whitened figs. So at last we can have some tree-ripened fruit.

-Harrison

Thanks Harrison. I would like to post your observations. On the other hand I have had luck with Spinosad on leafhoppers on grapes for several years in a row. It does not totally wipe them out but it did reduce the numbers considerably over previous years. And we never really saw damage to the berries themselves with the leafhoppers they were just a nuisance.

As far as Surround goes I have used it at the orchard for a couple of years to reduce sunburn on apples and never really got it to work well and it was a pain to apply so gave up with about half of a 50 lb bag left.

Queen Palms Must Be Treated Like Queens If They Are to Survive in the Desert

Queen palms planted in front of a casino dead after winter
freeze in Las Vegas

Q. Hi, I'm a follower of your blog and I have two questions if you don't mind answering them.  First, what is your overall opinion of queen palms in the Las Vegas climate?  It seems like every winter they struggle but eventually come back in the late spring, early summer. 

My second question is, what is the best water requirement for a 15 gallon queen?  Is it best to have a few 4 gallon emitters over an hour time or many 1 gallon emitters over a few hours?  I'm just curious what is the best way to water them.  Also do I water every other day or 3 days a week in the summer months?  I would greatly appreciate a response!  Thanks in advance

A. Queen palm is not the best choice in palm trees for our climate in general. This is a harsh environment for them particularly our very low winter temperatures, our lack of humidity, strong dry winds and poor soils. Once we recognize this then we can begin to address the situation and determine if a queen palm is a good choice for us and what we will have to do to get it to work here. The absolute worst thing you can do with a queen palm is put it directly into a very our harsh climate, fully exposed to the elements and not amend the soil or amend it very little.

            If you were to plant it in our desert environment then you would try to find a place for it out of strong winds, protected from extreme winter low temperatures and amend the soil adequately at planting time and use organic surface mulches that break down and improve the soil over time. This is hard to find here in Las Vegas so planting them here will have poor results unless you can find this ideal micro environment; not impossible but hard to find.

Queen palm planted in rock/desert landscape and yellowing
or chlorotic due to poor soil conditions

            Palms are high water users in the small space that they occupy. So water does not have to be applied over a large area but should be applied in an area equal to at least half of the spread of their canopy. The water should be applied so that it soaks the soil down to about 24 inches each time you water.

            The soil should never go totally dry and surface mulches will help in this. Also planting understory plants that require more frequent watering will also help. How many gallons does a 15 gallon palm require? About 7 to 10 gallons each time you water or about half to 2/3 of the volume of the container (even though a 15 gallon container does not hold 15 gallons).

            Four emitters would be good in a square pattern about a foot from the trunk. How many minutes (or hours) should you run it? I don’t know. Depends on your emitters. If these are 2 gallon per hour emitters then 60 to 75 minutes.

            The other question to answer in watering is how often. You are asking about a one day difference in your watering. I really cant tell you that without knowing more about your soil and how much water it holds. If it drains freely and doesn’t hold much water then every other day now. If this is a soil that can hold a bit more then every third day would be good.

            Why don’t you try using a houseplant soil moisture meter to help determine the how wet the soil is before you irrigate. Once you do this a couple of times it will become more intuitive about how often to water.

Potatoes Look Dead and Never Bloomed

Q. Thank you for all your help! New problem: my potatoes are all about dead. They looked great in the Spring, but they never even bloomed. Is there any hope? Why did they die? I have them in a raised bed.

Potato tuber forming from underground shoot (stem)
coming from the potato plant stem

A. It is really hard to say what is going on without more information but let me run down the ideal situation for you and maybe you can figure it out. If I were to take a guess, I would guess it may have to do with your soil or watering or both. The ideal soil is a sandy soil and not a heavy clay type of soil. Sandy soils allow for good tuber production, easy harvesting, fewer disease problems which attack the roots and irrigations that are easier to manage.

Potatoes growing with drip irrigation

Potato plants can be started by quartering your favorite potato tuber with a clean knife and letting the cut tubers heal for 48 hours inside the house or in a cool area. You can also dust the tubers with a fungicide if you like. The other way, a preferred way, is to buy potato “seed” (which is really small potato tubers or tubers that have been cut and allowed to heal) that have been officially “certified” to be free of diseases and viruses.

Of course this is more expensive but reduces the chances of disease in your potato plants.

Potatoes plants (and tubers for that matter) are sensitive to freezing temperatures. For this reason we plant potato “seed” very soon after we are fairly certain spring freezing weather has passed. This can be any time from early to the end of March in our climate. Planting later than March will probably not result in very good production. Potato seed is planted about two to three inches below the soil and about twele to 18 inches apart. If the variety of potato is a real vigorous grower then space them further apart (18 inches).

A better way is to sprout the seed before planting. This helps to get them off to a good start. You would sprout the seed in a shallow box in the house in a room that is warm and has plenty of light. Once the seed sends up sprouts that are a few inches long, plant them carefully in the prepared soil about two inches deep and about twelve plus inches apart. Water them in thoroughly. Make sure you have put a good high phosphorus fertilizer in the prepared bed and the soil has been composted well.

Once the potatoes have shown some good growth to maybe 12 inches in height, pull the composted soil around the plants so that only a few inches of potato plant is peeking above the soil. This is called hilling and is needed so that the potato stems send out side shoots where the potatoes will form. If you don’t do this you probably won’t have very many potatoes.  Keep hilling around the potatoes every couple of weeks as they keep growing above this soil that has been pulled around the stems. Keep the soil moist or mulch the potatoes so they don’t get knobby. I hope this helps.

You can harvest any time tubers have formed. Just carefully dig down around the stems and feel around for tubers, cut and remove.

Something's Eating My Basil and It's Not Me!

Q. Sir ,this picture shows my  chewed "genovese " basil ,if you enlarge the picture you will see small insects resembling those who ate the leaves of the vine .

What can I do without poisoning my basil?

Thanks for your answer.

Luciano's Genovese basil with damage

Regards ,Luciano

A. I enlarged the picture gradually up to 800% but still could not make it out. The feeding looks more like a larger pest such as root weevils or caterpillar (larvae of moth) to me. Smaller insects would be more likely holes throughout the leaf rather than on the edges of the leaves.  Soap and water sprays have to come in contact with the insect.

            Organic types like Bt (Dipel or Thuricide) or Spinosad will focus a lot on the caterpillar types and give you some overnight protection if done at dusk and would be a good first effort. Follow label directions. If this does not work then I would move toward one of the pyrethrum or pyrethroid products with vegetables or herbs on the label. Check the ingredients for these products.

            Sevin might also work but apply only at dusk since it is lethal to bees which will be visiting basil a lot unless you keep the flowers clipped off. Spinosad also is tough on bees so use it only at dusk.

Avocados High Risk in Las Vegas Area But If You HAVE to Plant One....

Q. Do you have recommendations/suggestions for new avocado and lime tree plantings for Las Vegas? I currently have a Meyer lemon tree which is doing great.

A. I don't like to recommend lime or avocado for this climate, particularly avocado, unless you have a very warm spot in the landscape that can give off a lot of winter warmth and protection from winter winds.

            These plants are very tender during the winter here and the chances of losing them due to winter cold is extremely high. That being said, if you decide to move ahead with a lime then any of the limes would be a good choice depending on your preference. Rangpur and red limes, although cold hardy, are not limes at all but could be used as a substitute. To my knowledge there is little difference in the true limes abilities to make it through the cold here so that would not be a consideration.

            As far as the avocado goes, I would select a smaller selection to give it a better chance of surviving. Make sure the rootstock is also cold tolerant or you could lose the roots while the top did not freeze. Here are some recommended cold hardy varieties from a Texas website: http://toptropicals.com/html/toptropicals/articles/fruit/varieties_avocado.htm

Cold hardy varieties:

Brazos Belle: Produces medium-large, purple-black long fruit. Season: October-November.

Fantastic: Produces green, paper thin skin, supposedly the most most cold hardy of all. The fruit has a creamy texture.

Joey: Selected by Joey Ricers in Uvalde, Texas (just outside of San-Antonio). Produces medium size, egg shaped purple-black fruit. It has excellent flavor. Heavy bearer. Season: September-October.

Lila: Produces medium size, green fruit. Season: September-October. Don't confuse this variety with Lula, which is popular Florida variety and commonly used for rootstock. (Lula is cold hardy to 25F)

Poncho: Produces medium to large green fruit. Cold hardy to 15F

Pepper Tree Losing Its Leaves and Apricot Dropping Its Fruits

This is normal fruit drop in apricot. The fruit was mature
and ready to be picked and a good wind came along
and blew them off of the tree during the night.

Q. Our Pepper tree is losing it’s leaves and they are dropping like crazy. Can you tell me what I can do or is this normal this time of year? Also the fruit is dropping off apricot tree.

A. Leaf and fruit drop can be from very similar causes, usually some form of stress. This stress can come from temperature extremes, irrigation and soil moisture extremes or wildly fluctuating soil moistures. Unlike leaves, for fruit to stay on the plant or tree the flower needs to be pollinated and the environment should be fruit-friendly.

            Even though flowers are modified forms of leaves for fruit to develop then it must include the transfer of pollen from male parts of a flower to female parts of the flower. During this transfer it is best done by insects like bees in those trees and plants requiring pollination by insects (most fruit trees and vegetables).

            During pollination (which can cover a period of a couple of weeks in cool weather because the flowers don’t all open at once) it is best if the weather is friendly to pollinators (good temperatures, good humidity and normal winds) as well as pollination. So when the flowers are open you hope for warm weather free from rain and storms. When these conditions vary further and further from ideal then the amount of fruit set may be diminished.

Early almond drop in May due to lack of pollination. The
yellow almonds have not been pollinated so no nut has
formed and the whole nut drops from the tree two months
before harvest.

            Temperatures after fruit set can play a big factor as well. If temperatures drop really low after fruit set then this can cause fruit to drop early. Some fruit can start to develop from the flower even though it is not pollinated but this fruit will drop from the tree, usually turning yellow first before dropping. The bees may have missed this flower but the flower starts forming the fruit anyway.

            Without pollination many fruits cannot develop more than just its juvenile stage and then drop. The fruit tree thins itself in this manner but not enough for our pleasure. This can be normal but should not be all of the fruit. This is called “June drop” which happens in our climate earlier, sometime in late April or early May usually.

Plum fruits, if they do not get pollinated, will grow for awhile
but eventually yellow and drop from the tree early while
pollinated fruit (green here) will continue on to maturity.

            In the case of your apricot see if it is natural thinning; small fruit yellow and drop. There should still be some fruit remaining. By the way some apricots do need pollinator trees. I do not know what variety you have but Tomcot, Perfection and Rival are three that might need a pollinator. If it set in previous years then it is a problem that occurred this year such as late freeze, poor conditions for pollination when the flowers were open, irregular watering and some others. Hopefully it is just June drop and you still have plenty of fruit left.

            With your California pepper it is most likely irregular or having a streak of hot weather that the plants were not prepared for. Make sure if you get hit with hot weather out of the norm to run them through an irrigation cycle ahead of schedule.

Plum Tree Loses Its Leaves After Planting

Q. We recently had our back yard landscaped. We had a plum tree planted in the one corner. It did okay for a few days and then it lost all it's leaves!!! It was getting water. A few sprouts from the base are coming up but nothing else. Is it dead or just been shocked from the transplant?

A. I will have to speak in generalities since I have so little to go from.  Usually when a tree is planted and it loses all of its leaves very quickly it is due to some sort of shock. 

            These shocks can come from leaving the black plastic container in full sunlight for a day where the sun can cook the outside temperature of the container and a portion of the soil in the container to 170° F in our climate; missing an irrigation in the container when it needs it can cause leaf drop in a matter of days; planting a landscape tree from a container into hot or very dry soil can cause root dieback and leaf drop; growing a tree in partial shade and moving it to full sun can cause leaf drop; planting the tree too deeply may cause leaf drop; planting the tree too shallow with the roots exposed can cause leaf drop; putting fertilizer too close to the trunk or roots can cause leaf drop; and there are probably more that I can’t think of right now. 

            All of these can be termed transplant shock.  The more careful you are in planting trees and shrubs the less shock the plant will have.  If the tree has lost its leaves during severe summer heat than the prognosis is not good and you will probably have severe dieback. 

            It will be your call as to whether you want to keep the tree or not.  If your growth is coming beneath the graft or dogleg on the trunk at the bottom and pull the plant out and replace it.  Here is how to minimize transplant shock. 

•           Have the whole pre dug before you bring the plant home from the nursery.

•           Plant the tree or shrub immediately when you get home.

•           Never plant into a hot hole or dry hole.

•           Plant in the early morning hours not during the day when it is hot or windy.

•           Remove the plant from the container and get it into the hole is quickly as possible.

•           Never remove the plant from a container by pulling on the stem and the yanking it out.

•           Immediately stake the plant after planting making sure the state is driven soundly into the hard soil beneath the planting hole

•           Make sure you plant the tree or shrub the same depth that it was in the container.

•           Dig the hole deep enough to accommodate the root ball of the plant and no deeper.  Taking the hole wide is better than taking a deep.

•           Water the plant in the hole immediately after planting and use a hose for the first week of watering, not the drip system or irrigation system for the initial watering.

My Beautiful Italian Cypress Was Butchered By A Tree Service

Q. HELP! My 25 year old beautiful Italian Cypress have been butchered by a tree service hired only to top them. How can I save these once beautiful trees. I am sick. I have been hosing them down every morning and deep watering them also.They have many brown areas that have been chopped to the limbs. There is a lot of green but, they do not look well. I can take a picture and send it if it will help garner some advice.

Overwatering or overfertilizing or both
can cause excessive growth and "floppiness"

A. You can send me a picture but frequent water may in fact be hurting the tree. Go back to deeper (12 to 18 inches deep) watering occasionally. Right now perhaps not any more often than once a week at the most.

            You can also try to apply some fertilizer lightly, one application only. It does you no good to fertilize over and over. It will put on new growth mostly now and slow down as the summer is concluding.

            If the landscape company has cut back the stems into bare wood it is very possible it may not recover. If it does recover because they did not cut too deeply the recovery will be slow. Unfortunately this is a problem when they prune with hedge shears which is ridiculous. 

            Frequent watering may cause some succulent growth to occur which will not be sturdy and this growth will be “floppy”.

            I wish I had better news but you will have to wait and see how the plant responds. But in the meantime water and fertilize normally; water once a week and fertilize once or maybe twice this season. That’s all you can do. Let me know how it turns out.