Xtremehorticulture Blog Hits Near 30,000

My blog, Xtremehorticulture of the Desert, is approaching 30,000 hits per month. Judging from the number of hits this time last year, my blog should exceed 30,000 hits in the next one to two months.

Even though my blog has a focus on the Mojave Desert, these hits are coming from all over the world. Remember, these posts are focused on Desert Horticulture at 36,12 degrees north latitude at an elevation of 2,000 ft (610 meters) and should be adjusted accordingly for different locations.Pest and disease problems vary with locations as well.

I do not sell anything here (okay, maybe my coffee donation to help keep me awake when I get up early to do some posting. I like good coffee.). I will continue to recommend based upon my experience with products. I appeal to readers. If you have experiences to share please Comment at the bottom of the post. I review each Comment and if it is just a marketing effort then I reject it. If it adds something to the discussion, I will post your comment.

Growing Cherries Can Be a Problem in the Hot Desert

Q. From my Googling, it sounds like if I want cherries in this climate a good strain is royal Lee with Minnie Royal as a pollinator tree.  Do you know if they will grow and fruit well here?

A. Cherries produce erratically in the Las Vegas Valley. In some locations cherries produce abundantly and in other locations they produce almost nothing.

For instance, at the University Orchard in North Las Vegas we produced about 15 cherries in 15 years from 17 different varieties of trees. Virtually nothing. They flowered every year abundantly, there were no freezing temperatures after flowering that would eliminate fruit but the fruit failed to mature. In other words, the fruit failed to set.

However, some people in backyard locations here have produced cherries abundantly every year. Reports to me by homeowners are anecdotal but varieties that produced here include Bing, Lambert and a few others known to have a high chilling requirement.

In the Las Vegas Valley we don’t have enough cold winter weather to satisfy fruit trees with a high chilling requirement. Picking fruit trees with the proper chilling requirement for a certain climate is thought to be a cornerstone of good fruit production.

A chilling requirement is the amount of cold temperatures fruit trees should sustain during the winter in order to flower and produce a normal crop of fruit. Most research supports the concept that all fruit trees must satisfy their chilling requirement in order to produce fruit abundantly.

My observations at the University Orchard in North Las Vegas don’t agree with this universal concept 100%. When I interview homeowners about their abundant cherry crop and the location of their trees, one common theme seems to appear; cherry trees that produce fruit abundantly are located in areas where there is higher humidity such as near a lawn area or a swimming pool. Higher humidity may also play an important role for a good crop of Hachiya persimmons.

In my opinion the location of the cherry tree is more important than selecting a variety. My recommendation would be to locate cherry trees near a lawn area or swimming pool to improve your chances of having a good crop. Otherwise it’s a crap shoot regarding cherries regardless of the variety.

Is Bark Peeling on Mesquite Some Sort of Problem?

Q. I have a six-year-old, multi-trunked mesquite tree with bark that is beginning to peel from the trunk. It started last fall and is getting worse. Otherwise it is a beautiful tree and appears to be healthy but I am concerned I may be losing it. Any suggestions?

A. There are several different kinds of mesquite trees and it is normal among some of these for the bark to peel from the trunk as they get older. In some mesquite trees it is quite distinctive. It would be helpful if you knew which particular mesquite you have so we could determine if this is true of your tree.

However, peeling bark can also indicate a dead area developing underneath this area. You will not hurt any tree by peeling this bark back and looking more closely at the trunk. Inspect the trunk under the bark for possible damage and sap oozing from that location.

It is possible if the tree is watered too often that damage can occur to the trunk or limbs. Frequently damage from overwatering can also cause sap to ooze from the trunk or limbs. This damaged area of the trunk can lead to bark peeling.

If you peel off the bark and you don’t see damage underneath it, then assume it is natural for this tree at this age to have peeling bark and don't be concerned about it.

Is My Apple Tree Diseased?

Q. My apple tree has several different things going on with it and I’m wondering if it is suffering from some sort of disease. Other than that, the tree appears to be growing normally.

A. Let's cover these pictures one at a time.

First picture. The tree was damaged on the trunk but it is mending. You can see how the bark is beginning to roll back from that damage. It looks like the trunk was damaged either by sunburn or possibly borers. The damage stopped, the bark peeled away from the trunk leaving the dead interior exposed. Now the living part of the tree is growing over the top of the dead interior wood. The center of the trunk in all apple trees is dead. The only living part of the trunk is the outside cylinder that continues to expand year after year. This is nothing to worry about. Just keep the tree in good health and it will heal completely.

Second picture.  This is either some borer (insect) damage or a disease called crown gall. The only way to find out is to take a sharp, sanitized knife and dig down and see what's going on. If this is insect/borer damage then the bark will peel away easily and you will see evidence of this kind of damage under loose bark. You can go to my blog and search using the word “borer” and several postings will come up with pictures showing you what borer damage looks like when the bark is

removed. If this is borer damage, then remove all of the loose bark and allow the tree to mend itself in the same way it did in the previous picture. If this is crown gall it is not a serious problem. Don't cut it out or worry about it. It will not be a big problem for the tree in the future. It just looks ugly and it will get larger over time.

Third picture. This does look more like crown gall. It does not look like borer damage because it is on the underside of the limb. Borer damage usually occurs on the upper surface of a limb or on the side of limbs facing West. Very seldom do we see borer damage on the underside. Take a sharp, sanitized knife and see if any of that bark is loose and can be removed for closer inspection. If not, leave it alone and it will not be a big problem in the future.

Fourth picture. This looks like sun damage in the crotch of a limb. It is also possible there are borers in that spot causing some damage. Take a sharp, clean knife and remove any dead bark down to the wood. Allow the tree to heal over that area.

Borer Damage to Fruit Trees Best Corrected Now

Q. I have a peach tree planted in 1998 with the bark lifting from the trunk easily. My gardener doesn't know what this is or how to treat it. Can this tree be saved?

A. This is borer damage to your peach tree and is the usual reason for their death at an early age. The damage is done by an immature stage of a beetle. Some people called them "worms" but they are properly called larvae.

The adult female beetle flies looking for a mate during the spring and summer months. Once she mates than she lays eggs on many different kinds of trees including fruit and many landscape trees and shrubs.

It appears she is attracted to trees damaged by a lack of water or intense sunlight on the limbs. Reducing damage to the tree because of intense sunlight is thought reduce damage by boring insects.

This is done by “whitewashing” limbs, particularly on the upper surface, with a mixture of white latex paint and water in a 50/50 mix.

Whitewashing these limbs reduce, but do not eliminate , damage created by intense sunlight. If you look closely you will see most of the damage is either on the upper surfaces of these limbs or on the sides of limbs that are facing south or west. These directions are where the most intense sunlight comes from.

When pruning peach trees in particular, which seem to be very susceptible, try not to prune so much out of the tree that it lacks the shade needed to protect the limbs from intense sunlight. Here are a couple of postings on my blog.

http://xtremehorticulture.blogspot.com/2015/08/identifying-their-damage-and.html

http://xtremehorticulture.blogspot.com/2014/02/mechanical-control-of-borers-in-fruit.html

Trees that get borers sometimes go into a death spiral; borers continued to attack these limbs or more limbs, limbs die and open the canopy for more intense sunlight which causes more damage which attracts more borers.

There are no safe insecticides or chemicals that you can apply to these trees to cure the problem. The best approach I have found is removing the damage from the trees with a very sharp knife and let the tree heal on its own.

Pruning Oleander into a Multi-Trunked Tree

Q. I have two, 7 foot tall oleander bushes about 8 feet apart. Can I turn them into trees by cutting all the branches to the ground except for the largest, fattest branch in the middle? I know the suckers will be a problem for a while. Also, is it safe to grow a small vegetable or herb garden between them? Is oleander flower and leaf mulch safe around the edible garden?

                    

A. Yes, you have the right idea. Oleanders can make very nice small trees but the suckers at the base will be a problem for several years.

Oleander pruned to a multi-trunked tree and in bloom.

They can be made into a single trunk or a multi-trunked tree. Multi-trunk trees are easier to manage. Select 5 to 7 stems, or branches as you call them, coming from the base and going in different directions. Odd numbers of branches are more pleasing to the eye than an even number. Those are the stems you will keep. They should be large and vigorous.

Oleander suckering from the base when pruned as a multi-trunked tree.

Remove all other stems as close to the ground as possible. A reciprocating saw with a pruning blade is an easy way to remove them than a saw or loppers. Remove side branches from the stems up to a height that looks good to you. The trunks should be cleaned of side branches. Make sure you cut these side branches as close to the trunk as possible. Clean the trunks anywhere from 2 feet up to about 4 feet.

New stems will sucker from the base throughout the growing season for several years. This is because oleander wants to be a shrub. You are forcing it to be a tree so it will try to revert back to a shrub.

As soon as suckers emerge from the base, remove them by pulling rather than cutting. If you pull them when they are very new they are easy to remove. Removal by pulling causes fewer suckers in the future than cutting them.

Oleanders are poisonous but research from California demonstrated that leaves and stems can be composted and returned to the soil without problems for other plants including vegetables. 

http://slosson.ucdavis.edu/newsletters/Downer_199829067.pdf

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

Viragrow Delivers! : Add Phosphorus After Compost and Before Planting

Add Phosphorus After Compost and Before Planting: Renew Growth in Garden Plots Triple super phosphate is a conventional granular fertilizer  15lb @ $18.20 You purchased a good qualit...

Viragrow Delivers! : Growing Raspberries, Blueberries, Bananas, Papaya,...

Growing Raspberries, Blueberries, Bananas, Papaya,...: Q. What soil and mix do you recommend for berry bushes like raspberries, blueberries and so forth. I am also planting some oranges and exo...

Viragrow Delivers! : Water Soluble Sulfur Lowers Soil pH Fast

Water Soluble Sulfur Lowers Soil pH Fast: Sulfur granules remaining on top of the soil three years after applying it to the soil surface. This is a ma...

Viragrow Delivers! : Harvesting Caulifower Now at Viragrow

Harvesting Cauliflower Now at Viragrow: It is getting too late to plant broccoli and cauliflower because our hot weather is approaching fast and these are cool season vegetables, ...

Viragrow Delivers!

What Vegetables to Plant Now

This is the transition time between cool season vegetables and warm season vegetables in the Mojave Desert. We are still growing cool season or winter vegetables and planting warm season or summer vegetables as we harvest our cool season crops.

Plant SOME Winter Vegetables Now

There is time left to plant SOME winter vegetables like radishes/leaf lettuce/spinach/arugula and harvest them before it starts to get hot. I would not be afraid to plant vegetables now that you will harvest in the next 45 days. Always tweak information for elevation and microclimate. For international readers I would also include latitude.

Viragrow is just wrapping up its harvest of cauliflower now from its raised beds. It is too late to plant more cauliflower or broccoli at 2000 ft elevation in the Mojave but not too late to still squeeze a crop of radishes, spinach, lettuce, arugula in.

Freezing Temperatures

Historically, the last frost date (95% sure there will be no freezing temperatures) is March 15. Looking ahead at the weather for the next two weeks I am reasonably comfortable that we will not have any more freezing temperatures until late fall or early winter at a 2000 ft elevation. When setting out transplants early or growing from seed early it is best to protect warm season vegetable

Wall-o-Water is one product used to protect tomatoes from chilling temperatures at night when they are set out early. They are probably the most effective at modifying freezing temperatures and preventing freeze damage.

plants from chilling temperatures at night by using hot caps, Wall-o-Water or frost blankets. You will see improved growth and faster establishment.

Elevation

This information focuses on vegetables grown at the 2000 foot elevation in the Mojave Desert. Tweak this information earlier if you are growing at elevations of 1000 feet and later if your elevation is at 3000 feet. Lower elevations are seasonally warmer and higher elevations are seasonally colder.

Microclimates

Tweak this information for different microclimates of your garden. South and West facing gardens are warmer and planted earlier than gardens facing east or north. However, you can harvest later from east and north facing gardens. Take advantage of microclimates by placing growing areas in different locations in the yard.

Wind

Wind is always damaging to gardens. In winter, freezing temperatures are more damaging if there is wind. In summer, the heat is more damaging if there is wind. Even when temperatures are mild wind affects vegetables, Put up small windbreaks around your growing area. The most effective

Produce better vegetables with a windbreak on the windward side of a garden spot. Century fence with pvc slats is about an 80/20 mix of solid /openings to slow wind for  improved vegetable production.

windbreaks allow about 20% of the air to move through it while 80% is stopped. A good example is a Century fence with PVC slats inserted or reed fencing is attached. This type of windbreak is about an 80/20 windbreak. The effective area of a windbreak is downwind of it a distance equal to about five times its height.

Rotation

I know vegetable plots can be very small but whenever possible plant something different in spots in the gardens. This is called "crop rotation". When growing "by the book", "rotate" vegetables to different spots from different families. If tomatoes (Nightshade family) were grown in a spot, then grow onions (Onion family) or squash (Cucumber family) in this spot the next year Try to NOT grow something in the same family in the same spot for three years. This helps to reduce disease problems that remain in the soil.

Summer (and some winter) Vegetable Calendar

Key: s=seed; T=transplants

These are recommended months. Exact dates vary with elevation, variety and microclimate. The Las Vegas Valley is between 1700 to 2000 feet in elevation. Elevations lower than this are planted earlier in the spring and later in the fall. Elevations higher than this are the reverse. 

Some varieties of vegetables perform in heat or cold better than others. Consult information on the variety you are planting. Some landscape areas or microclimates surrounding the home are warmer or colder than others. Warm microclimates are planted earlier in the spring and later in the fall. Some of the herbs are perennial. Many herbs can be started from cuttings which is not noted below.

February

Beets (s), carrots (s), sweet corn (s) (later in the month), kale (s), lettuce (s), onion sets, potato (later in the month), radish (s), spinach (s), Swiss chard (s), turnip (s)

March

Bush beans (s), carrots (s), sweet corn (s), eggplant late in the month (T), green beans (s), pole beans (s), kale (s), kohlrabi (s), lettuce (s), onion sets, onions (T), peppers late in the month (T), potatoes, radishes (s), spinach (s), Swiss chard (s), tomato (T), turnip (s), rosemary (T), mint (T), oregano (T), mizuno (T), thyme (T)

April

Sweet corn (s), cucumber (s), eggplant (T), green beans (s), pole beans (s), melons late in the month (s), peppers (T), tomatoes (T), summer squash (s), basil (T), lemongrass (T), lemon verbena (T), cilantro (T), rosemary (T), mint (T)

May

Cucumber (s), eggplant (T), melons (s), peppers (T), sweet potato (slips), summer squash (s)

June

Melons (s)

July

Sweet corn late in the month (s), green beans (s), pole beans (s), melons (s)

August

Beets (s), broccoli late in the month (s,T), cabbage late in the month (T), cauliflower late in the month (T), sweet corn early in the month (s), green beans (s), pole beans (s), spinach (s), Swiss chard (s), winter squash at lower elevations (s), parsleys (T), cilantro (T), dill (T), fennel (T), chervil(T), salad burnet (T), sorrel (T), tarragon (T)

 How To Plant

Bone meal is a fertilizer used by organic growers at planting time

Before Planting in an Existing Garden: Apply 1 inch (1 cubic yard covers about 320 square feet) of good quality compost to the surface of the garden. Mix phosphorus fertilizer (triple super phosphate, rock phosphate or bone meal) to a depth of 8 to 10 inches in the row for planting seeds or with the

backfill around transplants.

Large Seed: Soak large seed (corn, peas, beans, melons, squash) in cool water 6–12 hours before planting. Soaking seed speeds germination and promotes even emergence. Form ½ inch deep planting trench with hoe or dibble. Place wet seed in trench or “hills” and cover seed with soil or mulch. Water lightly with a sprinkling can or hose breaker. During hot weather, cover seeded area with straw or horse fresh horse bedding to shade the soil surface. This is not deep but a light application. Soon after emergence, remove seedlings which are too close together by cutting them, not pulling. Sidedress or foliar spray seedlings with fertilizer one month after planting.

Small Seed: Lightly scratch soil surface with garden rake to create small furrows. Sprinkle or drop seed in rows created with rake. In Square Foot Gardens, distribute seed evenly throughout a planting grid. Cover seed with 1/8 inch compost or soil mix. Water lightly with a sprinkling can or Dramm^© hose breaker. During hot weather, cover seeded area with enough straw or horse bedding to shade the soil surface. Soon after emergence, cut off seedlings which are too close together. Lightly sidedress or foliar spray seedlings with fertilizer one month after planting.

To speed up germination, water seeds and then cover planting area with clear plastic. Remove plastic or cut slits in it to allow seedlings to grow above the plastic.

Add Compost Now

Compost is very important to add before planting summer vegetables and herbs. Use it in place of fertilizers to feed trees and shrubs, improve the soil and growth. Add it to backfill 50/50 with soil dug from the hole for improved plant performance, rooting and growth. Don't forget to mulch fruit trees after planting.

Viragrow sale on compost ends in 10 days. Bulk and bagged.
https://twitter.com/Viragrow/status/701075973534457857
http://www.viragrow.com/compost

Viragrow Delivers! : Growing Raspberries, Blueberries, Bananas, Papaya,...

Viragrow Delivers! : Growing Raspberries, Blueberries, Bananas, Papaya,...: Q. What soil and mix do you recommend for berry bushes like raspberries, blueberries and so forth. I am also planting some oranges and exo...

Viragrow Delivers!

Dormant Sprays or Dormant Oil?

Q. I have a peach tree that has been in the ground one year. I was supposed to spray it with dormant oil spray before leafing out. Is copper fungicide okay for spraying in the spring? Want to avoid bad pesticides because of birds, good bugs, etc. 

A. There is a confusion out there concerning dormant sprays and dormant oil. Dormant sprays can be a number of different types of sprays. The name “Dormant Spray” is a trade name and tells me nothing about its contents.

Dormant oils or horticultural oils help prevent insect pests in the coming growing season

If I have the trade name (Dormant Spray) and the manufacturer then I can look it up and I will know exactly what it contains. There is no hard and fast rule that you can apply when you are talking about dormant sprays.

However, dormant sprays are usually a traditional pesticide or combination of traditional pesticides that are sprayed during the winter or early spring. Sometimes they contain a fungicide that has copper in it and sometimes they contain an insecticide as well. They are not typically organic.

Dormant oils, on the other hand, are very specific. They vary a little bit among manufacturers but not like dormant sprays.

There is no reason for spraying a copper fungicide contained in the dormant spray if there are no problems to solve. However, dormant oils are very important to apply as a preventive measure for controlling some of the insects common on fruit trees.

There is no reason for spraying copper fungicide now unless you have a good reason for it. Be sure you have a SPECIFIC reason for doing this before you do it. On a one year old peach tree I doubt it unless you have disease pressure from Coryneum blight/shothole fungus. 

If we have extended periods of wet weather or rain you might consider it after the rain has finished. But otherwise I would not do it.

Small Area Will Fit Trellised Fruit Trees

Q. I have a very small back yard and a 20' x 18" planter against the back wall of our property that is now empty. We were thinking of espalier fruit trees in the space. My wife wants a Myers lemon and I like a peach or nectarine, pear, or even an apple.

A. You can fit about three fruit trees on a trellis 20 feet long. They don’t have to be dwarf except for the apple. The easiest trees to trellis are those which produce fruit on spurs; most apples, pear, apricot, plum and pluot. Citrus will work if the location is in a warm microclimate during the winter and protected from the wind.

Apple trellis to close to a century fence but not on the fence

Nectarine can be difficult because it frequently requires a lot of spraying for Western flower thrips to prevent the scarring this insect causes to the fruit.

Peach can be more difficult because it does not produce fruit in spurs. Purchase these trees at any local nursery or garden center but reference my list for the best varieties. You will find it on my blog or email me and I will send you a copy.

Buy a small tree if you are going to trellis. The wires for trellising should not be against the wall but away from it at least a few inches so you can prune behind it.

Trellis wires start at a height of about 18 inches from the ground and vertically spaced 18 inches apart. Everything growing towards the wall is pruned off.

In the first year cut the top of the tree about 2 inches above the bottom wire. The growth closest to the cut is directed to the next wire above it. Two side branches are tied tightly to the bottom wire.

Next year repeat this process at the second wire, then the third wire and finally the last wire. Once the tree occupies the entire trellis any branches growing above the top wire are removed. Branches growing away from the wall are cut back to three or 4 inches.