Xtremehorticulture of the Desert

Q. We have a mature pear tree standing about 14' tall that produces about 100 pears each year. These pears are always rock hard when har...

Q. This tree in my front yard is turning yellow. It is 20 years old. Is it because of lack of water? Should I have it trimmed? This i...

Q. I know Roma tomato plants are determinate in their growth but if I keep them healthy will they set a fall crop for me? A. All I can ...

Q. I had my yard re-landscaped in June and with it I planted a Desert Museum Palo Verde. After planting, I pruned it and maybe removed too m...

Q. There are lots of black seeds when you cut open a papaya fruit. Can the green sprouts from these seeds be eaten and added to a salad? I...

Q. Can you recommend a good fescue grass seed for starting a lawn? I did not have great success with a local brand that said it was made for...

Q. I need guidance on when and how to prune my fruit trees that are 3 to 5 years old. All of them have been producing fruit in the last coup...

Q. I planted hollies and Carolina cherry as an evergreen visual screen between our house and our neighbor’s house. The hollies burnt to a cr...

Q. I recently found your blog and wonder if you have any advice for me about an African Sumac that we planted last October. It did beautiful...

A leaf tissue analysis would show that this ornamental pear is lacking iron. Why Send a Tissue Analysis? The purpose of submitting le...

Learn some of the basics about why landscapes have problems. Sometimes its how the landscape was designed, plant selection or irrigation. Sa...

Maintaining a lawn in the desert is not easy. Learn the fundamentals of desert lawn care: irrigation, fertilizing, mowing, aerification and ...

Lawns are sometimes a necessary part of a desert landscape. And when you are finished with it, the soil is improved and its easy to replace....

Aptenia, or Hearts and Flowers, is a succulent that looks good with a little bit of shade and not in full sun unless the soil has been ame...

Q. As much as I love them, the geraniums are just too high maintenance for me this year. Gave up on them. Can you recommend something, in ...

This pine is struggling. Notice the open canopy, how thin it is.  It is either not getting enough water or it was rootbound at planting ti...

Some people think I’m crazy when I mention the importance of microclimates in landscapes. Others may be unsure about what they are, how to...

Q. My father’s lawn is tall fescue and completely went dead this summer. I’d like to know what we did wrong because we watered twice a day. ...

Q. I have a raised planter box with my tomatoes doing quite well. Some critter is raiding these tomatoes nearly every night and removing t...

Q. How much fertilizer should I give my trees in the landscape and when can I do it? A. Apply fertilizer to established, winter hardy ...