Xtremehorticulture of the Desert

Desert soils become very unstable when they are irrigated. Insect problems like borers become obvious the day after a rain. Biological activ...

Newly planted citrus. If a good soil mix or compost was mixed with the soil at planting time it might be good for a couple of years. But e...

Most rain is not very effective in the desert unless it comes down slowly and for a long time. Flash floods are terrible and just run off ...

This is a grape spur. When new growth is nearly about to happen it can be recut even shorter to only one bud or shoot if you know what you...

Q. I have two grape vines, one white and one red. When and how should I fertilize these grape plants? A. All grapes whether they are re...

Soft and rotting trunk of young peach tree. Definitely borers. Young fruit trees like peach and apple are very susceptible to borers in th...

Q. We have Buffalograss for a lawn which we overseed every winter with ryegrass. We applied the ryegrass late this fall and it didn’t come u...

Q. I have a 5-year old Prickly Pear cactus. I brought it here from Florida in 2015 and started it by planting the pads. I’m seeing some yell...

            Sharpening a lopper is important so that the plant is not torn when cut. Would you let your doctor use a needle or sc...

Desert landscapes don't have to be all cacti and rock. How does a desert landscape design differ from Xeriscape? Or does it?

Q. When should I prune a "salad" tree?   Mine has 5 varieties of lemons and 2 oranges and is almost 5 years old.   I am afraid o...

Q. Is it possible to grow azaleas in the Mojave Desert?   We want to get more color in our yard and having lived in the east for many year...

Look for Borers   It rained most of the day last Saturday in Las Vegas. The following Sunday would have been an excellent time to look f...

There is some shared greenhouse space available to rent. The greenhouse is the old Dave Turner greenhouse now located near Boulder...

In this interview with Rafael Evangelista you will learn about a love affair with a highly successful fruit that does astoundingly well in o...

The second episode in this podcast discusses the practical side of irrigating desert landscape plants.

Use Part 1 as the first step in understanding how to irrigate plants in the desert. Understand the difference between xeric and mesic plants...

I have a chef friend was looking for a small quantity of Meyer lemons. This is February 11 and he realizes it's at the end of the season...

Q. I love the California look of lots of succulents planted in the yard and in pots on the patio. We moved into our new home late last ...