Grapeleaf Skeletonizers Flying Now in Las Vegas

Q. My grape vine is started to leaf out. What is the spray I need to use to prevent the leaf eaters? I saw a black wasp like bug today (April 9)

Spring Rose Show To Be Held April 19

Planting and Watering Ocotillo

Q. I have a recently planted ocotillo. It is tied together by wire when should I cut the ties?  Also, I heard that I should spray the plant with water frequently. What’s frequently?

Rose Flowers Small and Wilting May Be Damage from Thrips

Q. I recently had my yard refreshed with a new irrigation system,  new plants, rose bushes and even a small tree. My roses had suffered badly the last couple of seasons. No matter what I did, the mealybugs and aphids were victorious. Even if my roses bloomed they were small and quick to wilt.

Apricot Leaves Cupping and Dropping Off

Q. My Blenheim apricot tree is not doing well. A few branches have lost all their leaves. Other leaves are starting to curl and cup. This year it had plenty of apricots but few leaves. I thinned them out since the tree is young. I thought this would also help the tree put more energy into leaves.

How to Use Organic Pesticides Effectively

Organic pesticides work but they are aimed more for prevention than correcting an existing problem.

Slugs Can Cause Early Plant Damage to Lettuce

While in Kosovo recently a farmer complained about the lower leaves of his young lettuce plants were damaged, wilting and not looking very good.

Stinkbugs Cause Plant Damage Early in the Season

Most gardeners recognize the stinkbug in southern Nevada. But the populations may be on the rise in home gardens particularly early in the season.

Apricot Fruit Needs Little Thinning

Apricot fruit doesn't need thinning....or does it?

Thinning Apple and Pear Fruit is Similar

Apple and pear fruit are produced in clusters of fruit on the tree. Leave only one fruit remaining in each cluster.

Thin Your Peach Tree While Fruit is Still Small

Thinning fruit, or selectively removing fruit so remaining fruit gets larger, should be done at an early stage of fruit development. See examples of the spacing of fruit for good size.

Apricot Leaves Cupping and Dropping

Q. My Blenheim apricot tree is not doing well. A few branches have lost all their leaves. Other leaves are starting to curl and cup.

Japanese Blueberry With Orange Leaves a Sign of Leaf Death

Q. My water accidently turned off for two weeks and my Japanese Blueberries are all orange. I do see new growth on the edge of the branches. Is the tree shedding old leaves? Did the cold snap in November cause this?

Quince Tree With Dark Brown Bumps on Branches

Q. We have a 3 year old Quince tree which looked very good to me until today when I notice brown/dark purple small pee size bumps on the top branches. Removing the bumps causes a fluid to ooze out. I guess the fluid must be sweet since there are ants running up and down the branch.

Will PawPaw Fruit Trees Grow in the Desert?

Q. Do you know if paw paw trees will grow here? If so, what type of conditions (partial shade, full sun etc) and what type of soil amendments? 

Bamboo Damaged Just After Winter

Q. Do you have any advice on what I can do to green up these bamboo planted in rock mulch? Give them iron perhaps?

Orange Tree Flowering Now and Not December

Q. We have an orange tree that did not produce any flowers this last December.  Over the last week in March the tree has started covering itself with buds all over.

Do Not Mulch Cat Claw Vine?

Q. I believe in one of your columns regarding cat's claw to avoid mulching the base of the plant.  Of course I had already done this and the plants are struggling where I very much want them to thrive and go nuts with no issues. 

My Onions are Not Growing

Q. I bought a package of onion sets several months ago. They aren’t getting big.

Holes in Trees Due to Woodpecker?

Q. Do we have woodpeckers in Las Vegas?  This is the north side on the trunk of my Carob tree, at about chest high.

Is There Anything That Will Control Squash Bugs?

Q. I live in southern Utah "Cedar City" and put in a garden that is 15x120 each year. Over the years the squash bug infestation has become worse and worse.

Determining the Correct Sized Drip Emitter

Q. The landscape people are into variable drip emitters and think I am a little looney sticking to drip emitters.  How do you determine how many gallons to give large trees like African sumac, bottle trees, Swan Hill olives, Yew pines and chaste trees?

When to Divide Lily of the NIle

Q. When is the best time of year to divide a Lily of the Nile? Please tell me how to do it. I have 1 that is about 10 years old and it isn’t looking very good.

Sagging Yucca Arms Need Support or....

Q. I have this Yucca for about 15 years and I am getting concerned about all the growth on the arm that you can see from enclosed photo. It is getting real heavy and I don't want it to snap. Any suggestions?

Overgrown Red Yucca Can Be Divided for Smaller Space

Q. I’m replacing some red yuccas that have grown too large for a three foot area, unprotected in full sun. They spill over into the walkway where my grandchildren have been getting stabbed by the leaves. Can tree roses handle that kind of weather?

Blackened Dead Leaves May Be A Really Bad Disease Problem from Last Year

Q. I planted a five-gallon pear tree about three springs ago and it seems pretty happy espaliered along my west-facing block wall, but a few new leaves on three of the branches have some kind of black rot on them. It has rotted away part of the leaf on some of them. Can you tell me what this disease is and whether and how to fight it?

UNCE Orchard Weather Report for March 2014

No significant weather events occurred during March except some temperatures below 45F which could account for some chilling injury to sensitive plants. See the report below.

What You Need for Your Vegetables Now

It’s the end of the season for cool season, winter vegetables now after mid-March. Warm season vegetables should be going in the ground now if they haven’t already. In protected hot microclimates it should have been sooner. Here is what you need to do now in our hot, desert climate.

Cat Claw Vine Beautiful in the Desert But Not Elsewhere!

Q. I planted six cat claw vines two summers ago in full sun. They are on a drip system and I hope to wean them from regular water once the area is covered. I believe you mentioned to avoid mulching cat claw vine.  Of course I had already done this and the plants are struggling.

Spanish Dagger Yucca Ready to Fall Over!

Q. Our Spanish dagger yucca was doing great but it's leaning badly now. Is this normal?

Majestic Beauty Leaves Browning on the Edges May Be Drip Problem

Q. The edges of the leaves on my Majestic Beauty are getting brown and crispy. Is that salt burn? They get watered twice each week for 20 minutes and each plant has two emitters.

Rootspread of Landscape Trees in the Desert Controlled by Water

Q. If I have very mature shrubs (over 5 years) like  abelias etc. and keep it shaped to about 3'x3'. Will the "mature' root system stay within the canopy for watering purposes or extend out due to age and need more water?

Kaki May Not Give HIgh Quality Persimmon Fruit in the Desert

Q. When will be a good time to transplant a Kaki persimmon tree and will it do well in Las Vegas?

Systemic Insecticides Applied to Fruit Trees Does Not Make Sense to Me

I am very concerned about an insecticide I applied to my lemon and pomegranate tree....

No Flowers on Peach Tree Could be Due to Overzealous Winter Pruning

Q. Of my 5 peach trees only two blossomed thus far, the other 3 have started or well on their way to leaf out.  I presume I'll not get peaches from them this year.  Any idea why they would leaf out and not blossom?

Come Chat With Me!

I will be at Viragrow every Monday and Friday through March for those who want to chat with me about current horticulture problems.

Aphids on the Loose in Your Landscape and Garden

Aphids overwinter on all sorts of plants in your yard and attacking plants primarily in the spring.

What Todo To Vegetables March and April

This is what we will do with vegetables during these months.

Using Limb Spreaders in Fruit Trees

Plums, European pears and Asian pears have a tendency to grow vertically upright and narrow. If caught early enough, young limbs can be trained to grow less vertically and into the more desirable 45 degree angle...

Texas Ranger (Sage) Getting Woody

What should I do and when should I do it?

Iris Not Blooming Any More

They bloomed for many years but the last two years they had no blooms. Is there anything I should be doing?

Is This Verticillium Wilt in My Olive Tree?

Do you think the sparse looking tree could have verticillium that you mentioned in your newsletter?

What is a Good Patio Container Fruit Tree?

Q. I live in a 3rd floor condo that faces south. I get about 7 hours of direct sun and have containers on my patio with

How To Correct Winter Damage to Star Jasmine

Q. What is the best way to fix frost damage to star jasmine? Give them nitrogen and iron? Wait for warmer temps? Or replace the plant?

Weather Report for UNCE Orchard for February 2014

We had freezing temperatures during the first three days of February in the middle of the night in two instances. There were some peaches and apricots in bloom at the time whose fruit crop might have been affected.

Garden Problems Answered Mondays and Fridays

I will be at the Viragrow every Monday and Friday to answer questions through March, 7 am to noon.

Preventing Thrips Scarring to Nectarine Fruit

Western flower thrips are the major problem with growing nectarines in the Las Vegas valley.If not sprayed, fruit can get terribly scarred. The fruit is safe to eat, but who would want to?

March and April Fruit Tree Todo List

Orchard Todo List: March and April. Each of these below will be talked about more in depth in the coming weeks.

Watch for Aphids This Time of Year

This time of year is a busy time for home horticulturists. Now that we have finished fertilizing landscape and fruit trees and increased irrigations as temperatures warm, we turn to pest problems.

Branch Dieback in Olive Sign of Soil Disease

Q. We have a twenty year old olive tree in our front yard diagnosed with Verticillium wilt disease.

All Desert Plants Need Water Including Cactus

Q. I am looking for substitutes for cacti.  Plants without stickers that need no water.  I want to replace my 15 lantana. I would like to plant them now before the heat comes.

Aggressive Desert Creature a Centipede!

Q. This insect was found on the west side of town inside the house. As you can see from the picture, it looks like a centipede. When we approached it, it became very defensive and acted like

How to Sell Food to the USDA Webinar Mar 20

Each year USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) buys nearly $2 billion and 2 billion pounds of frozen, processed, and fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, poultry, fish and eggs.

Not Too Late to Prune Pomegranate!

Pomegranates will give you bigger and better fruit if you prune. The question is, HOW?

Granular Fertilizer, Fertilizer Stakes or Compost for Fruit Trees?

Q. Last week we planted several fruit trees and have established trees as well. Would you recommend applying fertilizer around these trees now? Spikes or granular type of fertilizer?

How to Prune My Blackberries?

Q. Last summer I planted one blackberry bush in my little garden plot.  I got about 10 blackberries and they were delicious.  The problem I have is how to prune it.

Some Grapes Require Thinning of the Foliage During Spring Months

Q. After the grapes set their fruit in the next couple of weeks can the vine be trimmed or does it need to grow to provide shade and nutrition to the grapes?

Peas Not Germinating Evenly

Q. I have had problems with germination of peas. Placed directly in prepared soil germination has been inconsistent and I had to reseed several times.

How Much Water for My 1 1/2 inch Diameter Fruit Tree?

Q. How many gallons should a fruit tree receive for each watering if it's trunk is 1.5 inches in diameter 24 inches above the ground?

Saguaro Leaning is Usually an Irrigation Problem

Q. Our saguaro is about 10 years old.  In the last year or so four arms have popped out mostly on one side.  Now the saguaro is beginning to lean and we have propped it up. What do you suggest we do?

Mechanical Control of Borers in Fruit Trees

I will usually take a very sharp, large knife and remove this loose bark and find out how much damage has been done by the borer.

Sneezing Might Be Due to African Sumac

Ash trees are starting to bloom now as well.

Brown Spots Probably Disease Problem on Tree Photinia

Q. Can you tell what the problem is with my patio tree and what I can do about it? The leaves are all covered in brown spots. I am not sure which plant it is.

Majestic Beauty Hawthorne a Good Choice But Use Wood Mulch

Q. On the north side of our house we have a 10-foot wide space we are trying to landscape. Several have suggested planting bay laurel trees but we are concerned about the tree's size for the space. When we went to the nursery their suggestion was the Majestic Beauty hawthorn tree. Will the Hawthorn tree do well in our climate and soils?

Wild Mustard is Free and Available For Your Salads All Over Town

Mustards are all over town right now and they appear like weeds. But what you may not know is that they are at their peak of flavor right now, particularly the younger, smaller leaves toward the center.

Can I Use Compost With Worms in It?

Q. I have been collecting vegetables scraps for the last 6 months for composting but did not have a cover on my bin.  I have found the compost loaded with this bug or worm.  Can I use this compost? There are too many to pick out.  I'm afraid if put in soil they will kill plants but my compost is really good!!

Dark Brown or Black Shells on Oleander May Be Scale Insects

Q. I have a serious infestation of hard shelled black insects on my oleanders. I have a tree-like hedge of oleanders on both sides of my home. One of the oleanders is heavily infested but the problem is spreading rapidly to all the others.

Clover-Looking Weed with Yellow Flowers is Very Difficult to Control

Q. I have oxalis clover look-alike as a weed. How can I control it? I am ready to use chemicals at this point having tried to rid it by digging and pulling with no success. Having it in my grass is bad enough but now that it is in my iris beds I want to kill the dang stuff!

Thanks to Hunter for Advanced Irrigation Control at the Orchard

A really big thanks goes out to Hunter Industry and in particular Nate Gould out of Phoenix, Arizona. Nate offered to provide the UNCE orchard in North Las Vegas with a state-of-the-art Hunter ACC Irrigation Clock. This definitely brings the UNCE Orchard into the 21st Century!

Italian Cypress Will Work as a Windbreak on 1 Acre But....

Q. I have used Italian cypress in moderate climates with very good success but now I will be moving to the desert in Pahrump on one acre and want to put in about 30-50 of these for windbreak. Is there anything special I need to consider planting these in a desert climate?

Should a License Be Required to Carry a Hedge Shears?

What was not forseen in the advent of desert landscaping was the dramatic change in pruning techniques brought in by the landscape industry. Hand pruners and loppers were gone. Hedge shears were in.

Still Afraid to Prune Your Lantana?

You may have either the purple lantana or the multi-colored lantana. Most of it died back during the winter. But where to cut? What if I cut it back too far. Will I kill it? Even in February you still have time.

Nevada's First Bottle of Olive Oil All Produced in Nevada

Last year produced the first bottle of Nevada olive oil.

Star Jasmine Problems Mostly Soil, Mulch and Cold Related

Q. What can I do to correct all the issues afflicting the star jasmine this winter?

Things To Do With Fruit Trees Now

While pruning the last couple of days I saw some things  to do that I wanted to bring to your attention.

Not Too Late to Trim and Fertilize Lantana

We generally grow two types of lantana in the landscapes in southern Nevada; the purple one and the one that is multi-colored, usually with some yellow and rose or pink flowers. Both are handled about the same way in watering, pruning and fertilizing.

Please Dont Prune Your Palo Verde LIke This

I was dumbfounded. I saw it from the bus.

Pick Fruit and Check for Circling Roots When Repotting Lemon

Q. I purchased a lovely Meyer Lemon tree in a one gallon pot in middle of the spring. It already had 6 lemons on it. I have the original fruit, have new fruit growing, and still am getting blossoms. Should I transplant it now into a larger pot or wait until after the fruit ripens and is used?

Do Liners at the Bottom of Raised Beds Help or Hinder?

Q. I'm setting up some raised beds for planting this spring and wondered about water evaporation from the soil. Since water retention in the soils here in Vegas is an issue due to the heat would it make sense to put a liner in the beds to help keep the moisture from draining out so quickly?

Remove Suckers Coming From Rootstock on Loquat

Not sure if I should remove growth below the graft from a Loquat tree.

Repairing Lemon Trees From Winter Cold Damage

Q. Our lemon tree shows damage after our recent very cold spell.  Some of the leaves are dry and dropping.  Is there anything we can do to assist the tree?

Ornamental Pear in Bloom Now... A Nice Tree Where it Has Room to Grow

The good and bad about ornamental pear in the desert.

Joshua Pups Can Be Transplanted

Q. I have a Joshua tree that is sending out what I've been told are "pups".  In other words, more trees are coming up around the main tree.  Can I transplant the pups to a new area and how do I do that.  Thanks for your help.

What Makes a Good Compost?

Compost quality can be hard to judge. Part of the quality is what you see and what you feel and smell.

It should smell good. A good quality compost should smell good. It should not have any off odors. No smell of rotten eggs, no smell of ammonia.

Compost should look and smell good.

It should look good. It should be dark brown when moist. It should be ALL brown and not some of it brown and some of it not. It should be consistently brown throughout. You should not be able to discern or see any of the products used to make the compost. Leaves and stems should not be discernable. It should be screened so that larger materials have been filtered out. Some composts are screened with multiple screens to include 1/2 inch and smaller particles (1/2 inch minus). Some are screened even smaller than that... 3/8 inch minus or even 1/4 inch. Screening depends on its use. If it is used on let's say a golf course on greens then large paricles of compost will interfere with the roll of a golf ball when grass is cut at 3/8 or 1/4 inch.

It should be cool. Good quality compost has matured to the point where it no longer produces alot of heat. Compost that is still hot has not finished composting and is immature. Part of the compost process is setting it aside to "cure" after the composting process has completed.

Compost also has qualities that you cannot see.
Pathogens. Generally speaking, commercial composts usually have fewer pathogens that can affect human health than homemade composts. Commercial operations can spend time monitoring and managing a compost pile more effectively than a gardener. Good commercial operations monitor the temperature and moisture contents (and even the oxygen and carbon dioxide levels) so they know when to turn the pile for better aeration, better temperature control and more even processing of the compost. Techniques like in-vessel composting and windrows can generally make a product that has fewer human pathogens in it than static piles that are not monitored carefully.

Chemistry. Even though not considered a fertilizer by law, composts contain plant nutrients. They will add "fertilizer" to a garden. They add lots of other things as well. Trace minerals are present along with organic acids that improve soil chemistry. It is always a good idea to ask for compost test results. All commercial compost operations have them. They should provide a copy if you ask them about it.

There are potentially some things in compost that we need to take a close look at. Salts. All composts will have salt in them. Fertilizers are salts. Some salts are good and some are not as good. Major salts that can be problems for us in our soils are salts of sodium, chloride, sulfates and boron. Salt levels should not be excessive and the salts that concern us should be minimized. I will give more information on these in future postings. Composts that come from large urban centers can contain heavy metals. In commercial composts the level of heavy metals allowed in commercial composts is highly regulated and monitored. They are not in non commercial composts.

Biosolids. Some composts contain biosolids. Biosolids is the preferred name to sludge. This is becoming more and more common as our federal and municipal governments are trying to find an alternative to placing them in landfills. This will become even more common in the future. The use of biosolids is highly regulated in the commercial compost industry with federal limits established by the federal government. I will be discussing this important issue in future postings.

In short, you should and must know what is in your compost before applying it to your gardens. Ask for reports on what is in the compost you are purchasing. Make sure that the facility is submitting samples regularly to compost testing facilities.

Figs Dropping From Tree

Q. We planted a fig tree a couple of years ago. Year before last it produced a couple of figs. Last year there were perhaps a dozen figs which never got larger than a small grape. These did not emerge until November and never grew to full size. The tree was fertilized with 16-16-16 commercial fertilizer, and had plenty of water. Can you tell us why the fruit did not mature and what we might do to have a better result this next season?

A. The usual problem is not watering at the right time and keeping the soil moist during production of fruit. We can get two good crops of figs here. The first one is called the Briba crop and is borne on last year’s wood (2013 growth).

This is the Briba crop. Notice how the figs are developing on older, brown wood from last year. You can see the new growth pushing from the terminal bud, is green and about two inches long.

            The second crop is the Main crop and grows on the current season wood (2014 growth). If the tree is pruned or last years wood is killed by freezing weather, you will only get a main crop.

This picture shows you the larger Briba crop still developing at the bottom on older wood. Above these fruit are smaller fruit still developing on this years growth, the main crop. The Briba crop will be harvested while the main crop is still developing.

            The main crop occurs when it gets hot and if the tree is not getting enough water the figs will get button sized, get hard and drop off. There is a potential third crop in about September and October but the weather does not stay warm enough in the fall for it to mature.

            This third crop will get button sized and will fail to develop due to winter weather coming in. That third crop may form without the summer crop if the tree is not getting enough water. Then in the fall it is getting enough and tries to set fruit but it is too late and fails.

Although this is another readers picture, this is what this reader is probably talking about. Late season figs never get to ripen. However, if you keep the soil moist during the summer months, the first two crops will ripen.

            I would mulch around the tree with about four inches of wood mulch and cover the soil to a distance of about six feet from the trunk. Water in a basin around the trunk about six feet in diameter.

            The basin should be able to hold at least two inches of water but four would be better. Fill the basin with water each time you irrigate. Water once a week now, twice a week in May, three times a week in June, drop it to twice a week in September and once a week mid October.

            Once the leaves fall off in winter you can water about every 10 to 14 days. Fertilize once in February with a fruit tree fertilizer or four fertilizer stakes per tree, one in each quadrant of the irrigation basin.

What To Do to Fruit Trees Now

Q. What should we be doing to our fruit trees right now?

A. You should be finishing your winter pruning now. Bloom on some fruit trees started early this year and if you haven’t finished it you can still go ahead while it is in bloom. Be careful of the bees.

            Hold off on pruning grapes until later in February when the chance of freezing temperatures has passed.

            Fertilize your fruit trees now if you haven’t. Use a balanced fruit tree fertilizer high in phosphorus. If you miss this application you can use three or four liquid applications to the leaves (spray) a week apart in the coming weeks.

            If you suspect you will have yellowing due to an iron deficiency, apply the iron chelate EDDHA to the base of the tree with your irrigation water. Trees susceptible to iron problems include peach, nectarine, plums, apricots, almonds, apples and pears.

            Before or immediately after bloom, but not during bloom, apply dormant oil to limbs and trunk making sure you spray the undersides of the leaves, not just the tops.

            Irrigations should be once a week as soon as you see new growth. Newly planted trees can receive 5 to 10 gallons. Trees that are up to ten years old should receive 20 to 30 gallons each time you irrigate. Irrigations should be applied to at least half of the area under the canopy.

            Prepare for thinning fruit trees of excess fruit in about a month. Summer pruning will occur in about April. Watch for my postings on future activities and when to do them.

Potted Meyer Lemon Flower Drop

Q. You helped me before with my Meyer Lemon, so I hope you have an answer for this one.

My tree is in a huge pot. It is about 4 years old.

            Last Spring, it had massive flowers (yum) and a lot of little green buds followed. Then every single one of those buds turned black and dropped off.  Not one remained.

I want to figure out why and change what I am doing so this never happens again.

            The plant is fertilized with granular fertilizer 2x a year -- early spring and late summer. It gets moisture and hasn't dried out.  However the leaves could look more beautifully green.

Sometimes, some of them curl and are not quite bright green.

            I do not know if the two issues are related, but I sure hope you have a suggestion.

A. Sounds like you had post bloom fruit drop. Fruit drop can also occur during summer months and just before harvest. The usual reasons for post bloom fruit drop is usually some sort of stress.

            Four years is getting up there for being in the same pot without repotting. You might consider repotting and adding some new soil to the mix.

Meyer lemon flowers

            I know you said it had adequate water but if it went through just a few hours of drought during or just after pollination, fruit drop may occur. If we have some freezing weather during or just after flowering, that can cause the fruit to abort too.We had some on January 6 and 8 in parts of the valley.

            When watering, make sure about 20% of the water that you apply runs out the bottom of the container each time you water. This is important for flushing salts from the soil.

            Another possibility in containers is overheating them. If in direct sunlight and the outside of the container gets too hot and transmits this heat to the soil, this can cause stress and cause fruit drop.

            Proper fertilization is important. Over fertilizing fruit trees, excess nitrogen, can cause fruit drop. And finally less commonly some insects such as scale or mealybug infestations can cause fruit drop as well.

            What to do? Make sure your container, the soil volume, is big enough to handle wide swings in temperature and water. Monitor both closely. You might find a houseplant moisture meter to be helpful.

             Keep the outside of a plant container out of the hot sun. Double potting a container is  helpful to keep the soil temperature down. Watch for freezing temperatures at bloom time and cover the plant.

            Water the soil just before the heat of the day. Wet soil heats up more slowly than dry soil. If we have any frost during bloom it will affect fruit production.

UK Overtakes France in Xtremehort Blog Pageviews!

Of course since this is posted from the US so the number of views from the US is first. But I was shocked France was second for so long in the total number of pageviews for this blog! I saw UK creeping up on France and knew it would happen sooner or later. UK is now second!

I wonder if my relatives in Blaenau Ffestiniog and Sheffield had anything to do with this....

Rule Britannia!

What To Do To Peach Trees in Late January and February

Q. Could you direct me to or post a list of things I should be doing to my peach tree now? 

A. I will post the answer on my blog for others but right now you should be finishing up your pruning, fertilizing and begin irrigating once a week if you have surface mulch under the tree.

Peach trees in early bloom this January. Normal bloom date is February 1, consistently, year after year. The warming spell in January kicked everything into high gear early.

Let it finish blooming and then apply dormant oil to the entire tree to suffocate pests that are now coming out to attack leaves and fruit. Dormant oil is NOT dormant spray for disease control.

In about one month you will look for peach twig borer damage to new shoots and applying Bt spray to control these moths and “worms” that attack new growth and later your peach fruits. Watch for the posting on my blog with more detail and pictures.

Frickin' Cold in Northwest Ontario

I wanted to post an email from a reader who happened to run across this blog.

Great Price on EDDHA Iron for Yellow Plants

I found this 5 lb bag of Iron EDDHA chelate (FeEDDHA) for a great price at ViraGrow for less than $60 for this bag locally.

Chaste Tree with Black Unhealthy Appearance on Trunk

Q. I have two chaste trees in my back yard and for a couple of years now there is a black appearance taking over the trees.

Eliminating Flowers and Fruit on Ornamental Plants

Q. Last year I bought a house with a 6 foot privacy fence consisting of Texas privets and was unable to enjoy my patio in the spring due to severe allergies. Is there a product available that would prevent the shrubs from pollinating and flowering

A. This is the first I have heard of this plant causing allergy problems so I had to check around. And sure enough, there are some people who have an allergic reaction to the pollen or flowers.

      There are chemical sprays such as Monterey Florel Brand Growth Regulator and their Fruit Eliminator but the problem is the dosage and the label. And it does not necessarily eliminate the flowers since you have to spray the open flowers to cause the fruit to abort. Normally sprays like this are applied early when the plant is in flower. However many plants are not on the label so the rates are not known and legally not permitted.

            The other thing is to give it a butch haircut when the flowers come out. You can use a hedge shears. Eventually though this type of pruning will not be good for the plant over time. I think you can get this product at ViraGrow in Las Vegas.

Q and A's on this product and Label

Monterey's Florel Fruit Eliminator

Monthly Weather and ET Report from the UNCE Orchard

We had freezing temperatures at night on January 6 and 8th. Winds did not compound the problem. Humidity dropped to single digits twice during the month. No major rainfall events. ET was about 2. 4 inches during the month of January. Generally speaking, irrigation should have added about 2 inches of water in January, 2014.

The UNCE Orchard is located at 36 degrees North Latitude and 2000 ft (666 meters) elevation in the Mojave Desert.

The soil temperature was reset from 6 inch depth to 2 inch depth on January 21. This is why the range became so scattered starting January 21. If this scattering continues we will reset it a bit deeper. This temperature is used to estimate seeding dates for direct seeding into the raised beds.

Vegetable and Herb Planting Calendar Re-Posted as PDF

I made some changes in the one I posted earlier and embedded it from Scribd as a pdf document. Please let me know if you have trouble downloading it by posting here on the blog. This has been put together for elevations of about 500 ft (160m) to 3000 ft (1000m) elevations at 36 degrees N. Latitude in a desert environment.

Vegetable and Herb Planting Calendar

Vegetable and Herb Planting Calendar for 36 N Latitude 2000 ft Elevation (Las Vegas)

Vegetable and Herb Planting Calendar click here for pdf

Garden Soil Not Ruined with Cat Problems

Q. I have cats that use my raised beds instead of their litter box. I planned on using chicken wire to help keep them out in the spring. Is my soil is ruined because of their urine and excrement? Does the ammonia from the urine alter the pH?

Garden Placement is Very Important in the Desert

Q. I have planter boxes which get hours and hours of direct sun. I've tried everything from corn, to edamame, grapes, peppers, tomatillo, and many others. I have even put up shading but either there is too much sun or maybe I over water. I'd like to start now and get a jump on summer.

How Much Compost to Add to Garden Depends on Soil

Q. I am starting a new garden spot. How much compost should I add to the soil?

A. If this is a new spot of raw desert soil or fill, the first year incorporate about 12 cubic yards of compost into 1000 square feet of growing area to a depth of 12 inches. The second year of growing incorporate half of that; the third year, half of what you applied the second year.

If desert soil has never had compost added to it or it was never in any kind of agricultural production then the first application will be very heavy. The second year not as much is needed and the third year the amount added is even less.

            Each year afterwards add 2 yards per 1000 square feet to maintain soil organic matter and production levels. Why so much? You can visit my blog and learn why.

            I would recommend growing in beds clearly identified for your garden. The areas between the beds are designated for foot traffic.

When compost is added at the rate of 12 cubic yards for every 1000 square feet it doesn't seem like much when it is incorporated to a depth of 12 inches.

            Raised beds do not require hard construction sidewalls. Constructing hard sidewalls gives you about six inches of extra growing space around the edge of the beds. Constructed beds should be 12 to 18 inches tall and three to four feet wide. Foot access should be provided on all sides of the bed.

            Raised beds will stay in place without hard sidewalls if constructed properly. You can see beds like these on the UNCE Orchard in North Las Vegas.

             

The second year about half of the compost is added to the raised beds that was added the first year to build soil organic matter. Raised beds do not need constructed hard sidewalls. Mulch is put down the center aisle for walking.

            Drip irrigation is best. Drip emitters should be about 12 inches apart for most crops. Crops that require closer spacing (onions, garlic, beets, and carrots) may require emitters closer than this. All emitters should release water at the same rate and pressure.

            Space tubing one foot apart lengthwise down the beds. A 3 - 4 foot wide bed would have three in each bed. The four foot wide would accommodate three as well but spaced further apart.

            Mulching vegetables during the summer heat helps. Use straw or a light topdressing (3/8 inch minus) of screened compost.

After amending the soil and building the raised beds, the drip irrigation is installed. This is drip tubing with emitters spaced every 12 inches along the tubing.

            If rabbits are a problem, fence the area with 2 ft. wide chicken wire, one inch hex, buried on the bottom edge one inch deep. Fertilize vegetables lightly once a month. Use a high phosphorus fertilizer at planting time. Irrigate daily during the summer months. Remove weeds daily when they are small.

Improving Peach Production on Peach Cocktail Tree

Q. I planted a peach tree that has 3 varieties of peach grafted into the same tree. I can’t remember the names of the peaches. In either case, my tree bore no fruit last spring. What can I do to get fruit this season?