Nectarine Fruit and Dried Droplets of Sap

Q. I have an Independence nectarine tree which I have been nurturing for two years. This is the first year I have had fruit! On the fruits I kept I am seeing something that looks like dried droplets of sap coming out of the skin. It is not sticky to the touch. Are you able to determine if I have some sort of blight with the fruit? Will I just need to take this plant out?

A. Your nectarine fruit has damage caused by Western Flower Thrips. This is a very common problem with nectarine fruit here in the valley and elsewhere. Once you see your fruit damaged by this insect, you will see it in future years as well. Be prepared to spray.

            Damage to the fruit starts before they are the size of a pea. The only control is to apply sprays to the fruit and leaves to protect the fruit from thrips damage. The most effective sprays are insecticides for organic production contain Spinosad in the list of ingredients. Follow the label precisely.

Readers nectarine fruit with dried sap due to thrips damage

            If you don't mind applying an effective conventional insecticide, then look for one containing synthetic pyrethrins, sometimes called pyrethroids. The label must say it is approved for tree fruits. Again, it is very important to read and follow the label for best results.

            These sprays must be applied to the fruit and leaves starting very early in the season when the fruit are still very, very small. Sprays must be repeated through the season for total protection. Chances are, you will still see some scarring of the fruit but it will be greatly improved.

Tops Dying Back in Japanese Blueberry

Q. I’m having a problem with my Japanese blueberry trees. Some are fine but the two on the end appear to be drying out from the top down.  Do you have any idea what’s causing this? The soil is not dry and they all get the same amount of irrigation.

A. The usual problem in damage or death to the top of a tree can be found on the main trunk just below the damaged area. I am guessing something has damaged the tree at that point.

            The reason for the damage could be several. Borers cause mechanical damage to the trunk and shut off the water going to the top. Diseases in this same location can do exactly the same thing.

            Because Japanese blueberry is relatively thin barked, sunburn from our intense sunlight can kill the trunk in that location and shut off water to the top. Humans can cause damage to the trunk and shut off its water supply as well.

Top of dead stem on readers Japanese blueberry

            I think we can rule out pathological diseases in our climate. The two most likely culprits are mechanical damage to the trunk by borers or the same type of damage caused by sunburn.

            Inspect the trunk at the location just above the healthy area of the canopy. Use your fingers and see if you can pull away any loose bark. Borers tunnel just under the bark usually on the side towards the most sunlight. This kills that part of the trunk and the bark peels away easily.

            If you don't see bark peeling from the trunk at this location, look for discoloration of the trunk on this side facing the sun. Sunburn to the trunk can happen in one hour of intense sunlight during the midday or late afternoon.

            If it is borers there is nothing you can do to raise the dead area back to life but you can protect the tree from extensive borer damage with an insecticide soil drench once a year.

            In any case, you'll be forced to remove the dead top from the tree with a pruning shears or saw this winter. Once you do this, it may open remaining branches for sunburn as well. Give them as much protection as you can.

            I would not do it now because the sunlight is too intense and will probably cause even more damage to the lower, healthier part of the tree.

Pepper Brown Spots Could Be Irrigation or Sun

Q. I have a brown area on the bottom of my bell peppers. Any ideas?

A. Brown spots on bell peppers are normally from either of two things; a disorder we frequently see on tomatoes called blossom end rot or sunburn.

            If it is on the bottom of the fruit and not in a spot exposed to direct sunlight it is most likely blossom end rot of pepper. Blossom end rot, just like in tomatoes, is normally associated with irregular watering even though it is a nutrient deficiency.

            An inch of mulch in the vegetable bed helps to maintain more even soil moisture and less fluctuating of the water content in the plant. A more even soil moisture content has been reported to reduce the incidence of blossom end rot.

Blossom end rot bell pepper

            The other possibility is sunburn. If the brown spot is on the shoulder of the fruit toward the sun and not the blossom end, then it is most likely sunburn. This is because there is not enough shade covering the fruit. You will see less sunburn on peppers that are buried deeper inside the canopy of the plant.

            With bell peppers in particular we want as much leaf cover over the fruit as possible. Light shade, about 30%, over the plants, also reduces sunburn. Mulching the vegetable garden also helps.

            Having the garden in a location where it is exposed to morning and early afternoon sun, with shade during the late afternoon, will also reduce the problem.

Calling All Las Vegas Gardening Bloggers and Social Media Types!

Social media types and those who have been thinking about getting started and need a little help. Please RSVP to me at Extremehort@aol.com so I have an idea about how many might be coming.

I have been wanting to meet bloggers and other social media types in the Las Vegas area for quite awhile. My idea was to get together, socialize, share some ideas and help promote each other. I have a meeting already scheduled at Viragrow in North Las Vegas on Saturday, June 21,and I would like to specifically invite you as well.

I would suggest a very open agenda:

Introductions

Brainstorming of ideas.

Resolution of ideas.

Adjourn.

 

Viragrow is located at 1100 East Dehli St. near Cheyenne Exit of I15 and Losee Road in North Las Vegas.

Exit on Cheyenne and drive West toward Losee Road.

Turn right or north on Losee approximately 150 yards to the first traffic light which is Colton.

Turn left or west on Colton a distance of 20 yards and take an immediate or first right on Bruce.

Travel north on Bruce about two blocks and Delhi St is on your left or west.

Viragrow is about 50 yards west on Delhi St.

It is best to park outside the fence next to the road due to truck traffic into and out of the yard.

 

A map can be found here. http://www.viragrow.com/directions

Horticulture/Gardening Meeting Saturday Morning June 21 Las Vegas

This is an exploratory social get-together for interested desert gardeners, horticulture and social media types in the Las Vegas area. I am proposing a 9 am meeting at the Viragrow meeting room on Saturday, June 21, for those interested. There will be some healthy and not so healthy refreshments, coffee and tea available.

 
Please RSVP to me at Extremehort@aol.com so I have an idea of numbers who might be coming.

I would suggest a very open agenda:

• Introductions
• Brainstorming of ideas.
• Resolution of ideas.
• Adjourn.

Viragrow is located at 1100 East Dehli St. near Cheyenne Exit of I15 and Losee Road in North Las Vegas.

• Exit on Cheyenne and drive West toward Losee Road.
• Turn right or north on Losee approximately 150 yards to the first traffic light which is Colton.
• Turn left or west on Colton a distance of 20 yards and take an immediate or first right on Bruce.
• Travel north on Bruce about two blocks and Delhi St is on your left or west.
• Viragrow is about 50 yards west on Delhi St.

It is best to park outside the fence next to the road due to truck traffic into and out of the yard.

 

A map can be found here. http://www.viragrow.com/directions

Importance of Surface Mulch for Vegetables

Surface mulches are under appreciated when growing shallow rooted vegetables during the heat in hot, desert or arid climates. Learn why.

Lack of Flowers in Petunia May Be Tobacco Bud Worm

Q. My husband planted some gorgeous petunias in early April. At first they were all blooming but now there isn't a single flower in either of the planters. We noticed many holes in the leaves so my husband sprayed them with Sevin thinking that would do the trick. All we have is two planters filled with very healthy green plants but no flowers.

Caterpillar Webbing on Texas Mountain Laurel Now

Now is the time you may be seeing some webbing in your Texas mountain laurel tree or shrub. This happens nearly every year but is relatively easy to control.

Roses With Strong Growth Needs to be Controlled

Q. Last fall I planted five rose bushes and they appear to being doing well. Three of the bushes have one large stem growing from the middle of the bush. Should I cut the large stems back to make the bushes more symmetric?

White Flowers from Purple Locust Tree?

Q. We had a beautiful purple locust in our back yard that produced a profusion of purple flowers every spring until it was called to locust heaven. Before departing this world it sent off a runner which has sprouted into a lovely tree that is now eleven feet tall and producing white flowers. What's with that?

Queen Palm Damaged From Irrigation Problem

Q. During the excessive hot spell our irrigation failed while we were out of town. As a result, one of our queen palms lost all its branches. In spite of subsequent life support efforts it does not appear to be coming back. Is that too much to hope for? Is there anything we can do to help it recover or should we just mourn its passing? If so, what do you recommend we replace it with that has similar height and shade? The remaining queen palms will be wrapped for winter to keep them alive.

Month Old Gardenias Dying

Q. I planted about 12 gardenias a month ago and if them appear to be dying. I checked the soil and it's evenly damp. It has two 2gph emitters and they are all being watered 3x a week for 20 minutes right now.

Should I Remove Immature Fruit From My Orange Tree?

Q. I have an orange tree I planted nine years ago.  It is about 4 feet high and only produced about 2 oranges a year.  Last winter it did have some freeze damage. I trimmed and fertilized it with iron and nitrogen and watered it once a week with a hose instead of the drip system. It is looking real good and has about 40 pea sized oranges on it.  Should I cull some of them as I don't think the tree can handle that many?

Boxwood Hedge Slower to Recover From Pruning Damage Than Rosemary

Q. I have a neighbor concerned about his rosemary and boxwood hedges. The foliage has been falling off. Landscapers recommend he cut them to the ground to get them to recover but he opted to cut them back halfway instead. Now there is a lot of bare wood exposed with no leaves. What should he do to help them recover?

Bamboo Can Be Cut Back to Repair Winter Damage

Q. I have bamboo that was damaged last winter as you can see from my pictures. New growth is emerging from them but they are still yellow and brown. Should I fertilize them or give them iron?

Have You Pinched Your Grapes Lately?

Have you pinched your grapes lately? The berries of table grapes will get much larger if you will remove the bottom third of the bunch.

Vitex Water Management Affects Blooms and Growth

Q. I have a Chaste tree that has been growing in my backyard for about seven years.  The branches have always been full of leaves and I would get an abundance of beautiful purple blooms. Last spring, I noticed there were not as many leaves and I would only get purple flowers here and there. This spring again the leaves are sparse and the branches are mostly bare. Should I be doing something extra to bring back the lushness of my Chaste tree?

Redwood and Cedar Mulches Last Longer in Landscapes

Q. Would you please tell me what type of mulch is not recommended to put in flower beds? I thought I remembered it being redwood mulch but I can't find anything on that. Could it have been cedar?  My landscape guy says the shredded cedar is not a problem for vegetation.

Sappy Pine Trees Might Need Pruning Paint

Q. I trim my 80 foot pine tree every 7 to 8 years. Each time I have buckets and buckets of sap coming from cut limbs. It just re-landscaped underneath this tree but I need to prune it again. I'm worried about all the sap that is going to fall on everything I just put down. Is there a way I might prevent the sap from dripping like using pruning paint?

Carob Tree Under Used in Desert Landscapes

Carob tree is a good shade tree but slow growing for low water use desert landscapes. It will develops "warts" along its branches near where flowers are produced when it gets older. You should not be concerned. It is normal. Some people find the smell coming from male flowers to be offensive.

Why Are The Leaves of My Locust Tree Turning Yellow?

Q. Do you have idea why some many of the leaves on this Locust tree are turning yellow?

Independence Nectarine Fruit Damaged

Q. I have a Independence Nectarine tree which I have been nurturing for two years now. This is the first year I have had fruit!  Of the nectarines I kept I am seeing something on them that looks like dried droplets of sap. It is not sticky to the touch but I have 2 nectarines that do not have it.  Are you able to determine if I have some sort of blight with the fruit? Will I just need to take this plant out?

Warty Growths on Limbs Tree Solved

Recently some pictures were sent to me of some warty growths found on the limbs off crepe myrtle. But the tree did not look like crepe myrtle. And I did not recognize the warty growths. Read on to find out what was going on.....

Japanese Blueberry Top Dieback Part II

Q. The trunk/branches of the bad trees appear like they’re peeling. The limbs are very brittle so I don’t think they’ll recover. Could I, for example, simply cut the top 12” of the trunk and save the rest of the tree?

Japanese Blueberry Tops are Dying Part I.

Q. I’m having a problem with my Japanese blueberries. Some are fine and the two on the end appear to be drying out but only towards the top? Do you have any idea what’s causing this? The soil is not dry and they all get the same amount of irrigation.

Japanese blueberries tops dying back

Get Ready for the Leaffooted Plant Bug Invasion

Q. What is the best attack for these pesty, scarey looking creatures.  We had them last year.  Haven't seen them yet this season.  Is there something to keep them away?

Centurylink.net Problems in Emails

Just a warning for people who send me emails using centurylink.net....I had several of my return emails rejected by this provider. So if you sent me emails using an email address with centurylink.net after your user name and I never responded...well....maybe it got rejected. Please use a different email address when communicating with me.

Thanks.
Bob Morris
aka 'Extremehort'

Bay Laurel Good Choice for Chain Link Privacy

Q. I would like to plant an "evergreen" vine/screening plant along a chain link fence to block the neighbor's yapping dogs (little dogs).

Bay Laurel recently planted

'Firethorn' Pyracantha a Good Choice to Cover an Ugly Wall

Leafcutter Bee Perfect Circles Now Seen on Plants

Leafcutter bee damage to bottle tree.

Q. My recently planted Carolina jasmine vine and rose bush are being shredded by cutter bees!! I've been told there is no insecticide to kill or deter them. Is this so? Both of these plants are adjacent to other plants but the others are not affected. I'm at wits end seeing perfect circles in the leaves! Also, why would you WANT cutter bees?

Concord Grapes Ravaged by Skeletonizers

Q. Over the past two days, my two Concord grape vines have been completely defoliated by a larva-like worm.  It is yellow in color with black bands around the body and a wider blue band at each end of the body. Is the vine infected and needs to be removed or can the grape vines be saved? The damage is done, but is there a preventative action I should have taken?

No Reason to Remove Female Inflorescence from Sago Palm

Q. It is my understanding that the ball growing in the middle of my Sago palm is part of its reproductive system. However, since I do not plan on pollinating the plant, how and when can I remove the growth?  Also, can you tell from the images if it is male or female Sago?

In This Case Pruning Paint Might Be the Right Choice

Q. I have a large pine tree in my front yard. I trimmed this tree in the past and had buckets and buckets of sap coming from large limbs that were cut. I may need to prune heavily again this winter. But since I just completed relandscaping under it, I'm worried about all the sap that is going to fall on everything I just put down. I'll never get off all the sap that will drip on everything!! Is there a way I might prevent or stop the sap from dripping such as pruning paint? Is there anything to save all my hard work from being completely being encapsulated in sap?

Fig Fruits Drying Usually Lack of Water to the Tree

Q. This is the first year my seven year old Black Mission Fig is “behaving” strangely. The fruit came on, some even started to ripen, and now they are shriveling on the tree. The tree looks perfect and so do the leaves. I did read your article on figs but ours always seems to be treated the same, year in and out.

5-in-1 Fruit Tree Growing Differently on Different Branches

Q. I purchased a 5 in 1fruit tree from the recent orchard event. The two thickest grafted branches have vigorous foliage.  The next smallest is marginal, with one foliage "bud" close to the main trunk, nothing distally. The two thinnest don't look good -- no foliage. Suggestions?

Welcome to the Desert: Cleveland Sage in Bloom Now

 

Shade Plant Selection for the Desert

Q. My garden has matured and now I have flower beds that are shaded.  What plants grow in the shade here and where can I buy them?

Why I Hate To Answer the Question,"What Plant Should I Use for...."

I send these types of questions now to Andrea Meckley. She LOVES these kinds of questions. So thank her for answers to your question, "What plant should I use for.....

Any Fruit Trees That Don't Need Pesticides?

Q. Are there any fruit, nut, fig, or olive trees that I can grow in North Las Vegas without using pesticides?

Cathedral Oak a Good Choice But May Be Hard to Find

Q. A few days ago we saw a cathedral oak at the Springs Preserve.  It was identified as "Quercus virginiana 'Cathedral'"on its little sign.  Does it do well in Las Vegas?   Do its leaves fall at all (like pine needles drop)?  How tall/wide does it get in our area?  Is it a fast grower?  Any other facts?

Poor Canopy Development in Newly Planted Large Tree Could Be Lack of Water

Q. I think I this might be a pink locust tree. I'm seeing a lot of dead branches. The tree was planted last Fall. Should I give it some fertilizer to help it push out new growth?

Is Grub Guard Safe to Use in my Landscape?

Q. I ran across an item called Grub Guard in the catalog. It contains beneficial nematodes. Would these be the same kind of nematodes that attacked my tomatoes last year?

My Pomegranate Has Those Little Red Bugs

Q. I have a pomegranate tree planted by birds about 20 years ago. I never had bug problems on this tree before 2011. In 2012 it produced about 150 pounds of pomegranates. In 2013 the tree did not produce any fruit at all. This year the tree is loaded again but it is infested with those little red bugs that I think will turn into those ugly creatures you have been talking about. We don't want to use poisons. Have there been any new developments for control?

New Texas Ranger Not Looking Good After Daily Watering

Q. I planted a Texas Ranger shrub three weeks ago in some sandy and rocky soil. I have been watering it with about two gallons daily. I added one inch-deep bark mulch in a 1 foot circle around the plant. Now I am finding yellow, brittle leaves on the lower stems and curling leaves on top. Am I overwatering?

Tomatoes With Black Bottoms Now Being Seen

Those of you who were lucky enough to get your tomatoes planted the first part of March have already tasted your home grown tomatoes. Quite a few of you have discovered tomatoes with black bottoms. What do you do?

Congratulations to Andrea Meckley, the Only ASHS Certified Horticulturist in Nevada!

Leafcutter Bees Will Probably Use Houses for Blue Mason Bees

Q. Someone gave us a Mason bee house to use. I saw in a July 2011 post on your blog that there really aren't mason bees in the Las Vegas area but there are leaf cutter bees. Do you think the leafcutters would use the Mason bee house? I know leaf cutters stuff the hole with leaves so the fact that the Mason bee holes are larger might not be an issue.

Artificial Grass Not Damaging Lemon Tree

Q. My lemon tree is about five years old and it has a lot of flowers and tiny lemons.  The tree looks healthy but I have noticed the leaves are turning yellow.  I water it every day about ten minutes, six days a week.  We have artificial grass about a foot away around the trunk.  Am I overwatering it or is it the artificial turf the culprit?

Cold Damage is Different for Different Oleanders

Q. For the past couple of years my oleanders have suffered severe frost damage and slow to recover in the spring. They are all mature plants.  While I was trimming the dead leaves recently, I noticed that the oleanders with red flowers had less damage and were recovering more quickly than the others that have pink flowers.

Can I Use Chipped Pine for Mulch Around Fruit Trees?

Q. Our neighbor's pine trees are going to be cut down soon. I would like to use the wood chips from the tree as mulch for our recently planted fruit trees. I remember you recommend 4 inches deep. What are your thoughts on fresh mulch as this?

Smokey Grey Color in Your Lawn Means Water

If you see that smokey, green or grey color in your lawn it is a good sign that the grass is not getting water in those spots. Check for blocked or broken sprinklers in that location.

Don't Forget to Thin Apples and Pears When Fruit are Small

Apples and pears require aggressive thinning particularly if you did not space your bearing limbs far enough apart.You can still do some summer pruning if the canopy is too dense.

Harvesting Early Can Keep Fruit from the Wind and Hungry Birds

The fruit in the grocery store looks good. But frequently when you taste it the taste does not match the look of goodness that you thought was there. This is why.

Gopher Plant Adds Interest to a Desert Landscape

Gopher plant adds a lot of interest to an otherwise boring desert landscape due to color and texture during bloom and even after bloom. Use it as a specimen (planted alone as the center of attention) or in masses if you have a large area. In masses, plant them two to three feet apart.