Use Citrus Fertilizers for Other Plants

Many fertilizers labeled for a specific plant can be used to fertilize other plants as well

Q. I bought Citrus Tone fertilizer for my citrus trees. What other fruit trees can I use this fertilizer on besides citrus trees?  My other fruit trees are as close as 4 feet away from my dwarf orange trees. Is there a problem using this fertilizer?         
                                                                                              

A. Citrus Tone is a citrus and avocado fertilizer by Espoma. I looked at the ingredients on the label and it seems to be a good fertilizer formulation for any fruit trees as well as roses and other important flowering shrubs and trees.

            This is a mineral fertilizer and geared towards improving flower production which results in more fruit produced. It is labeled as a citrus and avocado fertilizer so the general public knows what to use it on but it can be used on other flowering plants as well.

            The manufacturer is trying to capture uninformed consumers with this fertilizer and why they give it such a specific name. Informed consumers know they can use it on other plants as well.

            The only precaution I have for you is not to apply any nitrogen -containing fertilizers to winter tender plants after August 1. This includes citrus in our location. All fruit trees should be fertilized before this date anyway.

Leaf Drop of Container Plants after Planting

Q. We planted a five-gallon tree three weeks ago. At first, we watered this tree every day as the nursery directed. Then we began watering it every other day but the leaves started falling off. Daytime temperatures are 80 to 85° and drop to 40° at night. 

 

A. Leaf drop after planting falls under the general category of "transplant shock”. The plant was "traumatized", in human terms, sometime after it was at the nursery through when it was planted.

            This "trauma" can result from a lack of care in transporting the tree from the nursery to its new home, a radical change in locations such as growing under shade cloth and then plunged into full sun as well as rough handling during planting.

Transplant shock when planting from nursery containers can happen for a number of reasons.

            The plant went through a radical change or changes in its environment. Once adjusted to one environment, moving them to a radically different environment can cause “trauma”. It dropped its leaves in response. Plants can’t move. A reaction to trauma can be sudden leaf drop.

            The tree is not dead but needs time to recover. Our immediate response to leaf drop is to give the plant more water. We think leaf drop = drought. This would be the wrong thing to do if the problem was not from a lack of water.

Fruit trees frequently drop their leaves after planting if the conditions aren't perfect. This can be for a number of reasons but there are buds on the stems and trunk that will replace the lost leaves in a short time.

            When given time, “traumatized” trees produce new leaves and readjust to a new environment. New growth is better adjusted to the new environments. Be patient and don’t overreact.

            The nursery was right to tell you to water it every day immediately after planting. Back off and water only when it “needs it”. Give the plant a one day “break” between waterings. Let the water drain from around the roots. Let the roots “breathe” and the plant will recover on its own.

When to Start Tomato Seeds Versus First Frost

Q. Tell me when the first frost occurs in Las Vegas? I have tomato seeds that require planting indoors 5 to 6 weeks before the first frost.

Freeze damage to plants can be as early as March 15 in the Las Vegas Valley

A. If I give you that date, you will start tomato seeds too late. I start tomatoes from seed right around January 1 in the Las Vegas climate. The “first frost date” in the Las Vegas Valley is considered to be March 15.

Tomato seedlings grown in the greenhouse

            March 15 is when, historically, there is a 10% chance frost will occur after that date. But in most years using this date is too late for calculating when to start seedlings. In some years you might put out tomato seedlings, with some protection, the middle of February. Other years it might be the first week in March. Rarely will it be the middle of March.

Picture of a tomato transplant I got online but lost the source. Nice-looking transplant.

            By starting tomatoes from seed on January 1 you will be ready to put tomato seedlings into protected areas outside by mid February. If you discover this date is too early, delay putting them out for one or 2 weeks or until the weather gets better.

            Watch weather reports for the coming week. This gives clues whether you can put tender seedlings out early in the season or if you must wait until later.

            Seedlings need to be “hardened off” 2 weeks before putting them in the garden, particularly when starting them inside or in a greenhouse. Hardening off seedlings means moving them outside into protected locations and gradually getting them adjusted to a much harsher environment. Plunge them into this harsh environment gradually.

            Protect tomato new seedlings if temperatures drop into the 40s. Freezing doesn’t occur until 32°F but tender plants like tomatoes can suffer “cold damage” at temperatures in the 40s. Think about what happens when you put a banana in the refrigerator. Tomato plants are also tropical, just like bananas.

Various Problems Cause Damage to Large Trees Growing in the Desert

Ash decline disease hits younger ash trees if they are water stressed. Hits older ash trees for simply no reason at all

Sooty canker disease in Chinaberry. It hits many different trees including Mulberry.Frequently associated with stress. The stress can come from drought.

 

Aleppo pine blight usually happens in the winter months and associated with a lack of water.

Q. I have noticed that many trees including elm, pine, ash and mulberrry have dead and dying branches.  I am a native of Las Vegas and have never seen this before.  It is not the lack of water.  The branch suddenly dies and then eventually the whole tree in the case of one pine.  Thought it was a lightning strike but not so sure now.  I am speaking of the northwest  area  of town near Texas Station.

A. There isn't a life-threatening disease that is spreading community-wide among all of those different plant species that your mentioning. Ash trees do get a disease called ash decline that causes branch die back. I've mentioned that several times in my blog. It hits younger ash trees when they are water stressed. Older ash trees seem to come down with it.

Mulberries seem to get hit fairly hard with a different disease called sooty canker and I've mentioned that in my blog. It's often times associated with trees that are stressed. 

Possible sooty canker of Mulberry

Aleppo pine is hit in the winter time with a disease called Aleppo pine blight which causes tip die back and branch die back when the disease is extreme. It is usually associated with drought.

And Siberian Elm, well, good riddance. It's a horrible tree, trashy, soft wood that breaks in the wind. Not to be confused with Chinese Elm which is a beautiful large tree with very few problems.But Siberian Elm's usual problems are related to water and dieback.

Chinese elm not to be confused with Siberian Elm is a wonderful tree

I think a lot of what you're seeing is related to water. I moved here in 1984 when water was abundant, cheap and everyone watered with abundance. In the late 1980s and into the early 1990s there was a campaign in town to get rid of all the lawns. 

The campaign was called "Cash for Grass" program where water utilities were offering people money if they converted their landscapes from grassy landscapes to rock landscapes. Those big trees that survived for years on water given the lawns were suddenly put on small drip emitters and surrounded by rock. 90% of the time these large trees either died or had severe setback because they were not getting enough water. You see this kind of problem less often where these large trees are growing surrounded by lawns. Now you have my $.02 worth.

How to Prune Yellow Bells Tecoma

Q. Just wondering if and when I should prune my Tecoma "Yellow Bells".

Yellow Bells Tecoma stans

A. Yellow Bells or Tecoma stans can be pruned lightly any time of the year but it’s best to reserve heavy pruning cuts to the winter months. It’s difficult to kill this plant by pruning.

Tecoma stans used in desert landscaping at Ethel M's in Henderson Nevada

            If this plant is getting too large for the area given it, you can cut it close to the ground and it will sucker from the base much like oleander and Lantana. It responds to this type of pruning similarly to oleander because of its size.

Oleander winter pruned to remove old growth and renew the shrub to its former youth

            To flower, the parts growing above ground must come back into “balance” with its roots. So, it is likely to grow rapidly without flowering until it reaches the “magic ratio” of shoots to roots when it will start flowering again. This is probably when it reaches about 3 feet in height.

Winter pruning of lantana for renewing growth. Actually it could be cut back more than this and it would be better.

            Yellow bells can be pruned in other ways. If the plant is getting too tall, reduce its height by cutting the tallest branches back to a crotch or the ground.

            If you want it taller and expose the bottom stems or trunks, then reduce the number of trunks or stems to 7 or less, trying to keep an odd number. Cut the smallest stems just below ground and remove side branches from the remaining to about knee height.

Some Palm Fruit is Edible, Many Not Desirable

Q. My palm tree is about 20 years old and this year put out big bunches of berries. It does not seem like a date to me because they are small and round with not much flesh around the seed. Are they edible by humans?  

Palm of reader.

A. It depends on the palm. Many types of date palms have been planted all over Las Vegas and these trees frequently produce a lot of fruit at several times during the year. Date palms cross pollinate easily so there is a lot of variability in fruit quality, color, size and time of year they produce fruit.

Fruiting of Canary Island Date palm, fruits are edible but not desirable.

            All palms I know of in the Mojave Desert produce flowers and fruit when sexually mature.

The fruit ranges from delicious to inedible to toxic depending on the palm. To my knowledge, there are no palms that survive and produce toxic fruit in the Mojave Desert. There are some which produce what I call “inedible” fruit.

Date palm planted in the parking lot of a Dollar General store in Las Vegas.

            There are palms that produce fruit that you can eat but you don’t want to eat them because they taste awful or don’t have much “flesh” such as the Canary Island Palm and the California and Mexican Fan Palms.

This boat tail grackel knows the dates on the ground are sweet and good to eat.

            There are other palms that produce edible fruit in the Mojave Desert such as the Jelly Palm and the Chilean Wine Palm. As far as tree size goes, the Jelly Palm is more desirable as a landscape tree because it is much smaller at maturity than the huge Chilean wine Palm. This palm lays claim to the largest palm in the world!

            Watch the birds. If the birds pick up the fruit from the ground and eat it, it’s probably edible. If birds leave it alone, it probably isn’t.