My Opinion of Pines for the Hot Desert

Q. What is your opinion of pines as landscape trees in our desert climate? We have quite a few planted in our complex and our HOA is discussing whether we should get rid of them or not because of their liability and water use. Our landscaper tells us they have borers.

A. I’m a little suspicious of the borer diagnosis in pine trees since it is rare for them. Have that diagnosis confirmed with a second or third opinion. Aleppo Pine gets a blight that causes browning of needles and entire branches.

Probably Aleppo Pine blight

            From a distance this can look like borer damage. So far no one has discovered the cause of Aleppo Pine Blight or how to control it but it’s thought to be related to irrigation and not resulting from a pathogen or borers. Aleppo Pine Blight is so common in the Las Vegas Valley that if a pine tree has brown branches, it is an Aleppo Pine, not Mondell.

Eldarica or Mondell pine will get dieback in some branches as well but not as well documented as afghan (halapensis) pine blight

            My opinion of pine trees used for landscaping in the desert is mixed. I don’t think large pine trees should be planted here but I do understand their light shade value once they have become established and mature. What makes me hesitate is their removal I’m not sure if the shade they produce is worth the extensive deep watering needed to keep them healthy and upright against strong winds. In some lower elevations in the Valley, these large pine trees with extensive roots may have tapped into shallow groundwater which could help with irrigation and staying stable.

Japanese black pine has a distinctive look that attracts many landscape designers and architects. But in my opinion it is not a good choice for desert landscapes because of it doesn't seem to survive to maturity in our hot desert.

            Removing existing, mature pine trees from the property will increase the resident’s electrical costs used for cooling during the summer months. I would recommend that you transition your landscape to smaller, desert adapted trees that shade the south and west walls of your buildings and then possible pine removal. Once established, their shade will substitute for the pine trees and help reduce residential energy consumption.

Pine trees receiving adequate amounts of water develop a full canopy of needles and demonstrate good growth. But large mature trees need lots of water to stay healthy and deep irrigations to develop deep roots to withstand strong wind.

            It would be far better to plant smaller pines such as pinion and Italian stone pine if a pine tree is desired. Japanese black pine is sometimes recommended but look around. Do you see any older Japanese black pine in the valley? Many have been planted here. It doesn’t survive in the desert for any length of time so I would discourage planting Japanese black pine here.

Viragrow: How to Make and Use Compost Tea

Viragrow: How to Make and Use Compost Tea: Spraying compost tea will deliver plant nutrients to the plant to keep it healthy, promote growth and protect it from diseases by applying &...

Desert Horticulture Podcast: How to Perform a Jar Test of Your Landscape Soil

This podcast will explain what a jar test is and how to perform one on your landscape soil.  Using a jar test will give a name to your soil that's determined because of its texture, that is, it's percentages of sand, silt and clay. These percentages will help you understand how to irrigate plants growing in them as well is fertilize them.

How to Perform a Jar Test of Your Landscape Soil

A jar test is a relatively simple method for determining the soil texture of your soil.

Why should you be interested in the soil texture of your soil? Because knowing the percentages of sand, silt and clay in your soil, or in other words it's texture, you can make some educated guesses about how much to water, when to water, how much to fertilize and when to fertilize. It costs you nothing except the time and materials you are willing to commit to it.

What You Will Need

You will need a clear quart jar such as a mason jar used for canning, a lid for it so that you can shake it, 1 teaspoon of liquid dish detergent, tap water and a composite soil sample from your yard.

Taking a Soil Sample from Your Yard

You will be taking a "composite" soil sample from your yard. This means you will collect soil samples from several locations in your landscape. Think about how deep soil roots will need to grow. Trees and shrub roots may grow 24 to 18 inches deep. Small shrubs 12 inches deep. Vegetable gardens, lawns and annual flowers only 6 to 8 inches deep.

Blindly select four or five locations in your landscape. These should be random locations and don't select them because they look terribly bad or good.

Use a shovel and a 5 gallon clean bucket to collect your soil samples. Collect the soil from the surface and all the way down to the depth you think your plant roots will grow. The sample should include equal amounts from the surface all through the root zone depth of the soil. Mix these samples together thoroughly. You now have a composite soil sample from your landscape. Take 2 cups of soil from the bucket to use in the jar test.

Soil Is Composed of Sand, Silt and Clay

But these mineral components are all mixed together in your soil. The jar test separates out these three components and by measuring them in the jar, you can determine the percentages of each in your soil.

Sand. The largest size to particle in the soil. If we were to expand its size to the size of the White House, the silt particle would be the size of a limousine parked in front of the White House and the clay particle would be about the size of an orange sitting on the seat of the limousine parked in front of the White House. So it's easy to see these particles are vastly different in size.

The Jar Test

When the jar full of water and soil is shaken, these particles settle at different rates of speed; the sand particles settle quickly because they are the largest  particles. Silt particles settle out next because they are smaller than the sand particles but larger than the clay particles. The clay particles settle last and may take many hours or even days to settle. Your soil has settled into layers of different sized particles which oftentimes have different colors. The soil in the jar has finished settling out when the water above the soil is clear.

Jar test performed on a landscape soil and showing the separation of particles because of their size; sand is on the bottom, silt is in the middle and Clay is on the top. The water was clear when it was added but the organic matter in the soil caused the water to change color.

Separation all the soil particles due to settling through the water. There is a difference in sizes of the particles and a slight color change in the layers that indicate their separation.

Determining Soil Texture

You must determine the percentages of sand (bottom layer), silt (middle layer) and clay (top layer) against the total soil volume that settled in the jar.

1. Measure the total depth of the soil in the jar. In this case, the total depth of the soil was 2 1/8 inch.

2. Calculate % of sand, silt and clay. Dividing the size of each layer by the total soil measurement approximately:
52% Sand
33% Silt
15% Clay

The Soil Textural Triangle

The soil textural triangle is a measurement of the percentage of sand silt and clay. These percentages determine the textural name the soil is given.

Our soil has 52% Sand, 33 % silt and less than18%Clay. We will name this soil a LOAM, but nearly a Sandy Loam.

Irrigating This Soil

This soil is classified as a loam but may have some characteristics similar to a Sandy loam. We can assume that 1 inch of water applied to the soil will drain to about 10 inches deep.

How Deeply 1 Inch of Water Penetrates in Soils

Fertilizing This Soil

Sand does not hold fertilizers or water well. Both fertilizers and water drain through sand easily.

Clay holds fertilizer and water extremely well. As the clay content of a soil increases, it holds more water and fertilizer.

Silt is intermediate in how it holds water and fertilizer.

Since our soil is dominated by sand we should fertilize it more often than clay soils and with smaller amounts of fertilizer each time. In extremely sandy soils we might water daily during the summer months and fertilize every 4 to 6 weeks with small amounts of fertilizer each time. In soils that contain a lot of clay we might water once a week in the summer or longer. Perhaps one or two fertilizer applications would be enough for most plants.

Our soil is dominated by sand but it does have clay and silt in it. This means water drainage should be good and it should hold a small amount of water and fertilizer each time they are applied. Water intermediate between sand and clay. Fertilize intermediate between sand and clay.

Desert Horticulture Podcast: Yellowing plants, Transplanting Sago Palm and Rosemary

Today I will be discussing why non-desert plants start to yellow in a few years after planting, some of the horrible pruning jobs done by landscapers and how it destroys these plants. I will also talk about transplanting Sago Palm, also called cycad, and whether to remove the fronds or not. Finally I'll be discussing how to properly transplant existing rosemary from the landscape into containers. Join me in today's Desert Horticulture.

Prune Plants Heavily When Transplanting Them

Q. I transplanted a dozen Rosemary from the planter in front of my house into pots to see if I could salvage them. I know Rosemary likes full sun, but I’m curious if they could use some shade because of the shock of transplanting?

A. Yes, you should shade plants in containers after removing them from the planter, but you should also severely cut them back. Let me explain.

Prune Transplants Hard

            General rule of thumb, when you transplant any plant from the ground to a new location, including containers, cut back the top about 1/3. In other words, reduce the amount of top growth the plant has because it loses so much of its roots during transplanting.

            I've read estimates that as much as 80% of the roots remain in the ground when moving plants to a new location.  The older the plant, the more roots remain in the ground.

            If the plant is watered with drip irrigation, the roots grow closer to the plant and transplanting is more successful. For these reasons, and my own personal experiences, when plants are more than 3 or 4 years in the ground, the chances of successfully moving it to a new location are fewer. Root pruning helps.

Plan a Year in Advance

            Transplanting plants from the ground to a new location or container is more successful if you can plan a year in advance. One year ahead of its move, cut the roots with a sharp shovel as deep as possible where you’ll be digging the following year. “Root pruning” causes roots to grow closer to the mother plant and improves the chance of transplanting.

Shade Helps

            If moving a plant into a container, put them in the shade the first growing season before moving them into intense sunlight. Remove one third of the top by eliminating entire branches rather than cutting these branches into a “butch haircut”.

Large Cactus Has Blown over. What to Do?

Q. I have a cactus I bought as a start from a little nursery in 29 Palms that grew a foot a year for the last 15 years. It finally tore out of the ground and fell over causing the ground to quake. It towered to 17' and was spectacular. The cactus had no water supply but was irrigated by water runoff from the roof.

 

Not this readers cactus but another cactus which is blown over because the roots have not spread out due to localized irrigation.

A. I suspect the cactus had a very small, spreading root system that finally just couldn’t support it anymore and fell over because it was top-heavy. Cacti and other desert plants have extensive, relatively shallow roots, that spread as much as eight times their height! This extensive root system provides a very efficient way of gathering sparse rainwater and provides substantial support for taller cacti.

            Non-desert plants, sometimes referred to as “mesic” trees and plants, are reported to have spreading roots as much as 2 to 3 times their height. Still quite extensive but not like desert plants. Cacti have more extensive roots that are not terribly deep for gathering sparse rainwater as quickly as possible. Desert plants convert this unexpected water into rapid growth and producing flowers. They are good at that.

Water cacti infrequently but in a large area

            So, I think it's important to periodically irrigate cacti large distances from the mother plant as they get taller. Plants get water where it’s the easiest to find it. Desert plants are opportunists. By that I mean, when water is present, they grow quickly and then shut down when water is no longer available.

            By watering these plants close to their base (e.g. rainwater from the roof) they tend to fall over as they get taller because the small size of the roots can’t support its massive top growth. Of course, I'm not mentioning how often you should water these plants. That's an entirely different topic. But when they are irrigated, water should be applied over a large area.

            I probably don't need to tell you that plant roots don't actively "seek" water, but they grow towards sources of applied water because of soil moisture. With cacti, and many of the other succulents, it doesn't take much soil moisture to get them growing in its direction.

            In my opinion, I think it's beneficial to use a hose and hose-end sprayer periodically and spray the surface of the soil around cacti to get their roots spreading outwardly and anchor them in the soil as they become larger. Of course, water should be applied at times of the year, or in intervals, that don't encourage Bermudagrass growth, a terrible scourge to landscapes.

Remove Sago Palm Brown Fronds or Not?

Q. I'm sending pictures of the Sago palm I transplanted. The top ring of fronds died after I transplanted it but remain on the plant. I left this brown ring of fronds around the crown of the plant and it looks like new growth coming from the center is okay. Should I trim off the dead fronds without disturbing the crown or just let them fall off?

Leaves yellowing and turning brown on Sago palm after transplanting

Healthy central Bud of Sago balm that will push new green fronds when it starts growing. The older fronds can be clipped off or left on. It's up to you.

A. That’s an aesthetic decision more than a plant health decision. I can't think of a reason why removal of dead fronds would affect the plant one way or another. Someone might claim possible “disease” problems that might emerge, but I don’t know of any.

            Another option is to "paint" the fronds a green color with one of the green plant paints or dyes used for lawns and make the dead brown fronds appear green and look alive or just remove them. There are several paints or dyes available on the market. Your call on that.

            Personally, I would cut them off and let the growth from the center take over as it emerges the spring and in following years. Remove the dead fronds to within about half inch or less of that center crown. The brown, dead fronds will probably stay there for several years or until they’re removed. But that's my call on your situation.

Leaves Yellowing and Burning Up

Q. What’s wrong with my plants? The leaves are all yellow and starting to burn up.

Readers plants are yellowing and looking pretty ugly because of rock mulch and some poor pruning practices.

A. I couldn’t see exactly from your pictures, but the plants appear to be either Photinia or Mock Orange. Regardless, I bet they were planted about five years ago and the soil was covered with rock. Desert landscaping without using desert plants. That leads to problems in a few years.

Yellowing of Photinia in desert soils because of rock mulch

            Mock orange originally came out of Japan and Korea and the Photinia came out of non-desert areas in China. However, both plants are very adaptable to different climates and that’s a reason why they are used in many places including here. I have had several people ask me which landscape plants are desert or desert adapted and which aren’t. I will put together a list and put it on my blog.

Bottlebrush yellowing because of rock mulch

            However, non-desert plants will struggle in desert soils, so the soils need to be improved at planting and under constant improvement as these plants get older. Yes, they look good for about five years after planted in amended desert soil but when they are incorporated into desert landscaping, surrounded by rock and not maintained properly, they don’t do as well when the organics eventually disappear from the soil.

Mock orange yellowing because of rock mulch

            The cause of the yellowing is a combination of soil reverting to its desert chemistry and suffocation of plant roots. Amended desert soil but covered in rock becomes a desert soil again in three to five years. The time difference, I think, depends on how much amendment was added to the soil and what kind was used. Unless you plant desert plants in desert landscapes and cover the soil and rock mulch, many start to decline in a few years. Photinia and mock orange are two that will.

What to do? 

You can try the Band-Aid approaches and spray them with iron foliar fertilizers multiple times each year. You can apply iron chelate fertilizer, called iron EDDHA in January of each year. You can spread some sulfur soil amendment and see if you can adjust the soil alkalinity so the iron already in the soil is available to the plants. Or you can replace these yellow plants with desert plants that can tolerate desert soils, our climate and the rock mulch.

            There are several lists of desert plants used in landscaping in the desert Southwest and Las Vegas that can be found on the Internet. Consult these lists and go to your local nursery and see if you can find some that will fit your situation.

Desert Horticulture Podcast: Yellow Leaves, Black Spots, Bougainvillea, Fruit Trees

Join me today as I talk about yellow leaves on fruit trees and why it may or may not be a fertilizer issue. A friend contacted me about a black spot developing on the surface of his saguaro and if he should be concerned. How to prune bougainvillea when it does survive the winter or when it doesn't. And where to get some of the fruit trees I recommend and what time of year you should do it. Join me as I talk about these topics and more on Desert Horticulture.

What to Do to a Saguaro with a Black Spot on the Trunk

The reader sent this picture to me after following the directions found in the Arizona publication below. He told me the outside had a black spot on the surface of the "trunk". I sent him a link to the publication and this is what he did. Just make sure you use a sanitized knife.

Q. I’m growing a saguaro cactus in my yard and it’s developed a black spot on its surface. Do I need to be concerned?

A. Yes, you should be concerned. As you know, this is not saguaro country, so our location poses some problems when growing saguaro here. At planting time, make sure the soil drains well and amend the backfill around the roots with a small amount of soil amendment. Be very careful not to damage the plant in any way when planting.

I use the publication provided by the University of Arizona on this topic and it can be found here.

            First, let’s find out if there is a problem or not related to that black spot. Take a sharp, sanitized knife and cut the black spot out of the saguaro. Look at the “flesh” inside the cactus and under the black spot you removed. If the “flesh” is green and clean, there is no problem. Leave it alone and let it heal. It will.

This was a picture sent to me by a reader several years ago and I don't remember the specific question. But looking at the brown discoloration on the trunk I would be thinking about cold damage or someone trying to wrap the saguaro during the winter to protect it.This is not the black spot that I'm talking about. I don't have a picture of that.

            But if the “flesh” under the black spot is black or brown and oozing like it’s rotting, then this could be a problem called Bacterial Necrosis of Saguaro. If this infected black spot is low on the saguaro, there may be nothing you can do except wish it well and hope for the best. But it will probably die.

            If this disease is caught early and all the infected “flesh” is removed with a sharp, sanitized knife, there is a good chance it will heal and recover.

            This disease spreads easily from infected plants by insects landing on open wounds or being careless during planting. So be very careful not to damage the plant in any way during planting.

Please make sure that any knife you use is sanitized before cutting into living, plant "flesh". 

Apply Fertilizer Once or Multiple Times to Fruit Trees?

Picture of tree sent by reader. He thought this might be a nitrogen deficiency or nutrient of some sort. But look at how green all the other growth is and how much it is growing. Its healthy but there is a problem with one shoot.

Q. I see many times where you've said fruit trees only need feeding in the spring.  However, without periodic applications of nitrogen my three-year-old peach tree leaves become yellow.  Could there something going on I should investigate?

A.  Yellowing can be from lots of different things, not just fertilizer. If enough fertilizer is applied in the Spring, you should get dark green leaves and lots of new growth. Enough for the whole year. You want lots of new growth in the spring and the fertilizer to slowly disappear from the soil. This should take about two months.

This plum tree has severe iron chlorosis. It affects the entire tree. This was corrected with three foliar sprays of iron a few days apart. It became dark green again.

            There is one reason why you might apply fertilizer frequently to plants. Extremely sandy soils. This soil would be like planting in a sand dune. I haven’t seen any of it in Las Vegas, but I have in Bullhead City, Arizona. When the tree is planted in extremely sandy soils, fertilizer is applied lightly every couple of weeks and water daily, sometimes twice a day.

This is iron chlorosis in ornamental or purple leaf plum. Notice all the leaves are not yellow because of all of the purple pigments in the leaves. It shows itself as chlorotic because it turns from a dark purple to a lighter pink. I am guessing the reason it became chlorotic is because of over watering the lawn and root rot beginning in the deeper rooted plum tree.

            Running out of fertilizer in a couple of months from a spring application gives the tree time to set up fruit production for the next year. Fertilizing the tree continuously pushes lots of new growth but may cause low fruit production. The tree sets up its fruit production for the next year any time from about late June through September. It depends on the fruit tree.

This is borer damage to peach in July. The weather is hot and so the branch where the borers are located was cut off from its water supply and turned brown. If this happened during the cooler months or in a cool climate, you might see some yellowing occurring on this branch first.

            The tree should grow about 18 inches each year when they are young and established. No more than that. Excessive growth is frequently caused by over applying fertilizers. Too much growth and it’s just is wasted since it is cut back during winter pruning. After fertilizer is applied in early spring, the tree will grow dark green leaves for the first two months and then the leaves will become a lighter shade of green as the season advances, but they shouldn’t be yellow.

Peach tree yellowing in a lawn probably because it's receiving too much water and the deeper roots are suffocating. I like it that they have cleaned the lawn grasses away from the trunk. This helps to minimize damage from line trimmers and mowers. But it would be nice if that grass were removed to about 2 feet away from the trunk rather than only 10 inches.

            If yellowing is caused from a lack of nitrogen fertilizer, the older leaves become yellow, not new leaves at the ends of branches. If yellowing is caused by a lack of a micronutrient fertilizer such as iron, yellowing appears in leaves at the ends of branches. The yellow leaves in both cases becomes worse as the season progresses unless the correct fertilizer is applied to correct it.

Leaves are still yellow and showing interventional chlorosis (leaf blade is lighter color than the veins) which means the leaves don't have enough iron in them to cause them to green up. The only way to cure this is to spray it with an iron solution multiple times a couple of days apart until the leaves become a darker green. You stop spring when the leaves have gotten the deep green color you want. Kerex was applied to this tree earlier and it still remained chlorotic.

            Yellowing leaves can be from watering too often or poor soil drainage or both. This leaf yellowing also appears at the ends of branches, like iron. Yellowing can be from planting too deeply. The tree should be planted the same depth it was in the container or grown at the nursery.

Here several trees are showing a lighter green color than the surrounding trees. I could spray the leaves of these trees multiple times with an iron solution until the greened up or I could apply an iron fertilizer to the soil just before new growth begins in the spring. A single application of an iron fertilizer in early spring is enough usually for the entire year. Leaf sprays have to be applied multiple times on fruit trees to get them to green up.

            Yellowing can because by early borer damage. Borers damage the trunk or limbs by their feeding which interrupts the flow of fertilizers, like iron, to the leaves. Because the leaves lack iron, they turn yellow.

            Investigate all these possible situations before jumping to the conclusion it’s lack of fertilizer. If you’ve applied your spring application of fertilizer and the leaves are dark green, it’s not a fertilizer problem.

Bee House Fundraiser

My name is Kerri Burks and I teach 4th - 6th grade at Foothills Montessori School in Henderson. I am reaching out to local orchards, farms and horticulturists to let them know that our school will be selling student made bee houses for $20 at Green Our Planet's Student Farmer's Market next Friday in Downtown Summerlin. Photos of the bee houses are attached for your preview.

Student Farmers Market

Desert Horticulture Podcast: Selecting the Best Almond Tree for the Desert

Growing almonds in the desert makes a lot of sense. Pistachios are another good choice but there's not as many to pick from. Selecting the best almond can be a little daunting but stick with the genetic dwarfs that are available. Join me in desert horticulture and find out which varieties are best and why.

Selecting the Best Almond Tree for the Desert

Read along while you listen to my podcast on Desert Horticulture.

Almonds – Most almonds do extremely well in southern Nevada and make excellent landscape trees.

Recommended rootstock: Nemaguard but others have performed adequately over the long term.

Top Choice

·       All in One – Genetic Dwarf, Self pollinating

·       Garden Prince – Genetic Dwarf, Self pollinating, flowers white with purple

Notable Mention

·       Price

·       Nonpariel

Under Review

·       Carmel

·       Neplus Ultra

The stage in almond growth when green almonds are harvested

Peach twig borer infesting the outer husk on almond

 

The stage of growth when I like to harvest almonds because the kernel has nearly dried and they are easy to split. This is also the stage when ground squirrels like them.

Apparent Relationship of Tomato and Arthritis

Vegetables in the Nightshade family, the tomato family if you want, have been suspected to contribute to crippling arthritic pain. This article published by Dr. Norman Childers in 1993 goes into this in detail. The nightshade family of vegetables include tomato, peppers, potatoes, eggplant and others.

Relationship of Eating Nightshades and Arthritis

Desert Horticulture Podcast: Selecting the Best Apple and Pear

Apples and pears are best grown a bit out of the hot arid climate zone of the Southwest. But there are some varieties that have performed well. Join me in Desert Horticulture and find out which ones I found to be the best producers, both in levels of production and quality, in our hot desert climate. This episode includes Asian pears as well as desert pears.

Selecting the Best Apples and Pears - Yes, Asian Pears Too!

Read this as you are listening to my podcast, "Selecting the Best Apples and Pears". I will mention updates on this list that was created in 2009.

Apples – Not all apples do well in southern Nevada and range from “best apple ever tasted” to “tasteless” depending on variety

Recommended dwarfing rootstock: M111; avoid extreme dwarfing rootstocks due to fruit sunburn because of too much fruit exposure.

Top Choice

·       Dorsett Golden – Early Season, yellow fruit

·       Pink Lady (Cripps Pink)  – Late Season, red over green fruit

Notable Mention

·       Anna – Early season

·       Einshemer – Early season

·       Fuji – Mid season

·       Gordon – Mid season

·       Mutsu (Crispin) – Mid season

·       White Winter Pearmain – Mid to late season

Under Review

·       Akane

·       Arkansas Black

·       Asmead Kernel

·       Babe (Genetic Dwarf)

·       Gala

·       Granny Smith

·       Red Fuji

·       Scarlet Sentinel Columnar

·       Yellow Newton Pippen

Asian Pear – Performs surprisingly well in our climate and we are currently working on increasing the size of the fruit

Recommended Rootstock: OHxF333 but others have performed well

Under Review

·       Chojuro

·       Hosui

·       Kikusui

·       Shinko

·       Shinseiki

·       Tsu Li

·       Twentieth Century

·       Ya Li

Pear, European – European pears do quite well in taste but may not have the same visual appeal as commercially grown pears. Most are “dessert” pears and grown for fresh eating.

Recommended Rootstock: Many

Top Choice

·    Kieffer – Salad pear, nicknamed “Jicama pear” with flavor resembling an Asian pear, good for canning and baking and virtually pest free

Honorable Mention

·       Bartlett

·       Monterrey

·       Red Bartlett

Under Review

·       Bosc

·       California

·       Comice

·       D’Anjou

·       Hood

Strawberries Available By the Flat- Order Now

Everybody excited about strawberries coming in this year?  I know I am!  This past winter was CRAZY, and I'm ready for some summer in a pint.  :)  As always, please help spread the word about these yummy berries, so we can hopefully get enough orders to cover our expenses.  :)

These farmers are the same as our previous years - for those who are ordering for the first time, both farmers fit our criteria for the small family farmer that does what they can, and truly believes in good, healthy, pesticide-free produce.  They are good, humble people, which is exactly who we love to support, right?

Most of you know the drill - we have conventional and organic flats available.  Conventional flats are $23 an OPEN flat and organic flats are $30 an open flat - open flats are the kind you get at the farmer's markets, NOT the grocery store.  They are roughly 12 pounds a flat, which equates to around 12 pints of jam on average.  The conventional berries come from a farm that supports integrative pest control, which means they utilize pesticides only after other methods have been unsuccessful and they risk losing a whole crop. If this is your first time ordering - PLEASE NOTE - open flats are picked fresh and are NOT sprayed with preservatives, making them more susceptible to mold quicker than berries from your typical grocery store.  Therefore, make sure you make the necessary arrangements to sort through your flats and either process or wash them in a vinegar bath to keep them fresher, longer.

EVERYONE ORDERING - place your order by responding to my email with

Name:

Number of flats:

Organic or conventional:

Delivery location:

Contact number on the day of delivery:

You can pay by venmo, paypal, or by sending a check, cash, or money order to Elizabeth Kay,  173 East Fiddlers Canyon Road, Unit 1, Cedar City, Utah 84721, by April 8th.  For Venmo, my id is @Elizabeth-Kay-3.  Please make sure your information is in the notes so I can link it to your order info above.  If you live in Cedar and would like to pay in person, that's fine too - just text me at 702.219.6700 to meetup.  PLEASE DO NOT WAIT UNTIL APRIL 10th TO SEND YOUR PAYMENT IN THE MAIL.  Group orders need to pay by April 8th unless otherwise arranged. 

FOR PAYPAL:  You are welcome to pay me through paypal IF you use these instructions - login to your paypal account and click on "pay or send money." Then, MAKE SURE to click on the "Send to friends and family in the US" - do NOT click on "pay for goods and services" unless you want me to track you down and make you pay more for your berries. ;)  Next, type in my phone number - 7022196700 and the amount of your total.  Leave in the notes the name you placed your order under so I can make sure your payment gets applied to the right order, your contact number for that day, and your delivery location.  Then, click on send payment.  :)

PLEASE MAKE SURE IF THIS EMAIL IS FORWARDED TO YOU, THAT YOU SEND ME YOUR INFORMATION WITH YOUR PAYMENT, so I can confirm with you or the person you order through.  :) 

Deliveries are scheduled for:

Las Vegas - April 12th, 7pm, Mountain Crest Park off of Lone Mountain and Durango

St George - April 13th, place and time to be determined (please let me know if you are interested in being a delivery location)

Cedar City - April 13th, 645 North 400 West, Cedar (across from the Sunroc lumber yard behind the 2 big red barns and storage containers), 8am

Please mark your location when you order, and I will be sure to keep you updated on any changes.  If the time doesn't work for you, and you cannot arrange for someone else to pickup your order for you, you may text me at 702 219 6700 to see if a different time works for the both of us.  On the scheduled day of delivery, please realize that I have many people checking for delivery updates - if you do not hear me respond right away, you can try calling me or my husband, Josh, at 702.533.4940.  :)

Any questions, please first make sure it has not already been answered in this email.  Then, text is preferable to calling me - 702.219.6700.

I also still have memberships to Frontsight Firearms Training Institute, just outside of Las Vegas.   Check out their offerings at www.frontsight.com.  The memberships I offer are diamond.  We got free memberships through a family member, and so we are offering them to you at the cost of the transfer fee only, which is $100.  Let us know if you or a family member may be interested.

Whew!!  I think that's it!  If I missed something, I'm sorry, just let me know!  Also, let me know if you'd like to be taken off of this list. 

Can't wait to see all of my friends once again! :)

Elizabeth Kay

providentplanner@gmail.com

Desert Horticulture Podcast: Selecting the Best Apricot and Plum

Want to make sure the apricot or plum you selected was a good one? Join me on this Desert Horticulture podcast to learn what I know about the varieties that do the best in a desert climate. And this includes aprium and pluot! Join me in Desert Horticulture and my many years of growing fruit in the Mojave Desert.