On Assignment in Afghanistan

Me with a technician at field plots at Balkh University.

I am on assignment in northern Afghanistan now but my readers will still be able to follow the answers to my gardening questions here in the newspaper as well as my blog. I will post more on Afghanistan as well. I am at 36 degrees north latitude right now. Las Vegas is also at 36 degrees north latitude and at a similar elevation so the climates are very similar. I have been tracking the weather in Las Vegas and day and night temperatures are similar right now. Weather here is dry and the plots behind me are irrigated or it would be desert back there. So keep the questions coming!

Branches With Sharp Thorns Coming From Base of Orange Tree

Q. This year I noticed branches growing from the base of my orange tree and the branches have sharp thorns on them. Should they be pruned from the tree?

A. The branches growing from the base of your tree probably are shoots arising from the rootstock; common name, “suckers”. Let’s use your orange tree as an example but it could be other citrus as well such as limes, grapefruit, lemon, etc.

            Most citrus valued for their fruit are grafted to another citrus valued for its roots. This citrus valued for its roots is called the rootstock. The citrus plants used for rootstocks are selected for various characteristics but not for the quality of the fruit they produce. In fact fruit from rootstocks is nearly always pretty terrible.

            The rootstock may sometimes be more vigorous than the orange tree itself. The rootstock can send up shoots that, if not removed, may dwarf and overtake the orange part of the tree. Simply remove these undesirable suckers any time they appear and as close to the trunk as possible.

            They may sucker from the roots as well. Remove these too by cutting the sucker and the root with a sharp shovel and pull them from the soil. This eliminates the possibility that the rootstock will overtake the orange tree. Do not leave any stubs. These will easily regrow.

            Frequently in our climate tender citrus like some oranges, limes and others are killed during winter freezes. But because the rootstock part of the tree may be more cold tolerant it survives, then suckers and takes over.

            In a couple of years the rootstock is the only plant left and the owner wonders why the fruit is terrible and not anything like the citrus fruit he was expecting.

Orchard Watered with Greywater and Fertilizer Injector

Q. First off I want to thank you for the inspiration and motivation to get my backyard orchard project off of the ground. I planted 22 bareroot fruit trees this winter, 20 of which have budded out! I am still hopeful on the remaining 2.

            I have also installed a greywater drip irrigation system using the water from my laundry, the system I am using waters the whole 20'x30' orchard area rather than each individual tree. What I am curious about now is if I should utilize the surge tank in my system to apply any fertilizers or possibly something to combat the alkalinity of our native soil? I am noticing chlorosis (yellowing) already on the new trees this spring. Do I need to worry about that now?

A. Congratulations on your mini Orchard. Be careful with the type of laundry detergent that you are using in combination with your greywater system. Make sure it is biodegradable and plant friendly.

            You might want to do some checking on the state regulations on the use of greywater for irrigation. This would be overseen by the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection and much of that information should be online or a quick phone call away.
Nevada Division of Environmental Protection Website

            Using a fertilizer injection system is very convenient and adequate as long as your irrigation system is designed and installed well. If your irrigation system applies water evenly, then the fertilizer will be applied evenly as well. Make sure you incorporate a 150 mesh screen filter somewhere at the front of the system.

Mesh filter for drip irrigation paired with
pressure regulator

            The advantage of fertilizer injection systems are that they can apply small amounts of fertilizer continuously through the growing season (through most of August). It sounds like a fertilizer injector would apply more fertilizer than applying fertilizer by hand once in the spring but this is not necessarily so.

            Applying small amounts of fertilizer on a regular basis is much more efficient and can lead to significantly less fertilizer applied if you manage the irrigation system and very small amounts of fertilizer applied closely.

            You do not need to inject anything to combat alkalinity of the soil. Select acid forming fertilizers and use organic mulches. If you use organic mulch on the soil surface it will do a lot to improve the soil and combat alkalinity.

One brand of iron chelate EDDHA

            You could inject an iron chelate into your irrigation system to combat yellowing due to chlorosis provided the water is below a pH of 7.5. If you cannot guarantee this pH in your water then use the iron chelate EDDHA which is stable through the alkaline pH range. The other sources of iron fertilizers  are not stable under alkaline conditions and will drop their iron once they are put into water with a high pH.

            If you decide to inject fertilizers into your irrigation system then start the injection cycle after the water has been delivered to the plants for a few minutes. Water is not delivered evenly during the first few minutes of the drip irrigation cycle. Once the drip system is fully pressurized, well-designed drip systems then apply water evenly.

            Stop injecting fertilizer several minutes before the irrigation system shuts down. Several minutes of uninjected water will clean out the irrigation system of fertilizer that might be stuck in the irrigation lines.

            Water that remains in your irrigation system containing fertilizer will lead to the growth of algae and bacteria in your irrigation lines. Algae and bacteria are major culprits in plugging your irrigation system if you are using drip or even sprinklers.

Leave a Few Peaches to Enjoy on Young Peach Tree

Q. I don't know how old my peach tree is. I assume it's really young, like two or three years old because it is small. I am pinching off the small peach fruits leaving one small fruit every 4-6 inches along the branch. For this tree, that ends up being one to 2 peaches per branch, giving me overall maybe 10 peaches on this young tree.

A. Your thinning of the fruit sounds about right for the age of your tree. There are some people who pull all of the fruit off of a young tree hoping to get the tree into greater production beginning in its fourth year of growth.

            It doesn't really matter. I like to have a few fruit from young trees, an incentive for my labor. It won’t hurt the tree to have it produce fruit early.

            If your tree is really healthy and puts on a lot of new growth this and the following year then you should increase fruit production 300 to 400% over the next two years. You should be nearing full production by the fourth or fifth year if you are watering, fertilizing and pruning adequately.

            You will prune your tree in December or January. Look for my pruning videos on YouTube under the name of Extremehort. This should help a lot.

Is My Yellow Bells Dead from Winter Cold?

Q. Last year we planted a yellow bells plant. It appears to have died over winter. Do we need to trim it back to bring it "back to life", or just be patient and wait.

A. You should have seen it coming to life by now if it was not damaged heavily by winter cold. They can be cut back hard and they will come back if they appear dead but just have died back for the winter.

            They are a bit tender and in the wrong spot they will freeze out due to winter cold. If this was the case you might find a warmer microclimate in the yard and replant and pick a different plant for that spot.

I want to see what yellow bells looks like

            They can get ten feet tall and three feet wide just so that you remember to give them enough room. If it freezes back each year but comes back in the spring it will never get that big or if it does just keep it cut back during the winter.

Relying on Lawn Water to Water Trees and Shrubs a Waste of Water

Q. I have a patch of grass in my back yard and I would like to put plants, shrubs and flowers around the perimeter. Can you tell me what type of plants to put since they will be getting their water from the sprinklers?  I follow the watering schedule for my area and during the summer months there will be a lot of water so I would need to know what plants and shrubs like a lot of water.

A. This is not how we should be thinking of watering in the desert. Plants that grow on the perimeter of a lawn survive because of the over irrigation of the lawn. If we give the lawn precisely the amount of water which it needs, there will be very little water left for plants growing along the perimeter of it.

This Siberian elm has died back because it was surrounded
by grass and now was replaced with desert landscape
and rock mulch

            Lawns should be irrigated so that the water supplied to them is adequate and no more. Plants growing along the perimeter of a lawn should be watered so that they get precisely enough water as well. This would require that these perimeter plants be irrigated with their own irrigation system, not with water coming from the lawn.

            Lawns are watered frequently and with small volumes of water because of their shallow root system. Other shallow rooted plants, like annual flowers and vegetables, are watered in the same manner and require the same frequency of irrigation.

            Deeply rooted trees and shrubs are watered less often but with a higher volume of water so that their entire root system is wetted when the irrigation has been completed.

Winter Cold Limiting Factor for Citrus in the Mojave

Q. I have read your blog extensively.  I really like that you have stuff on there month to month so I know what to watch out for. Inspired by you, I have planted a tree from your recommended tree list and another that I don't think is in there, a Meyer lemon. I planted a lemon after seeing other people in the valley having success with it. I would like to know what precautions I should take growing a lemon tree here.

The orange tree died back and the sour orange rootstock
took over. Notice there is no trunk left on this tree.

A. I have not included citrus on my list because it is too cold at the Orchard in North Las Vegas to grow citrus. However, there are numerous microclimates in backyards that will support citrus in the Las Vegas Valley. It is not a crop to be grown commercially here but you certainly can grow a few here and there including some of the more tender types of citrus.

            We have very few citrus problems here. The biggest problem is winter cold and freezing or dieback. Fertilize citrus just as you would any of the other fruit trees. Allow lemon fruits to mature into late November and December and then pick them. You should be getting the fruit off of the tree no later than early January as this may interrupt production for the coming year if you don't.

Lemon Tree Has One Major Problem in the Mojave Desert

Q. I have read your blog extensively.  I really like that you have stuff on there month to month so I know what to watch out for. Inspired by you, I have planted a tree from your recommended tree list and another that I don't think is in there, a Meyer lemon. I planted a lemon after seeing other people in the valley having success with it. I would like to know what precautions I should take growing a lemon tree here.

Sweet orange died back and the rootstock, sour orange,
took over. The indicator is no trunk left and sour fruit.

A. I have not included citrus on my list because it is too cold at the Orchard in North Las Vegas to grow citrus. However, there are numerous microclimates in backyards that will support citrus in the Las Vegas Valley. It is not a crop to be grown commercially here but you certainly can grow a few here and there including some of the more tender types of citrus.

            We have very few citrus problems here. The biggest problem is winter cold and freezing or dieback. Fertilize citrus just as you would any of the other fruit trees. Allow lemon fruits to mature into late November and December and then pick them. You should be getting the fruit off of the tree no later than early January as this may interrupt production for the coming year if you don't.

Don’t Confuse Borers in Fruit Trees or the Result Could Be Lethal

Q. Concerning my peach tree, it looks like the peach tree borer is my most significant pest. Being that the Bt pesticide spray is a great organic preventative and killer of the borer, and I already have it and use it in my vegetable garden, shall I just spray the peach tree once a week as a preventative? If I do, how long do I keep this up until the threat is over? Are there any other insects to worry about such as aphids?

A. There are two different borers which we must be careful not to confuse. Control is entirely different between these two borers. The borer you refer to damages the trunk and limbs of many trees including fruit trees as well as ornamentals. This borer is very difficult to control with pesticides.

Flatheaded borer (probably either Pacific flatheaded borer
or Flatheaded apple tree borer) that causes limb dieback

            Bt, an organic spray made of a bacterium, will not kill these deadly borers which we see as damage and dieback of limbs and entire trees. Bt sprays will, however, kill a borer which causes wormy peaches, nectarines and apricots. This borer is called the peach twig borer.

            Peach twig borer kills the soft, succulent growth of peaches and nectarines at the beginning of the growing season. We should start seeing this damage right now. Its lifecycle is very short and so the population of this pest builds very quickly to enormous numbers in a matter of a few months.

Peach twig borer larva or immature form (striped) in the
flesh of peach in upper right hand corner of the picture
causes wormy peaches, nectarines, apricots, almonds

            As peach, nectarine and apricot fruit matures and gets close to harvest, the attacks from this pest switch from soft, succulent growth to soft succulent fruit. These new attacks result in wormy peaches, nectarines and apricots. Instead of shoots which dieback, the fruit becomes infested instead.

            The trick is to get this pest under control as early in the season as possible to prevent this pest’s population from exploding in numbers. We use sprays such as Bt or Spinosad early in the season, starting now, to help keep these populations small and under control.

            I usually apply one of these chemicals when I start to see a few new shoots of peach and nectarine begin to die back. We call this flagging. We also use special traps which catch and monitor this insect when it is hatching and flying. You will see pictures of this on my blog.

Flagging from peach twig borer

            This flagging is one indicator that you need to get out there and start spraying to knock their numbers down and protect the fruit.

            Unfortunately there is not much that you can do to prevent the more damaging borer, a beetle in its mature form, from laying its eggs on the upper surfaces of sunburned branches. These insect eggs hatch and the larvae penetrate the tree through its bark causing extreme damage to the limbs by tunneling just under their surface.

            The peach twig borer adult on the other hand is a moth and its immature form is also a larva but resembling what we might call a “worm” in appearance. The BT sprays do not work on insects which are in the beetle family, only those whose adults are moths.

            Aphids are not a big problem on peach like they can be on plums and plum relatives like pluots. Aphids like cool weather and begin to disappear when it gets hot. Their damage is usually cupped or distorted leaves which are frequently sticky due to feeding by the aphids.

            Because the aphid season is short in our climate, they are usually not worth controlling unless we have a prolonged cool spring.

You Don’t Fertilize Trees the Same Each Year

Q. Do I fertilize my peach tree even though it looks like it's doing great? If so, what type of fertilizer and concentration would you use and how often?

A. You adjust your fertilizer application according to how the tree is growing. If your tree is growing well, then reduce the amount you apply but do not eliminate your fertilizer application.

            If the growth is lush, then cut way back on the amount of fertilizer that you apply. If you're growth is skimpy, then increase the amount of fertilizer that you apply. By cutting back I would reduce it by half. If you're increasing the fertilizer, then increase it by half the amount.

            You can increase the amount of fertilizer you give a tree by increasing the amount you give it in a single application or, a much better approach, apply it more often in smaller amounts. You can accomplish the same thing by switching to slow release fertilizers. They are more expensive but they release fertilizer more slowly over time and so require only one application each year.

            Begin fertilizer applications in late January and continue them into July if you want to but use very small amounts of fertilizer at each application. You can apply fertilizer as a single application in late January and not fertilize again for the rest of the year if you want to. That will also work. Do not skip your iron applications regardless of your other fertilizer application.

Fertilizer Amount for Fruit Trees Depends on How It Is Growing Now

Q. Do I fertilize my peach tree even though it looks like it's doing great? If so, what type of fertilizer and concentration would you use and how often?

Peach tree with this much new growth will require
less than half the fertilizer that was applied last time

A. You adjust your fertilizer application according to how the tree is growing. If your tree is growing well, then reduce the amount you apply but do not eliminate your fertilizer application.

            If the growth is lush, then cut way back on the amount of fertilizer that you apply. If you're growth is skimpy, then increase the amount of fertilizer that you apply. By cutting back I would reduce it by half. If you're increasing the fertilizer, then increase it by half the amount.

I would use a fertilizer specifically formulated for fruit trees. If you do not know how to choose a fertilizer then this is the safest way to select one.

            You can increase the amount of fertilizer you give a tree by increasing the amount you give it in a single application or, a much better approach, apply it more often in smaller amounts. You can accomplish the same thing by switching to slow release fertilizers. They are more expensive but they release fertilizer more slowly over time and so require only one application each year.

            Begin fertilizer applications in late January and continue them into July if you want to but use very small amounts of fertilizer at each application. You can apply fertilizer as a single application in late January and not fertilize again for the rest of the year if you want to. That will also work. Do not skip your iron applications regardless of your other fertilizer applications.

Dont Confuse Borers in Peaches

Q. Concerning my peach tree, it looks like the peach tree borer is my most significant pest. Being that the Bt pesticide spray is a great organic preventative and killer of the borer, and I already have it and use it in my vegetable garden, shall I just spray the peach tree once a week as a preventative? If I do, how long do I keep this up until the threat is over? Are there any other insects to worry about such as aphids?

Branch dieback due to the borer that gets in the tops of
sunburned branches. No real pesticide available for
keeping this pest out. Whitewash and don't overprune
the canopy.

A. There are two different borers which we must be careful not to confuse. Control is entirely different between these two borers. The borer you refer to damages the trunk and limbs of many trees including fruit trees as well as ornamentals. This borer is very difficult to control with pesticides.

            Bt, an organic spray made of a bacterium, will not kill these deadly borers which we see as damage and dieback of limbs and entire trees. Bt sprays will, however, kill a borer which causes wormy peaches, nectarines and apricots. This borer is called the peach twig borer.

            Peach twig borer kills the soft, succulent growth of peaches and nectarines at the beginning of the growing season. We should start seeing this damage right now. Its lifecycle is very short and so the population of this pest builds very quickly to enormous numbers in a matter of a few months.

Flagging or new growth dieback due to peach twig borer

on almond. The look is the same on peach or nectarine.

            As peach, nectarine and apricot fruit matures and gets close to harvest, the attacks from this pest switch from soft, succulent growth to soft succulent fruit. These new attacks result in wormy peaches, nectarines and apricots. Instead of shoots which dieback, the fruit becomes infested instead.

            The trick is to get this pest under control as early in the season as possible to prevent this pest’s population from exploding in numbers. We use sprays such as Bt or Spinosad early in the season, starting now, to help keep these populations small and under control.

            I usually apply one of these chemicals when I start to see a few new shoots of peach and nectarine begin to die back. We call this flagging. We also use special traps which catch and monitor this insect when it is hatching and flying. You will see pictures of this on my blog.

            This flagging is one indicator that you need to get out there and start spraying to knock their numbers down and protect the fruit.

One type of pheremone trap used for trapping
peach twig borer

            Unfortunately there is not much that you can do to prevent the more damaging borer, a beetle in its mature form, from laying its eggs on the upper surfaces of sunburned branches. These insect eggs hatch and the larvae penetrate the tree through its bark causing extreme damage to the limbs by tunneling just under their surface.

            The peach twig borer adult on the other hand is a moth and its immature form is also a larva but resembling what we might call a “worm” in appearance. The BT sprays do not work on insects which are in the beetle family, only those whose adults are moths.

            Aphids are not a big problem on peach like they can be on plums and plum relatives like pluots. Aphids like cool weather and begin to disappear when it gets hot. Their damage is usually cupped or distorted leaves which are frequently sticky due to feeding by the aphids.

            Because the aphid season is short in our climate, they are usually not worth controlling unless we have a prolonged cool spring.

Purple Leaf Plum with Pink or Pale Leaves

Iron chlorosis on purple leaf plum

Q. I have two purple leaf plum trees, both about 2 years old. They started the year beautifully. One continues to look normal but the other one has all of a sudden taken a turn that bothers me. The leaves are getting pale and see-through-ish. It is a nice full tree, yet young. Is this as simple as not enough water or something else? It had a great year last year.

A. It is most likely iron chlorosis. On purple leaf plum, an ornamental, the leaves turn a pinkish color and eventually very pale instead of the yellow or light green color with green veins we see in plants with green leaves.

            If you want to see if a lack of iron is the problem, then make five liquid applications of an iron chelate to the same leaves, using a spray bottle, several days apart. Add a few drops of Ivory liquid detergent to the spray bottle to improve the penetration of iron through the leaf surface.

Severe chlorosis on fruiting (green leaved) plum

            If it is an iron problem, the leaves will eventually, and progressively with each spray, begin turning their normal dark purple color. It will take several applications with a spray bottle to the same few leaves to make this happen.

            Liquid applications to the leaves are not typically as effective as applying it to the soil but you will see the results sooner. One or two applications applied to the leaves will not be enough.

            Otherwise, buy some iron chelate containing the EDDHA chelate and apply it to the soil. Do this by dissolving the iron chelate in a bucket of water and wash it in around the roots. You should see a response in the new leaves that come out after the application has been made. This discoloration is also possible if the tree roots are being kept too wet (poor drainage) or if they are damaged.

Worms in Onions and Garlic

Q. I noticed that some of the leaves of my elephant garlic are wilting to one side. I pulled two plants and saw maggots, which I believe are called onion maggots. I have garlic that never sprouted and they had maggots as well. I then decided to pull out all my elephant garlic and most of them were infested and rotten. These maggots also seemed to feasting on my organic fertilizer that I applied.

            What do I do next? Is it okay to plant other plants in there? Will these maggots be damaging to plants such as peppers, tomatoes, squashes and other non-root crop plants? What is the best way to prevent something like this from happening again?

A. I am surprised you have onion maggots. This is the first time this has been reported to me in our climate. This is usually a cooler climate problem as they don't seem to like high summer temperatures very much.

            There are other maggots that attack seedlings. But if this maggot has attacked an onion bulb as it is bulbing up then it is probably onion maggot. Onion maggots need a source of food, onions, nearly continuously to survive.

            Most control recommendations are to make sure that all onions and remnants of onions are totally removed from the garden area at the time of harvest. You cannot leave anything in the ground that is onion related.

            Onion maggots don't like garlic very much so it surprises me that they are in garlic as well. Your observation is correct, onion maggots do like heavily composted soils particularly when the compost has not had a good chance to break down.

            Onion maggots cannot survive in the garden without some source of food for them. However, they can survive during the winter for a longer period of time without food than they can in the warmer months.

            I would recommend that you plant garlic and onions in rotation with other crops and not plant them continuously in one spot. It is okay to replant onions and garlic in the same spot after about three years. Make sure during your growing season that you have a good solid break from all onion related crops for at least two months before replanting onions or their relatives.  

            I am told that you can plant radishes as a trap crop, attracting the maggots to the developing radishes rather than the onions. The radishes are harvested when infested and destroyed.

Onion and Garlic Maggot Control

What Does Onion Maggot Damage Look Like?

Joshua Tree Blew Over in the Wind

Joshua tree that blew over

Q. I've attached a few photos of our Joshua Tree - on the ground! The trunk completely broke during a strong wind on March 25. We planted it 4 years ago and it has grown almost 18" in that time. Can we replant it in the ground even if it has broken off? Is there any way to save it? Re-grow it? We are heart-broken that it might not be salvageable.

A. Unfortunately your Joshua tree is gone. I have never heard of anyone propagating Joshua from above ground stem pieces of the plant. 

Base of Joshua tree in the ground

            I am curious about why it blew over in the wind. This is not normal for a Joshua tree and makes me wonder if there was another problem associated with the plant. Some people have reported the agave weevil attacking Joshua tree. The agave weevil normally attacks agaves (Joshua is a yucca) with American agave being a favorite of theirs.

            This insect is a small snout-nosed beetle that lays its eggs normally at the bases of leaves of the agave. The eggs hatch producing the immature beetle form, a larva or leggless grub. These grubs feed on the stems of agave, normally at the base causing the agave to begin to collapse and rot at the base.

Agave weevil in agave crown

            If these grubs were present on your yucca (Joshua) it might also cause the base of the tree to rot and collapse as well with the upright part falling on the ground. Visual damage and collapse of yuccas is usually reported in early to midsummer in my experience.

            You might look in the remaining stump on the ground and bottom of the blown over portion for 3/8 inch brown to gray snout-nosed beetles or legless off-white grubs of a similar size.

Think Twice About Planting Pecan in the Desert

Q. We want to plant a pecan tree. Would you please recommend one for Las Vegas? If we plant one, can we cut it way back and keep it small like we did our other fruit trees?

A. Think twice about it. Pecan is a big tree requiring lots of water. If you want to proceed, then pick a Western variety that is self-fruitful and low chill such as Mahan, Mohawk, Tejas or Western Schley.

            Pecans are so big that cutting them back may result in a tree that is about 2/3 of its mature size, maybe 60 to 100 feet tall, but you will not get it much smaller than this. The reason you can keep trees like almonds and pistachios small is because they are not big trees to begin with. The larger fruit trees, like apple and pear, are usually put on dwarfing rootstocks.

            Pecan is a big tree and is not on any dwarfing rootstock so it will be hard to keep its size small. Pecans tend to get anywhere from 70 to 150 feet tall and can have a 6 foot diameter trunk. Normal spacing between pecans is 60 feet apart.

Estimating Water Use for Pecan Trees

Siamese Twin Peaches; Double and Triple Peach Fruits

Double and triple peaches

Q. I have small peach fruits now on my newly planted peach tree and some of the fruit are like Siamese twins; there are double fruits coming from the same spot. In some cases there are three fruits.

A. Double peaches are thought to be from drought stress at the time of flower bud formation which would have been from last July or August (2011).

Double peach mature

Double apple

Double fig

            I usually remove one of the “doubles” so that, when possible, only one fruit remains.  You have to do this when the fruit are young and small and they can still recover. The remaining fruit will heal if the damage is not severe. If the double fruit cannot be split apart then remove the entire fruit.

            At this stage of your tree’s life I would probably leave only a handful of fruit on the tree depending on its size. I would estimate that about 50 leaves are needed to support one fruit. I am not asking you to count the leaves but just estimate it when determining how much fruit to leave on a branch.

Caliche May Determine How to Plant Fruit Trees

A caliche rock at the orchard

Q. While preparing my holes to plant my fruit trees I encountered caliche.   I’m able to dig down to about 18” by 24” across. I filled the hole about half way with water and the next morning it was all gone. Everything I read discourages planting over caliche. I was thinking of barrels.

A. You are fine with a depth that will accommodate the root system (18 inches deep) as long as you have good drainage. Go ahead and plant. As long as these are smaller fruit trees (less than 20 foot or so) you will be fine. They could get by with 12 inches (I would rather see it deeper) if they have to as long as you have good drainage. I would not put them in barrels unless you had too.

When to Fertilize Fruit Trees Including Citrus and Grapevines

Q. Is there a recommended schedule for fertilizing fruit trees in the valley?  Also for citrus and grapevines?  The schedules I’ve read for each of these are differ depending upon who wrote the article and are not specific for the valley.

Fertilizer applied around the source of water to the fruit
tree, in this case a bubbler which will wash the fertilizer
into the root zone

A. It does not make that much difference as long as the plant has nutrients available during times of fruit production and fruit bud development but generally speaking we avoid applications which might encourage a flush of succulent growth just before winter sets in. This just means try not to apply fertilizers after about mid-July.

            You can get by with a one-time fertilization in the early spring (January) for most fruit trees if you want to. The next thing you can do is a half application in the spring (January) and the other half after harvesting the fruit.

Here fertilizer stakes are pounded into the soil close
to the source of water going to the tree but not close to the tree
itself

            The third way is very light applications of fertilizer sprayed on the foliage or leaves of the trees, monthly, suspending applications from August - November as the tree sets up for winter dormancy. I usually use one of the granular fertilizers that dissolve totally in water such as Miracle Gro or your favorite organic liquid fertilizer. We fertilize just about all our fruit trees and vines once in January with a soil application and that’s it.

Star Jasmine Stopped Blooming? Cut it Back Hard

Q. My gorgeous, dark green, full and old Jasmine has stopped blooming.  I have tried several remedies and none has worked. Can you give me some pointers to get back the heavenly white fragrant blossoms?

Star jasmine

A. By jasmine I take it to mean star jasmine. This vine can also be used as a ground cover and must be supported on a trellis if used as a vine. It blooms in the spring only and so it may not be the time of year for it yet.

            Just be patient. There is no secret formula. Fertilize with any good fertilizer for flowering shrubs in early spring (January through February or now even).

            Be careful when pruning you do not prune out flowering wood. Do your pruning immediately after flowering is finished, not during the winter unless you know where the flowering wood is located.

            An old horticultural adage is that if a plant is not performing well and you are considering getting rid of it then cut it back hard. Of course this will damage flowering for awhile but you may get the plants “attention” and they will sometimes respond very positively.