Wholesale Potato and Onion Market of Mazari Sharif

An onion wholesaler says, "we import onions from Iran. We buy it fresh, not from storage and sell it directly here. (However the onions he had were obviously storage onions) We are not keeping it here because of the hot weather. And we get it from traders and merchants. Also we import potatoes from Iran.

Mazari Sharif wholesale potato and onion market after
the bustle of trading has subsided

The head of potatoes and onion wholesale market says “now we import the potatoes and onion from Pakistan. Currently there is no production in districts of Balkh Province. And we import all from Pakistan. Then from September until November we have our own potato production from Baghlan and Bamian provinces. But now we import our vegetables like coriander, cucumber, spinach, leek and lettuce from the district of Balkh province and only we import cauliflower and cabbages mostly from Pakistan and less from Nangarhar.

Scales for weighing potatoes and onions at the
Mazar wholesale potato and onion market

“Our big problem is storage. We can not keep the potatoes and onions for a long time. If we have storage, the onions from Mazar-E-Sharif never spoil. We can keep it unile April. we don’t have a suitable place for keeping onions. We are packing them in bags and keep them in our shops. And our potatoes are from Baghlan and Bamian because we don’t have storage. When the potatoes from Pakistan arrive, the price of our potatoes drop. For example seven Kg of Bamian and Baghlans’ potato is 100 Afs. when potato from Pakistan arrive it decreases to 60Afs. (50 afs or afghanis is roughly equivalent to $1USD right now)

Retail shop owners come to the wholesale markets and
contract with the owners of these motorcycle converted
vehicles to transport their purchases to their retail shop

Another potato and onion wholesaler says” we can keep our potato in Bamian six until eight months but when it arrives in Mazar because of the lack of storage we can not keep it for a long time. Also we can keep the onions for only three months and we must sell it soon. These are at times when prices are low and we face business problems.

Interviewing wholesalers with our flip video camera and
later transferring the information to paper
or electronic medium

When we ask the head of potato and onion wholesalers about storage in Mazar he answers “there is no storage in Mazar only in Kabul and in Maidan Shahr. We lose 50% of our potatoes and onions because we don’t have storage. If we have storages facilities we can keep our onion for nine months from September until May. If we have the ability to make storage we will build storage for vegetable and fruit. But we have never seen any storage facility we have only heard of these facilities. But if an engineer comes and train us then we know how to build our own storage. Cold storage needs a lot of power and we have good power in Mazar and the power cost 15 Afs per KW for businesses."

Another potato and onion wholesaler says” if there is a possibility we go Pakistan or Kabul to see the storage then we can understand how to build ours”.

Next week the retail outlets.......

Seeds on Ash Trees Difficult to Control

Q. I have a huge ash tree that I want to either stop it from seeding or kill it. I heard about a product that can stop seeding but I am told due to the size of the tree it is impossible to spray the blooms. This tree is at least 50' tall. It is a real nuisance. Also, if I continuously soak salt brine into the ground would this kill the tree or at least shock it enough to stop producing. Do you have any ideas on how to handle this situation?

A. Most ash trees are either male or female. It sounds like you have a female tree. Male trees, in the case of ash trees, produce pollen and do not produce seed. Female trees require the pollen from male ash trees and produce seed.

            There are several products available which claim to eliminate fruit or in your case seed production. They all work a little bit differently and may or may not work on your tree. I am afraid it will be hit and miss when you start experimenting with these products. There is a possibility that some of these products may damage or even kill your ash tree or plants growing near it if used improperly.

            I do not have any research to back up any recommendations about which product might be successful. I am sorry but I believe your best solution would be to remove the tree rather than experiment with chemicals on your property. I hope this helps.

My Vegetable Transplants Always Fail

Q. It seems that whenever I try transplanting, I keep losing the plant. Mainly tomatoes, and squash type plants. I've tried putting the plant in the area that it's going to get transplanted into for a few days then make the move. I've tried boosting the area with fertilizers. Today, I tried to put up shade around the area so the direct light doesn't beat it up too bad. Do you have any advice?

A. If this was soil that was never planted in before and you don’t see any weeds growing in the soil then maybe there is a problem with the soil. Very seldom is it the case that our desert soils will grow nothing once they have been amended and irrigated.

This is what your tomato transplant should
look like out of the container if grown right:
sturdy, stocky, dark green, white roots
about 4 to 6 inches tall and free of insect and disease
(photo courtesy University of Missouri and can be found at
 http://extension.missouri.edu/news/DisplayStory.aspx?N=1087)

It is more likely not enough soil preparation or the location is not the best for transplants. Vegetables need to be placed into desert soils that have had extensive modification prior to planting. The modifications have to be ample amounts of compost and tillage to get the compost deep and provide for some drainage of water. I like to see at least 12 inches down and even 18 inches for deeply rooted vegetables like some carrots and other root crops.

I do prefer constructing raised beds for vegetables and herbs. The raised beds do not have to have constructed side walls from construction materials. The natural slope of the soils at the edges of a constructed bed will keep the bed from collapsing provided you keep human traffic on it at a minimum.

But the soil must be ripped as deep as you can with a trencher or tractor combined with water and good compost added to it and finally thorough mixing by tilling or rototilling.

The raised beds can be constructed by shoveling the soil with compost added to it on to a bed about three to four feet wide. Every time you plant for the first three years you should be adding about two inches of compost to the bed and tilling or mixing it in with a tiller.

After about the first three years of adding extensive amounts of compost and growing in it you will see your vegetable production reach a peak in yield and quality. After that then one inch is usually adequate.

Seldom have I seen transplants that were not acclimatized (putting them gradually into outside from a greenhouse or nursery) just flat out die. They usually become stunted for awhile and then start to grow again.

Make sure transplants are planted the same depth in your garden as they were in the containers if they are older plants. One exception is tomatoes which can be planted deeper and the soil piled around the stems for a deeper root system (provided the soil has been prepared well).

Young smaller plants transplant better than older, bigger plants and recover faster (usually). Squash, melons, cucumbers and many other vegetables actually perform better if they are started in the garden from seed, not transplants.

Relative Difficulty of Vegetables to Transplant

Easy to Transplant

Broccoli

Brussels Sprouts

Cabbage

Lettuce

Tomato

Medium Difficulty

Cauliflower

Celery

Eggplant

Onion

Pepper

Hard to Transplant

Cucumber

Musk Melon

Squash

Watermelon

Prickly Pear Fruits Not All the Same for Jams

Q. I have Indian cactus and each year they grow flowers that have a bulb or fruit coming from the pads about 3 inches tall. I have been told that these bulbs make great jams. Is this true and if so, can you tell me how to make this jam?

Red fruits (tunas) of nopal cactus. The flesh of the fruit is
removed from the tuna by cutting the ends off and partially
slicing the fruit lengthwise.

A. What you call the Indian cactus, we now more commonly call the Nopal cactus because of its Mexican heritage. When nopal cactus pads are prepared as human food they are then called nopalitos. 

            Nopal cactus is harvested in Mexico for three purposes; fresh vegetable, fruits and animal or livestock feed. These plants are native to Central America, in particular the arid parts of Mexico and Central America, and are a staple part of their diet. I might add nopal cactus has some great documented health benefits related to lowering high blood pressure, lowering the incidence of diabetes and provide a lot of dietary fiber.

Nopal cactus pad about at the right stage for harvesting
for fresh vegetable. the spines are removed, washed
and used fresh or cooked. The taste resembles a cross
between aparagus and green beans with the texture of okra.

            Not all nopal cacti are the same in quality when used for fresh fruits and vegetables. Generally speaking if your nopal cactus is producing fruits but the birds are not devouring them when they are ripe, you will probably not like them either. However, if the birds love to devour these fruits then you are in business.

            There are selections of nopal cactus that are superior in these regards. I was growing two of these selections provided to me by faculty from the University of Sonora. These selections were nearly spineless.

            But when you grow nopal cactus for food you have to push their growth with frequent irrigations (every two weeks in the summer) and fertilizer and plant them with lots of compost. I will post more information on the nopal cactus and how to make this jam on my blog.

Jam of Prickly Pear

Ingredients:

2.2 lbs (1kg) of prickly pear fruit (tunas) peeled (15 tunas approximately)

3 1/2 cups of sugar (840 g)

1 tablespoon of pectin

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

Cut prickly pears in pieces and blend only half of them. Keep the rest. (Because the seeds are very hard, I pureed all the fruit and strained the pulp.) Put blended fruit into a pan and cook over medium heat; as soon as it begins to boil, add the pectin, the sugar and the lemon juice. Keep stirring the mixture constantly with the spoon. Once it starts the first boil, while stirring, add the remaining fruit if you desire. Remove the jam from the heat when it acquires a thick consistency and when shaking pan the bottom can be seen (more or less after one hour). Put the hot jam into the sterilized container immediately. (Our test jam cooked more quickly.  Be careful not to overcook.)

Packaging and Preservation for safety

On a dry cloth, place the sterilized bottles or jars. Pour in the still hot jam, with the help of a spoon, leaving a minimum space of a half inch between the mouth of the bottle and the jam. Allow some steam to escape and close it tightly to form vacuum. Let cool to room temperature and place a label in the bottle with the product name and date. Jam will be ready for its consumption in 12 hours after it was prepared. This jam will keep for a year in a fresh and dry place. Once opened, the jam must be refrigerated and consumed in a month.

Alternative ingredients:

The lemon juice can be replaced by ¼ tablespoon of ascorbic acid or one crushed Vitamin C tablet of 500mg.

Recommendations:

To keep the jam in good condition, sterilize the bottles and the cover in the following way: wash them thoroughly, retire the labels and put them to boil (with enough water so they keep cover all time) during 15 minutes counted from the first fervor or boiling. Taking off by far care, with the aid of clamps or a knife in a hand and a dry rag in the other; place the bottle and the cover on a totally dry and clean cloth (if no, the bottle can be broken). Do not touch the jam with the hands when it is still hot, since it can cause a serious burn.

To take a small taste of the jam before complete the heat treatment, take a few with a spoon, drain it in a plate, and leave it to cool completely.

Jam of Nopalitos

Ingredients:

300 g (3/4lb.) of clean and sliced nopales into little squares (approximately 3 large pads)

200 g (1 1/4cup) of sugar

1 cup of boiled or chlorinated water (drinkable water)

1 dry maize leaf (those used for making tamales)

2 tablespoon of lemon juice

1 pinch of sodium bicarbonate

Cook nopalitos in a pot with sufficient water and the maize leaf until they are soft.  Remove maize leaf and discard. Drain the nopalitos in the strainer, rinse them with cold water and separate ¼ cup to use them later. Blend the rest of nopalitos to obtain a purée. Put purée and sugar into large pan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with spoon for 10 minutes. When it begins to boil, add the lemon juice, bicarbonate and the nopales that were keep before. Skim off the foam that is formed with stirring mixture. When the mixture is clear and thick, jam is ready. Remove from heat. For extra punch, add 3 finely minced Serrano chilies.

Packaging and preserving: 

Put the jam, still hot, into the sterilized jars. Allow ½ inch space between the jam and the mouth of the container. Before closing the container tightly, allow steam to escape to form a vacuum. Before consuming the jam, let cool at room temperature for 12 hours.  The jam may be processed in a water bath for longer shelf life. Label with name and date. The jam is conserved until by eight months. Once the jam is open, it should be refrigerated.

Scorching Brown Leaves of Grapes May Be More Than Water

Q. My grapevines are not growing as usual. I have had them for 7 years. They always give me nice big leaves but this year they are very small and brown around like they are dying or lacking something?

A. Before we get into some more difficult problems please make sure they are getting watered with enough water at each application and the timing of the irrigations are correct. The bigger the grapevines, the more water they will require.

            So it is hard for me to tell you how much water to give them without knowing if you have them covering a large area like a patio or if they are highly restrained on a trellis like you might see in a vineyard. Also make sure they are not watered too often such as daily or this could cause some problems like you are describing as well.

            Highly restrained and trellised grapes, like you see in a vineyard, might be irrigated with perhaps only 10 to 15 gallons at each application while an unrestrained vine might require twice this amount or more.

            Grapes have the capability of growing very deep roots; thirty to sixty feet under the right conditions. Most fruit trees do not have this capability. In our soils and conditions deep-rooted grapes are highly unlikely since there are very few places where they can tap into water at this depth. So that being said let’s assume you will be watering them like a fruit tree.

            If watering is adequate then we can look at some less likely problems such as Pierce’s disease that is carried by an insect called the glassy winged sharpshooter. To date this disease and insect has not been reported in Southern Nevada. Try deep watering your grapes first. Then, to be on the safe side, please contact the Nevada Department of Agriculture in the Las Vegas office and coordinate a sample to be sent to the state Plant Pathologist for examination and his comments.

Afghan Qabali Palau

One of the mainstay meals you are given when you get here is their rice palau or palaw. Sometimes it can be called Kabuli palaw or Qabili palaw or just plain palau. It consists of usually long grain rice mixed with lentils, rasins, carrots and a meat, usually lamb and sometimes nuts like almonds. It is considered the national dish.

For me it is served with a side dish of fresh vegetables, their round, flat bread and hot tea. In Tajikistan when I was there it is a similar dish made with rice called plov. Where I am, close to the Uzbek, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan borders, the population is about 30% Tajik by ethnicity.

Side dish of fresh vegetables

Qabili Palau is widely regarded as Afghanistan's national dish. It is best described as rice cooked in a broth-like sauce, then baked in an oven and topped with julienne carrots, raisins and chopped nuts. If meat is added, it's usually lamb, chicken or beef; the meat will be covered by the rice.

The Ingredients:

3 cups Basmati Rice 
10 lamb pieces 
2 yellow or brown onions, peeled and chopped 
1/2 cup vegetable oil 
1 cup chicken broth 
2 small carrots 
1 cup of raisins 
2 tablespoons ground cumin 
1.5 table spoons ground cardamom 
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper 
12 cups of water (estimate - use your judgment!) 
Salt (according to your tastes) 

The Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.

Chop and saute some onions in a pan over high heat until the onion is a nice brown; this should take about 5-6 minutes. Don't burn the onions!

If the lamb pieces are too big, cut them into tiny pieces.

• Add the lamb into the pan and sprinkle with salt
• Cook the meat over medium-to-high heat for about 6 minutes, turning occasionally to get an even golden brown on all sides.
• At this point in time, the onions will start to caramelize nicely, and there will be a nice, thick sauce.
• Add about a quarter cup of broth, then continue stirring until the liquid dries up, at which point put another quarter cup in again, and repeat until you've used all the broth.
• This really gives the meat that extra flavor! Once the thick sauce is truly good and going, bring to a boil, cover with a lid, and let the whole thing simmer for around 10 minutes. Then, remove the meat from the brown broth, and set aside (keep warm).
• Stir in the ground cumin (2 teaspoons), ground cardamom (1.5 teaspoons) and the crushed black pepper (0.5 teaspoon) into the broth and continue to cook on low heat for another 5 minutes.
• This allows the spices to get their flavor into the broth.

Immerse the rice completely in a bowl of water, and drain in a colander. Repeat this step a few times, until the water that you're draining becomes clear. Meanwhile, cook the rice in any sort of pot that has a fitted lid. This is where the 12 cups of water come in. Put some salt into the water before cooking the rice, so that your rice will just have that hint of saltiness to it when cooked. Cook the rice until it is just ever so slightly crunchy (nearly cooked), then strain any remaining water. Put the rice into a cooking pot, add the prepared broth. Make sure the broth and the rice mix well and add the meat pieces on top. Cover the pot with foil, and then with the lid.

Bake the rice for 20 minutes at 400 degrees.

Once you've put the rice into the oven, julienne the carrots, and do a quick stir-fry with them, along with raisins. You'll be putting them into the pot, but you want to be stir-frying them just enough so that they're slightly cooked, but do not overdo it, as you will be putting them into the pot, and let the cooking process complete in the oven. Set aside.

Once the 20 minutes have passed, take it out, and put the julienne carrots and raisins into the pot.

Reduce the oven's temperature down to 250 degrees, and let it cook for another 20 minutes.

Once that's done, take the pot out from the oven.

Arrange the meat pieces on a large platter. Then cover it with the rice. Make sure that the carrots and raisins are evenly spread in the rice; you don't want them to be just piled all up in one spot (it's all about aesthetics!).

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5449166

This Thing in My Lawn and Dwarf Fig

Q. This thing is throughout my lawn and I don't know what it is. Can you tell by the picture? I also want a dwarf fig and the local nurseries do not carry them. I looked on the web and found several and wondering what one you might recommend.

A. The lawn grass picture is not something that I recognize immediately. The first two things that come to mind are the mushrooms that pop up in lawns after some rains and during the cool times of the year and earthworms surfacing and pushing up soil.

            It is hard to see it from the picture but the mushrooms make the most sense. These do not look like typical mushrooms since they don't have the caps that normal mushrooms have and so homeowners immediate response is to say no it's not a mushroom.

            These mushrooms come from decaying organic material in the soil like woody soil amendments were buried or even dying roots from trees and shrubs. Sometimes they look like vomit (sorry for being coarse) on the lawn or wood mulch. They will disappear with the heat and as they exhaust the supply of wood in the soil.

            If it is the mushroom then just destroy the mushrooms with a rake turned upside down. If it is earthworms, jump up and down for joy (not on the lawn) and punch some more holes in the lawn with an aerator. I don't think I was much help on this one.

            Blackjack fig is a good one and stays somewhat small and I see it in most nurseries.

Sago Palms Growing Different in Same Yard

Q. I have two sago palms in my front yard. One has nice growth in the center and the other does not. Attached is a photograph of each one. I learned that all the landscaping was put in at the same time so I’m sure they are the same age. Any ideas on why this might happen or how I can encourage growth in the second one.  

A. Both look fine. They are at different stages of growth; one has its new growth upright and lightly colored (since it is new growth) and the other has not grown from the central bud yet so there is no new upright growth at the center.

            Sago palm (a misnomer since it is not a palm) grows its new fronds from the central bud in the same way palms do. If one of the sago’s is in a bright sunny (warmer) location than the other one then it will show new growth earlier than the one in a colder spot.

            Plants in shadier spots usually have fronds that are larger and more succulent and luxurious in appearance. To me the ones in the shade look like they need more light and are kind of spindly in appearance but that is my view.

How to Get Fewer Disease Problems on Tomatoes

Q. At the nursery I purchased some heirloom tomatoes. They got silvery/shiny areas on back of leaves which turned into dry dead spots.  The plant is also dropping blossoms what is this? I applied fungicide but do not know if this is appropriate. My homegrown tomato plants do not have this. Please let me know.  I do not want my other tomato plants infected.

A. You have noticed something that I have been talking about. This is concerning the quality of homegrown vegetable transplants being superior to the transplants grown by commercial growers for the mass markets.

            To get transplants ready for markets growers usually have to grow transplants in some sort of protected culture such as greenhouses, cold frames, hot frames or hoophouses. When grown for mass markets the grower has to produce transplants at the lowest cost possible to improve profit margins.

            This may mean that in many cases these transplants may not be grown under the cleanest conditions and the growing conditions also may not be the best. This means that mass market transplants can be very subject to earlier development of diseases and insect problems.

            When you grow transplants at home you can afford to start with cleaner materials and as a consequence have fewer insects and diseases to contend with. You can also get the exact variety you want by ordering the seed ahead of time.

            Sometimes the commercial grower will apply pesticides just before shipping transplants to the nursery to remove any pest problems that might be developing, pests that may already be there and make sure they are pest free when delivered to the nursery.

            Several problems can cause silvery discoloration to the leaves including the natural silvery-green color of some tomato plants. These dead spots may or may not be related to the grey green color of the leaves. The brown spots could be due to feeding damage by insects or a disease problem. It is hard to say exactly without seeing a fresh plant sample with the disease present or several high-quality pictures.

            As far as blossom drop on tomatoes remember that they are finicky. Temperatures to high during the day, too low at night, and irrigation which is missed, an unusually hot day when temperatures abnormally been cool, all can play a role. Tomatoes grown excluding bees for pollination may cause the flowers to abort.

            If you are worried about a lack of bees then use your electric toothbrush to vibrate the plant for better fruit set. Touching the electric vibrating toothbrush to portions of the plants close to the flowers for a few seconds may improve fruit set if bees are limited.

            I would suggest you consider applying some preventive sprays to transplants brought into the garden from a nursery or garden center. This is seldom needed for homegrown transplants or from commercial growers who maintain clean facilities and planting material. Sprays would include insecticidal soap applications every few days, spraying Neem oil and some other organic sprays specifically for vegetables.

            In the future I would recommend growing your own transplants if you can and you will see fewer problems like you are mentioning. Local producers of vegetable transplants can be found and are usually higher priced but cleaner with fewer pest problems.

Ruby Red Grapefruit Not Putting Out Like It Should

Readers disparity in fruit size

Q. I wanted to know a couple of things. First, what happened to my Ruby Red grapefruit tree. Why are my fruits so small relative to the store bought one that I show in the picture. I call it "orange sized".  Granted it is a young tree (planted in 2010) so is that why? It not only put out only 2 fruits but tiny ones at that.

Thickness of the rind or albedo

            Also if you look closely at the picture of the cut fruit there is more rind than fruit.  What would have caused that?  The first year the tree put out one grapefruit and although it was small the fruit while sour the fruit looked like a typical ruby red grapefruit in proportion of fruit to rind. The two from this year had that little flesh inside and it was pale, not like a white grapefruit and definitely not ruby red.

A. The picture of the plant that you sent is a bit odd. It was hard to discern from the leaves whether or not it's a grapefruit. Grapefruit leaves have pronounced 'wings' on the petioles (the little 'stem' holding the leaf blade and the branch). If you see most of the leaves with the winged petiole then I vote for grapefruit.

Readers grapefruit tree

            Another test is to taste the young leaves. Lemon leaves taste like lemon, lime leaves taste like lime and I'll bet you can guess what young grapefruit leaves taste like.

            The fruits in your pictures with the very thick albedo (rind) look like grapefruit and a very thick albedo on fruits coming from a mature plant can be caused by too much nitrogen, overly wet conditions and just quirkiness.

            If you can taste the fruits, taste the leaves and check to see if the leaves have winged petioles then confirm it's a grapefruit then I wouldn't worry. This is a juvenile plant and will produce higher quality fruits as the plant matures.

            The plant looks fairly healthy so do the confirmation checks about the type of citrus . . Keep it watered and fertilized. Remember the saw for when to apply fertilizer is Valentine's Day, Memorial Day and the most important is Labor Day. If you want to fertilize more often with less fertilizer at a time, that would be great.

            Let us know after you check the fruit and/or leaf taste and leaf morphology (cool word, huh?) for the winged petioles and get back to us. Just remember the citrus plants will live for decades and once they mature the fruits get much better. Terry.

PS.

The pictures of the leaves really look like grapefruit leaves. . . Besides the winged petioles the bright, shiny, emerald green color are so indicative of grapefruit . .  Terry

Some Defects on Grape Leaves May Be Normal

Q. Can you tell me what is wrong with the leaves on my Thompson seedless grape vine (see attached picture)?  Are there grape leaf miners?  What is the best pesticide to use to control these pests?

Readers grape leaf looks pretty healthy

A. I really did not see too much to be concerned about on the top of the leaf. Make sure you look at the bottom of the leaf, not just the top. Some insect pests will invade the leaves from the bottom. The leaves look pretty normal to me and I do not know of any leaf miners and grapes.

            However you are getting into the season where you will get grape leaf skeletonizer starting in May. Keep inspecting your leaves and around the next week or two begin spraying your grape leaves with Bt, an organic pesticide.

            Do this twice about 10 days apart in May. This should eliminate grape leaf skeletonizer as well as hornworm attacks. If these little bugs called leaf hoppers that jump when you walk past your grapevine are problem in the summer months then you might also apply to applications of spinosad around the same time as the BT.

            Do not mix them in the same sprayer because I am not sure they are compatible together in the same sprayer. Make sure you spray the top of the leaves as well as the bottom of the leaves. This is very important to get good coverage. Good luck.

How to Preserve, Dry, Store Apricots

Q. Back in 2010 you sent out info on how to preserve apricots, but I lost it. Is it still possible to find this information?

A. The one you're referring to is excellent and published by Utah State University. I posted it on my blog or otherwise you can retrieve it by googling “Preserving Apricots Utah State University”.

Go to the publication on how to preserve apricots

Open publication - Free publishing - More apricots

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.