How To Thicken a Newly Planted Thin Lawn

Q. I started a new lawn last fall and I am very happy with the results.  I want to re-seed the areas that came up a bit thin. When and how should I do that so I don't damage the rest of it? I was also considering doing an aeration soon, as I always did every winter at my previous home with great results. Should I aerate this younger lawn?

It is common for newly seeded lawns to be a bit
"thin" at first, but larger open areas should be reseeded.

A. I understand your concern about the lawn being too thin but this can oftentimes be the case in a new lawn, particularly with cool season grasses like fescues. Fescues fill in voids between seedlings primarily by "tillering".

            They do not have the capacity to fill voids with strong rhizomes (underground stems) and stolons (above ground stems that lay on the soil surface). Frequently these are more associated with the warm season grasses such as bermudagrass, zoysia and St. Augustine.

            Tillering is the "sprouting" of side shoots from the base of the plant. As a grass plant emerges from the seed it shoots up one stem with associated leaf (‘mono’ ‘cotyledon’ or one leaf). This single stem with one leaf that eventually sprouts side leaves along the stem will grow very tall before it sends up side shoots unless the tip of this single stem is cut off. This is done by mowing (prior to lawn mowers it was done by animals eating the grass or grazing).

            Once the single stem has been cut off, the plant kicks into a survival mechanism and sends up side shoots (tillers) around the central single shoot. The side shoots occupy space around the central shoot and begin to fill in the voids between germinating seeds.

Tillers are side shoots that come from the base of the grass plant such as
this Poa annua bunchgrass.

            It is very natural to have these voids or open spaces around the seedlings for quite a long time unless we "graze" on the plants with our lawn mowers. So just by cutting or mowing the lawn we will encourage the lawn to get thicker by individual grasses "tillering".

            This is further sped up with a little bit of nitrogen fertilizer applied every few weeks, warm temperatures and regular waterings.

            Most lawn weed seeds respond to sunlight (they germinate when they "see" light). So quickly filling the spaces between grasses by tillering helps to reduce weed invasion in new lawns.

            Weed seeds like to germinate when soil temperatures hit about 50 to 55 F which would be in early to mid-February or perhaps sooner in real warm microclimates. So it is important to get the grass up and shade the soil surface as soon as possible in the spring.

            In fact, I prefer fall lawn seeding because of weed problems and fall and the following spring weather gives the seed a double dose of good weather for establishment.

            However, if you feel the distance is still too far apart between these seedlings then I would use the exact same seed and lightly seed in these areas and lightly cover the seeds with topdressing.

            If you want faster germination, soak the seed in cool water for several hours (not overnight or you will kill them) and then dry them long enough to dry their surface so they can be spread easily.

            Do not dry the entire seed out or you will kill the seed. Once they are surface dry you can spread the seed and you will save yourself a day or two of germination time. Fertilize lightly every couple of weeks and mow as soon as you can cut off 1/4 of the length of grass. Do not pick up the clippings but let them compost back into the soil unless it is loaded with weeds.

Saving Space in a Small Backyard With Multiple Trees in a Hole

Q. I'm going to see if I can do a multi-tree planting (three peaches in one hole) and espalier some along a south-facing wall.  Then again, now that I've seen some more of Dave Wilson's photos (http://www.davewilson.com/homegrown/BOCpix/espalier.html ) for espalier examples, I don't think I have the space to plant three trees in one hole. That seems to be for more open areas. Perhaps best to plant three different types of fruit trees that bear fruit at different times over the summer so we'll always have something

Three trees planted in one hole, the third year and before summer pruning.

Anyway, can you recommend any places where I can order small quantities of fruit trees? Shipping with Peaceful Valley (I ordered two bare roots last year and they didn't make it through the summer) puts them in the same price range as buying locally, where's there's less selection.

A. I want to handle one point at a time. The space needed for two, three, four or more trees planted in the same hole is about the same space required for one of these trees alone. The size can be kept to about a diameter of eight feet or possibly a bit less with aggressive winter and summer pruning. On apples it will require that they are on a semi-dwarfing rootstock such as M111.

            Pruning to maintain multiple trees in a single hole is aggressive and relies on the horticulturist doing the pruning to maintain separate spaces for each tree and that the trees are not allowed to invade or in any other way dominate the space allotted. This also requires that you select trees which have similar vigor to place in the same hole.

Three trees planted in one hole after summer pruning. All three trees are
given enough room to not interfere with each other.

            One of the biggest threats to espalier training (trellising) of fruit trees in our climate is sunburn from our intense sunlight and the number of cloud-free days. I have had problems with espalier trained fruit trees with direct southern or western exposure to the intense sunlight if not given some protection.

            Be careful with these types of exposures. It is important to provide enough canopy cover to reduce the sunlight on the load bearing branches (stems tied to the trellising) but still keep it restrained. In my opinion this must include the possibility of pruning during any month of the year.

Apple trellised about a foot AWAY from a century fence. It is NOT
trellised on the fence.

            Pruning during different months causes different results in the trees. Winter or dormant pruning is the most invigorating for trees while summer pruning (late March or early April removal of new growth) is the most devigorating.

            I would try to sites for ordering trees online; Bay Laurel Nursery and Grow Organic (which I think is Peaceful Valley but not sure) and yes with shipping is a similar price range.

http://www.baylaurelnursery.com

http://www.groworganic.com/seasonal-items/fruit-trees.html

            In past years Plant World has carried Dave Wilson trees but usually not until about April or so because a middleman must containerize/establish them since Dave Wilson only ships bare root trees.

Mushrooms or Space Alien Eggs?

Birdseye view of mushroom in the soil and opening

Q. Not sure if these are mushrooms or what they are. Was wondering if you could identify them. I have a small dog who will eat anything and I’m concerned they could harm her. They were found around several trees I hand planted. Just on the outer edge of the hole I planted them in.

A. The mushrooms are a type of fleshy puffball mushroom (inedible and perhaps poisonous) that grow underground off of rotting wood or even rotting woody roots and then open above ground to release their spores. They can spread but only if they have something to feed on underground such as rotting wood or roots.

I have received other pictures of the same type from other readers.

 

 

How to Keep Your Privets From Dropping Leaves in the Winter

Leaf loss on privets on left side of fence but not on right side.

Q. I have been living at my address for 7 years and the last two years my privets have turned brown and lost their leaves during the months of January and February. I attached some pictures.  Last year they came back although they weren’t as full and robust as they used to be. The Texas privets right next to them seem to do fine throughout the winter. Why are they all of the sudden loosing all of their leaves in the winter? What can I do to save my privets and have them come back with full growth? 

Leaf loss on privets on left side closerup

A. There are two things going on that need to be corrected or the others will start looking like the bad ones as well. You are looking at a snapshot in time. The two problems are how the plants are pruned and the depletion of the soil. I know that this is not very logical in relating why these plants are dropping their leaves but both are influential in helping plants keep their leaves during the winter months and does explain why they are less hardy than the others.

No leaf loss on Texas privet on right side of fence.

Most likely these plants are pruned with a hedge shears. And although they are being maintained as a hedge if we are not careful in a few years the old woody growth dominates the hedge (particularly at the bottom) and cannot support young succulent growth with lots of leaves. Hedges are supposed to be pruned like a trapezoid with the wider base at the bottom. Or they can be pruned individually to remove older growth (this is called renewal pruning) and then it can be hedged. This type of pruning causes newer growth at the bottom which supports leaves and then the plants are full from top to bottom.

The second problem is the type of mulch I think you are using. Rock mulch returns nothing to the soil. As plants grow and are pruned and the prunings taken away this takes alot from the soil. Simply applying a fertilizer is not adequate over time. The soil becomes depleted of the "organic matter" in the soil and many of the soil processes necessary for good plant health diminish over time to the point that the plant becomes "sick" or unhealthy. Unhealthy plants are more prone to winter damage than healthy plants. Healthy plants can withstand lower winter tempertures than "sick" plants. The first sign of low temperature damage of evergreens is the damage to leaves and stems and leaf and sometimes stem death and the leaves fall off.

To correct these problems you need to probably remove the rock mulch and put down first, compost and then follow it with coarse wood mulch that will not blow into your spa/pool. Bark is not suitable, it will not enrich the soil enough and will blow into the water. Coarse mulches such as you get from chipping trees interlocks and does not blow easily. Furthermore it breaks down and helps enrich the soil where bark does not. It is only decorative.

Unfortunately I think the damaged privets may be beyond help in the near future. It will take time for them to recover. If you want to invest that type of time then someone will need to start pruning them properly and renewing the soil with amendments that have been depleted. Otherwise I would just replace the plants as they go downhill and maintain a schedule of plant replacement over the years as the plants start to look ugly. Hope this helps.

Chums and Shothole Fungus

Q. I recently saw your youtube video regarding shot hole fungus and found it very helpful.  But I was wondering if you could provide some added insights.

 

Q. I live in zone 5B (Montreal, Quebec, Canada) and I planted a "chum" (cherry plum cross) tree a month ago in my backyard.  I believe it is stricken with shot hole fungus (see following video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hs6jPVWP0-w&feature=youtu.be). As you said in your video I will only apply a Bordeaux Powder after the leaves fall in the autumn but I was wondering if there was anything that you recommended that I could do now to prevent the spread of the disease throughout my tree and prevent the fungus from spreading to my neighbouring fruit trees/plants (asian pear, european pear, raspberry, grapes, strawberries)? 

Should I remove and burn all foliage that is stricken with the fungus? No it's a mix of cherry and plum (prunus besseyi x prunus salicina). Perhaps it is a physiological disorder then.  I can remember we used to have a large tree that was planted in the same spot as my chum tree and it always prematurely lost it's leaves come late summer or early fall. Other trees all had their leaves but it lost it's leaves well before the other trees. In the end we removed the tree.  But I'm wondering if perhaps it is something that is in the soil.  I know the soil is quite tough in our backyard and is more of a clay soil.  Not sure if that provides any valuable insights.

A. You are out of my climate zone (and comfort zone) so I sent an email to Maxwell Norton, Fruit Advisor at University of California Extension in Merced, California and Tom Spellman at Dave Wilson wholesale fruit nursery for thier comments.

 

Most of what I understand is that plums seldom if ever get shothole disease. They get holes in their leaves but my understanding is this is physiological and not pathological in nature. Holes from shothole fungus should be rimmed with a purple or brown margin. When they occur physiologically then are not rimmed with any color but may have a crispy brown edge rather than any color.

http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/GARDEN/FRUIT/DISEASE/shothole.html

Response From Maxwell:

Shot hole disease is rare on cherry and plum.  If it is warm enough and wet enough anything is possible. The non-infectious shot hole disorder on plum develops in late spring, beginning on older leaves and progressing out the shoot.  Small translucent spots turn brown and fall out. There is no treatment.

 

Sometime bacterial blast can cause holes on stone fruit.  Cold, wet conditions may favor it.

Prunus necrotic ring spot virus can leave cherry leaves tattered.  No treatment for that either.

 

From Tom Spellman:

Bob, Sprite and Delight (cherry plums) are superior selections of Myroblyn Plum that seem to fruit in all climates. The fruit is about the size of a quarter or slightly larger. They have fruited successfully in all zones from 3 to 9 and the fruit ripens July through September depending on how far north you are. They have a balance just slightly toward the acid side and are quite flavorful when tree ripe. They are interfruitful and will also pollinate with other Japanese Plums and Pluots. We offer them as single budded trees and also as a two in one with both varieties grafted to one  Citation rootstock.

The new release for the 2013 season is a true Plum X Cherry cross named "Pluerry - Sweet Treat". Don't yet have much information about zone adaptability but I'm hopeful its low chill as the fruit is delicious. In the central valley it fruits from mid July through August. Requires another Japanese Plum or Pluot for cross pollinization. I strongly feel Burgundy Plum and Flavor Grenade Pluot will work well.  We are releasing it as 500 chill hours recommended. However with the Plum parentage it could be much less. This is a great variety for experimentation.  I have recently planted two to my orchard and have it in a test plot in south Orange county.

Bob, I will get you a couple for you to try in the UNCE orchard in North Las Vegas.

Rolly Pollies Sound Cute But They Aren't!

Q. I was cleaning up my raised bed garden today, getting ready for spring planting, and I saw lots of worms. I know worms are good and I was happy to see them. But, I also saw A LOT of rollie pollies!  These were mostly under some newspapers that I had originally put down near the base of some plants as a mulch.  Are the rollie pollie beneficial to my garden or should I try to get rid of them?

A. Rolly-pollys are a real menace to things that we eat which are soft bodied. Particularly bothered are things like strawberries.

The roly pollies, sometimes we call them pillbugs or sowbugs, can be a very common pest of soft fruits and vegetables. These crustaceans (they are not insects but are more closely linked to lobsters) usually feed and abound in rotting or decaying plant matter which we usually call organic matter.

Stuff from plants which collects on the surface of the soil where it is wet will begin to decay. This decaying organic matter is a usual source of food for these common pests. They can be good guys since they feed on decaying plant matter and convert it to something that can be recycled and benefit the plants.

Once they get established however they can get a little overzealous and start to consume other plants or plant parts which are soft and succulent. Even new, small transplants! If strawberries come in contact with the soil surface where these creatures are feeding they don't distinguish between soft decaying organic matter and soft succulent strawberries.

So the control measures usually focus on keeping the strawberries from touching surface of the soil or decaying plant matter. This would require that the fruit be kept elevated off of the soil surface.

Other people may recommend using diatomaceous earth but I am not convinced that this will work with your roly pollies. It is better suited for very soft bodied pests which crawl along the surface of the soil.

These very sharp diatoms, at least this is the thought process, cuts or lacerates the pest and they succumb to the lacerations. You can also use traps in the beds and remove them from the traps as they accumulate.

This does not exterminate them but it does help to reduce their numbers and hopefully the damage from their numbers. These traps can be something that lies on top of the soil surface, just like you noticed with your newspaper, such as strips of carpet, cardboard or wood.

Removing these pests from these traps is simple. Since they like their social gatherings in darkness they tend to gather in these shady spots. Remove the shade and remove them by hand.

You can also put out semi rotten tomatoes or other vegetables which will act like magnets and attract these varmints. Then you can scoop up these rotting fruits and vegetables along with the pillbugs and dispose of them.  That won't get rid of them permanently but it will take the numbers down.

For More Information on Pillbugs and Sowbugs Click Here!

Saving Tomato Seed from an Exceptional Tomato Plant

Q. I planted a tomato last February. It is a Celebrity, the only one of 4 that survived blossom drop last spring. The plant started showing signs life in September so some extra watering perked it up, and produced flowers, many flowers. I covered it during our cold spell, and now continue to enjoy the last of the harvest even in January. One of those tomatoes will be my seed producer for future plantings. My dill was planted in September and still growing. Just about time to start planting again.

A. Great job keeping them going through the winter! You were fortunate to keep it alive. If this was a true Celebrity tomato, I believe it is an F1 hybrid released by Petoseed. It is a hybrid for sure.

This means that the seed from Celebrity tomato will not come true from seed. Seedlings from F1 hybrids begin "segregate out" from the parent plants used to make the hybrid. So don't expect it to produce the same type of tomato in the future by planting the seed it produced. Just a precaution for you to consider. F1 hybrids have to be purchased new each year.

F1 hybrid seed is made by cross pollinating two known and "pure" parent plants and saving the seed from this cross pollination. The seed that results from this cross is the F1, or first generation of the cross.

When F1 hybrids are created, plant breeders are looking for some specific advantage from the crossing of two different parent plants. In the case of Celebrity tomato it was predominantly for higher production and easier picking than either of its parents. It also has several resistances built into it including higher resistance to a virus disease, nematodes and some common tomato diseases.

To save seed from tomatoes and have the fruit "come true" and consistent, you should select what are called "open pollinated" types like, for instance, Brandywine tomato. Good luck and I hope you continue your great gardening experiences!

Lots of Plants Benefit from Iron Applications Now

Q. What other landscape shrubs benefit from an application of iron chelate? I know bottlebrush and photinia. Others?

Iron chlorosis on bottlebrush

A. That’s a good question. There are so many but for the most part those plants that originate from desert environments usually do not need it. Those that come from climates that are not a desert frequently will need it.

So for instance, Texas Ranger seldom if ever needs it. And likewise those that are sold as truly desert plants will not. There would be literally hundreds that we could list.



Iron chlorosis in photinia

There are some that are notorious for yellowing and needing iron particularly if they are put into rock-type desert landscapes. Just about all landscape plants in the rose family will require it including roses themselves and all fruit trees such as peach, plum, nectarine, pluots, apricots, apples, pears, etc.



Usually pomegranate and fig will not but I have seen pomegranate with yellowing and needing iron. Seldom do pine trees need it or most evergreens (keeping their leaves or needles through the winter).

As far as landscape trees go most like ash, mulberry, olive will not need an iron application. But a safe bet is if it is in the rose family it will probably need one.

Start Some Vegetables From Seed Now (February)!

All of the cold weather vegetables are still a safe bet such as spinach, peas, leaf lettuces and radishes. Vegetable seed have temperature germination requirements and it should be followed closely. I will post a chart on these temperatures on my blog.

If you plant vegetable seeds that require warmer soil temperatures there is a good chance that the seed will not germinate or it will succumb to disease problems such as damping off. Beans are a good example. If planted too early, they struggle and frequently die shortly after germination.

Don’t forget to start your warm season vegetables as transplants now. These are the tomatoes, eggplant and peppers. They need to go out in mid-March in warm locations. When growing seeds as transplants in the house you can do it in a bright window but you will have to keep the temperatures low or they will be weak and spindly.

Most warm season vegetables require warm soils for germination but can be moved to a cool location as soon as you see the first two leaves emerge.

 

 

 

Starting Tomatoes, Eggplant and Peppers UNDER Plastic

Q. What vegetables can we plant now in the garden?

A. If you want to try something unique try planting these warm season vegetables in small peat pots in a soil trench in the garden covered with plastic. Warm up the trench with plastic first before you put them in the trench. I will post some pictures.

 

Trenches made for tomato plants

Compost is added to the soil in the trench and mixed

Tomato seedling germinating in the trench under plastic and slit (not hole)
 is made to release heat

 

After March 15 or last danger of frost the lower leaves on the tomato plant
are removed, the soil in the trench is collapsed around the stem and a hole
cut in the plastic to allow the plant to emerge. I usually leave the plastic and mulch.

What Do I Do About Freeze Damage to My Plants?

From what I heard, Las Vegas had a couple of cold snaps. At The Orchard in North Las Vegas the low temperatures hit 16F at 4:30 am on February 15^th while the high was 46F. Freezing weather can take several different twists depending on a few things.

            First of all, if there is a warming trend during the cold winter months this can really mess things up for the plants. They think it’s spring, let down their winter guard and wham… it freezes and they are taken by surprise and they sustain more damage than they would if it had gotten colder more gradually.

            If damage occurred to your plants and you can tolerate looking at them in that condition, then let them go until you see growth in a couple of months. The presence of vigorous new growth will tell you where to prune and whether the plant was killed, or just looks like it, but it isn’t. I will post more about winter freeze plant damage on my blog this week.
 

Figs Dying Back During Winter Months



Fig with late spring freeze damage on the tips and leaves

Q. I have a backyard orchard in Henderson with 14 fruit trees planted similar to what I have learned from the Dave Wilson videos and the UNR orchard. This is my 3rd year and I should be getting a decent amount of fruit. My problem is the figs. Two years in a row two fig trees have died to about 3-4 inches up the trunk. Last year I replaced both trees with new Kadota and Black Mission figs purchased from the nursery in pots. The new trees have apparently done the same thing. The trees are planted on the NE property line, so they get full afternoon sun. We had a very mild winter....I don't really understand what is going on here.

A. I am not sure what is going on either. If you are in a particularly cold part of the valley you could be getting some winter kill. It is not just the minimum temperature that matters. If low temperatures hit out of season (November or early December or mid February) they can't handle the low temperatures they could normally handle in December and January.

The important points in planting figs would be the same as the other fruit trees; add compost to the backfill at planting time, make sure it is planted the same depth as it was in the container, stake it the first year, it does not have to be whitewashed so don’t, keep the rabbits from it as they LIKE figs and will kill them, water them the same as other fruit trees, mulch them with wood mulch but keep the mulch away from the trunk 12 inches the first four seasons until established.

Do not water directly next to the trunk but at least 12 inches away. Do not fertilize directly next to the trunk or you can kill them. They can be damaged by very cold winters, more so than apples or pears. I hope this helps.

Rhubarb? In the Hot Desert?

Q. I would like to grow rhubarb here in Las Vegas. I live in Sun City Summerlin at about 3300ft. elevation. Any and all info would be appreciated such as variety, where to purchase, when to plant, shade or sun, in the ground or in pots, etc.

A. We did try rhubarb at our orchard a couple of times with no success.  It could not handle the heat, primarily, which is my guess.  It is commonly believed that rhubarb will not grow in the Las Vegas valley and the purported reason among gardeners is that it needs some winter “chilling”. I am not convinced of this.

            But my failure should not stop you because I did not give it a lot of my time and it was not planted in a protected area which it will require to “baby” it for the first couple of years until you learn how to manage it.

            Rhubarb is probably not something I would recommend unless you are an experienced gardener and understand how to manipulate and manage your microclimates, soils and irrigation to get the response you need. 

            Your 3300 foot elevation will help a lot compared to our 2000 foot elevation at The Orchard. It would be very happy at 4500 feet or more. I would plant it in the ground.

            Find a bright but cool location in your yard that will protect the plant from late afternoon sun.  Light shade will work just fine. I would usually suggest the north or east sides of a building. Winter cold is not a concern.

            Pick a spot where it can be left undisturbed for the next 10 years.  This is a perennial crop, harvesting leaves and stems regularly through the growing season.

            Dig the soil about 18 inches deep and amend with about 75% good compost. There is a lot of junk compost out there. In compost, you will usually get what you pay for.

            Rhubarb can grow to four feet in height in the right climate. You will probably see it healthy during the spring and fall and really look quite bad during the hot summer months then rebound again in the fall. This is what we see with artichokes and other plants that are not supposed to grow here as well.

            Plant the rhubarb rhizome with at least one good “eye” pointing up, three feet apart, about three inches deep. Fertilize with vegetable fertilizers. Mulch with straw to keep the soil cool and moist.

            Place a basin around the plant to collect irrigation water and hand water until you see strong growth. Fertilize it in January to get started and lightly once a month when you are harvesting the leaves and petioles. The leaves are poisonous so just use the stalks or petioles.

Navel Oranges? In the Cold Desert?

Q. We have a question about our 5- 6 year old naval orange tree. For the past 2 to 3 years we left the fruit on the tree until the weather man said freezing temperatures were coming. But with just cold nights, the fruit seems to dry out. Can we pick the fruit early and let the oranges ripen in the house?

A. Just a note. Navel oranges are real tricky here in southern Nevada. They have to be planted in just the right microclimate or they will freeze. I forwarded this question to my counterpart in Phoenix, Terry Mikel, for a response.

            Navel Oranges tend to be a bit persnickety especially when they are young, no matter the cold, heat or whatever.  If you are seeing lots of leaves and small branch damage, then frost will be an issue.

            Freezing nights will dry out any citrus fruits. The juice inside freezes and crystals rupture cell walls and the juice simply drains out. The problem with citrus, if the fruits aren't ripe on the tree, they won't ripen any more off the tree. Sorry.  

            There is another possibility and I am hoping that the 'damage' is due more to being juvenile and not as much due to freezing damage. If the leaves aren't hurt by the freeze, then the fruits wouldn't be either. As the plant gets more mature, there will be more “metabolism” going on and thus better fruits.

When Do I Pick This Pomegranate? I Don't Know What I Have!

Some pomegranates have wonderful color inside like
this 'Wonderful' pomegranate

Q. I planted about 30 pomegranate bushes two years ago. I bought them from a nursery and they told me that I was getting a variety of exotic species. But they had them in the nursery so long the tags were all gone. They are all thriving now and most have a fair amount of fruit this year.  How do I determine when the fruit is ripe? Do they get easy to pick, like they nearly fall off the stem or is that even a factor? Do the seeds need to turn red? They are getting kind of leathery on the outside but most of those have seeds that really aren't red at all. They are still a little tart but that may be expected.

A few are smaller and really red outside and really quite red inside, but those are really bitter.

So the real question I am asking is - how do I figure out when they are ripe?

A. If we were all growing the same pomegranates it would be a lot easier. But not all pomegranates mature at the same time and they not all look the same when they do.

Pomegranates can come in a wide range of colors

            Some pomegranates are yellow on the outside, some red, some striped, some dark purple. Also the seeds on the inside are not always red or dark red. Some of the prettier ones are but no a variety like Utah Sweet (which I think you may).

            They are a great variety but they do not look nor are they as pretty to look at as the Wonderful variety which is the most widely planted variety in the US. Some, like Utah Sweet, have seeds that are soft and nearly edible and in some cases people do eat them. Others, like Wonderful, have seeds which are hard.

Some pomegranates may tend to split when they are ripe

            Some have low tannin content and so are not bitter at all while some are quite bitter. Bitterness is an acquired taste and in some cultures is preferred. Think of the bitterness in beer or bitter melon. Some have a delicate balance between bitterness and sweetness that many people relate to the true taste of a pomegranate.

            Some ripen by September while some ripen near Halloween.

            Frequently the fruit will separate from the tree with a gentle tug and twist when ripe. It is true though that if you know which variety you have you can usually judge by its color and time of year.

            Another way is the calyx end or the bottom where the “king’s crown” is. When it flares outward it is a good sign it is close to being ready.

            Splitting of the fruit can be another indicator. If birds start to attack the fruit when they split that can be another indicator. Ground squirrels may also attack the fruit.

            In any case they are ready when you think they taste good. Start looking at them around mid-September and pick a nice looking one and sample it. If it tastes good, then look for some at the same stage of maturity and harvest. Harvesting ripe off the tree can last a month because they are at different stages of development.

            If not yet ripe, wait a couple of weeks and try another one. Keep going until you are satisfied you have the right timing. Mark it in your calendar. Take pictures of the mature fruit, send it to me and let me see if I can help you identify it.

Keys to Healthy Landscape Plants in the Desert

Q. We have several shrubs with an eastern exposure that appear to be very distressed or dying. The first three photos show the entire shrubs. Photos 4 and 5 are close ups of the distressed area. Photo 6 is a very healthy plant in the same area but with a southern exposure. Irrigation is excellent; enough that water is standing in the bed upon completion of the water cycle which is five minutes and four times a week in the hot summer.



Japanese euonymus in question

A. Thank you for the pictures.  There are several things that might be going on at the same time with these shrubs.  They appear to be variegated mock orange and Japanese euonymus.  Many of the leaves are yellowing and scorching or turning brown and dying from the tips back. 

            Most people will look at these pictures and say they are not getting enough water.  Another person might look at the same pictures and say they need iron. Another person may look at the same thing and say they are getting too much water. And even another person may look at that and say it is salt damage. The problem is they could all be correct just based on the pictures.



Leaf damage closeup of Japanese euonymus

            Many of these things, and even more, are interrelated.  Just giving more or less water or even iron may not solve the problem alone.  Let me just give you a rundown of the problems that I see as possibilities: plants planted in the wrong spot in the yard, improper pruning, lack of additions to the soil to improve it, wrong type of fertilizer and improper watering. 

            From these pictures, any of these could be a possibility and there could be combinations of things going on.  Let me handle each, one at a time and perhaps you can make the best decision.

First of all plant location.  If this is a very hot location, facing south or west with lots of reflected heat and light, then they will not do well in this spot. This does not mean that they cannot survive there; it just means it will require more effort to keep them looking good if they are placed in spots that are extreme for their best health. 

Variegated mock orange with scorching and dieback

            By finding the best location for plant in a yard means that they will require less time, energy and money to keep them looking good.  A very hot location will be even more difficult if there is no air movement and they just sit there and bake.

Pruning. These shrubs appear to be pruned with a hedge shears into the shape of a gumball.  This type of pruning may work for a few years but eventually this type of pruning makes the plants look ugly and contribute to their poor health. 

            Pruning with a hedge shears should be reserved for hedges, not shrubs.  This type of pruning forces older wood out closer and closer to the perimeter of the shrub.  Young or juvenile wood is the only wood that is removed. 

Closeup of variegated mock orange leaf scorch

            My guess is that you have a landscape maintenance company doing the maintenance.  This is how they prune. They don’t know any better. Very few, if any, prune shrubs properly. The proper way is to remove ¼ to 1/3 of the shrub each time it is pruned, forcing new growth to come from old wood deeper inside the canopy of the shrub.  This rejuvenates the shrub, adds more juvenile wood to the canopy and keeps it young and vigorous.

Soil amendments.  I could not tell from the picture but these shrubs will perform better if they were growing in organic mulch or wood mulch.  Not bark mulch.  The chipped wood decomposes into the nutrient poor soil and adds vital nutrients for the shrubs. 

            Rock mulch also breaks down but adds only minerals to the soil.  The shrubs will perform better if compost is added to the base of the plants and watered in with a hose.  Compost should be added to the list of fertilizers and soil improvements for these plants each year. 

            The first year I would add about 4 cubic feet of compost per plant along with its fertilizer applications.  After two or three years of this I would probably only add about 2 cubic feet per year.  Then of course the wood mulch is an added on top of the compost.  You should start to see improvements after one full season of growth after the additions.

 Fertilizers. The same type of fertilizer used for lawns will do a good job on most shrubs as well.  This is usually a fertilizer with a ratio on the bag of 3-1-2 or 4-1-2.  An example of a 3-1-2 fertilizer would be something like 12-4-8 and a 4-1-2 might be 16-4-8.  You will not find these numbers on fertilizer bags exactly but at least you can get the idea of how the numbers should go up and down in sequence. 

            The next fertilizer you need is an iron chelate such as iron EDDHA.  It is expensive but can go a long way since of the small amount is needed each year.  My apologies to other nurseries and outlets but I know that Plant World Nursery carries this iron chelate.  If others do, let me know please. Fertilizers are added to shrubs in February of each year.

Watering. The frequency of watering will vary during the year but during the heat they will probably need water about three times each week.  As it gets cooler, decrease that to twice a week, cooler yet, than once a week, etc. In the winter it should be no more frequently than once a week.

            The gallons of water to apply is going to be difficult for you to judge because you operate an irrigation clock in minutes. Somehow you need to get a handle on the relationship between the minutes on your clock and the gallons delivered to the plants. 

            These plants would probably be adequately watered if they were to receive somewhere around 5 gallons for the smaller shrubs to 10 gallons for the larger shrubs at each irrigation.

            All of these things are interrelated and so doing just one of them may or may not be enough. 

            The three top things I would investigate more closely are your watering, soil improvement and fertilizers.  If you can get the plants healthy, then they can handle higher temperatures provided they are pruned correctly.  Hope this helps.

Buying New House May Need Lots of Plant Care



Trees in the readers landscape

Q. My wife and I just bought a house. The house has a backyard with a good selection of different fruit trees and non-fruit trees. We have noticed that as the trees were bearing fruit, the fruit looked a little spotted and not exactly healthy. The same thing was happening to the leaves, spotted & brown around edges. I thought it was due to lack of water? Then we started to notice that all most all the tree stumps had their bark opening in big patches and sort of peeling away. And now we see liquid, all most sap like coming from these areas. The Peach trees bark actually looks white on the outside! The trees don’t look healthy at all. It seems the trees were planted in 2004.

A. After looking at all the trees sent to me in pictures, my first thought was that they could use 4 to 6 inches of wood mulch covering the soil beneath them.  You would see a big difference in their growth and health the season following an application. 

Apple tree and trunk damage

            You can pick up free wood mulch from the university orchard in North Las Vegas.  You just have to drive out there and get it. You can get directions by calling the master gardener helpline any Monday through Friday at 257-5555. The orchard is open for doing this on Tuesday and Saturday mornings.

            All of the trees seem to have a lot of trunk damage probably due to borers.  I would to take a sterilized sharp knife and remove all of the loose bark and damaged parts of the trunk down to undamaged wood. At this point you will make your determination whether to keep them or start over. If the damage is over half way around the trunk, you might consider eventually replacing them. Less than that, it is probably worth trying to save them.

Plum tree with trunk damage

            If you decide a tree is worth keeping then trim the borer damaged areas, removing dead bark, all the way down to fresh, healthy tissue. It is okay to cut into this healthy tissue with a clean knife. It will heal over just fine as long as the trees get adequate fertilizer and water.

            Next, paint the trunk and exposed limbs with diluted white latex paint to help prevent sunburn and lessen borer future borer damage. Dilute the white latex paint half and half with water. 

            Make sure the trees are getting adequate amounts of water on a regular basis. Right now, in late January, that should be once every ten days or thereabouts with about 15 to 20 gallons at each application. Got to once a week in February and twice a week in May.

Peach tree with trunk damage

            Fertilize each tree with a fertilizer that has all three numbers and no zeros. An example might be 10-20-10. You will probably not find this fertilizer exactly but the important part is that the middle number is highest. The easiest thing to do is to buy fertilizer stakes and pound them into the ground where the soil is wet after irrigating and at least 12 inches away from the trunk.

            At the same time apply an iron fertilizer to the soil, specifically iron EDDHA chelate. All in all they look remarkably healthy except for the insect damage. Make sure you get wood mulch and apply fertilizers to the trees again next January.

Bigger Black Mission Figs With More Water

Black Mission figs at The Orchard

 This is what I have been telling you guys. This is taken from the publication, California Agriculture, published back in 1999 by David Goldhamer and Mario Salinas from the University of California Cooperative Extension and the Ag Research Center in Parlier. The research was focused on the San Jaoquin Valley in California.

An analysis of tree-water relations and fruit yield indicates that Black Mission fig production responds favorably to a higher volume of water applied during the summer than is currently used by most of the industry. Larger fruit size was the primary yield component responsible for the improved production and profit. Based on historical reference crop evapotranspiration rates and the crop coefficients determined using data from this study, summer applied water should be about 36 inches for maximum Black Mission fruit production and grower profit in the Madera area.

Bottom line. If you are unhappy with the size of your figs or fig production,

• make sure your fig trees are not water stressed when they are producing figs. 
• Use surface mulches to conserve water, keep the soil from wild fluctuations in water content that will affect fruiting and the mulch helps keep fallen fruit from rotting on the ground.

Open publication - Free publishing - More fig production

Directions for Planting a Bareroot Fruit Tree

Planting a Bareroot Fruit Tree

Materials Needed:

·         Shovel

·         Predug hole three to four feet in diameter

·         Three to four cubic feet of compost per tree

·         Preplant fertilizer (triple super phosphate or high in phosphorus)

·         Wooden or metal stake at least four feet long

·         Hammer

·         Green nursery tape

·         Whitewash or white latex paint diluted equally with water

·         Paint brush

·         One 24 inch X 3’ section of one-inch hexagonal chicken fencing (if rabbits a problem)

·         Wood mulch

·         Bypass type hand pruner

Planting hole for fruit trees with amended soil

1.    Dig hole 4 feet in diameter and the depth of the root system. It normally does not have to be dug any deeper than this.

2.    Reserve soil from the hole for mixing with compost called backfill

3.    Remove rocks larger than a golf ball.

4.    Add compost to the backfill and mix thoroughly.

5.    Add preplant fertilizer to the compost soil mix and thoroughly mix.

6.    Place tree in the planting hole and orient the bud union (dogleg) to the north. And make sure the roots will be ½ inch below the finished soil level when finished.

7.    Put three to four inches of amended soil into the bottom of the hole and start adding water. The water should turn the soil into a slurry (consistency of a milk shake) and flow around the roots, removing air pockets.

8.    Continue to add the soil/compost/fertilizer mix to the planting hole as water is added.

9.    When the backfill has been added completely, collapse the edges of the planting hole with your shovel to create an irrigation basin for watering. This basin should be level and have a depth of three to four inches. If a basin does not exist, create one by piling soil around the edge of the planting hole to create a moat.

10. Once the tree has been planted and the water has drained, check to make sure no roots are exposed. Draining may take anywhere from minutes in well drained soils to hours in poorly drained soils. If the roots are exposed, cover the roots with amended soil but be careful to leave a three to four inch deep, level basin (moat) surrounding the tree and encircling the planting hole.

Fruit tree watered in but missing the stake to hold the roots from moving

11. Drive a four foot or longer stake with a hammer into the hole directly next to the tree. Make sure the stake is solidly driven into the soil at the bottom of the hole. The stake should be immobile after it is driven into the bottom of the hole.

12. Using green, pliable nursery tape, tie the tree tightly to the stake so that the tree is immobilized. When planting bareroot trees, the tree must be immobilized in its first few months during establishment in its new home. This allows for strong, healthy and fast root development by mid to late summer. The stake should be removed the following spring.

13. If the tree has not been whitewashed, then whitewash the tree using either whitewash compounds or diluted white latex paint (half water/half white latex paint). Paint the trunk, trunk bud union and any major stems coming from the trunk to a distance of two inches from the trunk.

14. Spread the wood mulch throughout the basin to a minimum of three inches. Pull the mulch away from the trunk of the tree six inches to allow for drying of the trunk between irrigations and avoid crown rot.

15. If you live near the desert, golf course or park protect your new investment with rabbit fencing.  Encircle the tee with 24 inch (wide) X 3 ft (long), one inch mesh, chicken wire. Tie the ends of the fencing together so that rabbits cannot get inside and damage the tree. Bury the bottom edge of the fencing two inches into the mulch.

16. If your tree does not have any limbs low to the ground, prune the main stem of the tree at knee height if you want your fruit production as low on the tree as possible. This will force the tree to produce branches and fruit lower to the ground for easier picking later in its life.

17. Irrigate the tree daily for the first three days to continue to remove air pockets. Wet the soil surrounding the hole and settle the plant into its new home.