Wanted: Home Residential Landscape Sites in the Las Vegas Valley for a Research Study

I am looking for about 50 residential landscapes located in the Las Vegas Valley that would cooperate in a water use study.The study is being conducted by UNLV in cooperation with local water authorities. The study cannot offer much in return except that you might learn something about your landscape watering that you didnt know before.

This is what we are looking for:

• It must be located in the Las Vegas valley.
• Landscapes can be all desert, all turfgrass or a mixture of both.
• Landscapes should already be on some sort of irrigation controller (clock).
• The study will last about nine months.
• There will be a small modification in how your irrigation system is run that is TOTALLY reversible after the study.

If this is something that you could partner in, please contact me at Extremehort@aol.com

Thanks for considering it!

Is My Photinia Over or Under Watered?

Q. I have no idea if I am over watering or under watering. My red tip photina plants are all brown and dropping leaves left and right. My sago is turning yellow. I have a drip system and it is set for twice a day ever other day for 10 minutes. Is that enough?

Photinia growing in rock mulch

A. Usually drip irrigation is measured in gallons per hour, not in the number of minutes it was operating. Each emitter operates in a specific number of gallons, or fraction of a gallon or liters, it will deliver in one hour. 

Problem photinia

Drip irrigation does not need to come on twice a day unless the drip emitters are those emitters I don’t like very much, the kind you can twist open and get some unknown volume of water. Under the right conditions those will put out so much water that it can run all over the place. Then you might need to have it come on several times just to keep the water in one spot.

With drip irrigation you should apply all of the water it requires in one application.  If your drip irrigation is operating at the same time as your lawn is being watered then this is a big no- no. This is frequently why drip is operating in that ten to fifteen minute range. Lawns should be irrigated separately from trees and shrubs. 

In your case, If your drip system is applying 2 gallons per hour through the emitters then the plant is getting 1/3 gallon each time you water which is 2/3 gallon total every other day.  The larger the plant, the more water should be applied to it.  For a one foot tall plant try and give it about 1 gallon of water each time you irrigate.  If your plant is 2 feet tall then try giving it to a gallons of water each time you irrigate.  If plants are 5 feet tall, give them about five gallons of water at each irrigation.  This is a very rough estimate.  My sense is that you may be under irrigating.

Photinia after corrective action was taken

Photinia have another big a problem if they are growing in rock mulch.  In rock mulch, they tend to yellow and begin to scorch around five years after they have been planted.  The soil under the rock mulch has become mineralized and they can not take up enough nutrients to satisfy their needs.  You can try to supplement these mineral requirements by adding a good fertilizer once or twice a year and an iron chelate to the soil in about late January or February.  Try using a good quality fertilizer for trees and shrubs like miracle grow and add an iron chelate to the soil such as iron EDDHA.  It is hard to find and expensive but usually Plant World Nursery on Charleston boulevard carries it.

If a Sago palm is planted in a very hot location with lots of reflected light it can begin to yellow.  It can also begin to yellow if we have a very low winter temperatures.  You will see yellowing due to very cold low temperatures very early in the spring or late winter.  If it is yellowing because of a lack of iron then the iron chelate mentioned above will correct it.  If the yellowing is because of watering too often then you may correct it by correcting your irrigation and not watering twice each day but watering only once on the irrigation day but applying more water.



 

How Do You Propagate Arizona Rosewood?

Q. How difficult would it be to propagate Arizona Rosewood? And how should I prune one to shape as a multi-trunk tree, with more foliage in the 6' to 12' height zone?

Arizona rosewood as a shrub
Arizona rosewood as a tree

A. It can be propagated from cuttings and seed. The easiest is from seed.

Cuttings of Arizona Rosewood should be taken in May and treated with a rooting hormone. Expect at best about 50% of the cuttings to root.

With seed, collect seed from seed pods when the pods are fully mature. Put into the freezer in a plastic bag for about 6 to 8 weeks and sow the seed in sterilized planting mix.

 Arizona Rosewood is a slow grower. With Arizona Rosewood you would want to select four or five main stems coming from the ground or very low on the trunk. These should be going in different directions to give the plant balance.

 Remove all new or existing small growth from these four to five stems and concentrate growth in the upper canopy. Thin the growth in the canopy  to major stems growing outward and remove growth going straight up or down, growing back toward the center of the small tree or shading other growth by growing too close together.

You will get faster growth if you have fewer stems. Growth will be reduced if you have LOTS of places where growth can occur. Always keep the canopy occupying at least half of the plants height.

 As the plant gets larger let the canopy occupy 2/3 of the height of the plant and keep the trunks free of new growth as soon as you see it. You can usually pull this new growth out and will not need a pruning shears if you get it when it is young.

Tricks to Container Gardening in the Desert

Q. I was wondering if there is a trick to container gardening? I have been using potting soil, along with plant food, and my plants keep wilting. What am I doing wrong?

 

A. I am not sure what is going on in your case but container gardening can give you some flexibility in growing things but it can also be a bit trickier because of the limited soil volume, how water moves through a container soil and finding or creating the right environment.

            Start with a container that is fairly large. Small soil volumes are difficult to keep moist during our desert heat. If the soil dries out, water will flow down the inside of the container wall and not wet the soil properly. If this is unmanageable, put a smaller container inside a large one to give it some shade.

Large containers have more soil volume which holds more water and help keep the soil cooler.

            When wetting soil in a very dry container, use a wetting agent with the applied water. A tablespoon of liquid detergent in a bucket of water will work. Add the detergent after the bucket is full of water and mix it.

            Always make sure the water can drain from the container directly out of the bottom to keep salts moving through the soil and out of the container. When watering, add about 20% extra water (1/5 of the volume applied) to keep salts moving through the soil or they will build and damage the plants.

            At every planting time, replenish 1/4 to 1/3 of the soil volume with new soil. Make sure the soil is good quality. There is plenty of junk being sold locally and in bags as well.

            Shade the container (not the plant) from direct sun during the day time. You can do this by double potting it.



Houseplant moisture meter

            Use an inexpensive soil moisture meter for houseplants to give you a rough idea if the soil is wet or dry. Otherwise lift or push the container. Containers get much lighter when it is time to water.

            Fertilize lightly once every one to two months during the growing season.

            If you have trees in containers, gently lift the tree from the container every three to four years, prune the roots, replace the soil, prune the tree to reduce its size and to bring it back to scale and replant it.

Pine Needles are a Benefit to Desert Soils

Q. We have nine pine trees and they are dropping lots of needles. We have a large berm under the trees and water inside the berm twice weekly. Should the needles be removed or left in inside the berm?

A. The needles are fine. If composted, they are said to be slightly acidic and will benefit our alkaline soils. If they are left alone in the basin, they will help mulch the soil, conserve water, reduce weed emergence and benefit the soil in general.

            A lot of needles blew out of the trees during the last storm event we had.  This is a normal occurrence and nothing to worry about.

Pine needles die for lots of reasons. Sometimes it is just old age. Some pines can keep needles on limbs for five years or more. Others only about three. They stay loosely attached or caught in the limbs even though they are dead. A big wind comes and blows them out of the canopy.

            If pine trees are getting plenty of water and fertilized once a year they will have a thick, lush canopy and grow about 12 to 18 inches a year. If water is not enough, they will not grow as much and not have a dense canopy. They will survive like that but just not be as thick and lush.

            Your berms should extend three to four feet from the trunk and deep and level enough to hold about three to four inches of water. Your watering frequency sounds right. Just make sure it gets enough water each time to move into the soil two to three feet or more. In sandy soils water needs to go deeper and more often.

Cutting Tomato Plants Back Now

Q. We actually took off the last tomato early this week.  Not fully ripe, but took it inside so no bugs or others would get to it. Somewhere I remember reading that you can cut them back to 12-16" and they will grow again. 

A. You can cut them back to some side shoots now but it will open the plants to sunburn if you are not careful and the plant may die. It is possible to cut them back now while it is still hot but make your cuts so that you reduce their height and still leave plenty of side shoots.

Sunburn on tomato on fruit and leaves.

            Another possibility is for next year. Try planting some from seed in early to mid-July. Put the seed between the plants and cover the soil and seed with straw to keep it moist and hand water daily. Make sure you mix compost into the soil in the spots where you planted the seed. Soak the seed in water four to six hours before you plant it. This will speed up germination. In about late mid to late August, cut or remove your old plants and let the young ones come in for production in September through November.

            Stake or trellis the plants and thin side shoots so you have better air circulation. Reduce any winds you have on the area with wind screens or windbreaks. Make sure you have at least 6 to 8 hours of full sun, fertilize lightly every 30 days AFTER you see flowering.

African Sumac Selection Present Problems to Homeowners

Q. I have read over and over that African Sumacs are fast growers. The African Sumacs here seem to be at a stand still! I have two in my backyard since April. They are alive but the canopy and trunk just seem the same, perhaps 10% growth. The trees are sold with tall, thin trunks - like 1/2 to 3/4 " diameter, with a canopy that branches out at 8 feet. There are no branches or leaves below that. The trees are staked high and the stems are all finger diameter. Will they take off eventually?

A. Trees with a long, skinny trunks with no side branches until 8 feet are a problem. This is done at the wholesale nursery to increase their height and make it easier to ship. It is to their advantage, not to yours.

            To have strong trunks, tree trunks to be tapered from top to bottom. In other words, to have good trunk strength the trunk needs to be bigger in diameter at the bottom and get narrower up the trunk. This helps to support the canopy. If they don’t, a good wind will come along and snap the trunks.  

Trees with no taper cannot support their own canopy. Leave any growth on the trunk that develops and stake as low on the trunk as you can to allow the trunk to move. Both of these things will help develop a tapered trunk.

            Trees develop tapered trunks from two major events in their lives; trunks swaying back and forth in the wind and the presence of branches with leaves all along the trunk. Both have a great deal to do with trunk taper and consequently its strength.

            When trees are staked, trunks should be immobilized no lower than it takes to hold the tree upright and still allow some trunk movement. The stakes should be removed as soon as possible after planting; usually no longer than one full season of growth.

            Next, never, never remove branches growing along the trunk if they are smaller than pencil diameter. Once these stems reach pencil diameter or thereabouts, cut them off flush with the trunk with a clean, sanitized bypass-type pruning shears.

            Never plant in a DRY hole. Make sure the soil in the hole is wet when tree roots come in contact with it. Planting in a dry hole can set a tree back, or any plant for that matter, due to root damage.

            Sometimes people say this is “transplant shock”. Well, yes, plants do have a setback, or shock, when removed from a container and placed in the ground. This can happen for many reasons but the DEGREE of setback can be under your control.  

            Why are they growing so slow? The amount of total growth on a plant (add up all new growth above and below ground) is divided by the number of places where growth can occur. Stems in full sunlight or without competition from other branches will usually be the strongest in growth but the total growth must be divided among every place that is growing. This includes the roots and any increase in the diameter of stems and trunks.

            If you want a plant to grow faster, reduce the number of places where growth occurs. Prune out unnecessary stems so that the growth is focused on those stems where you want growth to occur.

            You may see sprouts coming out of the trunk. Leave them. Do not prune them out until they are pencil-sized or larger but leave the small ones to help build caliper or taper.

Horticulture specialist Bob Morris says you can grow anything in the desert - Las Vegas Sun News

Horticulture specialist Bob Morris says you can grow anything in the desert - Las Vegas Sun News

Please Join Discussions About Desert Horticulture

I have been impressed with discussion groups. Members can add comments and their own experiences. There are lots of you out there who could contribute and lots of us will also learn in this exchange. If you have an interest in helping our desert dwellers, new and old, and learning in the process please join me in the Yahoo Discussion Group - Desert Horticulture.

Xtremehort
aka Bob Morris

 

We had 85 people look so far, and only three people join.

 

Some Eggplant Varieties That Have Performed Well in the Hot Desert

Japanese Eggplant descriptions

Millionaire. Very popular eggplant variety. Black-purple fruit about 8 inches long is an early producer. One of the most popular Japanese eggplant hybrids sold in markets.

Senryo ni  gou. Excellent for home gardens in Japan. Glossy black oval fruits to 5 inches long and weighing about 1/4 pound. Good for pickling.

Shoya long. Purplish-black fruit up to 14 inches long and purple calyx. Early producer for stir fry, grilling and tempura.

Yasakanaga. Purple-black fruit to about 7 inches long with purple calyx. Grilling, stir fry and tempura.

 

Mizuno takumi. Popular with chefs, purplish-black oval fruit weighing about 1/2 pound. Used for cooking or pickling.  Very popular in Japan.

Kyoto egg. Supposedly heat resistant according to seed catalogs but most are good producers during the heat. Round fruit to about 3 inches in diameter. Stir fry or deep frying, grilling. Purple calyx.

Kurume long. Ten inch long black fruit with purple calyx. Produces a bit later but prolific when it starts. Open pollinated.

Konasu. Very small round dark purple fruits with purple-black calyx. Can be cooked but popular for pickling when young, stir fry and grilled in a kabob.

Kamo. Round fruit with flat bottom and purple-black skin weighing up to 1/2 pound. Very well-known eggplant in Japan.

 

Ping Tung. Chinese eggplant that is purple-black up to 18 inches long with green black calyx. Good producer.

Black Beauty. Large purple-black fruit but slow to yield and low yielding but excellent quality.

Thai Long Purple. Very long, purple black fruit with green calyx. Very good quality and good producer.

 Thai Long Green. Fruit is similar to Long Purple but green. Similar quality. Green calyx.

Thai Yellow Egg. More of a novely or decorative eggplant. Fruits are golf ball sized and lemon yellow when ready to pick.

Gardenia Problems in Desert Soils

Q. I have two gardenias in the backyard in 15 gallon ceramic pots with good drainage. One of them is doing pretty well and the other not so well. Our backyard is on the north side so both are shaded most of the day. The picture I sent to you has leaves turning yellow and then brown on the interior of the plant although the ends of the branches still have green leaves. Both plants are on drip and watered the same. I added iron on top of the soil and also Vigoro 10-8-8 plant food but it doesn't seem to be helping. The one I planted about 6 weeks ago has not done well. The other one was planted 3 months ago and is doing well with lots of flowers in May. Any suggestions for the one with the yellow leaves?



Gardenia leaves yellowing in potted gardenia. This could be salt accumulation.

A. It is tough to acidify soils here in our desert due to the alkalinity of our native soils and our water. So if you can acidify the soil as best as you can, it will help. Ways to acidify the soil include using composts, raw composts, manure products, sulfur, acids and aluminum sulfate.

My best shot at the gardenia is iron even though you added some. If you don’t use the right iron, it may not work. Use an iron chelate such as EDDHA with iron. You can pick up a one pound canister of this iron chelate locally at Plant World. I don’t know any other place it is being sold. Combine it with a soil application of your Vigoro fertilizer.

You might also consider some of the Miracid products.

Try to use fertilizers specially made for gardenias in the future if you can find one. If you can’t, use one for azaleas and rhododendrons. If you can’t find that, a third choice would be to use one for tomatoes, fruit trees or roses. Fertilize about once a month during the active growing season. These should be very light fertilizer applications.

Whenever you are watering a plant in a container, you want to add enough water so that about 20% of the water runs out the bottom. This helps keep salts leached from the soil. Our tap water coming from the Colorado River is quite salty and you need to make sure the soil stays flushed of salts coming from the water.

If you don’t, these salts will build up in the container soil and also cause exactly the problem you describe. You can’t let the soil go dry so it might be a good idea to buy one of those inexpensive soil moisture meters used for house plants which can give you a rough idea when the soil is dry and you should irrigate.

You want the soil to dry down between waterings but not too much. If it doesn’t dry down, you may develop root disease problems on camellias. If you let them get too dry, they will drop leaves and the remaining leaves will become scorched.

It is hard to judge when container soils are going dry. One way is to get an idea of its weight. You don’t have to lift it but just budging or moving it a little can give you an idea.

Fertilizer Recommendations for Grass, Trees, Shrubs for Homeowner Associations (HOA)

We need expert opinion soon about what to use as fertilizer for Greenway grass, bushes, and trees. Your advice please.

Greenway grass

Q. What is the range of N-P-K in cow manure that some landscapers use for grass?

A. It's really not fair to compare cow manure to a fertilizer because it really isn't. They are using it more as a top dressing than as a fertilizer application. Manures vary in fertilizer content but are generally about 4% nitrogen and usually low in phosphorus and potassium. You should not rely on cow manure as a fertilizer. The fertilizer should be applied separately from a cow manure. An inexpensive fertilizer for starting plants and getting root growth from seeds, seedlings or newly planted trees and shrubs is 16-20-0 or DAP (18-46-0).

Q. What inorganic fertilizer would you recommend and the amount/acre?

A. For turfgrass you should never apply more than 1 pound of nitrogen every 1000 ft.² or 43 pounds of nitrogen per acre. In my opinion, this is excessive and should be closer to 1/2 pound of nitrogen per thousand square feet or 22 pounds of nitrogen per acre. This would be for inexpensive, quick release agricultural nitrogen fertilizers. If you are applying more expensive horticultural fertilizers that contains slow release nitrogen, then you can bump it up. How much to bump it up depends on what percentage of the nitrogen is slow release in the fertilizer.   

Q. Use 10-10-10 at 500lbs/acre maybe?

A. The fertilizer you mention has 10% nitrogen. It is not a good turfgrass fertilizer but it's fine for trees and shrubs. In fact, turfgrass fertilizers are fine for trees and shrubs as well. The best turfgrass fertilizers are in the ratio of 3-1-2 or 4-1-2. An example would be 21-7-14, a 3-1-2 fertilizer. To apply 1 pound of nitrogen requires 10 pounds of fertilizer. Using your fertilizer you would apply 430 pounds of the fertilizer to get 43 pounds of applied nitrogen. Like I said, I think this is excessive and you will not see the difference once you exceed three quarters of a pound of nitrogen per thousand square feet or about 33 pounds of nitrogen per acre. In fact, if you apply 1 pound of nitrogen per thousand square feet it will push turfgrass growth quite rapidly.

Q. How many times per year and which month(s)?

A. For tall fescue turfgrass I would apply nitrogen four times a year; Labor Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Thanksgiving. During the hot summer months I would always make sure you do not exceed 1/2 pound of nitrogen per thousand square feet or you could end up with some burning if people are not careful. If you are using mulching mowers you can skip the Fourth of July application. If you are using mulching mowers you should never exceed 1/2 pound of nitrogen per thousand square feet in a single application.

Q. Should a roller of punchers be used immediately after fertilizing?

A.I assume you mean aeration. Core aeration can be done any time of the year and does not really relate to a fertilizer application. The only exception might be when you are applying a high phosphorus fertilizer.                           

Q. Should organic fertilizer (cow manure) even be used to fertilize grass?

A. Cow manure is not a fertilizer.

Bushes

Q. What inorganic fertilizer (N-P-K) would you recommend and the amount/bush?

A. Turfgrass fertilizers in the ratio I mention above are good for most trees and shrubs. You would apply this fertilizer in the very early spring or late winter. The amount to apply is similar to the amount you would apply to turfgrass but is calculated under the canopy area of trees and shrubs. A small tree that occupies 100 ft.² of canopy space would get 1/10 of a pound of nitrogen. A tree that had 1000 ft.² under its canopy would get 1 pound of nitrogen. The driver of growth for trees, shrubs and turfgrass is nitrogen.

Q. Applied dry, or liquid, in the gravel around bushes?

A. Dry fertilizers are applied near the irrigation source. If trees and shrubs are irrigated by sprinklers, then you distribute the fertilizer so that the sprinklers pushed the water into the rootzone. If these are drip irrigated, it is applied in the soil next to the drip emitters and the water carries a fertilizer into the rootzone. If you are applying a liquid fertilizer to the foliage obviously you have to wait for the foliage to appear in the spring to make an application. If this is a liquid fertilizer applied to the soil and make the application close to the drip emitters within a few inches under the mulch or under the turfgrass. Never apply a fertilizer to trees and shrubs deeper than about six or 8 inches. Fertilizer spikes are convenient but expensive. Liquid applications to the foliage last about 4 to 8 weeks. Dry fertilizers applied to the soil last longer if that's important.

Q. How many times per year and which month(s)?

A. Most trees and shrubs will require a single application of a fertilizer to the soil during the months of December through about March. In a pinch you could go as late as April. Some plants tend to get yellow due to iron chlorosis or a lack of available iron. Usually a single application of an iron fertilizer that contains the chelate EDDHA is enough to keep them from yellowing. If these plants have been yellowing and are in poor condition for several years, this will probably not work in correcting a severe problem. The iron fertilizer should be applied at the same time as the other fertilizers, in early spring or late winter.

Tall trees

Q. What inorganic fertilizer (N-P-K) would you recommend and the amount/tree?

A. You can use a good turfgrass fertilizer for most tall trees and shrubs. To be effective this fertilizer should be applied close to a source of water for the trees so that it is washed into the rootzone. It should not be applied deeper than 6 to 8 inches in the soil. Other fertilizers in ratios like 1-1-1 are also okay but the high phosphorus of the middle number is really not needed unless these are flowering trees.

Q. Applied dry, or liquid, near the end of branches around trees?

A. Fertilizer is fertilizer whether it is applied dry or liquid. The amount of nitrogen applied per tree is what is critical. Liquid fertilizers applied to the foliage are short lived. Dry or liquid fertilizers applied to the soil last longer. For this reason if you feed plants through the foliage you will have to do it more often. If you feed plants through the soil as soil applications you would just do it once a year in most cases for general purpose areas. You do not have to “deep root” fertilize if it will cost more to do it.

Q. How many times per year and which month(s)?

A. Once per year is enough in the very early spring just before new growth or not long after it begins.

 

How Tall Should a Wall Be to Keep Out Rabbits?

Q. We are planning a wall to surround our yard so we can keep the rabbits out.  We live in Sun City Anthem in Henderson. We have been told that the local rabbits can jump very high, and our 3 foot wall will not work to keep them out.

A. We have both the Desert cottontail and the jackrabbit. I don’t agree with the advice you were given. Our chicken coop wire at three feet tall was very effective at keeping them out of our vegetable plots as long as they could not lift the bottom edge of it with their noses or dig a little bit and get under it.

Black-tailed Jackrabbit

            Usually animals will not jump walls if they cannot see the other side. If they can jump to the top of it and look then that is different. I have never seen rabbits do that. But check and make sure there are not gaps in the wall itself. If they can get their head through a hole, they can get the rest of their body through it as well.

Bottle Tree Dropping Leaves Could Mean Trouble

Q. My Australian bottle tree and African sumac are shedding leaves like a maple tree during fall.  However, they are also putting on new growth.  I specifically chose these trees because they remain green all year long. The bottle tree is about 20 ft. tall, on the north side of the house and gets about 20 gallons of water every day during the summer.  The sumac is on the west side and is about 12 ft. tall and gets about the same amount of water.  I’m about ready to cut them down due this leaf shedding. Were they stressed during the heat wave or what?

A. These two trees have very different watering requirements. The bottle tree is a true desert adapted tree while the African sumac is not. Their watering needs are very different for this reason.

            The bottle tree should never get daily watering. Even though the watering needs of the African sumac are more frequent, it should not get watered daily either. It is possible that these trees are dropping leaves excessively because their roots cannot “breathe” due to excessive moisture in the soil.

Bottle tree in desert landscape

            At the most, the sumac should get watered deeply twice a week right about now. The bottle tree less often than that but when it does get water it should be deeply as well.

            Evergreen trees do drop their leaves. No plant is without leaf drop. Some keep their leaves longer than others.

            Normal leaf drop time for evergreen plants is during or shortly after new growth. As they put new growth and new leaves on new branches they drop older leaves from older wood. This is normal. However, excessive leaf drop is not. This can indicate stress ranging from drought to overwatering.

            Please get on a deep and infrequent watering schedule rather than a daily one. This time of year the only things watered daily are fescue lawns, annual flower beds and vegetables. The larger the plant, generally speaking, the deeper the root system, the less frequent the watering but the amount of water applied each time is higher.

            Frequent, shallow irrigations force roots to grow shallower and decrease their tolerance to droughty conditions. Both of these trees can develop root rot from frequent watering and death. Excessive leaf drop can be a sign that this is happening.

Bottle tree in lawn

            I would begin to back off to watering every other day for right now but increase the amount you give them each time you water. Both can handle the heat but not daily watering, particularly the bottle tree.

            Make sure the applied water is distributed evenly under the canopy either by having several drip emitters under them or watering them in a basin and flooding the basin. The water should not be applied in one location under the canopy. Back off on the daily watering. I hope they are not in stages where you can keep them from getting worse.

Barrel Cactus Too Big and Must Be Moved

Q. I have a golden barrel cactus that has grown to 3ft wide in a place that I cannot leave where it is. It's a beautiful specimen, but I have to remove it. Any ideas on how to move it?  The thorns are lethal.

A. Now is actually a good time to move cacti. They can be moved any time except during, and about two months before, winter weather sets in. Unlike many other types of plants they do well moved in the summer.

            When we have moved these sized cacti in the past they were easy to move, taking the relocation without a hitch. We used a lot of thick gloves and old carpet remnants. We dug a trench around the cactus with a pick about 12 to 18 inches from the plant to a depth of about one foot.

            We then watered the trench to loosen the soil a bit and make digging easier in that lousy soil. We then began under cutting the plant to loosen the soil and cut the roots. We stopped when the roots had mostly all been cut and the plant seemed easy to roll with leverage from a shovel.

            Laying the carpet remnant to the side of the plant we were able to free the cacti and roll it on to the carpet pad. We then placed the cactus in a shady spot to heal the cut roots for two to three days before we planted it again.

            Our hole was dug and amended with compost, phosphorus and large rocks removed. The hole was cleared so that it was larger than the root ball of the cactus.

            After that healing period we moved the cactus to its new location and gently rolled it into its new location.  We then placed the amended soil around the roots and watered it in to remove air pockets.

            We tried to get the cactus at the same depth as it was in its old location. After the soil had drained of water we came back and added more amended soil until it was at the same depth and watered it in again.

            Once planted at the right depth we then watered deeply around the cactus no more than once every two to three weeks in the summer heat. In the fall it dropped to once a month and the winter only once during the winter cold.

            The next spring we watered once a month and increased it to every two to three weeks during the summer heat until we saw signs of growth. We then had to make a decision whether we wanted to make it grow more or not.

            If we wanted it to grow, we kept it on the same watering routine and added nitrogen every few months. If not, we reduced the watering to twice or three times during the summer and once during the winter with no additional fertilizer. I hope this helps.

Brown Spots a Big Problem with Lawns this Time of Year in Las Vegas

Lawns are getting toasted right now. This is a truly stressful time of year for plants, particularly plants that are not truly desert plants. Temperatures are out of their “comfort zone” and they become highly susceptible to diseases because they are less capable of fighting through a problem.

I warned on June 10 of 2012 and July 1 of this year on my blog that lawn diseases were“right around the corner.” If lawns are going to have problems, they will happen now. Sign up for my free newsletter through my blog and you will receive notices when things like this are happening in our community. Your email address is never shared.

 

Move Sago Palm to Bigger Area this Fall

Q. I have a healthy sago that is outgrowing its space rapidly. When is the best time to relocate it? Is relocation successful usually? It is such a nice plant that I hate to risk endangering its life.

 

A. You would move it this fall, some time between the end of September and mid-October, or next spring. You should not have a problem relocating it. I would not put it any closer than five feet from anything you don't want it to touch or invade like a sidewalk or wall.

            Hopefully you will put it on the north or east side of a building or in a spot with a little wind and sun protection and not use rock mulch around it. Pre-dig your hole for the plant. Make sure the hole and soil for replanting are prepared well with compost and a starter fertilizer high in phosphorus.

            Remove the bottom tier of fronds from the trunk. I would leave only the fronds which are at about 45 degrees from horizontal and the inner fronds. Remove the older ones that are below this point. Bend the remaining fronds up around the central bud and wrap some twine around them to hold them together if they are pokey.

            Take as much of the root system you can when you move it. Cut deeply with your shovel all the way around the plant about a foot to 18 inches from the trunk. Cut the roots in a complete circle all the way around the plant at least twice making sure all the roots are cut. Cut as many of the roots as deeply as you can.

            On the third trip around the plant cut in the same spots but push down on your shovel handle and begin leveraging the palm upwards. Move to a new spot and repeat it until you have gone around the plant, leveraging and lifting, the third and fourth time with your shovel.

            The plant should almost be free now or, if you are in luck, it can be lifted by the fronds. If not, then push the plant on its side and cut any remaining roots with your hand shears to free it. Tying the fronds up should make it easier to do all this and move it.

            Move and orient it so it looks nice. Don't worry about orienting it the same compass direction as it was before. Backfill around the plant and run water in the hole at the same time you are backfilling to remove any air pockets.

            Plant it the same depth as it was in its original hole, no higher or deeper. Put a small moat around the plant to contain water from the hose when hand watering. You can drip irrigate the plant but still hand water it for the next 2 to 3 weeks, filling the moat each time. Untie it and release the fronds.

            In the spring, remove the bottom layer of fronds at the base of the crown just leaving juvenile fronds that are upright. You will see new growth from the center and it should regrow and fill the canopy in the first year.

Brown Spots in Lawn Probably Summer Patch Disease

Q. I believe I am dealing with some fungal outbreak on my new lawn. About a month ago I started to see faint circles of stressed lawn. They range from 24 to easily 48 inches wide. They are certainly not dog urine spots. I know the difference.  Also confident it's not a watering problem. All spring and early summer the lawn has been healthy and looking great. But now these circles are appearing everywhere.  Am I going to need to just throw in the towel and start over?

A. This is most likely a fungal disease called Summer Patch. Buy a lawn fungicide at your local nursery that either says it controls Summer Patch or (less likely) as well as necrotic ring spot disease.

            Fungicides are primarily preventive so making an application now during this hot weather will arrest the disease from going any further but not reverse the damage done. Look for a turfgrass fungicide that states it will control Summer Patch disease, Fusarium diseases or "frog eye" on the label. Follow the label precisely in application. If the label states it also controls Necrotic Ring Spot as well, so much the better.

            This is a “hot weather” disease of lawns and favors soils that stay wet and don't drain readily. Since this is a hot weather disease, you can always expect it to occur when temperatures are rising and become particularly aggressive during the "summer monsoon" season where relative humidity takes a bump along with high temperatures.

            Next year anticipate an outbreak to start in June and make your preventive fungicide application then or when you start to see those “faint circles” appearing.

            I would aerate the soil now as well. You can use a simple hand aerator that you can buy at the nursery or you can rent a power aerator from a local rental company. Don’t use the shoes with the spikes on the bottom. They are a gimmick.

            Remember this problem area in the future. Prior to the onset of hot weather, aerate to improve water drainage from the area around grass roots. Mow the lawn at its minimum acceptable height (usually 1 1/2 inch for tall fescue) to improve air circulation in the stand of grass.

            Avoid excessive applications of nitrogen fertilizers but keep the lawn fertilized "adequately". This will usually mean about half the label rate mentioned for lawns on the fertilizer bag.

            This is particularly true if you are mulching the clippings back into the lawn with a mulching mower. Returning the clippings to the lawn with the mulching mower has no bearing on this disease in a lawn.

V Shaped Cross Marks on Tomato

Q. I have 'Vee’ shaped cross marks on my tomatoes (especially from Celebrity tomato) starting from the stem and reaching out and down about 1/4 the side.  I always thought these were from lack of water but we try to give all extra water by letting the hose end flood each for 5-10 minutes at least once a day in addition to drip irrigation at 1am, 3am and 5am for 6 minutes each.

A. I think you either are explaining either “catfacing” or “cracking” of the fruit. This is a surprise since Celebrity is known for its lack of both and was developed with one of its intentions to reduce cracking. Some of this type of prevention is by picking the right variety (Celebrity should be one!) for growing and some is garden management.

Fruit cracking on Caspian Pink heirloom tomato

            Two things I can think of contribute to cracking. Catfacing is a different issue. I gave you a couple of links to look at to determine what  you might have. Cracking can be down the side from the stem or around the circumference of the fruit.

            Two things important in cracking are how well the tomato skin will expand without breaking (cracking) and soil moisture. Try to water in the early moring hours several hours before it gets hot.

            Secondly, cover the soil with a light mulch like straw to help slow down the loss of water from the soil.

Radial cracks on Caspian Pink

            The last thing is something that I think most people neglect. Good soil preparation at the time of planting. If the soil is pretty heavy and not “fluffy” or what we call “crumby” (like bread crumbs kind of crumby or a cake-like texture) the roots of the plant will be forced to grow close to the soil surface.

            If the majority of the roots are close to the surface where water is lost quickly during the heat the plant will go into water stress (drought) very soon after an irrigation. If the soil is prepared well so that it has a “crumby” structure then plant roots are distributed through the soil so that it can take up more water before it becomes water stressed.

            Going from water stress to water abundance leads to expansion of the fruit and can lead to splitting. Having enough foliage covering the fruit can also reduce cracking so good canopy coverage of the fruit is important.

Topdressing with straw mulch

            So make sure you soil is well prepared to a depth of at least 12 inches when planting or plant in a raised bed with well prepared soil. Secondly, apply a surface mulch no later than when the fruit begins to set.

            Third, water at the beginning of the day before it gets hot to reduce water stress. Fourth, make sure the plants are healthy and have good foliage covering the fruit. This means the right fertilizer at the time of planting and followup monthly fertilizer applications when you see fruit setting and you are harvesting. These are small applications of fertilizer or lightly foliar feed in the early morning hours.

How Safe is Wood for Smoking if Pesticides Were Used?

Q. I have searched online for an answer to the question, is using wood from a commercial orchard safe to use for smoking meats? I live in Tulsa, OK and have several local orchards that use pesticides, fungicides, etc. in their operation. I found your contact info on a flyer online. I don't know whether or not you use any of these but i figured you might have an answer or direction to the question. I would appreciate your input very much.

A. I think this is a matter of opinion. Some people would be adamantly opposed to using wood unless the tree was grown “organically”.

            Having a background in pesticides and the use of pesticides in orchards I would not be afraid of using wood from such an orchard provided it had been applied several months prior to it being cut. Most pesticides don’t have a particularly long life once they have been hit by the environment (sunlight, air, rain, etc.)

            What residue is left is on the surface of the trees (bark) and not “inside” the tree. Most pesticides that end up inside the plant are called “systemic” and almost none are allowed for use in fruit and vegetable production. This is because it is thought that this pesticide would be moved around or translocated to the fruit and vegetables we eat.

            If they were used they would be “translocated” through the layers of living wood just under the bark of the tree. This is the pathyway that “systemic” pesticides would take to allow it to move around inside the tree.

            We have had similar questions about smoking wood where the bark  has been “painted” with latex paint for sunburn protection. I have told people in the past when they had some concerns to remove or burn off the outside bark of the wood with some high temperatures and then turn down the temperature and put in your food for smoking.

            If you are using wood with no bark on the outside then you don’t have to do anything. The “wood” of the tree is “dead” and an accumulation of the tissue which was alive previously and transported stuff inside the tree.