Prepare Your Lawn for the Summer Disease Problems

If you have tall fescue for a lawn in southern Nevada, here are some tips to help prepare for the diseases that will threaten your lawn this summer.

Stinkbugs Come in Different Colors

Q. What is this bug? Have hundreds or them in my yard. Are they harmful to my plants (vegetable and flower). How do I get rid of them?

You Don't Need to Pick Up Grass Clippings if you Manage Your Lawn Correctly

Q. The landscapers for our HOA are using mulching mowers on our grass. The cut grass often remains on top, browns and causes the grass under to brown out also. Should grass be mulched in our desert? The landscape foremen bagged the grass and took it away.

Oleander Freeze Damage Can Be Fixed By Cutting Plant Back

Q. I have an oleander that suffered extensive freeze damage this past winter. It is still brown but coming back slowly. I would like to improve the looks of the bush without killing it. Should I prune the dead looking branches or just let it go

Stinkbugs Attack Residence and Car in Henderson Nevada

Q. We have thousands of these beetles in our trees here in Henderson. Yesterday they collected on a neighbor’s car by the thousands.  They sprayed them off. These bugs left imprints on the finish of their car that were unremovable. What are these bugs and what do we tell our pest control companies to do?

Ocotillo Watering Should be Infrequent in Desert Landscapes

Q. I have trouble with my Ocotillo.  They get beautiful green leaves that last about two to three weeks and then turn brown and fall off.  They are on my watering system.  Are they getting too much water?

Lantana and Yellow Bells Should Not Be Dead from Winter Cold

Q. I have had Tecoma stans, Yellow bells, in the backyard as well as lantana for the past 3 or 4 summers. They do well but never winter over. When I dig them up to replant, the root structures seem to be healthy and alive. The tag on the plant says they are cold hardy. Is there anything I can do to help them winter over?

Treat Now to Prevent Wormy Peaches

Peach twig borer seen now flying in the Las Vegas valley. These small brown moths are very similar to the insects that produce wormy apples. Treat now and prevent that from happening later.

Fireblight Seen in the Las Vegas Valley in Late March

Fireblight has been seen on Asian pear, European pear and apple in the Las Vegas valley.

Uneven Garlic Growth Probably Not Due to Cold Winter

Q. Does a colder, harsher longer than usual winter affect the growing of garlic? I've noticed many of my plants are under-developed, or didn't develop at all, while others have gigantic stalks!

Small Yellow Immature Plums Dropping Sign of No Pollination

Q. I have two Santa Rosa plum trees planted in my backyard.  The one in the lawn area has about 25% small yellow plums that fall off when I flick them or shake the branches.

Expect Those Ugly Bugs on Pomegranate and Pistachios Now!

Q. We have a big pomegranate tree that has been doing great for a few years.  Last year we had an infestation of nasty, prehistoric looking large grey bugs on our pomegranate tree. What can I do to get rid of them?

Onions Producing Flowers Too Soon

Q. Hello Bob. My son got me onions that were little 3" sprigs with roots, no bulbs, tied togather in a "bunch", no soil. we separated them and planted a few months ago. They have grown about 7 inches or more tall and I just noticed today some of them are getting seed bulbs on their tops. But if they are large onions, why are they going to seed already?

Shiny Leaf Sheen on Roses May Be Aphids Feeding

Q. There's a glossy sheen on my rose leaves that's not suppose to be there. I have the problem every year and I usually just give them a good spray with the hose and that helps but doesn't seem to be the cure. Any suggestions that don't involve chemicals?

Almond Failed to Leaf Out

Q. I planted an All-in One Almond, Saturn Peach, 5-in-1 Apricot, and most recently, a Pink Lady Apple. My almond has not leafed out yet. The tissue is still green and flexible, but there is some die back at a few tips. Could this be transplant shock of some sort?

New Tomato Seedling Transplants Not Growing

Q. I started seedlings in a greenhouse and transplanted them into my raised beds. but they are not growing at all. It's been 2 weeks, and a couple have died but the rest have not even continued growing.

Xtremehorticulture of the Desert: Control Peach Twig Borer Now

Xtremehorticulture of the Desert: Control Peach Twig Borer Now: Peach twig borers are flying now and some are getting into early maturing peaches, nectarines and...

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Patio Pepper Plant Needs Enough Light

Q. My patio faces mostly to the west and gets 4-5 hours of shaded/direct sunlight each day.  Will pepper plants in containers work well under these conditions?  I have read that peppers want/need up to 8 hours direct sun each day.

Super Strong Growth on Rose Should Probably Be Removed

Q. Last fall I planted five rose bushes and they appear to being doing well. Three of the bushes have one large stem growing from the the middle of the bush.  Should I cut the large stems back....

Nectarine Fruit Scarring Spray for Thrips Control

If you have a nectarine fruit tree or a relative of nectarine like Nectaplum, expect your fruit to be scarred unless you spray.