Thursday, May 29, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal
GARDENING: Linn Mills
Make fruit finds
at the Summerlin farmers market
Fresh fruit anyone?
Apricots, peaches and nectarines are featured this week at the farmers market at 10401 Garden Park Drive near Town Center Drive and I-215 in Summerlin. The market will be open from 4 to 8 p.m. Tuesday.
The market will continue each Tuesday at this time and place into October. The fruit, grown by our own master gardeners at their orchard testing grounds, will be freshly picked each day of the sale. The fruit also is pesticide-free.
Here are questions readers have asked me about this week:
Q: Why have the aphids been so prolific this year?
A: The weather has been just what they like and they're having a field day. They come in various sizes and colors to form colonies that extract sticky honeydew to cause curling and eventually death to some plants. Aphids are the worst in the early spring when pesticides are needed. But, as the weather warms, lady beetles, other predators and parasites start feasting on the aphids.
Q: How can I sign up for the "Water Smart" program to convert to a water-conserving yard?
A: Call 258-7283 for an application. It doesn't do any good to call me. Do not start the project until you have a written agreement with the Southern Nevada Water Authority. Many people have started too soon and voided their opportunity to participate in the program.
Q: Why are the oleander leaves turning yellow and dropping off?
A: Nothing is wrong. Last year's leaves sacrifice themselves to grow the beautiful flowers and foliage and then they drop. Cleaning up is your only problem.
Q: What do I do with palms hit by lightning? One palm has a hole in its side while the adjacent palm took a charge and all its fronds are dead.
A: Lightning does unusual things to palms, said Dennis Swartzell of Mountain States Nursery. One palm took the hit and the other became the conduit to the ground. You'll find the last palm fried inside and dead. The first palm will take time to determine its status.
Q: Is it true my beautiful flowering weeping yucca dies after it finishes blooming?
A: No, you have it confused with the agaves. After the flowers fade, remove the flowering stalk so it is tidy.
Q: Why are the bottom leaves on my cucumbers turning yellow?
A: They need a nitrogen fertilizer, and do it soon so your plant continues producing.
Q: We have bad luck with cucumbers. Is there a variety that won't give us so much trouble?
A: Yes, the Armenian cucumber is a favorite by all who grow it and it is easy to put on a trellis.
Q: How deep do you plant palms?
A: Using soil stains on the palm trunk, plant it at that same level. Planting too deep suffocates roots and can cause trunk rot. I can hear you say, "But other people plant them deeper." That's true but most end up dead. And if you have poor drainage, the tree will die even quicker.
Q: What can I use to fertilize my 20 palms that isn't so expensive?
A: Use ammonium sulfate; it is a good and cheap fertilizer and will do just fine.
Q: Will I get larger grapes if I let the canes grow all over the yard?
A: No, the added vine growth takes energy and you end up with smaller grapes. It also is a good indication you are watering too much. Cut back on the water.
Q: What is causing the white stuff on my roses?
A: It is powdery mildew, said Richard Jackson of the Las Vegas Valley Rose Society. Put a tablespoon of vinegar in a gallon of water and spray repeatedly until controlled. Jackson protects new growth with Orthonex.
Q: Can you tell me why my century plant is sending up its flower stalk?
A: A century plant got its name because of the time it takes to bloom, although it is closer to within 50 years than 100. After the agave flowers, the plant dies. The flowering stalk gets about 30 feet tall, then candelabra form with yellow flowers lining the structure. Scores of new starts develop. It takes a couple of months for the little plants to mature enough to plant. Put them in pots and give them away. New starts also emerge at the base of the plant; dig them up and give to friends.
Q: What is the white bug causing my ash leaves to curl?
A: It is the ash aphids. They inject a virus that causes the leaves to curl. Curling defends them from the insecticide. And it is a waste of water and time to wash them off.
Q: Why do people water cactuses so much when they seldom get any in the desert?
A: Out in the desert, cactuses live along washes where there is more water than usual, said David Turner of Turner Greenhouses. Another thing, most cactuses start from seed so they develop a root system adapted to the top growth. When transplanted, they need water until re-established.
Q: Is there any way to tell if you overwater or underwater cactuses?
A: Look at the pads, said Turner. Stretched and bulging skin is a sure sign of overwatering. If it is wrinkled, it is a sign of water stress. With a barrel cactus, look at the ridges. If the ribs are thin and deep, it is stressing for water. If they are fat and wide apart, they are full of water.
Q: What happens if a person overwaters and overfertilizes cactuses?
A: The skins will stretch like a balloon and in some cases burst, said Turner.
Q: Why do the pits in my peaches slit when I open them up?
A: Peaches grow somewhat like bulbs; certain things must happen before the next stage of growth takes place. In the spring, blossoms emerge for pollination and then the pit swells. Then the twigs beyond the fruit grow to feed the fruit. At a point, next year's fruit buds lay down along the twigs and then they extend another 6 inches. Then the meat we eat begins to swell. If the tree is stressing anywhere along these stages of growth at the same time, you end up with the pits splitting. You'll never find splitting pits on healthy trees.
Linn Mills writes a garden column each Thursday. You can reach him at lmills@reviewjournal.com or 822-8325 at the Desert Demonstration Gardens.
