Some lawns experienced disease problems that lingered after we had high humidity because of the rain. That change in our weather encouraged plant diseases to occur.
Bob Morris
Bob Morris is a horticulture expert living in Las Vegas and professor emeritus for the University of Nevada. Visit his blog at xtremehorticulture.blogspot.com. Send questions to Extremehort@aol.com.
If you are going to apply an iron fertilizer it should be in a chelated form. The best all-around chelate to use is a chelated iron fertilizer called EDDHA.
Agave weevil control is done from about the middle of April until the middle of May.
All desert plants including hopseed bush are prone to this disease if grown in moist soils or in low spots in desert landscapes that accumulate water.
A disease called fire blight might pop up in some pear and apple trees beginning around May. It can be common several weeks after spring rains, particularly if trees were flowering. It can lead to tree death if not controlled when it’s first seen.
My Saturday, four-week class, “Fix Your Landscape” will start Oct. 26 in North Las Vegas. This weekly landscaping class will show you design tricks that save water and electricity, plant selections that work, planting methods that are successful and how to fix problems, and irrigation installation and how to water.
Q: We’ve noticed leaf damage this year on our rose bushes and apple and pear trees. More than previous years. But, peach, apricot and pomegranate seem unaffected. Some of our roses were decimated. Any idea what pest causes this and how to control it?
Q: We have a nice size pool we must drain for maintenance. Is it safe to use the water for watering plants? We have a small lawn and some raised beds with vegetables.
Right now is the time to prune grapes. Prune citrus now if there has been damage from cold weather. If your citrus is young, prune it to tree form, removing side shoots to about the height of your knees. I delay pruning citrus and grapes until I am sure most of the cold weather has passed, which is mid- to late February.
Q: Do you prefer neem oil or horticultural oil when spraying fruit trees?
I have a major borer problem with my nectarine tree. I will be removing it and replanting. Do I need to treat the soil before I plant another tree?
The best time to transplant a Joshua tree is in mid- to late spring, but with this plant it could be done in summer as well. The worst times are fall and early winter months. Stay away from these months for planting a Joshua.
Basil, cilantro and Italian parsley are easy to grow here if you prepared your soil adequately and grow them at the right time of year.
Q. How do I determine the best time to pick lemons? Mine are yellow with some being very firm and others feeling “givey.” This has been a good year and my Meyer lemon “bush” will afford us lemon curd and juice for the next year.
I noticed what appears to be some kind of white fuzz on my pear tree’s leaves.
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