Here’s a solution to Bermuda grass problem
Here are some questions I encountered this week.
Question: We want to plant a spring vegetable garden in what is now a Bermuda grass horse pasture. Is there any way to eliminate Bermuda grass organically?
Answer: You are describing the bane of Las Vegas gardeners. My advice is to build raised beds over the pasture. These beds enable you to "bypass" the Bermuda seed bank below. Make the beds at least 12 inches high and 4 to 5 feet wide. To help keep Bermuda out of your beds, place a layer of plastic over the ground before building the beds. Fill the beds with a clean, weed-free vegetable soil mix. Finally, keep a constant watch for Bermuda grass attempting to climb the walls into your vegetable beds.
Q: Do strawberries need another variety to produce berries?
A: Strawberries depend on insects to pollinate them. Plant rosemary or other flowering herbs nearby to attract the insects. Strawberries are hardy and easy to grow, and there's nothing like growing and picking your own.
Q: Can we grow blueberries in Las Vegas?
A: They need more chilling hours (temperatures below 40 degrees) during the winter than we normally get. And our alkaline soil causes them to struggle. Don Fabbi leaves his blueberries in the container and plants it in the ground to overcome the alkali problem. Planting them on the morning-sun side of the house also helps.
Q: When do I cut down my Mexican Bird of Paradise?
A: Let the weather determine that. Suppose we have a mild winter with only light freezes, your plant might not freeze down and you'll have vegetation to produce more flowers next summer. When it freezes down, then cut it back.
Q: I want a quick-growing shrub to give me privacy along my five-foot high backyard wall with low maintenance. What would you suggest?
A: To make this quick: Plant shiny xylosma. It has glossy leaves and is almost maintenance-free.
Q: How do you tell when to harvest dates?
A: Dates don't ripen at the same time. Birds like them, too, so do what date grower Lynette Sorensen does: Cover the clusters with old T-shirts. Pluck your clusters as dates turn brown, and dry them in the sun.
Q: What can I use to control spurge engulfing my lawn?
A: Spray the weed with a dandelion control chemical such as 2,4-D. Next Valentine's Day, apply a pre-emergent and repeat again April Fools' Day for control through the summer.
Q: We are moving and want to take our Mexican Bird of Paradise tree with us. When is the best time to move the tree?
A: Fall is the best time to transplant trees and shrubs in Las Vegas. This gives your plants all winter to establish themselves before next summer's heat sets in.
Q: Why is my variegated euonymus now turning into an all-green euonymus?
A: Variegated euonymus naturally wants to revert back to an all-green plant. Continually remove those dominant green branches.
Q: What trees can we plant for more autumn color like we had back East?
A: Consider Chinese pistachio, Chinese tallow, Modesto ash, ornamental pear and persimmon. Dennis Swartzell suggests selecting your trees, as there is some genetic variation, so you'll get those with the richest autumn colors for your fall enjoyment.
Here are some shrubs to consider: barberry, fountain grass, crape myrtle, glossy abelia, nandina, pomegranate, rosemary and strawberry bush. For ground covers, try blue fescue, bronze ajuga, rock cotoneaster and wintercreeper. And for vines, plant Hacienda ivy, Boston ivy and Virginia creeper.
Q: What is the sap constantly dripping from my neighbor's Aleppo pine hanging over my fence, and when will it stop?
A: The tree is infested with aphids producing honeydew causing the dripping. Wash down the tree or apply an insecticide.
Q: Why has one of our roses taken off to be seven feet tall?
A: Examine the rose canes. If you find them thornless, they are coming from rootstock below the bud union. Eliminate the entire cane before it consumes your rose.
GROWING ORCHIDS IN LAS VEGAS
If you love orchids, plan to attend the Sunset Garden Club meeting at noon Tuesday at the Paseo Verde Library, 280 S. Green Valley Parkway in Henderson. Melanie Long of the Greater Las Vegas Orchid Society will share her secrets for growing orchids, from planting to blooming. The meeting is open to the public.
Linn Mills writes a garden column each Sunday. You can reach him at linn.mills@ springspreserve.org or 822-7754.
