Excess moisture may be at heart of problem

The University of Nevada Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Orchard in North Las Vegas is planning a homemade wine day for early November. The event will have presentations on wine and beer making and a competition for the best homemade brews. If you or someone you know is interested in more information or participating in this event, please let me know at morrisr@unce.unr.edu or 257-5555.

Q: I have a pomegranate tree that has been in full bloom for the past two months. The fruit has been falling but none has cracked open. The seeds are still opaque and the inside flesh is like black soot. In the past 20 years they have always been great. Any clue what has happened to them? Old age? Lack of something?

A: This is probably Alternaria heart rot. It is hard to detect until you open the fruit and it may cause fruit to drop early. If this sounds like what you have, it is a fungal disease and I think it was related to our cool wet spring.

Infection takes place in the bloom and progresses to the interior of the fruit. The central cavity of the infected fruit is partially or totally decayed, yet the rind remains unaffected. Experienced pickers throw out most infected fruit, although infection is difficult to detect. At present, there is no known control.

Removal of old fruit from the tree during pruning may eliminate a potential source of fungus as well as shoot dieback for the following season. The disease seems to affect more fruit if there is much rain in blooming season, thus suggesting that moisture in the bloom increases amount of infection.

Make sure you clean up all of the fruit from your tree this year after harvest. Do not leave any on the tree or lying on the ground. If we have a normal, dry desert spring, you should see a decrease or elimination of this problem next year.

Q: I was shocked to see daylight under one of my palm trees the other morning. I sent you some photos. Should I fill that area in with dirt? If so, how high should I pile the dirt around the trunk?

A: What you are seeing at the base of your palm tree is the tree's actual trunk. When palm trees are pruned, the base of the palm frond is left attached to the trunk. This makes the trunk have a very textured appearance. If done well, it can be very attractive.

Some people prefer to have the entire frond removed from the trunk in a process called "skinning." When a palm is skinned, just the smooth trunk is left, which is much smaller in diameter than the trunk with the fronds still attached. Skinning is frequently done with a sharp knife like a linoleum knife and is very slow and time consuming.

In your case, the fronds are dead but still attached to the trunk. It just depends on how wet the trunk becomes but these fronds may eventually decompose close to the trunk. The remainder of the fronds then easily pull away from the trunk or may even fall off. Sometimes these fronds blow off of palm trees during high winds. As they fall or are pulled away, the true trunk is exposed.

With your palm tree you are seeing the trunk minus the fronds that began decomposing and falling away. You have a choice of either living with it that way or begin pulling them off of the trunk. I will warn you that once you begin to pull these fronds from your palm tree it will look even odder so I would not do it unless you are thinking about skinning the tree.

Bob Morris is an associate professor with the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension. Direct gardening questions to the master gardener hot line at 257-5555 or contact Morris by e-mail at morrisr@unce.unr.edu.