Question: What can be done to keep birds from eating all the fruit in an orchard? My brother has an orchard in southern Utah. There are about 100 trees, mostly dwarf and semi dwarf. Last year, birds got 90 percent of the fruit. He has tried scarecrows, but that didn’t work. He has also tried aluminum foil pie tins, but that only worked temporarily. Is there any solution for him other than buying netting to cover the trees?
Question: I have a huge ash tree that I want to either stop from seeding or kill. I heard about a product that can stop seeding, but I am told due to the size of the tree, it is impossible to spray the blooms. This tree is at least 50 feet tall. It is a real nuisance.
Question: Last year, we planted a yellow bells plant. It appears to have died over winter. Do we need to trim it back to bring it back to life or just be patient and wait?
Question: Inspired by you, I have planted a tree from your recommended tree list and another that I don’t think is in there, a Meyer lemon. I planted a lemon after seeing other people in the valley having success with it. I would like to know what precautions I should take growing a lemon tree here.
Question: We want to plant a pecan tree. Would you please recommend one for Las Vegas? If we plant one, can we cut it way back and keep it small like we did our other fruit trees?
Question: While preparing my holes to plant my fruit trees, I encountered caliche. I’m able to dig down to about 18 inches by 24 inches across.
Question: I have several fig cuttings that are growing in a vermiculite and perlite mix inside the house. When is the best time to transplant them into the ground outside? Or do I have to go through an interim stage of a small pot with potting soil first?
Question: We have small butterflies on our plum tree. There are hundreds of them. Are they pollinating our trees? The bees were here, but these have taken over.
Question: My husband asked me to contact you about how to trim our pistachio nut tree and how to get it pollinated.
Question: I recently purchased male and female Hardy Kiwi starts form Parks Seed Company. I was wondering if you might be able to give me any tips for growing them here in the Las Vegas Valley. I have done some reading on pruning and training them into a trunk and building a T-trellis. In what I have read, they need full sunlight, but I am of the mind that perhaps afternoon shade might be a bit better.
