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Bob Morris

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.

Pesky bugs make protecting basil difficult

Question: This picture I sent to you shows my chewed Genovese basil. If you enlarge the picture you will see small insects resembling those who ate the leaves of the plant. What can I do without poisoning my basil?

Pointless to attempt olive elimination
BOB MORRIS

Question: Last fall, we planted an olive tree that was certified to be nonfruit blooming. Now, it is full of olives! I just want it to grow. So, should we pluck the little olives off the tree so it can put its energy into growth?

Formidable fire blight tough to tackle
BOB MORRIS

Question: I have a pear tree which is about 10 years old. Up until this year, it has been pretty healthy. This spring, it got a disease. I am hoping you can identify it for me and tell me what I can do to treat it so that it won’t be a problem in the future.

Rock mulch best for native desert plants
BOB MORRIS

Question: I often enjoy your pieces, and your suggestion of replacing rock mulch with wood chips caught my attention. I have an 18-year-old velvet ash in a small (20 feet by 20 feet), rock-covered front yard. Does this tree do better with rock or wood chips around its trunk?

THE LATEST
Grape leaf drop hints at root, trunk issues
BOB MORRIS

Question: I am having a serious problem with my grapevine. It seems to have stopped growing and is losing leaves. I used a lot of bone meal on the plants, and I am wondering if I have over-fertilized it? The ground is never dry; the flower bed it’s in is on the same drippers as prior years.

Avoid bird damage with certain tactics
BOB MORRIS

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?

Chemicals not a sure-fire way to kill ash tree
BOB MORRIS

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.

Fruit tree selection based on chill hours
BOB MORRIS

Question: I am in the process of ordering a couple of fruit trees online. What are the chill hours for Sun City Anthem in Henderson? I thought it was 300 hours or less. A couple of apricot trees you have recommended have been 400 and 500 hours (Blenheim and Royal Rosa), and I am wondering if that is too many.

Yellow bells prefer warm winter spots
BOB MORRIS

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?

Backyard microclimates support tender citruses
BOB MORRIS

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.

Pecans too big, water intensive for desert
BOB MORRIS

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?

Smaller fruit trees can deal with caliche
BOB MORRIS

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.

Fig cuttings must acclimate to outdoors
BOB MORRIS

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?

Pollinating insects sometimes strike at right time
BOB MORRIS

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.

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