Cactuses, particularly agaves, are rotting and dying from damage by the agave weevil, which that lays its eggs at the base of agave leaves. As their young hatch from the eggs, they burrow into the stem of the agave and all through it, including the roots.
One easy way to tell the difference between a bay laurel and a Carolina cherry laurel is to crush the leaves and smell the herbal aroma. Bay laurel leaves have a pungent aroma. When you crush the leaves of Carolina cherry laurel, they have an aroma of maraschino cherries rather than herbal.
A fruit tree should be solid in the soil and not wiggle after it is planted. Staking helps but doesn’t replace proper planting.
If you deploy pheromone traps in early May, the principal insect pest caught in the trap will be the peach twig borer. The peach twig borer causes wormy peach, nectarine and apricot.
Aphids are a big problem on new growth this time of year. Curling leaves is a spring indicator that aphids are present.
