GARDENING: Earlitreat is on the boughs now

Right now we are harvesting Earlitreat peaches at the Master Gardener Demonstration Orchard in North Las Vegas. This is one of the earliest peaches that produces juicy, sweet fruit very nearly some of the best peaches you will taste in this valley. If you want a good peach that's earlier than apricots try Earlitreat. It scored nearly a perfect 5 on our taste tests.

Current problems include leaf cutter bees appearing now; tomato hornworm eggs are being laid; tomato blossoms are falling from the plants; fruit needs to be thinned for a better harvest, and mushrooms appearing in lawns.

Leaf cutter bees will be active now and through the summer. They cut those perfect near circles in leaves such as roses and other plants. Do not try to control them. They are important pollinators. Our domestic bee population is low enough without trying to get rid of wild bees.

Over the last two weeks we have been seeing a large number of moths flying at dusk. These moths, sometimes called Sphinx moths, hawk moths or hummingbird moths, draw attention because of their large size and feeding habit that resembles a hummingbird. The larvae are large, green caterpillars that feed on tomato leaves in the garden. These will show up in three or four weeks now that the eggs are being laid.

Tomato blossoms are falling from tomatoes mostly because of a lack of pollination. We are seeing fruit drop on almonds and peaches. Leave leaf cutter bees alone and hope for better weather. Don't use insecticides or any pesticides around plants that are in bloom.

Mushrooms in your lawn? Rake them out and break them up. Discard mushroom tops into the compost pile. These might be coming from decaying wood in the ground under your lawn. The food source for the mushrooms will eventually be exhausted and they will disappear.

Any fertilizer applications on fescues should be light, about half the label rate or less. This will help in disease prevention. Lawn fertilizers used now should contain plenty of potassium for the heat.

Aphids are still quite a problem on many plants. This is unusual since by this time it's usually hot and aphids don't like hot weather. The alternating warm followed by cool weather has given these insects an unusually long spring season. This may have given some gardeners some trouble in controlling these insects with organic controls such as insecticidal soaps. Traditional pesticides for controlling aphids may be required for good control.

Watch for caterpillars that cause webbing in mesquite leaves. This can be followed later with spider mites. Spider mites are the worst of the two problems because they are much more long lasting and more difficult to control. The only biological controls available for mites are washing the leaves with water to remove dirt and the use of horticultural oils. Dirt can interfere with natural controls such as beneficial mites.

Oils are an excellent pest control method that is safe to use provided the air temperatures are not too high. Read the label before using. Oils work well on mites, aphids and scale insects.

Look for tobacco budworm damage on flowering plants. Damage from tobacco budworm usually is a decrease in flowering. Look for them on petunias, geraniums and other bedding plants. Sprays of Bt (Dipel and Thuricide) will work well.

Question: About four years ago we planted a poplar tree, which gives great shade, but has ruined our lawn because of the roots and the suckers. We have decided to go with desert landscaping. We have some bushes near the house that are on a drip line that are just fine. Our mature pine tree and the poplar have always gotten water from the lawn sprinklers.

Is it possible to water these trees with drip lines without suckers coming up or do we have to remove the poplar tree completely? Should a lining or matting be put down before spreading the rock? If the poplar tree needs to be replaced what kind of tree would you recommend for a small space but that would give shade on the house? What kind of questions should we ask the landscaper when we get estimates?

Answer: First of all it will be tough to water any large trees with drip irrigation. If you want to keep the large trees I would put them on a separate valve and use bubblers with an irrigation basin about 4 inches deep on them. Bubblers release water too fast and it will go everywhere in the landscape without an irrigation basin. I would strongly recommend not keeping the poplar in any case.

Do not use any plastic beneath the rock mulch. You will be sorry you did in about three to four years after your landscaper is gone and done a hundred other landscapes the same way. You can use a landscape fabric called geotextiles, but you will find it is expensive. Actually, nothing is necessary beneath the rock provided the rock is 2 to 3 inches deep and water is managed so it doesn't spread all over the landscape. Make sure you spray the weeds with a weed killer when they are healthy before you turn off the water to them.

There are so many trees to pick from and I really don't know what your situation is like -- i.e. the size of your house (one or two story), how high you need the lowest limbs for passing under or not, deciduous or evergreen whether it is strictly for shade or do you need privacy as well, etc. I would let the landscaper or a nursery guide you with a suggested list and if you want you can ask me from a suggested list of three or four that you like. But this tree should be part of your overall design.

If you don't have a finished landscape design and irrigation design to submit to a landscaper then you will be comparing apples to oranges. To get the job, the landscapers know that they will most likely be competing on price, so they will try to cut corners that might be important.

If you don't have landscape plans and they are asked to submit them to you I would tell them that you will not be looking for the lowest bid. Instead you will use bid averaging of the designs that you like. In other words, you will take the bid closest to the average of all the bids provided they are designs you like and meet your needs.

Next provide each bidder with a list of things you want to do outside over the next five to 10 years -- i.e. a vegetable garden, a rose garden, fruit trees, a barbecue area, a dog area, an eventual pool, a relaxation area, a sitting area, a reading area, a party area, a spa area, a storage area, an area for an RV or a boat, an outside eating area, etc.

Plants should shade the south and west walls, and shade outside living areas with seasonal shade unless it is for privacy. Plants and irrigated areas should be divided into high, medium and low water use areas. Plants with different water requirements should be irrigated with separate valves. This would require a minimum of three valves for a small property. Low water use areas (cactuses and other desert natives) may require only occasional hand watering instead of any irrigation system. Then a hose bib needs to be available.

Q: My grapes are getting these worms eating at the leaf surface. What are these things and how do I get rid of them?

A: Grape leaf skeletonizers. They are a nasty moth that really doesn't look like one. The adults are black, fly around the vine and lay their eggs on the leaf surface. The eggs hatch and these caterpillars cling on the leaf surface eating the surface layer.

The veins of the leaves are generally left untouched. This leaves the leaf skeletonized.

The safest spray to use is the Bt or bacterial sprays like Dipel or Thuricide. They won't kill them immediately, but they will stop feeding within 24 hours and finally die.

Be careful of these caterpillars. If they fall on your skin they burn, feeling like a matchhead.

We used to recommend diazinon and it will work but it isn't as safe to use on humans as the Bt spray. The Bt's are still a pesticide and you should follow the directions on the label. These bacteria are safe for humans and other animals that might come in contact with the spray.

Bob Morris is a horticulture specialist with the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension.


<<--[back]