Desert Horticulture

Testing of home landscapes can be expensive. Sampling and testing of desert soils doesn't have to be done every year. Usually every three to five years is enough. Learn how to establish a baseline desert soil test of your landscape and how often testing should be done. All this and more in this episode of Desert Horticulture. Support the show

Desert horticulture is a unique form of horticulture that must be tweaked for desert soils, increased sunlight intensity, increased temperatures, low humidity and other factors. It's frustrating when solid local horticultural advice been given and people check its accuracy on a general horticulture Internet sites, not knowing whether this advice is good or bad. When seeking advice stay close to home and from a reliable source. Sometimes advice is based on marketing. Sometimes it's just bad advice. Only you can determine if the advice is applicable to your situation or not. Find out more on this episode of Desert horticulture. Support the show

Desert soils can be very low in organics. This is why amendments are added to landscapes. Amendments will benefit the soil structure or soil chemistry or both! Learn what it means to amend the soil and differences in soil amendments and what they can and can't do. Learn how composts differ in how rich in nutrients and why, how they are made and which to use and when. All in this episode of Desert Horticulture. Support the show

Iron, manganese and zinc is in short supply in desert soils. Particularly iron. Learn how applications of iron should differ, from soil to liquid leaf (foliar) applications, depending on the time of year. Not only that but its effectiveness varies depending on the type of product used, how it is applied and when it is applied. Learn this and more in this episode of Desert Horticulture. Support the show

Fire blight disease is one of the most virulent and aggressive diseases that fruit trees and landscape plants can get. This past year we've had an outbreak of this disease. Some fruit trees and landscape plants are more susceptible to it than others. In particular Asian pears, Quince and some European pears as well is apples can get it. Walk your landscape and Orchard in the spring months when new growth occurs. If you've had fireblight in the past walked your landscape frequently to check on this disease. Learn more about this disease by listening to this episode of Desert horticulture. Support the show

Summer pruning is a confusing management practice. It starts around late spring or very early summer and may continue all summer long. Its purpose is twofold: keep the tree smaller and reduce the winter pruning workload. Summer pruning focuses on removal of new growth only from existing productive trees. Summer pruning allows the tree to invest new growth where it senses light and a "hole" in the canopy needs to be "plugged". When fruit trees are meant to stay small, summer pruning can be a valuable management tool. Learn all about it on this episode of Desert Horticulture. Support the show

I'm not a huge fan of growing citrus at the middle elevations in the Eastern Mojave desert but it can be done. Citrus production is best done in southern Arizona and at lower elevations, warm parts of Southern California such as Riverside and Orange counties and along coastal regions such as the Galveston area of Texas. Citrus in our part of the world is best treated as a hobby; some years you get a good crop and other years you don't. Because of global climate change and Covid, citrus is become very popular for home gardens. This episode of Desert Horticulture focuses on what kind of citrus to buy, wear and how to plant these small to medium-sized fruit trees. Support the show

Wind can cause two types of damage to plants; visual and nonvisual damages. The most pernicious of the two are the nonvisual damages which reduce production and the quality of the fruit and vegetables and plants produced. This episode of desert horticulture discusses how we can design windbreaks that don't use any water or choose to divert winds away from the crops were producing. All this and more on today's desert horticulture. Support the show

I will conduct hands-on pruning classes beginning Friday, Dec. 10. All classes begin at 9 am, cost $20 per person and will be held at the Ahern Orchard downtown Las Vegas (700 Clarkway Drive for gps). Separate classes will be given for apricots and plum (pluots, Dec 10), peaches Dec 17 and 18, apples and pears on January 7 (2022), pomegranates, figs and Jujube January 14, wine and table grapes on January 21 and fertilizers (plus iron) on January 28. I will be posting "how to" guides on my blog for those who cant make it. But nothing beats "hands on"! Support the show

There is one palm that is sometimes called the "Desert Palm" and its not the Queen Palm but the California Palm. Although it can survive desert extremes, Queen Palm might not be the best choice when it comes to palms looking their best when grown in the desert. Learn of Queen Palms shortcomings in desert environments and what you have to do to keep it looking its best in this episode of Desert Horticulture. Support the show

This saguaro was leaning because it was always watered at its base. But having a 20 year old saguaro tells me you were doing something right. Learn when to water, how much to water and if you should fertilize it or not on this episode of Desert Horticulture. Support the show

Whether you are planting a hedge or a tree the spacing of it depends on its mature height. Make sure you know what height your mature plant will be before selecting and planting it. Learn this and more on this episode of Desert Horticulture. Support the show

Grubs come in many sizes. Some of them are 3/8 inch long and others can be 4 inches long. They are immature forms of a beetle. Some landscapes can be 'grub attractors". But homeowners will call anything chomping on the roots of a beloved landscape plant, a "grub'. Learn what they are and what you can do about them in this episode of Desert Horticulture. Support the show

After meeting with a local HOA Board about their water use it was clear to me they needed help but were not ready to accept it. First, be ready to accept responsibility for the water used on your landscape. Gain control of your irrigation. Learn more about landscape water use on this episode of Desert Horticulture. Support the show

The worst demon in desert landscapes is the irrigation controller. People assume they can just turn their watering over to an automatic system. That can be a mistake with some of our desert natives like the Joshua tree. Learn how to establish, water and maintain a Joshua tree in a Mojave Desert landscape. All this and more on todays Desert Horticulture. Support the show

When to fertilize Podocarpus 'Maki' is at the same time to fertilize other trees and shrubs that dont have flowers and fruit that you want...some time before spring growth starts. Not true of other plants that are tender to winter temps and that flower profusely like roses. Learn when to fertilize landscape plants, how much to apply and what to use on this episode of Desert Horticutlure. Support the show

Tree damage can occur where it is grown, where it is retailed, at planting time or when it is cared for. But you bought an undamaged plant! Learn what what can happen to a damaged plant, a particular disease that it can get, and what to do about it in this episode of Desert Horticulture. Support the show

Growing citrus in any climate other than where it grows naturally can be a challenge. There are temperature issues, rainfall, soil compatibility issues. All of these must be addressed if we want successful fruit production and a healthy tree. Join me in this episode of Desert Horticulture where we look at successful citrus production in the desert and what it takes. Support the show

Freeze effects during the spring last months after it occurs. If you don’t pay attention to what’s happening, you’ll miss it and then you start scratching your head, “What’s going on?” We can see these effects in the short-term on landscape trees and shrubs as well is fruit production into the fall. It’s confusing if you don’t understand the different effects that freezing temperatures can have on different plants. Join me on this podcast in Desert Horticulture and find out the reasons why your fruit trees and landscape plants might not produce the fruit that was promised. Support the show

Food forests are gaining in popularity everywhere, including desert environments. But are the right thing to do? Join Bob Morris on this podcast exploring the pluses and minuses of growing food in the desert on this episode of Desert Horticulture. Support the show