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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.

Asparagus varieties from UC produce quality spears

Q: Do you have a recommended type or brand of asparagus that does well here in Southern Nevada? I read your blog, and you noted the purple varieties are sweeter, but do they grow as well as other types?

Shaded leaves can pull nutrients, energy from plant

Q: I cut the lower leaves off my artichoke plant a couple months ago per your suggestion. In fact, my son, who is a pretty good gardener, asked why I cut them off. He comes over and helps me with the vegetables and asked me why I did that.

Trees suffering from ash decline should be removed

Q: My Arizona ash tree is about 20 years old. Six or eight limbs have dried up and died within the last couple of weeks. Can you tell me the cause of this and what I can do to prevent more from drying up?

 
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Not rotating vegetables causes decline in production

Q: After 17 years of growing tomatoes, I feel I have depleted most of the nutrients so I am going to dig it up, remove it and replace it with new soil. My idea is to lay down a layer of fruit pulp in a sufficient quantity and then cover with at least 12 inches of planter’s mix. I would do fish guts but I can’t find any quantity. By the 2018 spring planting season, I think I’ll have a super soil. What do you think?

Harvest Meyer lemon tree in December or when fruit is sweet

Come and visit me at the Home Improvement and Backyard Expo on Sept. 16-17 from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the South Point. Bring in some plant samples or pictures and let’s talk about them. Would you like a couple of 10-minute classes? I will stay longer than 2 p.m. if anyone wants to chitchat.

Citrus trees need to be protected from winter temperatures

I will be at the Home Improvement and Backyard Expo at the South Point on Sept. 16 and 17, from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. I will be there to answer any questions you may have and to chat. I will stay longer if people have questions. Come and see me. I would love to talk with you.

Growing artichokes in the desert can be a challenge

Q: I contacted you earlier about my artichoke and tiny black bugs. I applied a solution of Garden Safe Neem Oil as a spray. Hosed it down a couple times so cut off the top few inches of leaves. No pests since then. The main plant is dying, and there are several suckers growing. I have been looking online for the care of the plant.

Cold winter temperatures are detrimental to growing citrus

Q: Why does your list of recommended fruit trees have no citrus? I understand the problem with freezing during the winter, but nurseries and garden centers here sell citrus. If I could provide some sort of wind block from cold winter winds and some frost protection, would lemons or oranges have a chance or are they just generally doomed?

Ripe figs attract omnivores this time of year

Q: Your advice has helped me get a couple of dozen figs off my relatively young trees this year. However, the attached photos show where there were two figs a few days ago and now they are entirely eaten. I have a net over them so I don’t think it’s birds, and I cannot see bugs anywhere on the plant.

Oxalis can be difficult to control in Bermuda grass

Q: We have a very lovely and well-tended hybrid Bermuda lawn. This past fall, and now this summer, it has been invaded by a weed called oxalis. What are your suggestions for killing this weed and not damaging our lawn?

Pomegranate resilient in desert, but watch overwatering

Q: A combination of overwatering and this heat caused my 9-year-old dwarf pomegranate leaves to yellow and drop on about a third of the plant. I turned off the water and hand watered it with small amounts of water. The only thing I did differently was to give the plants a small dose of Miracle-Gro in the spring. Any suggestions?

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