Q: We have an Elberta peach that we harvest in August and the fruit is always small and on the mushy side. Are there better peaches we can grow?
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.
Question: I have one black mission and one white fig planted six years ago. The second crop of figs are small and easily fall off. I’m guessing they get 6 gallons every other day during the heat. Both trees grow very rapidly and are very healthy. What can be done to increase fig growth?
As I promised, here is an abbreviated version of the problem and solutions to rabbit vandalism in residential landscapes.
Question: I am sending you a picture of my funky-looking tree. I think it has some sort of disease problem.
Q: I planted six Podocarpus in March, three by the north wall and three by the south wall. Now the three on the north wall have leaves that are turning brown. The three on the south wall are fine. I didn’t realize that the trees would get this much sunscald. Any suggestions on what I can do, besides give them macronutrients and hope for the sun to change course?
Question: We planted a very small fig tree next to our wall 11 years ago, and now it is taking over the whole backyard. I heard the roots can do considerable damage to our plumbing and wall.
Q: Because of the wind the other night, the tops of two Italian cypress trees broke off about 11 feet from the ground.
Question: Do you have any solutions for keeping rabbits from eating plants? I live in Sun City Anthem, and they are a real problem. I just planted some lovely gerbera daisies, and they’ve eaten the plants to the ground.
Q: I was wondering if there is a trick to container gardening. I have been using potting soil, along with plant food, and my plants keep wilting. What am I doing wrong?
We planted three creepers this spring, and all but one is thriving. The leaves are being stripped. I’ve checked at different times of day for bugs, but all I can see are a few ants. Any suggestions?
Q: I grow tomatoes in boxes I have built. I know one is supposed to plant tomatoes in a different place every year and I don’t want to just throw away the dirt in these boxes. I don’t have many places to put this dirt so my question is, “Can I put this dirt in my compost bins?” I have two cement block bins. What, if anything, can I do to that dirt to use it in the same boxes next year at planting time? It’s expensive to buy new dirt and I am poor.
I’m an official resident of Florida now. My neighbor is also a widow and her attorney recently set her up with something called a “Lady Bird deed” to ease the transfer of her house upon her death.
Question: I have a small fescue lawn that is being taken over by what appears to be Bermudagrass or some type of large-blade thick, dense grass that is much greener and thicker than the fescue grass.
Q: I was hoping to put up a nice strong wind and sun block on the west and southwest corner of our front yard, approximately 20 feet each way. Could you give me some suggestions?
Question: We planted a pluot this past spring along with four peach trees of different varieties. The pluot just started oozing sap or gumming on the lower truck.