Japanese Maple

/Japanese Maple/

Japanese Maple

This is a Japanese Maple. There are hundreds of varieties and too many to specifically identify (even many red ones). Japanese maples prefer; dappled or afternoon shade especially when young, protection from strong wind, well-drained, consistently moist soil (neither excessively wet nor dry), protection from late spring frosts especially when young. They do better in acidic soils and do not do as well in alkaline soils. Japanese Maple are greedy feeders, especially when young. Before planting, work as much compost as you like into the soil around the tree, and keep adding it during spring and early summer. Composted matter not only adds valuable nutrients to the soil, it tends to retain moisture, which Japanese Maple love. These trees are quite drought-tolerant when mature, but like most young trees, they need regular deep waterings during the first few years. Plan to water heavily twice a week during normal weather and three or even four times weekly in periods of drought. Whether your tree is young or mature, it will grow best in soil kept consistently moist by regular watering and mulching. A 3-inch layer of shredded bark around the entire root zone of the tree (but not touching the trunk) works well in all seasons.

By | 2017-09-11T15:49:26-07:00 January 21st, 2016|Trees|0 Comments
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Walking Stick Leaf Browning

Is it possible that this plant got hit with something? Hot water from a sun-heated hose, house cleaning products, liquid fertilizer or other garden products? This looks most like contact-irritant damage of some sort. See if you can figure out if something splashed on the leaves.

There is a blight that causes these filberts to dieback. It usually causes die-back branch at a time. It's possible that your plant has this. The tell-tale sign of this is small, black dashes of "fruiting bodies" on the stems. More about this here: http://hyg.ipm.illinois.edu/pastpest/200811a.html

General recommendations for a plant showing leaf browning are as follows:
1. Clip off the worst leaves so you can better monitor if the damage is continuing or not. If the damage has stopped, whatever the problem was has come and gone.
2. Water the plant deeply using a sprinkler or soaker hoses, not hand-watering. Hand-watering is never deep enough. It has been a pretty dry summer in your area and it's possible that this plant just has leaf scorch from being so dry.
3. Do not fertilize until next spring.

By | 2016-01-21T20:09:20-08:00 January 21st, 2016|Shrubs|0 Comments
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Pineapple Guava

If the flower in the background belongs to this plant with the leaves in front, then this is likely the flower of a Feijoa sellowiana commonly known as Pineapple Guava. It is a large fruiting, evergreen shrub or small tree and used primarily as a landscape shrub on the west coast of the United States but has the added feature of tasty, edible fruit and flowers. Does well in USDA zones 8 äóñ 10. What this really means is that it likes some cool weather, can go down to 10 deg. F, likes rain in the 30äó_ äóñ 40äó_ range, and doesnäó»t like super hot daytime weather äóñ so not as happy in the desert. Itäó»s adaptable to a wide range of soils, including acidic soil, but prefers a humus rich soil that is well drained. Adding compost and not manure works for this plant. Full sun is best äóñ but it can tolerate partial shade. The flowers which bloom in the late spring are edible if raised organically. The thick petals are succulent with a tropical floral flavor and are eaten fresh. Great sprinkled over a fruit salad. The petals may be plucked without interfering with fruit set. The fruit ripens in late fall, which is a great boon since almost everything else in the garden is gone. The delicious fruit pulp is sweet and tangy at the same time. Eat them by scooping out the fruit with a spoon, or you can cook them in puddings, pastry fillings, fritters, dumplings, fruit-sponge-cake, pies or tarts.

By | 2017-09-11T15:49:26-07:00 January 21st, 2016|Shrubs|0 Comments
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Splitleaf Philodendron Problem

Indoors Philodendrons need bright, indirect light and regular water when the soil feels dry to the touch down to the first knuckle. However, the leaf tip browning may be due to either the quality of water or if it is allowed to sit in water. If the plant is in a saucer, make sure you water in a sink so that the water drains out completely before returning to the saucer. And since many houseplants are endemic to the tropics, they are susceptible to salt build-up as well as salts in tap water. Suggest you flush out the plant with water several times in the sink to get the excess salts out of the soil and if the problem continues, switch to steam iron water available at your grocery store. Also feed with a slow release or organic fertilizer formulated for container plants. The pale leaves may indicate a nutrient deficiency. And look for insect infestation such as aphids, mealybugs or scale on leaves and stems. We do not see any insect problem from the photo and believe it is more of a cultural issue - watering, light and nutrient. Hope your plant thrives again.

By | 2016-01-21T09:01:22-08:00 January 21st, 2016|House Plants|0 Comments
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Moses In A Basket Oyster Plant

Oyster plant is a short-stemmed, tender foliage plant that makes attractive, small, dense, spreading clumps . It forms a solid groundcover of upright leaves. The six- to eight-inch-long, sword-shaped leaves are green above and purplish below. The unusual flowers, borne down among the leaves, appear as clusters of tiny white flowers nestled within two boat-shaped, purplish bracts. Winter hardy to USDA Zones 9-11 where it is noted for its ease of culture and tolerance for wide range of growing conditions. Best in filtered or part sun locations. Will grow in direct sun with some afternoon protection. Also grows in shade. Plants like a consistently moist but well-drained soil during the growing season, with reduced watering from fall to late winter. Plants also can grow well on rocky soils. Established plants have drought tolerance. Easily propagated by seeds, stem cuttings or division. Tradescantia spathacea, commonly called Moses-in-a-basket or oyster plant, is a clump-forming evergreen perennial that is native to southern Mexico, Belize and Guatemala. It is widely cultivated in tropical areas because of its attractive foliage. It is commonly grown in the West Indies. It has shown invasive tendencies by escaping gardens and naturalizing in parts of Louisiana and Florida.

By | 2017-09-11T15:49:26-07:00 January 21st, 2016|Perennials|4 Comments
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Rd Response

Bobbie,we are trying again and trying a different method of response. It appears that the lengthy answers that I am writing to many of our inquirers is not getting through to them when we use the space called additional comments. You and now another are find blank boxes there or not even the box. You just happen to be the one that is getting the biggest impact with this. Several things attack crape myrtles aphid, scale insects and weevils. Then you have the possibility of diseases that weaken a tree then the pests come when it is weakened. This does not look like any of the pests. Our biggest concern is the fact that it is spreading to other trees. We recommend that you contact your local cooperative extension agent. Either that person or one of the tree specialists at VA Tech, our state land grant university can be of much greater help than we can at this point. We are also not certified pesticide applicators so we cannot recommend products or know the best way to treat this. Please contact them as soon as possible. Thank you and I apologize again for the problem that you are experiencing with the app.

By | 2017-09-11T15:49:26-07:00 January 21st, 2016|Trees|0 Comments
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Lettuce Yellowing And Leaf Spot

The spots are a leaf-spot fungus. This usually isn't fatal to plants and most often happens when foliage is damp for a long time or overnight. If the spots you see are mostly on the plants next to the soil, as in this photo, that's what's going on. Clip them off and only water the plants in the AM, not in the evening. Additionally, all plants grown under lights indoors benefit from a fan placed nearby and set on a timer to go off for a few hours a day. This helps strengthen the plants as well as keep the leaves from staying damp for too long and encouraging leaf spot.

The pale color could be several things. 1. If you're using common gro-lights or fluorescent bulbs they should be only 3 or 4 inches above the plants. If you're using high-intensity bulbs they can be higher. 2. Have you fertilized recently? If not, it could be time to do so as your plants are large enough to need more nutrients. Use fertilizer according to directions on label. 3. Be sure you're not keeping the soil too moist - this will lead to root rot which produces yellow plants. Water deeply less often - let the surface of the soil go dry before watering again...a fan will also help with this.

By | 2016-01-21T04:10:14-08:00 January 21st, 2016|Vegetable Plants|0 Comments
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Tomato Nutrient Deficiency

This appears to be a symptom of nutrient deficiency. These deficiencies could also be symptoms of too much water, or watering too frequently - we noticed its in a pot, so make sure water is draining from the pot every time you water, but only water when the upper 2" (or a bit more depending on plant size and root ball size) have dried out. Soil that are too wet cause roots to drown and not function. Sometimes not enough water can also cause root damage that results in insufficient uptake of water and nutrients. Tomatoes are heavy nutrient feeders at certain stages of growth, and nutrients can be difficult to provide if the plant is not growing in ideal conditions. Here is a link (from the University of CA) all about Tomatoes that will help, but in short Tomatoes need 6-8 hours of full sun each day, and prefer not to be watered "overhead". Since your plant is in a pot, you may eventually need to water more often as it continues to develop a bigger root system, but don't "over-water". If your plant is well on its way with flowering and fruit set/development you should fertilize it with an all purpose vegetable fertilizer or something formulated for tomatoes - consider a slow release fertilizer so that the plant gets a continuous feed for this period of heavy use. Follow the label instructions when fertilizing. http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/GARDEN/VEGES/tomato.html

By | 2017-09-11T15:49:26-07:00 January 21st, 2016|Vegetable Plants|0 Comments
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Snails And Slugs

We've included a link all about snails and slugs to help you get control of them. When they get to be numerous in a garden/yard, it will take time to get them under control, but once you do, it'll be worth the effort. Baits formulated for control of slugs and snails are only effective if used exactly right, and some can be very toxic to other organisms (children included). Non-chemical methods are more effective for the long term. The best way to control them is to trap them. You can easily make traps out of melons (carved out, after eating them) or just about anything that will provide a dark, moist place for them to hide under during the day in your garden. (make sure they have room to slither under the trap!) Then you just pick up the trap every day, and dispose of the ones you've caught; then repeat until you think you've got them. You will probably want to use multiple traps at once to get as many as possible every night. Beware that one snail/slug can lay lots of eggs in the soil, so regular cultivation or tilling of the soil surface helps to eliminate the eggs (and helps with weeds too)!
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/QT/snailsslugscard.html

By | 2016-01-20T19:47:27-08:00 January 20th, 2016|Plant Pests|0 Comments
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Black Spot On Roses Thats Not Typical

We understand why you question whether this is blackspot or something else. The confusing thing is that sometimes the blackspot fungus Diplocarpon rosae is pictured as being round dark spots, often with a lighter center. So when we see dark spots that have fuzzier edges it seems like this might be another disease. But there aren't other rose diseases that look like this.

To combat black spot early in the season, try to water so that the foliage isn't splashed. It's easier to stall this disease or prevent it than it is to treat it once the plant already has the fungus. Plant resistant varieties when possible. Spray with a fungicide labeled for blackspot right from when the plant breaks dormancy. Repeat that spray once most of the leaves have dropped off, coating the stems to kill any of the fungus that is remaining there. Rake up all fallen leaves and throw them out. Never water a rose in the evening or night, only in the AM so that the foliage dries quickly. Mulch early in the season to cover up any fungal spores in the soil and prevent them from splashing onto the foliage.

You can see blackspot photos that look more like your plant here: http://www.hgtvgardens.com/garden-basics/preventing-rose-diseases
and here: http://www.backyardnature.net/n/x/blakspot.htm

By | 2016-01-20T18:37:13-08:00 January 20th, 2016|Plant Diseases|0 Comments
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