Avocado Problem

/Avocado Problem/

Avocado Problem

There could be a variety of reasons why your avocado is suffering: If it was in full or partial sun, bringing it indoors is a drastic change in light and it may be reacting to this change - either place it outdoors where it was originally during the warm day temperatures and bring indoors when the evenings become cold; it is best to water in the sink allowing the water to drain out completely before returning it to the saucer - do not allow the plant to sit in water as this may lead to root rot; it could also be leaf burn caused by under-watering; also avocados need excellent drainage and are very susceptible to root rots as well as salt burn from the alkaline tap water. This time of year, leaf tip burn is fairly common, and if it is due to salt burn, switch to steam iron water; feed with a slow-release or organic fertilizer formulated for avocados. You might find this link helpful: http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/GARDEN/FRUIT/avocados.html. One more note: your avocado planted from seed will not come true to the mother plant, but if it thrives, you may get a wonderful new cultivar!

By | 2016-01-14T20:03:01-08:00 January 14th, 2016|Fruit Plants & Trees|0 Comments
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Squash

We don't know why the plant is twisting -- never heard of it happening before in 50 years of growing vegetables. However, we can help you with flowers and no fruit. It sounds like your female flowers aren't getting pollinated. I'm sure you have heard that there has been a 30% decline in honeybees worldwide. Without bees and other pollinators the female flowers don't get pollinated and produce fruit. If you were to carefully look at your plants you will see very large yellow flowers and a few smaller flowers. Look behind the smaller flowers and you will see a small fruit. Once the female flower gets pollinated the tiny fruit in back of the flower will swell and produce viable seeds and the fruit that surrounds the seeds. If the flower doesn't get pollinated the plant knows that there are no viable seeds inside and the small fruit drops off and the plant produces another female flower hoping to get pollinated. No bees -- no fruit.

You will need to start planting flowers that attract bees and the bees will visit both the planted flowers and your squash. Hyssop (Agastache), African Blue Basil, marigolds, are just a few to attract bees. Let us know how things work out.

By | 2017-09-11T15:49:27-07:00 January 14th, 2016|Vegetable Plants|0 Comments
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Desert Lily Or Ajo Lily

Hesperocallis is a monotypic genus with the single species, Hesperocallis undulata. Originally considered to belong to Liliaceae, APG II included it in its own family, Hesperocallidaceae or in a broader Asparagaceae according to APG III. It is an erect perennial with onion odor from deep seated, tunicated bulbs, with glaucous leaves and straight stout stems. Found in sandy flats of creosote brush desert scrub in some of the most arid regions of North America (deserts of southeastern California, Baja California and Sonora, Mexico, and southwesten Arizona), it flowers only after infrequent rains. Flowers are large, white with a silver or green midstripe and are fragrant, especially at night. Because this "Desert Lily" is very beautiful, bulb fanciers would love to bring it into horticulture. The seeds germinate easily in winter when grown in a well-drained mix. It is important to keep the seedlings in growth and not allow them to go dormant. Once the seedlings go dormant, getting them to break dormancy is a challenge. Even a few who have gotten them to come into growth again have not had success in getting plants to bloom. The Spanish settlers called this plant Ajo, which means garlic. They got the idea when they dug up one of the bulbs (not a good thing to do) and tasted it.

By | 2016-01-14T13:30:28-08:00 January 14th, 2016|Bulb Plants|0 Comments
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Purple Loosestrife

This appears to be purple loosetrife, but we are not certain. Purple loosestrife is a pretty plant that grows best in sun with regular moisture. Purple loose-strife is a wetland perennial that prefers open sunny areas and wet soils and while the flowers are on tall spikes, they exhibit in "whorls" much like this flower is doing. Plants may be found in wet meadows, floodplains, disturbed areas such as roadside ditches, along stream banks and around the edges of ponds, lakes and marshes. When mature (at three to five years) a single plant may be over three meters tall and produce as many as fifty stems. Leaves are blade-shaped, entire and oppositely arranged on the stems. The stems are usually square in cross-section, but may be five or six-sided. Leaves and stems may be (but are not always) covered with soft hairs. Plants form dense, woody rootballs (up to 50 cm in diameter) with a strong taproot. Purple loosestrife blooms during the summer. Its reddish-purple flowers, each with five to seven petals, are closely arranged on tall flower spikes. A mature plant may produce up to 2.5 million seeds per year. Seeds, which remain viable in the ground for at least five years, are as small as a grain of sand and are easily carried by wind, water, and passing animals, and may go undetected on muddy boots.

By | 2016-01-14T13:11:25-08:00 January 14th, 2016|Weeds|0 Comments
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Pests Of Hibiscus

This is either an insect called Mealybug, or the molted skins of another insect called Aphids. If the plant is grown indoors, its probably Mealybug as we don't usually see Aphids in-doors. Outdoors, it could be either one of these (or sometimes both). The Aphids molt thru several stages of growth, shedding the old skin and leaving it behind on the leaves, so they may still be present. Look for them on the underside of the leaves and on the newest growth and flower buds. Mealybug are small cottony-looking things that don't really look like insects to the naked eye. In any case, both of these insects are sap suckers, feeding on the leaves and excreting the sugar that is removed from the plant cells and tissues. It looks like some of these leaves may have the sticky excrement (called honeydew) on them (are they tacky/sticky to the touch?) We've included a link with information about these insects and how to control them. For starters, if the plant is not too large, you can wash the insects and the honeydew off with dish soap and water. You may have to do this more than once until you've gotten rid of them. Outdoors, you can also wash them off with a high pressure spray of water, or use a horticultural oil (just be careful the plant is watered and its not hot outside). Here's the link:
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/invertebrates/menu.aphidsthrips.html

By | 2016-01-14T11:41:21-08:00 January 14th, 2016|Plant Pests|2 Comments
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Aloe Vera Color

Actually your Aloe doesn't really have a problem. Grown well (hard, tough so to speak) in full sun it should take on that coppery color. Grown in more shade the plant will become very green and somewhat not as hardy. The black spotting is likely from the full sun and not getting enough water. You can see how far down the plant is sitting in the pot? I would recommend just gently slipping the whole plant and soil out of the pot in one piece, and filling up the pot with about 2-3" of well draining potting soil (whatever would bring the plant root ball up to almost the rim) and slip the whole plant back in. You will probably need some new soil to tuck in around the sides of the old root ball as well. Give it a good thorough drink. This new and added volume of soil should help in keeping more moisture to the plant in full sun. The black spots you have won't go away, but those leaves will eventually die and be replaced with new healthy ones. Always water thoroughly when you do, and don't water again until the soil has dried out down about an inch or so into the soil - stick your finger in, roughly the distance up to your first knuckle.

By | 2016-01-14T05:07:00-08:00 January 14th, 2016|Plant Diseases|0 Comments
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Leyland Problem

Our guess is that this is not a disease but we'll go through the possibilities.
1. Damage from last winter - leylands are prone to winter damage in cold winters.
2. Die-back caused by root pruning in the ball-and-burlap process if this is a new plant. B&B plants have their roots cut and will normally show die-back because of that - a plant takes 3 or more years to recover from the B&B process.
3. Not enough water over this past summer - too shallow? This is especially likely if this is a newly planted tree, since most people forget that they have to water a new plant deeply but not frequently.

That said, there are two types of canker diseases that Leylands are prone to, and if in a poorly drained area they can get root rot. If this is an established plant and you don't think that you're seeing winter kill you should prune off all brown foliage well inside the plant, disinfecting your pruners in a 10x1 water/bleach solution in between every cut. Then monitor the plant to see if the damage continues. Be sure not to spray the foliage with water and prevent irrigation systems from hitting the foliage too - water with a soaker hose if possible - soaking the area around and under the tree deeply once a week.

By | 2017-09-11T15:49:27-07:00 January 14th, 2016|Trees|0 Comments
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Mites

Without a picture I suspect Diaprepes root weevil or little leaf notcher. Fortunately the weevils are said to prefer to feed on weed (grass) roots, so they don't damage the tree roots. The best solution (if you can do it) is to get rid of any grass, which not only takes away the food source of the grubs but also frees up nutrient resources that would have been consumed by the grass. You can lay down heavy layers of (free) mulch which then attracts beneficial creatures (worms, millipedes, etc) and adds to the quality of the soil. I wouldn't worry too much though, damage is mostly cosmetic. On the other hand, however, you also have a serious spider mite infestation. Spider mites commonly infest mangoes in Florida. Feeding and is first confined to the upper leaf surface, along the midrib, and then along secondary veins. The areas along the veins become reddish-brown. Infested leaves often abscise prematurely. Horticultural oils and neem oil work by smothering immobile insects such as scales, aphids, and mites and are applied fall, winter and spring. Do not apply when daytime temperatures reach 85 degrees.

By | 2016-01-14T02:54:02-08:00 January 14th, 2016|Plant Pests|0 Comments
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Leaf Fungus On Rudbeckia

This looks like a fungal problem on your Rudbeckia. There are several fungi that can cause the leaves to be spotted or all brown, and without culturing in a lab it's impossible to know which one you have, but the cause and treatment are the same. 1. The most common cause of leaf fungi on Rudbeckia is the splashing of water on the leaves. This might be from frequent hand watering, automatic irrigation, frequent rainfalls, or a combination of all of these. Be sure that Rudbeckia, a drought-tolerant plant, is only watered every 7 days. 2. Once your plants have had this problem you'll want to use one of the organic fungicides next year to help protect the foliage once the watering has been altered. Your local garden center can suggest a product but you might try sulfur, copper, Actinovate or Serenade used according to directions. Start spraying early in the summer and apply every week to ten days to prevent the foliage from being infected.
3. Be sure your Rudbeckia is watered in the AM only, not at night when it will stay wet for longer. Be sure to grow this plant in full sun - in part-shade it is more likely to stay damp and develop fungal conditions.

By | 2016-01-14T02:14:37-08:00 January 14th, 2016|Plant Diseases|0 Comments
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Chewing Pests

The are many chewing insect pests, so without seeing the organism itself its very hard to say which may have done the damage. We recommend you examine the plant for beetles and caterpillars, and if you find something please send us a photo of it and we'll be happy to look again. Examine both the upper and lower surfaces of the leaves, and the stems too, at various times of day and in the evening because different insects feed at different times. It may also be
that the pest has moved on and won't continue the damage. If you do not see continuous
damage, there's nothing to be done. For caterpillar control, products that contain Bacilus thurengiensis or Bt are very effective and least toxic - you can get this at most garden centers, but there's no need for it if caterpillars are not found on the plant. Most beetles, grasshoppers,
and other similar flying insects usually don't cause great harm or concern unless there are high
numbers of them. If that were to occur, we recommend picking off as many as possible by hand and dropping them in a bucket of soapy water to kill them before disposing of them. You can also ask your local garden center for an appropriate product to be applied after hand-picking.

By | 2016-01-14T02:04:31-08:00 January 14th, 2016|Annuals|0 Comments
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