Prevent Fruit Scarring on Nectarine

Fruit scarring on nectarines is common in the desert Southwest. It is caused by an very small insect

that you will not see with your naked eye. This insect rips away at the skin of tiny nectarine fruits and cause even more damage as the fruit is getting larger.

The fruit is ugly and inedible because of its appearance. Not because eating it will hurt you.....it won't!

This is the same insect that causes deformed rose flower buds and flowers. Western flower thrips.

To prevent scarring of fruit you need to apply a natural product that discourages these tiny pests from ripping away at skin of the fruit. Applications should be done early and repeated through the growing season.

Monterrey Garden Insect Spray contains concentrated spinosad in a ready to apply hose end applicator. Focus on spraying the fruit, not the entire tree.


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Protocol for Controlling |Insects on Roses

Q. We bought this house about two years ago. There was this rose already planted.  I noticed last summer the leaves get a shiny look on them and a sticky feel. We had roses at other house never saw this before. Do you have any idea what it is and what to do?

Horticultural oil for the winter months

A. This usually means it is one of the sap-sucking insects feeding on leaves, soft stems, and flower buds. Sometimes flower petals. These insects suck on plant juices by piercing the plant and causing physical damage and/or transmitting diseases. 

They use the plant juices for their sugar content but can't use it all so they poop it out the backend as a sticky, shiny excrement. This sugary excrement attracts ants. The answer learned that if they protect these plant juice-sucking insects from other insects that might hurt them they can group them together and treat them like we would treat dairy cattle. 

They have also learned that they can move the immature of these insects to new locations and spread them out and get an even greater benefit from them. We would call it expansion to improve their "economy of scale".

The list of insects include aphids, whiteflies, mealybugs, and the scale insects. Perhaps even thrips. The number one insect on roses during cool weather is aphids. In hot weather it is usually whiteflies because aphids do not like hot weather like whiteflies do and aphid numbers dwindle while whitefly numbers are on the rise. 

Besides giving off the sticky shiny excrement, aphids cause immature leaves to begin to curl as they grow giving them even more protection since the curled leaf also protects the "herd". Adult whiteflies are pretty good flyers and when the plant leaves are disturbed they usually take flight looking like a bunch of flying white dandruff. Least common are mealybugs and scale insects.

Here is the protocol I would use for growing roses here and controlling their insect pests.

•           During the winter months and early spring months spray roses with horticultural oil twice, about a month apart, covering the entire plant.

•           During February, March and possibly April spray the bottom sides of expanding leaves with insecticidal soap and control ants. I would spray 2 to 4 weeks apart depending on whether I saw a problem developing.

•           As a flower buds are developing, spray with Spinosad for thrips control if thrips are causing damage to flower buds.

Pyrethrum-based insecticide

•           As warm weather is developing, inspect the plant for whiteflies and damage from whiteflies. Control ants. Spray with pyrethrum based insecticides or use insecticidal soap until they are

controlled.

An alternative is to use a conventional insecticide that contains imidacloprid and apply it to the soil as a liquid drench at the beginning of the season. I am not a big fan of this insecticide for flowering plants. It has been implicated in colony collapse disorder for honeybees.

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$10 Insurance For Your New Fruit Trees

No, we are not selling crop insurance but we do sell a different kind of insurance.

Raw Mojave Desert soil in North Las Vegas that had never been irrigated or had a crop growing on it. If prepared properly, it is perfect for growing fruit trees.

 For many years I demonstrated at the University Orchard in North Las Vegas (North Decatur and Horse Road) the importance of wood mulch to the growth and health of fruit trees growing in our native desert soils. These were desert soils had never seen any kind of irrigation or crops growing on them.

The difference in one season of growth between fruit trees, at the University Orchard growing in native desert soils, that were mulched and fruit trees that were not.

All of the fruit trees were planted the same, using 50% Viragrow compost mixed in the native soil at the time of planting. All trees received exactly the same irrigation and fertilizers. The only difference was the surface mulch; wood chips shredded from local trees.You will see the same kind of growth from surface mulching ornamental trees and shrubs.

Viragrow's OGC, "organic" wood mulch from forest products harvested in Utah. A perfect wood mulch for fruit trees and ornamentals.

Viragrow just got in a load of "organic", natural forest wood mulch from Utah. This is really nice stuff. I would highly recommend it for your fruit trees and ornamental plants. It is about as ideal as a surface mulch as you can get. It will decompose slowly adding nutrients to the soil, improving soil health and drainage, bring life to desert soils, improve moisture holding, keep weeds in check, keep soils cooler and improve root growth.

Viragrow's OGC or Organic Ground Cover, a superior natural wood mulch for improving the growth of fruit trees and ornamentals.

Pricing. $58 per cubic yard with a 5 cubic yard minimum for delivery.

Pick it up directly from our yard in North Las Vegas for $2,25 for a cubic foot. BYOB (bring your own bags) or you can purchase our 1 cubic foot bags for an additional 50 cents each.

For newly planted fruit trees we recommend 4 cubic feet per tree, spread to a depth of 4 inches and kept a distance of 12 inches from the trunk the first couple of growing seasons.


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