I've fought temptation and not picked any avocados for a week and a half. The earlier ones I picked never ripened properly so I'm going to just let them 'sit' on the tree until they appear to mature more. What that means I have no idea since at this point they all still look the same. Will check back in a week.
Roses are doing better on the sunnier side of the planting. The shadier side never had issues until the geraniums started overgrowing, the aloe plant turned monstrous and the ivy from next door started invading everything like a green blob.
I've machete'd the geraniums back, yanked a few gobs of ivy out with a steel rake and am ready to do one-on-one with the aloe. The rose plants benefiting from all of this battle royal seem so far unimpressed and seem content to simply sit there.
The upside down tomato plant has put out more flowers and one tomato bud. We'll see.
The lemon, orange, mandarin and tangelo dwarf trees all have green fruit on them. The lime has none yet. The small buds had been yellowing and falling off but a few are hanging in there. I should know in a week or so if they will turn into fruit.
The dwarf lime had the worst bug infestation and resulting leaf curl. The application of Sevin hasn't burned any foliage. The ants which used to crawl all over the place are gone. Hopefully the leaf curlers are as well. Waiting for new shoots to sprout out where I had pruned off the deformed leaves.
Dwarf apple is still a dwarf as it should be. The three apples are still pretty small. I worry the possum will just eat them one night.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Friday, July 30, 2010
More Avocados
Picked 7 more avocados from the tree. Will try to wait 2 or 3 days in-between 'harvests'. Haven't eaten a single one, though. The first two were given away. The next five were given away as well. The seven are in a paper bag with a banana to try to get them to ripen faster (banana ripens fast and produces ethylene to make the avocados ripen faster). This was done yesterday.
The weather has been cool so I'm not watering as often. It's the coldest summer on record so far (mid 70's high to low 60's at night).
Hydrangea is a pain. Watering it enough to get it going is a pain. Trying to kill it once it's established is a nightmare. It's like a bad haircut that keeps coming back. On top of that, it has spines that will go through rubberized shoes (Hush Puppies become Ouch Puppies). I like the Wisteria but the Hydrangea is intertwined with it. Will try to get the hedger on it this week.
The weather has been cool so I'm not watering as often. It's the coldest summer on record so far (mid 70's high to low 60's at night).
Hydrangea is a pain. Watering it enough to get it going is a pain. Trying to kill it once it's established is a nightmare. It's like a bad haircut that keeps coming back. On top of that, it has spines that will go through rubberized shoes (Hush Puppies become Ouch Puppies). I like the Wisteria but the Hydrangea is intertwined with it. Will try to get the hedger on it this week.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Hibiscus perking up
Starting to get a feel for what makes the hibiscus happy (I'm talking to the plants now...as dad would say, as long as they don't talk back you're fine).
I removed the drip line and now both the hibiscus and the avocado tree on the side of the house are being watered by a nozzle jet as well as hose with a small lawn spray head once or twice a week.
I really don't like the idea of watering more. The whole idea of using drip was to save water but the plants just don't do well otherwise. I'm also watering the dwarf fruit trees more...once a week with the hose and lawn nozzle. I also applied Sevin to kill whatever is causing the leaf curl. It's the worst on the lime which has not produced any fruit.
The tomato, which is in one of those crazy upside down planters, has hardened up and is doing well now. I count three yellow flowers on it so hopefully we should have some tomatoes by the time the frost comes around to kill it. For a planter I have to admit it's fairly ingenious although it looks like the plant is being tortured, upside down and all.
The miniature apple tree has, well, three miniature apples on it. I'm rooting (that was not an intentional plant pun) for the fruit to get bigger, but the plant is so short (about 14"), I'd be afraid it might get damaged if it tried to carry a full load. It is also on drip with a hose watering once or twice a week.
The avocado tree (the big one producing on the slope) has now given us 7 avocados with hopefully many more to come. I have no idea when to pick them so I'm going by size and color differentiation. They're rock hard but supposedly will ripen in a paper bag. I wish they would ripen faster and the bananas from the store slower...idea...put them next to the bananas to get the banana ethylene to hasten ripening...hmmm...
Because the tree is so large (20' ?), it's on a twice a week watering schedule (hose with sprinkler head, or hosprihead for short)...usually between 15 and 25 minutes on 'low' volume.
I removed the drip line and now both the hibiscus and the avocado tree on the side of the house are being watered by a nozzle jet as well as hose with a small lawn spray head once or twice a week.
I really don't like the idea of watering more. The whole idea of using drip was to save water but the plants just don't do well otherwise. I'm also watering the dwarf fruit trees more...once a week with the hose and lawn nozzle. I also applied Sevin to kill whatever is causing the leaf curl. It's the worst on the lime which has not produced any fruit.
The tomato, which is in one of those crazy upside down planters, has hardened up and is doing well now. I count three yellow flowers on it so hopefully we should have some tomatoes by the time the frost comes around to kill it. For a planter I have to admit it's fairly ingenious although it looks like the plant is being tortured, upside down and all.
The miniature apple tree has, well, three miniature apples on it. I'm rooting (that was not an intentional plant pun) for the fruit to get bigger, but the plant is so short (about 14"), I'd be afraid it might get damaged if it tried to carry a full load. It is also on drip with a hose watering once or twice a week.
The avocado tree (the big one producing on the slope) has now given us 7 avocados with hopefully many more to come. I have no idea when to pick them so I'm going by size and color differentiation. They're rock hard but supposedly will ripen in a paper bag. I wish they would ripen faster and the bananas from the store slower...idea...put them next to the bananas to get the banana ethylene to hasten ripening...hmmm...
Because the tree is so large (20' ?), it's on a twice a week watering schedule (hose with sprinkler head, or hosprihead for short)...usually between 15 and 25 minutes on 'low' volume.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
July 15, 2010
This past year has been pretty tough as a number of issues have prevented me from doing any meaningful work in the yard. For the most part it's been maintenance (keeping the lawn mowed, cutting down bamboo that's beginning to invade the lawn, etc).
Around a year and a half ago I planted 5 double blossom Sakura (Japanese cherry trees) on the slope where the vegetable garden used to be. Because I was away for 1/2 year and never set up any irrigation, they all died. A dwarf apple tree (I'm not sure if it really is an apple because it fruits in the summer) managed to survive, though, and it has two small fruits on it. I set up the drip a couple of weeks ago on it and will hose water once every other week to give it an extra 'shot'.
Lessons learned regarding the yard. The gopher (and all of his/her cronies) are just impossible to get rid of. Even the invasive ice plant from the neighbor has fallen prey to them. I don't even consider growing any food any more unless it's in some sort of container.
I thought the sage, since it's so woody, would survive but the gophers finally decimated it. Only the rosemary remains and it actually looks pretty nice.
In the front yard I planted lavender a couple of years ago and they've (about 25 plants) have grown and filled in nicely. They're drought tolerant so I don't even bother to water them but the color on them varies from medium green to light green (like they're sick or something). My feeling is that they can be over watered and some plants boarder the lawn so this is possible. At least the gopher hasn't eaten them. I think they're safe.
I heard that gophers don't like geraniums so I planted some on the side. Sure enough, they are gopher proof. Unfortunately, they are not idiot proof. The drop irrigation was broken due to weeding during my time away and those plants have suffered a great deal. With the summer heat on now, even with a lot of watering they seem to have a tough time.
The hibiscus on the side of the house has done best during the winter when it rained a lot. As soon as the weather warmed up (and dried up as well), it started flowering less and dropping leaves. At least now I know the problem before was not over watering or over/under fertilizing but just under watering. It's to the point where I may actually put a sprinkler head next to it and skip the drip just for that plant.
There are three avocado trees. The one on the side of the house, which is next to the under watered hibiscus, is thin and dropped a number of leaves during the last heat wave. I have mixed feelings about those plants because they are so sensitive to watering and although we have no water rationing yet, I'm trying to make the yard drought friendly. Maybe every yard has a couple of water hogs.
The second avocado tree is just in a bad spot. It's next to the lawn so it gets plenty of water but still has a 'burn' on it's leaves. Neither of the aforementioned avocado trees have generated any fruit.
The third tree (on the hill) is thriving. It seems to have a root system strong enough to pull water out pretty deep. It put out a lot of fruit last year but none matured. It could be because it didn't get watered. This year I set up drip for it and will water it heavily once every week or so on the same schedule as the dwarf apple tree. It would be nice to at least get a few avocados.
The dwarf fruit trees are doing better now that the backyard canopy has been removed. After three years the fabric tore and all that is left now is the tubular frame. This is allowing more light to hit the plants. The main issue now is the pest infestation which curls the new leaves up. I took a sample to Home Depot and they recommended a spray which I have to put on. Based on my greenhouse experience, I may wait until the weather cools down a bit. Spraying on hot plants can cause leaf burning in some cases.
I have one of those crazy upside down tomato planters. I don't think the plant is particularly happy about it. It was doing perfectly fine in the kitchen (relatively low light) until I jammed it into the planter and stuck it outside. It took about a week for it to harden up enough to the point where it wouldn't wilt every time the sun came out. What's nice about the design is that there's enough soil in the planter to hold a lot of water so you don't have to micro manage the watering. Once a week right now is enough water for it. Once it starts producing fruit, it may shorten down to every four or five days.
There's more to write but not tonight.
Around a year and a half ago I planted 5 double blossom Sakura (Japanese cherry trees) on the slope where the vegetable garden used to be. Because I was away for 1/2 year and never set up any irrigation, they all died. A dwarf apple tree (I'm not sure if it really is an apple because it fruits in the summer) managed to survive, though, and it has two small fruits on it. I set up the drip a couple of weeks ago on it and will hose water once every other week to give it an extra 'shot'.
Lessons learned regarding the yard. The gopher (and all of his/her cronies) are just impossible to get rid of. Even the invasive ice plant from the neighbor has fallen prey to them. I don't even consider growing any food any more unless it's in some sort of container.
I thought the sage, since it's so woody, would survive but the gophers finally decimated it. Only the rosemary remains and it actually looks pretty nice.
In the front yard I planted lavender a couple of years ago and they've (about 25 plants) have grown and filled in nicely. They're drought tolerant so I don't even bother to water them but the color on them varies from medium green to light green (like they're sick or something). My feeling is that they can be over watered and some plants boarder the lawn so this is possible. At least the gopher hasn't eaten them. I think they're safe.
I heard that gophers don't like geraniums so I planted some on the side. Sure enough, they are gopher proof. Unfortunately, they are not idiot proof. The drop irrigation was broken due to weeding during my time away and those plants have suffered a great deal. With the summer heat on now, even with a lot of watering they seem to have a tough time.
The hibiscus on the side of the house has done best during the winter when it rained a lot. As soon as the weather warmed up (and dried up as well), it started flowering less and dropping leaves. At least now I know the problem before was not over watering or over/under fertilizing but just under watering. It's to the point where I may actually put a sprinkler head next to it and skip the drip just for that plant.
There are three avocado trees. The one on the side of the house, which is next to the under watered hibiscus, is thin and dropped a number of leaves during the last heat wave. I have mixed feelings about those plants because they are so sensitive to watering and although we have no water rationing yet, I'm trying to make the yard drought friendly. Maybe every yard has a couple of water hogs.
The second avocado tree is just in a bad spot. It's next to the lawn so it gets plenty of water but still has a 'burn' on it's leaves. Neither of the aforementioned avocado trees have generated any fruit.
The third tree (on the hill) is thriving. It seems to have a root system strong enough to pull water out pretty deep. It put out a lot of fruit last year but none matured. It could be because it didn't get watered. This year I set up drip for it and will water it heavily once every week or so on the same schedule as the dwarf apple tree. It would be nice to at least get a few avocados.
The dwarf fruit trees are doing better now that the backyard canopy has been removed. After three years the fabric tore and all that is left now is the tubular frame. This is allowing more light to hit the plants. The main issue now is the pest infestation which curls the new leaves up. I took a sample to Home Depot and they recommended a spray which I have to put on. Based on my greenhouse experience, I may wait until the weather cools down a bit. Spraying on hot plants can cause leaf burning in some cases.
I have one of those crazy upside down tomato planters. I don't think the plant is particularly happy about it. It was doing perfectly fine in the kitchen (relatively low light) until I jammed it into the planter and stuck it outside. It took about a week for it to harden up enough to the point where it wouldn't wilt every time the sun came out. What's nice about the design is that there's enough soil in the planter to hold a lot of water so you don't have to micro manage the watering. Once a week right now is enough water for it. Once it starts producing fruit, it may shorten down to every four or five days.
There's more to write but not tonight.
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