With proper precautions, it’s OK to plant trees now

: We are thinking of planting trees, three African sumac in back of our house facing east and Japanese blueberry in front of the house facing west. Is it wise or should I wait for fall?

A: You are fine planting in the summer provided, one, you have the hole dug and ready to plant as soon as you get it home; two, that you do not plant in a dry hole; and, three, mulch around the plants after planting.

Hopefully the plants that you buy from the nursery are in full sun and not under shade cloth. Most nursery plants are not grown in desert environments and bringing these plants from a milder climate to our harsh desert summer climate can be a shock to them. Some nonacclimated plants will drop their leaves when they receive the full shock of our summer climate.

If you can't plant the plants right away when you bring them home, make sure the containers are in the shade. Sunlight beating down on a black container for even short periods of time during our summertime will kill a plant's roots.

I would plant in the early morning or early evening hours. Make sure that the plant is removed from the container and put into the ground as quickly as possible keeping the roots wet at all times. Also, as you are backfilling around the rootball, water should be added to the planting hole at the same time so that the plant roots are surrounded by a slurry of soil and water.

When watering new plants, make sure they are watered just prior to entering the heat of the day until you see a flush of new growth begin.

Japanese blueberry (Elaeocarpus decipiens) is one of those plants that will struggle here in the wrong location. That west exposure bothers me. They can tolerate mildly alkaline soils but do not like highly alkaline soils, which ours can be, and may struggle with our combination of intense sunlight, poor soils and dry winds. That west exposure will be rough on it, particularly if it is not in good health due to lack of high-quality soil amendments.

You will need lots of soil amendments at the time of planting, good drainage and soil applications of iron in the late winter each year to prevent yellowing. This plant will probably benefit from wood mulch, which will add nutrients to the soil and help lower the pH as it decomposes.

Avoid planting these in hot locations in the yard and in places with strong winds. Leaf-tip burn would be normal in hot or windy locations but not as prevalent with eastern or more protected locations. Leaf-tip burn also can be from over or underwatering. Deep water them three times a week if they are mulched. If not, then they may require water more often.

If you are going to cut them back, then you would do it in mid or late winter.

The plant is used extensively at Disneyland Tokyo and that's probably where it got its exposure to the American market. It is from Japan and China and, more recently, varieties were introduced by some American nurseries.

Q: We have several mature, eight-year-old butterfly iris plants and have been looking for a way to encourage more flower growth from them.

A: There are several species that we call butterfly or African iris. Most of the butterfly iris come from the genus dietes. These plants have narrow, swordlike foliage growing as tall as 4 feet under ideal conditions. They typically grow in clumps that get larger and larger over time. Our climate is not ideal for this plant so they only get to be about 3 feet tall here.

They are somewhat variable in their need for light, ranging from full sun during the morning hours to partial shade in the afternoon. They are not all that fussy about the soil type but should be planted in an enriched desert soil. What I mean by this is soil amended with compost and covered in an organic mulch, not rock or plastic.

These plants will not bloom as much in partial shade as they do in full sun. This plant usually bears flowers on upright stalks with a succession of blooms that individually usually last only a day. Leave the long bloom spikes alone and they will continue to furnish flowers for a long time.

When individual leaves die, they must be clipped off in order to maintain neatness, rather than pulled.

Plant them 2 to 3 feet apart and fertilize about twice a year after they have become established. Once established, they will become a bit more tolerant of drier conditions.

Most of these plants will remain green through the winter if they are in protected locations out of the cold winds and near a warm wall. They will be damaged at temperatures below 20 degrees F.

After about three or four years of good, healthy growth, these clumps of iris will need to be dug up from the ground, separated into smaller clumps and then replanted.

To separate or divide them into smaller clumps, lift the clumps with a spading fork or carefully with a shovel if your soil is not loose. You should do this in the fall, around late September through October, and divide the clumps by cutting the short rhizomes with a sharp knife or sterilized pruning shears.

Do not make these clumps too small or they will not bloom until they reach a certain size and density. Leave the rhizomes in the open air and in the shade for 24-48 hours to heal before planting.

Q: I live in Mesquite and I want to overseed my lawn. I need to know how often I should water it after I apply the seed and how often to water after the seed has germinated.

A: The situation in Mesquite is very similar to Las Vegas. When you overseed, you will be doing it from about mid-September to mid-October.

First, you will mow the lawn short and thin the grass with a power rake or hand rake. This will remove dead grass from the surface of the soil. You should then see bare soil when looking straight down at the lawn.

Immediately seed into the lawn area and apply a thin layer of starter fertilizer like 16-20-0. Cover the seed with about one-eighth of an inch of top dressing.

Water long enough until you see the water puddling on the top dressing. Repeat this watering three times a day until you see the grass coming up, which should be in about 10 days to two weeks.

Once the new grass appears, reduce your watering to once a day for the next two to three weeks. As temperatures cool, go to every other day and longer periods of time as the season enters the fall.

Bob Morris is an associate professor with the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension. Direct gardening questions to the master gardener hot line at 257-5555 or contact Morris by e-mail at morrisr@unce.unr.edu.