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Bob Morris

Bob Morris

Bob Morris is a horticulture expert living in Las Vegas and professor emeritus for the University of Nevada. Visit his blog at xtremehorticulture.blogspot.com. Send questions to Extremehort@aol.com.

Belligerent Bermudagrass tough to destroy
BOB MORRIS

Question: I have a small fescue lawn that is being taken over by what appears to be Bermudagrass or some type of large-blade thick, dense grass that is much greener and thicker than the fescue grass.

Trellised vines make good wind blocks
By BOB MORRIS GARDENING

Q: I was hoping to put up a nice strong wind and sun block on the west and southwest corner of our front yard, approximately 20 feet each way. Could you give me some suggestions?

Pluot gumming can be from borers, sunburn
BOB MORRIS

Question: We planted a pluot this past spring along with four peach trees of different varieties. The pluot just started oozing sap or gumming on the lower truck.

Girdling keeps plant roots from spreading properly
By BOB MORRIS GARDENING

Q: We notice that some of our trees don’t seem to be rooting into the soil properly. We assume it’s because of improper root ball preparation or girdling roots. Our test to see if the tree has rooted after at least one growing season is to bend the tree trunk back and forth. If the root ball under the soil easily moves when the tree is pushed, we assume that the tree has poor or little rooting into the surrounding soil.

THE LATEST
Pine needles benefit alkaline soil
BOB MORRIS

Question: We have nine pine trees, and they are dropping lots of needles. We have a large berm under the trees and water inside the berm twice weekly. Should the needles be removed or left inside the berm?

Taper of the trunk indicates tree’s strength
By BOB MORRIS GARDENING

Q: I have read that African sumacs are fast growers. The African sumacs here seem to be at a stand still. I have had two in my backyard since April. They are alive but the canopy and trunk just seem the same; there has been perhaps 10 percent growth. The trees are solid with tall, thin trunks, about ½ to ¾ inch in diameter, with a canopy that branches out at 8 feet. There are no branches or leaves below that. The trees are staked high and the stems are all finger diameter. Will they take off eventually?

Grape maintenance must occur in May, March
BOB MORRIS

Question: I have been growing grapes for seven years. Can you please tell me what is wrong with my vines? They are still producing grapes.

Proper irrigation can be difficult to figure out
By BOB MORRIS GARDENING

Q: Could you tell me where I could find irrigation instructions in gallons rather than minutes or hours? I am having difficulty calculating how much to irrigate larger established plants and trees.

Cactuses can be moved any time but in winter
By BOB MORRIS GARDENING

Q: I have a golden barrel cactus that has grown to 3 feet wide in a place where I cannot leave it . It’s a beautiful specimen, but I have to remove it. Any ideas on how to move it? The thorns are lethal.

Fungus likely to blame for spots in lawn
By BOB MORRIS GARDENING

Lawns are getting toasted right now. This is a stressful time of year for plants, particularly those that are not truly desert plants. Temperatures are out of their “comfort zone” and they become susceptible to diseases because they are less capable of fighting through a problem. 

Garlic either soft or hard necked
BOB MORRIS

Question: I’ve seen garlic at outdoor markets where the garlic is actually braided.

Wood from orchard is safe for smoking meats
By BOB MORRIS GARDENING

Q: Is using wood from a commercial orchard safe for smoking meats? I don’t know whether you use any of these, but I figured you might have an answer .

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