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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.

More expansive root system will help saguaro

Q: I have a saguaro cactus with three big arms growing from it leaning toward the west. On the east is my house; it shades the cactus from the morning sun. I also have been watering on the house side of the saguaro, the upslope side, and letting the water run downhill into the roots. I water about three or four times a year and water very slowly.

Beans’ stem rot could be cold, cutworms

Question: I found a couple of beans in my garden that have been devoured at the base. Could it be some sort of soil-borne larva or possibly a virus?

Pull young sprouts at trunk to keep numbers down

Q: I have an African sumac that has sprouts coming up from the roots. Besides trimming them every time they get above the soil level is there anything I can do to stop these sprouts from popping up?

Nematodes nearly impossible to nullify

Question: Last fall, I pulled one of my cucumber plants. One of the plants definitely had strange roots, which I am almost positive were caused by root-knot nematodes. Are these nematodes harmful to humans and my dog?

Fill lawn’s low spots with same type of soil

Q: My hybrid Bermuda grass lawn is flat , yet it seems bumpy when I mow. Can I get it as flat and smooth as a putting green? Should I fill these low spots with sand or something else?

THE LATEST
Thrips cause scarring on nectarines

Q: Do you know anything about a grass seed called CanadaGreen I saw for sale in a magazine? It says it sprouts and covers the area in 10 days and can survive from 120 F to 40 below zero. Is it any better than selections available at stores here?

Cutting good for young lawns

Question: I started a new lawn last fall, and I am very happy with the results. I want to reseed the areas that came up a bit thin. When and how should I do that so I don’t damage the rest of it?

Cutting good for young lawns

Question: I started a new lawn last fall, and I am very happy with the results. I want to reseed the areas that came up a bit thin. When and how should I do that so I don’t damage the rest of it?

Rose family needs iron application

Question: What other landscape shrubs benefit from an application of iron chelate? I know bottlebrush and photinia. Others?

Citrus persnickety especially when young

Question: We have a question about our 5 to 6 year old naval orange tree. For the past 2 to 3 years, we left the fruit on the tree until the weather man said freezing temperatures were coming. But with just cold nights, the fruit seems to dry out. Can we pick the fruit early and let the oranges ripen in the house?

Coir matting normal in some palms

Question: I have “burlap” growing between the fronds at the trunk of my 4-year-old male date palm. They look awful and are difficult to manage. Please advise.

Quince takes planting care in valley

Question: For many years, my family has had access to wild, abandoned quince bushes in the east San Francisco Bay area. We have since moved from there and see that you list this fruit as a tree that may survive here in the Las Vegas area with the proper soil.

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