Advice from the Master Gardeners of Contra Costa's Help Desk
The Client's Concerns and Requests:
Response from the MGCC Help Desk:
Thanks for bringing the Ficus benjamina (Weeping Fig) leaf samples and photos into the MGCC office this morning. Having a sample made it easy to see the white sticky globs at the base of each leaf. When we looked at the leaf under the microscope, there were no insects present on the leaf or under the white waxy substance. We also looked at another Ficus growing in our office and found that it, too, had the same white sticky globules on the base of each leaf.
You also mentioned that you might also have a sticky substance in the middle of the lower surface of some of the leaves. If these are in locations where they wouldn't be a drip from the leaf gland of possibly a nearby leaf, it is possible that you might have scale or another sucking insect. As I mentioned, we didn't see anything under the microscope. You might want to examine your leaves, and contact us if you do see any signs of scale or other insect. (Although not a UC guidance document, the UC references cited in the article on Ficus Benjamina Pests” at http://homeguides.sfgate.com/ficus-benjamina-pests-40044.html would be the primary UC guidance MGCC would use to determine appropriate care if there were pests on your Ficus.)
Ficus are notoriously finicky about water, light, and transplanting. From the picture you provided, it looks like you have a nice light filled location for your tree. Because the back corner is dark, it is a good idea to frequently rotate the pot. You mentioned that some of the leaves are turning yellow. Yellowing leaves can be a sign that it is either getting too much or not enough water. (We did mention that Ficus are finicky?) You said that you water your plant once a month, just until runoff, and that the roots are “tight”. It may be that the root ball is very compacted and not able to take up enough water because the water is quickly running through the pot. One method of helping to get the root ball to take up water we would propose would be that several times a year when you water the plant, completely submerse the pot in a tub, bucket or pot of water. Leave it for several hours, giving the rootball a change to become fully saturated. You will want to drain off any free flowing water when you remove your plant from the tub/bucket/pot. After that continue watering as usual.
Regarding repotting, check the roots of your Ficus tree to determine if/when it is time to repot the Ficus. If the pot appears crowded with roots and there is little soil left, your Ficus has probably become root-bound and needs to be repotted. When repotting, after removing the tree from the pot, brush the soil away from the root ball to assess how badly root-bound the Ficus has become. If some of the roots have begun to circle around the ball, carefully unwind them with your fingers. Gently separate the roots in the root ball, releasing any dirt that may have been clogging it. Cut off any dead or rotten roots using a small pair of gardening scissors or pruning shears. If any of the roots have begun to grow through the drainage hole in the pot, prune these back as well. Select a new pot that is 1 or 2 inches wider in diameter than the old pot. Fill the bottom with several inches of fresh potting soil, place the tree into the pot, and backfill with new potting soil to cover the roots and stabilize the tree. Often when their environment is changed, whether a change in water, light, rotating the plant, or transplanting there is a chance the Ficus will drop its leaves - but in time they should grow back.
Feel free to contact us if you have any additional questions.
Happy gardening with a great indoor plant.
Master Gardeners of Contra Costa's Help Desk
Note: The Master Gardeners of Contra Costa's Help Desk is available year-round to answer your gardening questions. Except for a few holidays, we're open every week, Monday through Thursday for walk-ins from 9:00 am to Noon at 75 Santa Barbara Road, 2d Floor, Pleasant Hill, CA 94523. We can also be reached via telephone: (925) 646-6586, email: ccmg@ucanr.edu, or on the web at http://ccmg.ucanr.edu/Ask_Us/
- Author: Noel Millar
Cherry trees are among the earliest bloomers here in Contra Costa County. So, if you like cherry blossoms, then planting an ornamental cherry, such as the Yoshino, is a great option. However, as beautiful as my ornamental cherry will be, growing cherries from my own fruit tree sounds even more appealing to me. I mean, given the choice, I could polish off a whole bowl of sweet, delicious cherries in place of any other afternoon snack.
But, I found there is the challenge of growing a successfully productive sweet cherry tree, and the very the real challenges it has to overcome here in the Bay Area. They need a certain number of winter chilling hours (and its been hot until now), they are very sensitive to both over/under watering (can you say drought?!), and, often need a nearby pollinator tree (unless grafted to include one).
Without meeting the chilling hours required for each variety, the tree will not break its winterdormancy and fruit production will be affected. You could see anything from decreased fruit production to delayed bloom or foliation, or maybe the tree will continue to bloom for much longer than it should be, so chilling is a necessary requirement.
UC Davis has a site where you can look up the cumulative chilling hours in your county (some cities listed too), check it out here: Chill Calculators. As of this writing (May 26), there have been 878 hours of chill with temperatures below 45 degrees Fahrenheit, but above 32 in Concord. Apparently, chill hours are also affected by being too cold. To put this in perspective, popular Bing Cherry trees need somewhere between 700- 900 chill hours, so some of these, as well as other cherries, could be affected this year.
Well, that all spooks me a bit. But, hey, that is the fate of the home gardener...we will not always be successful. For now, I will grow my Yoshino Flowering Cherry, but I plan to try my luck with a fruiting cherry next year.
For more information on sweet cherries, see:
http://homeorchard.ucanr.edu/Fruits_&_Nuts/Cherries/
For more information on chill hours and tree selection, check out:
http://homeorchard.ucanr.edu/The_Big_Picture/Tree_Selection/
Client's Question: I'm helping a friend redo her harden. She has a "deer problem". She would like some ideas about plants that are "deer proof". Would CCMG Help Desk please provide us with some lists of plants that are deer proof?
CCMG Help Desk Response: Thank you for contacting Master Gardeners for help with deer resistant plantings for your friend. As we discussed, the information below includes lists of deer resistant plants because there is no such thing as deer proof plants! If deer are hungry enough, they will usually eat almost anything!
For starters, here is an article written by a Contra Costa Master Gardener for your consideration about living with deer in your garden: http://ccmg.ucdavis.edu/files/103012.pdf
Here is a list of deer resistant plants from Contra Costa Water District's excellent 'Gardening in Contra Costa County' website: http://www.contracosta.watersavingplants.com/listplants.php?index=15
This article includes an extensive list of deer resistant California native plants: http://www.laspilitas.com/easy/deer.htm which is very appropriate for consideration in designing a drought resistant garden.
We just had to include the list below from the Marin Master Gardeners' website. Not only do they include plants that are deer resistant, but also plants that are ‘deer candy'. I thought this information might impress your friend!
http://ucanr.edu/sites/MarinMG/Plant_Guide/Reports/Deer_Resistance_Qualities/
And finally, there is the UC Pest Note for deer. This article has a lot of good information regarding living with and excluding deer from your garden: http://www.ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74117.html
Hope this information helps. Let us know if we can be of additional assistance!
Master Gardeners of Contra Costa Help Desk
Note: The Contra Costa Master Gardener Help Desk is available year-round to answer your gardening questions. Except for a few holidays, we're open every week, Monday through Thursday for walk-ins from 9:00 am to Noon at 75 Santa Barbara Road, 2d Floor, Pleasant Hill, CA 94523. We can also be reached via telephone: (925) 646-6586, email: ccmg@ucanr.edu, or on the web at http://ccmg.ucanr.edu/Ask_Us/
Response from MGCC's Help Desk: After further examining the tomato specimen that you brought to Our Garden' AAMG Help Desk yesterday in our Pleasant Hill Help
Legend Tomato
OP (open-pollinated), determinate, 68 days, red, beefsteak (14-16 ounces), resistance: early blight, late blight (We had this variety at our tomato sale this year.)
Manalucie Tomato
Hybrid, indeterminate, 82 days, red, globe, resistance: blossom end rot, gray leaf mold, early blight, fusarium wilt
Matt's Wild Cherry Tomato
Heirloom, indeterminate, 70 days, red, cherry (1/2 inch), resistance: early blight
Mountain Fresh Plus Tomato
Hybrid, determinate, 77 days, red, globe (12 ounces), disease resistance: VFFN, blossom end rot, early blight
Mountain Supreme
Hybrid, determinate, 69-70 days, red, globe, resistance: VF, blight
Old Brooks Tomato
Heirloom, indeterminate, 78 days, red, globe (6-8 ounces), resistance: blossom end rot, early blight, late blight
Tommy Toe Tomato
Heirloom, indeterminate, 70 days, red, cherry (1 inch)
Master Gardeners of Contra Costa Help Desk
Note: The Contra Costa Master Gardener Help Desk is available year-round to answer your gardening questions. Except for a few holidays, we're open every week, Monday through Thursday for walk-ins from 9:00 am to Noon at 75 Santa Barbara Road, 2d Floor, Pleasant Hill, CA 94523. We can also be reached via telephone: (925) 646-6586, email: ccmg@ucanr.edu, or on the web at http://ccmg.ucanr.edu/Ask_Us/
Advice From MGCC's Help Desk: Thank you for contacting the Master Gardener help desk. Squirrels are very likely the culprits. They frequently chew bark on a wide variety of trees and shrubs to get at the sweet sap running just below the bark. This usually happens in the spring. The sap, running in what is called the phloem, contains nutrients made by the leaves that are being transported to other parts of the plant. The bark is the "skin" covering this vascular system.
Here is a link to information from the University of California on tree squirrel management: http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74122.html. You will find a section that talks about exclusion, which is almost impossible in trees, but is really the only non-lethal method for keeping squirrels out of an area. While there are many squirrel repellents on the market (many licensed for use in California), they are not particularly effective. Also, tree squirrels become acclimated to sound and lights, so these don't work as deterrents, either. The information also talks about trapping and killing squirrels, but another squirrel may move into the open territory and continue the damage. It is not legal in California to trap and relocate squirrels (or any other animals).
One possible solution to prevent the squirrels from eating the tree bark might be to use a motion-sensing water sprinkler (for example http://amzn.to/1IgUT3V)) aimed at where the squirrels access the tree. Squirrels don't like water, so this may work to keep them away. You should only need this in the spring and early summer while the sap is most attractive. Another possible solution is that if the only access to the tree is up the main trunk you might consider a sheet metal wrap of the main trunk covering at least 18", but it won't work if the squirrels can bypass by jumping from the ground or another source (fence, etc.)... and it wouldn't look too great (maybe paint it?).
Good luck!
Master Gardeners of Contra Costa Help Desk
Note: The Master Gardeners of Contra Costa's Help Desk is available year-round to answer your gardening questions. Except for a few holidays, we're open every week, Monday through Thursday for walk-ins from 9:00 am to Noon at 75 Santa Barbara Road, 2d Floor, Pleasant Hill, CA 94523. We can also be reached via telephone: (925) 646-6586, email: ccmg@ucanr.edu, or on the web at http://ccmg.ucanr.edu/Ask_Us/