TREE: Pecan (Carya illoensis) can provide you with some delectable nuts and there are varieties that will work for you here in the northern San Joaquin Valley, if you have room for a backyard orchard.  They will also provide fairly dense shade if that is needed. Planting two varieties will increase crop size because they will cross pollinate. However, Dave Wilson nursery offers ‘Mohawk', a self-fertile variety that is a good one for the home gardener. It is an early-maturing, vigorous, attractive tree that bears young and heavy. I have learned that seedling trees are not likely to produce many nuts or nuts of good quality. It is best to buy a known cultivar. One drawback is that squirrels like the nuts too, so if you have lots of squirrels around you will need to compete with them for the nuts. You may also have a problem of unwanted pecan seedlings popping up which have a deep taproot which can be difficult to dislodge without a shovel or trowel. Another drawback is that the leaves contain Juglone an allelopathy chemical toxic to other plants so its not good to plant in lawns like mine are. My lawn does recover, but looks unhealthy in the fall. The attractive foliage consists of distinct compound leaves. Nine or more leaflets are opposite each other with one terminal leaflet. For more information, click here. 

 

 

 

PERENNIAL: Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) is a delightful perennial that will be visited by butterflies and bees and also provide some long-lasting flowers for your garden border. It is also useful for there are several kinds of Lavender cultivars of differing sizes and attributes. One of my favorites is ‘Goodwin Creek Grey' which is a large lavender. Mine is about 3 feet tall and about 4 feet wide. The foliage is fragrant and exceptionally attractive and it blooms from late spring to fall. Another large one is 'Phenomenal' which is H 3 ft. x W 6 ft. It is billed as a plant that can handle hot summers and cold winters as well as having darker blooms than others.

Smaller lavenders are ‘Hidcote' H 24" x W 24" and 'Munstead' which is H 18" x W 24"' both bloom from summer to early fall. ‘Sarah English' is a little over 12 inches tall with flowers that are petite just like the rest of the plant. ‘Sarah English' makes a nice short hedge and it is also a good size for container planting. The flower receptacle is a dark purple which contributes to an overall medium purple flower color. Later in the season, you can gather the leaves and flower heads for scented sachets, pomanders and potpourri. There are many more lavenders including some that are pink and white as well as other species. Lots of lavenders to choose from that will add color and fragrance as well as fill in spots in your garden landscape.

BULB: Narcissus. This is a very diverse genus of spring bloomers, but the time to order and plant these bulbs is the fall. There are 13 divisions of Narcissus so there are lots of choices and even within each division there is usually a lot of variety. For more information on Narcissus classification, check out this website. There are so many places to purchase daffodils and other Narcissus such as local stores and lots of online purveyors. Some offer mixtures of early, mid season, and late-blooming daffodils that will spread the enjoyment over time. About 3 years ago I bought about 150 of a landscape daffodil mixture and used a bulb auger on a battery powered drill to dig the holes for planting. I have been enjoying their return each spring since.

Broadleaf mistletoe (Phoradendron macrophyllum)

Mistletoe is a parasitic plant that absorbs both water and nutrients from a host tree. Healthy trees can tolerate a few mistletoe branch infections. However, if the infestation is severe, trees can weaken, have stunted growth or dead branches, or die completely. Heavily infested trees may be reduced in vigor, stunted, or even killed, especially if they are stressed by other problems such as drought or disease.

Leafy mistletoes have green stems with thick leaves that are nearly oval in shape. Plants often develop a rounded form up to 2 feet or more in diameter. The small, sticky, whitish berries are produced from October to December. Evergreen clumps of mistletoe are readily observed on deciduous trees in winter when leaves are off the trees. Mistletoe plants are either female (produce berries) or male (produce only pollen).

For good control, remove branches at least 1 foot below the point of mistletoe attachment. Simply cutting off mistletoe from trees can reduce spread, but it won't provide control. If it's not possible to remove the infested trunk or a major branch, prune off the mistletoe and wrap the infested area of the tree with sturdy black polyethylene plastic secured with twine or tape to exclude light. Leave on for up to two years until the mistletoe dies, replacing plastic that becomes torn. For more information and other control suggestions, click here.

Scales

Scales are sucking insects that insert their tiny, straw-like mouthparts into bark, fruit, or leaves, mostly on trees, shrubs, and other perennial plants. Some scales can seriously damage their host, while other species do no apparent damage to

plants even when scales are very abundant. The presence of scales can be easily overlooked, in part because they do not resemble most other insects. Armored scales and soft scales are the most common types (or families).

Some scale species, when abundant, weaken a plant and cause it to grow slowly. Infested plants appear water stressed, leaves turn yellow and may drop prematurely, and plant parts that remain heavily infested may die. The dead brownish leaves may remain on scale-killed branches, giving plants a scorched appearance. If the scale produces honeydew, this sticky excrement, sooty mold, and the ants attracted to honeydew can annoy people even when scales are not harming the plant.

Many species are usually well controlled by beneficial predators and parasites (natural enemies). A well-timed and thorough spray of horticultural (narrow-range) oil during the dormant season, or soon after scale crawlers are active in late winter to early summer, can provide good control of most species of scale. Because ants attack and feed on scale parasites and predators, control ants if they are tending scales. For more information and other control suggestions, click here.

Catchweed bedstraw

Catchweed bedstraw, Galium aparine, is an annual weed belonging to the Madder (Rubiaceae) family, can be found throughout most of the world. The species name “aparine” comes from a Latin word meaning “to seize,” which is very appropriate considering the clinging nature of this weed.

Bedstraw is a winter or summer annual in California with peak germination in mid- to late December and secondary germination in February or March when soil is still cool and moist. Seedlings can emerge even if they are buried up to 3 inches deep in loose soil. Bedstraw has a slender taproot and sprawling stems, and can tolerate freezing temperatures while in the vegetative growth stage. In landscapes and home gardens, bedstraw competes for nutrients, water, and light with desirable plants. Aside from competition, bedstraw can reduce aesthetic quality of the landscape and can be a serious nuisance in some cases by smothering desirable vegetation and causing physical injury to small plants. It makes the harvesting of fruits and vegetables difficult, as the tangled stems weave throughout the garden. For pet owners, bedstraw seed or vegetation often gets caught in the fur of pets and can be difficult to remove. For more information and control suggestions, click here.

 

PULSE, n. from the Latin word puls meaning porridge of beans, peas, etc.

1. the edible seed of peas, beans, lentils or any similar plants producing pods.
2. any plant producing pulse.

A legume is a category of plants that produce seeds in pods that split open on two sides to reveal the fruits. When used as a dry grain the seed is called a pulse. Plants in this category are grown for human consumption, forage or cover crops to fix nitrogen in the soil.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, to define legume crops that are harvested for dry grains, uses the term pulse. While green beans and peas are in the same plant family they are identified as “vegetables” because they are harvested while young and green. Other legumes that produce pods are excluded from the pulse group because they are harvested for oil extraction or forage. Horticulturally, most legumes are notable for their capacity to enrich the soil due to the symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria in their roots.

Common examples of a pulse include beans, lentils, and chickpeas. Common examples of legumes that are harvested for oil production are soybeans and peanuts. Examples of legumes that are grown for forage include alfalfa, clover.

For a fun, scientific video about the humble pulse check out America's Test Kitchen YouTube video called “The Science of Our Favorite Pulse, The Humble Chickpea/ What's Eating Dan?”

 

Fall is the time to think about planning for the coming bare-root season when fruit trees and other plants are available in the bare-root stage which makes them cheaper to purchase and handle. For most of us with small back yards, it is best to buy fruit trees that are dwarf so that we can have more trees and more variety on the site. Keeping trees to a height of 8 ft. will also mean you won't need a ladder for pruning. You can also find trees with multiple varieties grafted onto one rootstock and this will work well for conserving space and providing a variety of fruit. However, it is important to learn how to prune such trees as one variety may become dominant to the detriment of others.

Another consideration is pest problems. I once had a lot of apples in a rather large home orchard. In retrospect this was a mistake as codling moths were a problem that I could not effectively deal with so I lost a lot of apples to this pest. I also had indigenous fire blight and that was a problem for pears and apples. Usually, it is best to buy apple or pear cultivars that are firelight resistant. I remember one heirloom apple that I had that was about 6 years old and coming into production with lots of apples and it got fire blight which went right to the root and killed the tree which was a great disappointment for me. Peaches, nectarines, apricots, persimmons, figs and plums do well in home gardens.

When purchasing bare-root trees in stores where the roots are usually enclosed in plastic bags with wood shavings or moss to keep them moist, it is wise to make sure the bag is well sealed so that roots are not drying out. If possible, purchase early in the bare root season and get them in the ground ASAP. When planting, make sure that the root is at the same depth as in the nursery, thus keeping the graft site above the soil level.

To plan the home orchard, make sure water for irrigation is available. Drip systems and mini-sprinklers will work well and conserve water. Mulching will help conserve soil moisture. Also, trees will need at least 6 hours of sunshine to be productive.

Pruning the trees properly is extremely important as is fruit thinning to promote larger and better fruit. The first pruning after planting is one of the most important and simple cuts to make. The tree should be topped at about 24-30 inches from the ground and any shoots below that point should be reduced to one bud. This will invigorate the tree and get it off to a good start and also shape the tree to an open center which is desirable for most fruit trees.

Young trees should be encouraged to grow vegetatively for the first 3 years. I leave two or three fruits on the tree to get a taste, but heavy cropping is avoided to develop the tree structure which would be slowed by too much fruit. Some trees like cherries, pears and some apples, will require spreaders to help spread branches to a 45 degree angle.

Upright branches generally remain vegetative and vigorous. Horizontal branches generally are more fruitful. Remove any suckers, water sprouts, or branches growing straight up into the tree. Downward bending branches eventually lose vigor and produce only a few small fruit; remove the part hanging down.

For more information to inspire you and help you to on establishing the home orchard, visit our website.