Desert Blooms

Southwest Yard & Garden Reprint from 2009. Guest contributor Dr. Bernd Leinauer, NMSU Extension Turfgrass Specialist Clickable links for related columns on  irrigating turf  and subsurface drip irrigation ! Warm- (tan-colored) and cool-season (green) turfgrasses in late winter. Photo credit “Turfgrass Irrigation” NMSU Extension Circular 660 ( https://aces.nmsu.edu/pubs/_circulars/CR660/welcome.html ). A turfgrass research plot in which different turfgrass varieties are evaluated. Photo credit “Turfgrasses for New Mexico” NMSU Extension Guide H-508 ( https://aces.nmsu.edu/pubs/_h/H508/welcome.html ).     Question: I want to plant a lawn with a grass that uses less water than ryegrass. Do you have any suggestions? - B.L., Raton Answer: Dr. Bernd Leinauer, NMSU Extension Turfgrass Specialist, provided this information. I am frequently asked about plant selection, but this can’t be answer...

Southwest Yard & Garden By Dr. Marisa Thompson   Rose leaves with symptoms of salt burn. Photo credits L. Peters. Question: Can you tell what seems to be plaguing the various rosebushes in my backyard? – L. Peters, Sandoval County, NM Answer: Thanks for sending such great photos with your rosebush question. These photos depict rose foliage with varying degrees of browning edges on the leaflets and some white crusty buildup on leaflet surfaces, especially at the margins. Some of the leaflets have a burned look with black edges. First off, the leaf margin damage looked to me like salt burn, and I asked Dr. Curtis Smith, retired NMSU horticulture specialist, to weigh in. Dr. Smith agreed that the tissue necrosis at the leaflet tips and margins might be due to salt burn. Salt accumulation at these points is caused when dissolved salts are brought up to the leaves from the roots during transpiration. This c...

Southwest Yard & Garden Guest columnist this week: Alissa Freeman - Senior Program Specialist and Director of the pollinator-friendly NMSU Learning Garden at the NMSU Agricultural Science Center at Los Lunas. Black swallowtail ( Papilio polyxenes ) caterpillar (left) and adult butterfly (right) on the same dill plant, just weeks apart, at the NMSU Agricultural Science Center at Los Lunas in July 2019. Photo credits Alissa Freeman. Question: H ow do you draw the line between pest and pollinator in regards to moths and butterflies? -           Anthony S., Ruidoso Answer: That is an excellent question, and the answer really depends on the situation, your point of view, and several other factors. Lepidoptera is a large order of insects that includes both butterflies and moths, many of which gardeners enjoy watching flutter around in the home garden. Adult moths and butterflies are harmless to plants and use their siphon...

Southwest Yard & Garden by Dr. Marisa Thompson Dr. Mark Marsalis, NMSU Extension Forages Specialist, helped harvest ‘Big Beef’ tomatoes at the NMSU Agricultural Science Center at Los Lunas in October 2018. Photo credit M. Thompson. Tomatoes harvested from 'Big Beef' and 'Bella Rosa' plants in 2018. Photo credit M. Thompson. Classic symptom of blossom end rot on an otherwise perfect tomato. For help dealing with this common problem, visit  https://nmsudesertblooms.blogspot.com/2018/08/short-answers-to-pressing-questions.html . Photo credit M. Thompson. Question: I’ve heard that homegrown tomatoes shouldn’t be stored in the refrigerator because they’ll lose their flavor. How does that work? -           Sarah M., Las Cruces Answer: The short answer is that volatile organic chemicals (aka volatiles) in tomato fruits are responsible for providing complex flavors—beyond plain old sweet and tangy tast...

Southwest Yard & Garden by Dr. Marisa Thompson   Lesser goldfinch on a zinnia stem next to sunflowers in Las Cruces (July 2016). Photo credit Brian Houghton. Question: I’m adding plants to my home landscape, and I’d like to make it a bird-friendly habitat. What are some bird-friendly plants? -           Yours Truly (Marisa Thompson), Los Lunas Answer: This week’s question is one of my own! I have had good luck with hummingbird feeders, but I’m ready to take it up a notch. I bought a snazzy feeder a few months ago to hang near my back patio. I filled it with a seed mix, but haven’t seen a single bird yet; maybe it’s the wrong food or wrong location in the yard? I’m hoping that the newly planted trees, shrubs, and perennial flowers, including desert willow, Arizona rosewood, three-leafed sumac, penstemons, and hummingbird trumpet plants, will attract more birds to my garden and neighborhood. I heard through the Va...