Desert Blooms

Southwest Yard & Garden by Dr. Marisa Thompson   The stained, oozing spot is slimeflux (aka bacterial wetwood), and I bet it stinks like strong chemical paint thinner. The bad news is it’s not fixable, but it’s also not causing a problem. Slimeflux is an indicator of an underlying decay issue. Photo credit Joy E. Question: My husband and I just bought a house with a beautiful cottonwood tree in the back yard. We noticed a gooey, rotting section in the crook of the trunk. We certainly don't want to lose this gorgeous tree! Do you know what this is and how we can treat it? Answer: Yes, I know what it is and what caused it. But no, I don’t have easy answers for how to treat it. What you’re seeing is called slimeflux, aka bacterial wetwood. If you were to smell it, you’d never forget it. It smells to me like nail polish remover that’s gone rancid. My uncle, also an arborist, said it smells like gym socks. So basically it smells like what it looks like: gross. There...

Southwest Yard & Garden by Dr. Marisa Thompson Stippling on these apricots in Albuquerque may be signs of frost damage. Photo credit  Concerned Gardener. Question: Something is wrong with our apricots. The tree looks good, but the fruit are severely damaged. This is all over the tree. Leaves seem to be fine. Ideas?               -Question submitted via Bernalillo County Extension Agent Sara Moran Answer: That stippled look on the surface of your apricots looks like it could be frost burn from last week. Sometimes tiny fruit turn a dull grey, shrivel up, and fall to the ground without any frost damage at all. This phenomenon, called fruit drop, is fairly normal. I got a question about this from Sierra County Extension Agent Sara Marta two weeks ago. Another image of frost-bruised apricots in Albuquerque. Photo credit Concerned Gardener. Potential reasons for fruit drop include poor pollina...

Southwest Yard & Garden by guest writer, Dr. Gill Giese, NMSU Extension Viticulture Specialist Guest author Dr. Gill Giese (NMSU Extension Viticulture Specialist) and regular author Dr. Marisa Thompson (NMSU Extension Horticulture Specialist) are both based at the NMSU Agricultural Science Center at Los Lunas. Find links to more information and Dr. Giese's blog below.  Planting hole is large enough to accommodate roots on bareroot grapevine. Notice the hole is “stale” because it was pre-dug about two weeks before the vines were ready to plant. It should be “refreshed” with a hand rake or similar tool so the roots have a chance to grow out laterally.  Photo credit Dr. Gill Giese. 1.       How big should the planting hole be? The hole pictured above is about two feet wide and deep—perhaps a bit of overkill—but the hole should be big enough to accommodate the roots and provide adequate space. This wide hole will help to prevent th...

Southwest Yard & Garden by Dr. Marisa Thompson Photo credit Erica Perras from  https://www.facebook.com/groups/396098954064479/?ref=share .  Small fruit are developing at the base of the female flower (bottom left), but not on the male flower (top left). Pollen from the stamens in the center of the open male flower (top right) can be translocated to the stigma in the center of the open female flower (bottom right) by pollinating insects or by humans. Photo credit Abrahami, Wikimedia Commons. Question: I would love to be able to grow both zucchini and watermelon this year, but I am hesitant because of problems with cross-pollination in the past. Any tips? -           Seed to Supper Online Course Participant, Somewhere in New Mexico Answer: First of all, for readers who don’t already know about NMSU’s Seed to Supper program through ICAN (Ideas for Cooking & Nutrition), this is a free, online, self-pac...

Southwest Yard & Garden by Dr. Marisa Thompson (Scroll down for more olla photos and videos!) Question:  I'm getting ready for a growing season in Santa Fe. I have read about burying a clay pot as a way to water plants and not larger areas. Do you recommend this method? -            Luis G., Santa Fe Answer:  Yes; good idea! One of my favorite irrigation mantras is “low and slow,” meaning we want water to percolate deeply. In order to do that, it needs to be applied slowly so it has a chance to sink in instead of just running off. One way to do this is to have an irrigation system with drip emitters that release 1/2 or 1 gallon per hour. Another is to regulate the water pressure on your garden hose and let water trickle out for 15–30 minutes or more before moving the hose to another spot. (My first gardening gig was watering the plants around my apartment building for a discount on my rent. I flooded t...