Desert Blooms

Southwest Yard & Garden  by Dr. Marisa Thompson  with Guest Contributor Dr. Gill Giese, NMSU Extension Viticulture Specialist The blotchy, speckled surface on this grape leaf in Placitas (left) is a classic symptom of leafhopper damage, and the culprits can usually be found by looking under the leaf with a magnifying lens (right). Photo credits M. Thompson. Question: We bought a small vineyard and have noticed that the whitish-yellow speckles and blotches on our grapevine leaves are looking worse and worse.                                            -Barb B., Placitas Answer: I had the pleasure of visiting this site in Placitas a few weeks ago, so I examined the grape leaves up close—very close. Using a hand lens and looking very carefully under the leaves, I took photos of tiny white insects, some of which had red spots on their backs. To me, the insects combined with the leaf damage symptoms point to a common pest in our area: grape leafhoppers, likely the western grape leafhopp

Southwest Yard & Garden by Dr. Marisa Thompson Strong wind gusts in Albuquerque on Sept. 8, 2020, caused several major branches in the middle of this crabapple canopy to break. Photo credit Laura Paskus.   Question: I lost about 1/3 of my crabapple tree and probably more than 1/2 of a mimosa tree in the wind storm on Tuesday. Is there anything I should do to try to help them?                                                         - Laura P., Albuquerque Answer: Great question! The short answer is, "No, at least not urgently, and there’s no need for any type of wound sealant." For now, in case it helps you rest easier, imagine what your trees would do if they were all alone in the forest and were damaged by wind gusts. They'd just sit there and be fine. That is, unless there are any immediate risks, like a car parked underneath or an area of high pedestrian activity nearby where a partially broken limb could fall and hurt someone.  Aside from considering bodily ha

  Southwest Yard & Garden by Dr. Marisa Thompson Bright yellow mulberry leaf in the Los Lunas bosque on September 2, 2020. Photo credit M. Thompson. Question: In my yard and around town, I have noticed tree leaves turning yellow in different areas on the tree and falling sporadically. It is primarily older mulberry trees. Is this due to nutrition deficiency, disease, drought, or all of the above?                                                           -J. White, Las Cruces   Answer: I’ve noticed the same in my own mulberry trees, a nd my wisteria vines too. I think the prolonged heat and drought are taking their toll, and the stress is observable. Early color change in leaves is a known stress symptom. Last year the bosque up here around Los Lunas flooded for several weeks in June and July, and I was worried that the native golden currant shrubs ( Ribes aureum ) I’d been tracking might not make it with their roots inundated for so long. As soon as it was dry enough, I went b