Desert Blooms

Southwest Yard & Garden by Dr. Marisa Thompson, with diagnoses by Phillip Lujan of the NMSU Plant Diagnostic Clinic Diagnosing Trees with Oozing Sap… Again (but this time, the sap is reddish-orange and doesn’t stink!) Reddish sap oozing from a plum tree at Bachechi Open Space in Albuquerque, March 2021. Photo credit M. Rehn. Question : Any idea what may be causing the sap to run out of some of these plum trees in the arboretum at Bachechi Open Space? -           Dustin C., Albuquerque Answer : This is turning out to be another one of those common questions that come in from all parts of the state. In the past two weeks, I’ve gotten photos of orange or red sap oozing from plum trees and a redbud in the Albuquerque area, an ash in Las Cruces, and I’ve taken a ton of pictures of plum, cherry, and peach trees with similar globs that have hardened after a few years in the sun. Are these weird amber blobs caused by borers or a plant path...

Southwest Yard & Garden Guest Authors:  Dr. Amanda Skidmore and   Dr. Ge Zhang Dr. Skidmore (NMSU Extension Integrated Pest Management Specialist) and Dr. Zhang (IPM Postdoctoral Researcher) are based at the NMSU Agricultural Science Center at Los Lunas   Wild bees are important pollinators. Photo credit Miranda Kersten. Q&A from a Recent Ready, Set, GROW! Gardening Webinar Are all bees beneficial? For the most part, yes. Wild bees and honey bees need pollen and nectar to survive and establish their nests. Some bees can become pests when they build nests in areas where humans (or animals) live and play, but even those bees offer benefits as pollinators. Many bees look for open cavities or cracks in trees and walls where they can build their nests. To prevent bees from being pests in structures, patch holes or use screening.  Does compost interfere with ground-nesting bee habitat? If compost is inco...

Southwest Yard & Garden by Dr. Marisa Thompson Root Pruning for Long-term Health After several years of slow decline, this 11-year-old Arizona cypress was finally removed. The culprit: A severely knotted rootball that could have been avoided if circling (also called spiraling) roots had been properly cut at the time of planting. (Photo courtesy of Dr. Curtis Smith.) Although not official until March 20, for all practical purposes, it’s spring. And we’re here for it. NMSU Extension Agents from all over the state are reaching out with great questions about pear tree pests (Grant County); hugelkultur and allelopathy (Bernalillo County); dying pine trees and selecting fruit trees (Curry County); tree saplings damaged by mystery nibblers (Socorro County); codling moth control, piñon irrigation, and dormant tree transpiration rates (Valencia County); and elderberry propagation (Bernalillo, Chavez, and Doña Ana Counties). My inbox is bursting at the seams with questions about early ri...

  Southwest Yard & Garden by Dr. Marisa Thompson,  et al. This type of pruning cut is considered sloppy because of the unfortunate tear at the bottom. Proper pruning techniques should be used to remove extra weight from the branch before making the final cut to avoid tearing the bark. Photo credit Judy Nickell.   It’s that time again when pruning workshops fill horticultural calendars. This year, many workshops are being offered virtually. The Santa Fe Botanical Garden will offer a virtual fruit tree pruning workshop with arborist Tracy Neal and Head Gardener Linda Churchill at 11 am on Tuesday, March 9. Register at https:// santafebotanicalgarden.org/ . The NMSU Sustainable Agriculture Science Center at Alcalde is offering its  Annual Fruit Grower Workshop virtually from 9 am - 12 pm March 11 & 12. Register for this event at https://alcaldesc.nmsu.edu/ . And I’ll be presenting “ Pruning Basics ” at 3 pm on March 17 for the NMSU gardening webinar series...