Desert Blooms

Southwest Yard & Garden by Dr. Curtis Smith with additional observations by Dr. Marisa Thompson ‘Prairie Red’ plums ripening at the NMSU Agricultural Science Center at Los Lunas on July 29, 2021. Photo credit Marisa Thompson.   Partial reprints from July 2001 ( https://aces.nmsu.edu/ces/yard/2001/071401.html ), written by Dr. Curtis Smith Question: I have a willow tree that seems to be "raining" down what feels like moisture in hot weather. Is this common? What is the tree doing? If you look at the tree with the sun behind it, you can see the droplets falling. Answer: This is a common occurrence in the summer. The most likely cause is an infestation of aphids feeding on liquids in the leaves of the tree. This "sap" is high in sugar and low in protein, so a large quantity of sap must be consumed. Surplus water and sugar (in the form of a syrupy substance called honeydew) are excreted by the aphids. This ...

Southwest Yard & Garden Curly Top Q&A  Dr. Marisa Thompson This tomato plant is suspected to be infected with the curly top virus and will likely never grow large enough to fill its cage. Note the stunted size, yellowing stems, and curled leaves with purple venation. Photo credit Marisa Thompson. Last week, I attended an online conference with a few dozen researchers who all had one thing in common: they all study the curly top virus. Some of them were virologists who work on all kinds of viral pathogens. Others were entomologists who study how the virus is transmitted from plant to plant via the beet leafhopper. Some study this virus specifically in sugar beet production. Others study how it affects spinach or chile. This summer at the NMSU Agricultural Science Center at Los Lunas, we’re studying tomatoes, another curly top victim, and how shade cloth might help home gardeners by either protecting plants from the tiny, ...

Southwest Yard & Garden Reprinted columns by Dr. Curtis Smith This week I've selected three archived columns ( https://aces.nmsu.edu/ces/yard/archives ) to reprint based on recently received questions. 1) My sister texted photos of her houseplants, wondering how to tell if it's time to repot them. 2) Wind gusts all over the state have taken out tree limbs and left owners worried about what to do next. 3) Branch die-back, especially on older trees, is also worrying owners and may have been caused by drought stress over the past winter. The advice my predecessor Dr. Curtis Smith provided 18 summers ago is just as timely and helpful as ever.   -           Marisa Thompson, NMSU Extension Urban Horticulture Specialist When deciding whether to repot houseplants or not, take a look at the roots. The roots in this photo are very pot-bound, and this plant will likely benefit from being...

  Southwest Yard & Garden by Dr. Marisa Thompson   Western serviceberries at the NMSU Agricultural Science Center at Los Lunas on June 25, 2021. Photo credits Marisa Thompson.   In case you haven’t already heard, I have a new favorite fruit—the western serviceberry ( Amelanchier alnifolia ). Just one fruit. That’s all it took. Only days before that first taste, I happened across a fun video posted by TikTok creator and forager Alexis Nikole Nelson about a different species of serviceberry found in her Ohio neighborhood. “ Serviceberries taste like if apples and blueberries had a baby, ” she crooned. My interest was piqued, but it didn’t occur to me that I’d encounter them so soon or so close. It turns out we have a single western serviceberry specimen at the NMSU Agricultural Science Center at Los Lunas , where I work. In early June, Learning Garden caretaker Carol Bennefield shared a photo of the tiny sh...