Desert Blooms

Southwest Yard & Garden by Dr. Marisa Thompson Guest author: Dr. Leslie Beck, NMSU Extension Weed Specialist Figure 1. Invasive saltcedar, also known as tamarisk, near Isleta Pueblo on June 27, 2018 (photo credit M. Thompson). Question: I have a saltcedar I inherited when I moved into my rental home in Zuni, NM. I have cut it back to a stump as best I could without a chainsaw or any power tools, but it incessantly puts out shoots and tries to stage a comeback. What is the simplest way to permanently kill this invasive beast? -           Tammy P., Zuni, NM Answer: You are not alone in your saltcedar frustrations. I invited NMSU Extension Weed Specialist, Dr. Leslie Beck, to review your options: “Saltcedar is a highly invasive and difficult-to-control noxious weed throughout the Southwestern states. Many of its growth characteristics contribute to its difficult management, most notably the primary root sys...

Southwest Yard & Garden by Dr. Marisa Thompson   Question: What’s the deal with these clear, stiff, noodle-like formations on my nectarines? Have you ever seen anything like this? -         Amos A., Albuquerque, NM UPDATES:  1) Amos reported that he tasted the ooze and it had no particular flavor. More updates expected as fruit ripen.  2) Article link for more discussion on gummosis in almonds:  http://thealmonddoctor.com/2020/06/28/almond-gumming-when-is-it-a-problem/ Figure 1. Sap exudate oozing out of these nectarines was whipped around by the wind before it had a chance to dry and solidify, making extremely rare decorative formations (photo credit A. Arber). Answer: Wow, I have never seen anything like this before! However, I’m only on month ten as the state Extension Horticulture Specialist for NMSU, and I have never grown nectarines before, so I shared your strange photos with several experts from ...

Southwest Yard & Garden by Dr. Marisa Thompson Goodding’s willow tree in Taos, New Mexico is both the state and national champion for its species at 110 feet tall and 351 inches in circumference. Local arborist, Paul Bryan Jones, nominated it in the Big Tree Program (photo credit Santa Fe New Mexican). Question: Are trees immortal? -         2 nd Grade Student at La Promesa Elementary, Veguita, NM Answer: Sadly, no. Even under the best possible circumstances, trees cannot live forever. Many trees can have impressively long lifespans, though. Of the top four oldest documented trees in New Mexico, one of them is right there near you in Socorro County: a Chihuahua white pine in the San Mateo Mountains that is over 600 years old. The others are a Douglas fir at El Malpais that is about 1,275 years old, a limber pine about 1,670 years old, and a Rocky Mountain juniper at over 1,900 years old. One famous old tree was another Dougla...

Southwest Yard & Garden by Dr. Marisa Thompson Reprint from June 2010. Written by Dr. Curtis Smith, retired NMSU Extension Horticulture Specialist, with additions by Marisa Thompson.  CLICK HERE for 22+ years of archived Southwest Yard & Garden columns You can follow Dr. Smith's most recent horticultural ruminations on his blog:  https://www.southwestgardensmith.com/ Figure 1. Some plants are able to thicken the waxy cuticle layer on leaf tissue in response to increased light exposure (photo credit: discutant, flickr.com). Question:  I took my plants outside for the summer as I had always done in my home in Tennessee before I moved to New Mexico. Within a day, the leaves on many of the plants turned white and then brown. I think I may have killed my houseplants! I know New Mexico is a lot drier than Tennessee, but I watered them well and they died so fast I think there must be another problem. Answer:  The sunlight is much more ...

Southwest Yard & Garden by Dr. Marisa Thompson ~30 second demo video of peach fruit thinning with Valencia County Extension Master Gardener, Carol Bennefield in Bosque Farms on May 27, 2018.     ~45 second video explaining how we started thinning a peach tree in Bosque Farms. Question: Several branches on my peach tree are hanging lower and lower as the peaches get bigger. Is this OK or should I be thinning the fruit? -      Carol B., Los Lunas, NM Answer: On the one hand, you don’t want to thin your peach tree too soon and then lose the fruit you saved to a late frost or the dreaded hail storm. On the other hand, reducing the fruit load on heavily bearing branches has major benefits. First of all, the branches you’re describing that are hanging lower as the peaches develop are in danger of breaking. If the weight of the fruit just bends the branch, a strong gust of wind can be the final straw. And “breaking” is a kind word....

Southwest Yard & Garden by Dr. Marisa Thompson   Leaf wilt can be a sign of underwatering, overwatering, or something else altogether. (photo credit Scot Nelson, flickr.com) Question: The newly installed plants in my garden are wilting and looking terrible even though I’m trying my best to keep them well watered. Suggestions? -       Doug H., Deming, NM Answer: One thing I like about your question is that it sounds like you haven’t given up. Many people who struggle with gardening get discouraged and think anyone who is successful must have a green thumb. That’s not the case at all. As an Extension Master Gardener volunteer in Albuquerque once said, “The best gardeners have killed the most number of plants.” It’s not a contest…but if it were, I might just win. I don’t mean to imply your plants are headed down that road just yet. Let’s look at the possibilities. Although we tend to assume that wilting leaves are a sure sign of too lit...