Dwarf Barbados Cherry

This one's planted in a pot, really!

While I was out of town, my Dwarf Barbados Cherry (Malpighia glabra 'Nana') popped into flower.  This little trouper deserves extra credit, because it isn't even truly planted.  I knew I liked this Texas native shrub, but I never found a place for it in my garden.  So it sat in a white plastic pot so long that it rooted through the bottom of the pot and made itself at home.  Even the pot is now covered with creeping fig.

Barbados Cherry "tree" by the light post.

Barbados Cherry is evergreen, usually, in zone 9A and often as far north as Austin.  It doesn't get very tall -- maybe 5 feet tall -- and is easy to use in bonsai.  My daughter and I had a dollhouse-scale garden in the backyard, and Barbados Cherry makes a lovely little "tree."  It is easily pruned to any size whatsoever.  The dwarf variety is a little more cold-hardy than the regular-size shrub.  You sometimes see them available, too.  The larger Barbados Cherry is not native to the US, and gets between 10 and 12 feet tall.

Delicate pink flowers.

Barbados Cherry seems to grow well in sun or partial shade and isn't picky about soil conditions (obviously!).  It is very tolerant of drought, once established, and blooms periodically throughout the warmer months.  The blooms mature into tiny, tart "cherries," which are the source for a form of Vitamin C called acerola.  Mockingbirds love them too!

Cherries soon!

A Good Pecan Harvest?

The pecans around here are gathering up their energies for the last push before harvest, which should start in most of Texas around the end of the month.  Will it be a good year?

Native pecans

It's hard to say.  Trees rely on plentiful water in August when they are filling out their nutmeats.  In my neighborhood, we were a bit shy on rainfall that month, though there was plenty in July and in September.  From down here on the ground, it looks like there are plenty of nuts in the trees.  That's always a good sign!

Pecans will drop their nuts when they are ready to be harvested, but you can pick them anytime the outer, greenish shuck starts to split.  The longer you wait, the wider the shucks split open, making it easy to shake out the hard, brown-shelled nuts.  Of course, the longer you wait, the more pecans the squirrels get to eat!

Pecans picked early in the season still have a lot of moisture in their nutmeat, and should be dried before eating.  You can dry them in the shell on screens or frames that allow air to circulate around them.  Keep them out of direct sunlight and away from heat.  You'll know they are ready when shelled pecans break in two with a sharp little snap! rather then bending. 

My pecans appear to have pecan nut scab, a disease I'm not really going to do anything about.  For one, I don't particularly care to eat pecans!  If the squirrels want them, they are welcome to all they can eat.  And it would be quite a pain to spray a large tree.  Growers combating this disease often spray up with fungicides up to 10 times per season.  It's not easy, growing pecans.

Grafting. OMG!

One of our activities in the citriculture class last week was grafting.  My heart sank.

Grafting Knife.  Scary.

I don't like grafting.  I don't like the fiddly tools.  I can't see well enough to make a clean cut.  I get nervous in a room full of people with sharp knives and paraffin tape.  However, sometimes I can manage to rise to the occasion.

Rootstock.  Skinny.

My mission:  graft Everhard Navel Orange budwood to Poncirus trifoliata (Flying Dragon) rootstock.  We used a T-Budding technique, that involved both a vertical and a horizontal cut in the rootstock.  (Egads!)  Once those cuts were complete, we slid a slice of budwood up underneath the flaps of rootstock bark.  It's harder than it sounds.

Vertical Cut.  Gina's Steady Hands.

The rootstock was tiny and so were the buds.  I have no hope that it will work, but the graft is still green, not black, so I'm not giving up.  We're supposed to leave the graft alone for about 3 weeks.  If it works, the budwood should emerge right through the Buddy Tape.  We'll see about that!

Horizontal Cut.  Almost done!

If you make the vertical and horizontal cuts correctly, you'll form an upside-down T.  The wings of bark will curl up a little tiny bit, offering a spot to slide the budwood in, up underneath the loose or "slipping" bark.  Also, easier said than done.

Wrapping with Buddy Tape.  Needs 3 hands.

The Buddy Tape is waterproof, yet permeable.  Biodegradable yet strong enough to protect the wounded rootstock.  It can also be stretched up to 8 times its original length.  Sounds like witchcraft, doesn't it?

Complete.  At last!

And here it is, the completed little graft.  It will truly be a miracle if this works.  I'll let you know.

Catfacing on Pears

Pears in Texas are commonly harvested in August, and it looks like it's been a good year, for the most part.  The winter weather we had ensured that most of our trees got enough chill hours to flower well, and we haven't had to endure the droughts of last year.  I've seen some great looking pears, but also some with catfacing.

Catfacing Damage on Pears

What causes this kind of fruit deformation?  Sucking insects, such as leaffooted bugs, boxelder bugs, stink bugs and lygus bugs.  These insects feed on the surface of the developing fruit, killing cells.  As the fruit matures, it dimples into what someone must have thought looked like a cat's face.  By the time you see this level of damage, it's too late to treat the cause.  Most of these insects migrate in from nearby fields or fly up from debris on the orchard floor.  Normally, this is only a sporadic problem.  You may not have it every year or you may only have the problem on a few of your trees.  Monitor closely early and late in the season, during pre-bloom through early fruit development and again in late summer or early fall.  Look for the adults and nymphs who are feeding on developing or mature fruit. 

 (Leaffooted Plant Bug, Adult and Nymph)

To control them, watch for groundcovers that harbor overwintering adults.  Limit overuse of insecticidal sprays (organic or conventional) that may harm natural predators.  As a last resort, use an insecticidal spray in the spring just as adults emerge from hibernation, usually around petal-fall.  Don't apply unless the problem is severe: these insects rapidly build up resistance and the sprays do harm natural predators.  For that reason, spot treatment is better than spraying everything in sight.  Don't spray during bloom: all listed products are toxic to pollinators. 

One of several Lygus bug species.  Photo by Scott Bauer, USDA

Citrus Greening and Asian Citrus Psyllids

Last week, I attended a specialist training class on citriculture, with a special emphasis on Citrus Greening (CG) and Asian Citrus Psyllids (ACP).  Citrus Greening is an incurable bacterial disease that affects all kinds of citrus and related plants.  It is spread by the Asian Citrus Psyllid, a small insect that transmits the disease while feeding on the sap of the host plant.

Asian Citrus Psyllid, Photo: David Hall, USDA

CG is a devastating disease that originated in the Far East but is now spreading throughout the New World.  The disease is currently present in Florida, Louisiana, South Carolina and Georgia, as well Belize, Cuba, Jamaica and parts of Mexico.  The psyllids that transmit the disease are present in these states, as well as Alabama, Arizona, California, Guam, Hawaii, Mississippi, Puerto Rico, Texas and the Virgin Islands.   It is likely that hurricanes play a role in spreading the disease by translocating infected insects.

Symptoms of Citrus Greening, Photo by J.M. Bové, bugwood.org)

We can't do much about hurricanes but we can help prevent the spread of Citrus Greening and the migration of Asian Citrus Psyllids.  All areas where either the disease or the insect have been found are under quarantine.  It's against the law to move citrus or other related plants from an area with either CG or ACP to another area.  Please don't move citrus plants, leaves or fruit into or out of a quarantine area.  If you purchase citrus, make sure you are dealing with a reputable supplier who understands and complies with federal and state regulations.  This disease has the potential to eradicate the entire citrus industry in Texas. 

As part of my training, I'll be inspecting citrus trees around here, looking for signs of the disease or the psyllids themselves.  I hope I don't find them!  For more information about citrus greening, see the websites listed below.  Check back frequently as the situation changes rapidly.

USDA APHIS Plant Health

Florida Department of Agriculture Citrus Health Response Program

California Citrus Research Board

LSU Ag Center Asian Citrus Psyllid and Greening Disease

Clemson University Citrus Greening

Texas Department of Agriculture Citrus Greening

The July Harvest

 
The summer fruit harvest continues this month with figs, grapes and peaches.  It's been an exceptional year for peaches -- more on that later.  Let's start with the easiest fruit to grow in the Houston area: figs.

Figs grow on smallish, deciduous trees all over Texas.  Our summer heat and humidity don't seem to bother them, and because they're dormant in winter, they don't mind the occasional freeze either.  Plant closed-eye varieties like Celeste, LSU Gold, LSU Purple, Brown Turkey or Alma to prevent insect damage.  Plant in full or mostly full sun and prune if you like to control size.  Keep grass cleared from under the tree, all the way to the dripline.  Provide mulch and plenty of water in the summer and that's it!  No fertilizer needed, no special pruning.  Your only trouble will be keeping the birds away from the figs. Try bird netting, and get up early in the morning to harvest.  Best thing about figs?  Fig preserves. See my earlier fig post for my favorite recipe.

(Left: Black Spanish.  Right: Champanel.)

Traditional table grapes aren't easy to grow here, but it can be done if you select the right variety.  Choose grapes that are resistant to Pierce's Disease and be aware that the tougher the skin, the less insect damage you'll see.  Two great varieties of bunching grapes here are Black Spanish and Champanel, both beautiful purple-black seeded varieties.  For wine, jellies, juice or jams, you can't beat the muscadine grape.  Hybrid muscadines are descended from the wild mustang grapes that grow all over this region. They are very sweet, and have a tough, bitter skin which makes them unpleasant to eat out of hand.  But they are perfect for pressing -- very high in sugar.  Most muscadines require two different varieties to produce well, although some self-fruitful ones are available.  Pruning and training is important for grape production.  Here's some information from Texas A&M on the best techniques.

(Wild grapes in Brazos Bend State Park)

And finally, peaches!  Gardeners around here love peach trees for their beautiful flowers in the spring, but we sometimes don't get the harvest we want.  Peaches require a certain number of "chilling hours" in order to fruit and we certainly got ours this winter!  We still struggle with disease and insect problems, of course, but this year, we got the peaches we've been waiting for!  Peaches are self-fruitful, but will require careful management (pruning, disease and insect control).  Ask your nursery specialist for recommendations on specific varieties.

Almost Time For Figs

This is the time of year when I would really like to have a fig tree.  All my local trees are just FULL of plump, green fruit and I know it's only a matter of time before they are ripe and ready to eat.

Figs are among the easiest fruit crops to grow here in Fort Bend County.  They are widely adapted throughout Texas, tolerate various soil conditions, and are almost always pest-free.  They require neither winter chill nor winter protection, and only need pruning for size and shape.  Figs produce fruit without cross-pollinators and rarely need fertilization.  Look for "closed eye: varieties like Celeste, Alma, LSU Gold, LSU Purple and Texas Everbearing.  Make sure to provide plenty of water during the summer.  Even the slightest bit of drought stress can cause trees to drop their fruit.  Mulching heavily all the way to the drip line to help relieve summer water stress.  Figs produce crops within a year or two of planting -- my kind of fruit tree!

What to do with figs?  Fig preserves, of course!

Mix 3 cups cut or mashed figs, 3 cups sugar and 2 3-oz packages of berry-flavored gelatin.  Cook for about 25 minutes, stirring constantly, until thickened.  Line jars with thin slices of lemon or short cinnamon sticks.  Ladle preserves into jars, leaving a half-inch headroom at the top.  Seal and process as desired.