Don't wait for yard problems

     By Bob Morris
     View columnist
      The following are typical questions our Master Gardeners answer daily at the Nevada Cooperative Extension. If you have gardening questions, call the Master Gardeners' hot line at 257-5555 between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. There is also a gardening Web site at http://www.intermind. net/mgarden./
     
      Make a New Year's resolution. Stay on top of the yard and garden and take care of things before they need it.
      I have noticed there are some brown branches beginning to form on some Aleppo pine trees in town. This may be the beginning of an outbreak of Aleppo pine blight. There really is nothing known that can be done to prevent this.
      Some trees may have severe branch dieback, others may be slight and most will show no signs at all. Most trees affected are older with sparse needle coverage. A light fertilization in January and the following year will help trees recover.
      January and February are tree and shrub fertilization times including fruit trees. Trees and shrubs that have been showing signs of yellowing, or iron chlorosis, need soil applications of iron. Iron 138, or fertilizers containing 138 iron, would be best. Follow the label.
      Question: My poinsettia that I was given for the holidays is losing leaves. What am I doing wrong?
      Answer: There could be several things that could be happening. The poinsettia is grown under greenhouse conditions before you receive it. In the greenhouse it was receiving plenty of sunlight, regular watering and fertilizers. Plus it was given special lighting treatments to get it to bloom during the holiday season.
      The biggest mistake that we make when we purchase these types of plants is not trying to duplicate the environment they came from. What I mean is that these plants go into "shock" when they are moved from one environment to a totally different environment.
      Your plant went into shock. Reasons for plants to go into shock include putting them into very warm rooms, not giving them enough light, allowing the soil to become too dry before watering, watering too often, drafts from ventilating systems or open doorways.
      These conditions could have happened in the retail outlet you purchased the plants or in your home or business. Fertilize lightly every week. Try to give it as much sunlight as possible.
      Q: How do I water poinsettia and Christmas cactus?
      A: Christmas cactus is a succulent and will require less frequent watering than the poinsettia. When watering, water so the entire pot is evenly moist. If the soil is too dry it will not rewet easily and the water will drain down the side of the pot and leave the soil dry in the center.
      A good way to do this is to lower the pot in a container or basin filled with water. Leave the pot long enough to water the entire root zone; about five minutes. When the pot has been watered thoroughly the pot will be noticeably heavier. The easiest way to determine when to water is to lift the pot.
      When the pot is light in weight, it is time to water. Poinsettia should be kept evenly moist and not given a chance to dry out or the leaves will drop. Both require plenty of winter light.
      Q: Is blood meal better for roses than commercial fertilizers?
      A: Any form of fertilizer available as an organic form is nearly always better for plants. What I mean by organic is that some decomposition must take place for nutrients to be released.
      There are farm-type fertilizers, such as urea, that are considered organic by fertilizer companies. This is not an organic fertilizer to organic gardeners. In defense of farm-type fertilizers, the plant cannot tell the difference if nitrogen or any of the other elements came from an organic source or not.
      To the plant, nitrogen is nitrogen. However, this is not what makes an organic fertilizer more valuable to a plant. An organic fertilizer is valuable because of all the other accessory chemicals released through decomposition.
      These chemicals are substances such as organic acids. These acids aid the plant in the uptake of other nutrients like iron, manganese and zinc.
      The overall nutrition of the plant and soil is improved. The decomposition process also helps make our desert soils more acid. This is extremely important if we are planting nondesert plants in our yard such as Indian hawthorn, photinia and other plants brought into the desert from coastal California.
      The major reason organic fertilizers have not been used more by gardeners is because farm-type fertilizers are cheaper and easier to use. The reasoning is that if a farmer does it this way it must be the right way.
      Farmers choose certain ways primarily for economic reasons, not necessarily because it's the best way. In the past, farmers claimed they could not afford to use organic fertilizers due to cost. This has been changing in the last 20 years.
      Q: Should I mulch my plants in the winter?
      A: It really depends. Mulching is done to protect cold-sensitive plants from the winter. Mulch is also used to conserve water and decrease weeds. Plants that may come back from the crown after a heavy freeze may benefit.
      I kept an African bird of paradise alive for several years in a protected location by mulching even though temperatures dropped to the mid-teens. It froze to the ground but the crown was alive due to the mulch and it came back the next year.
      Roses are kept alive through the winter in places like Wisconsin and Minnesota by heavy mulching and coverings. Here the crowns of plants such as bougainvillea, red bird of paradise and others may make it through a tough winter by mulching. Plants with an established root system will spring back more rapidly after a rough winter than newly planted shrubs.
      Mulches provide another benefit not mentioned often. They ameliorate soil temperatures. Soils that are covered don't have wide temperature swings like uncovered soils. This can provide a longer time for seasonal root growth and better establishment.
      Q: Can I use the ashes in my fireplace in my garden or my shrubs?
      A: It is not recommended. I'm assuming the ashes are from wood burning. All of the good things in the wood have been burned up. What you wanted from the wood is decomposition and to provide an organic source to your soil.
      The ashes won't do any of that. Don't use your soil as a dumping ground for waste unless it has been composted first.
      Q: My evergreen trees are dropping their needles now. What should I do?
      A: Needle drop in pine trees is normal during the spring of the year. Most of our pine trees that we grow here keep their needles for about four years before they are dropped. After the fourth year it is normal to see needle drop.
      A healthy pine tree should keep pine needles for about 18 to 24 inches of its branch length. This would be measured from the tip toward the trunk. Less than this could mean problems.
      The usual problem would be overwatering. A second problem could be too much shade from a neighboring tree, house or dense branches. A third problem could be a poor root system or shallow soils. A last problem could be underfertilization.
     
     Bob Morris is a horticulture specialist with Nevada Cooperative Extension.