Question: I was told the deodar has a low survival rate here in Vegas? I'm thinking of planting one. My wife really likes the look. Do you have any suggestions or precautions for planting or care?
Answer: This is deodar cedar and a tree that you would plant if you want to have some fun with plants in your yard and are prepared to take care of it. This tree is not meant for this climate but with a little extra care you can get it to grow here for quite a while if not a few decades. They sometimes have a tendency to lose the top or leader, which can add to its character.
The tree is native to the Himalayan mountains near Afghanistan and has been bred in mid and northern climates or moderate climates of the United States for a number of years. There are selections that have been bred to be dwarf forms, more compact forms and variations in color such as yellow or golden. Like its close relative, the Atlas cedar, it is a true cedar and will require a semi protected area of the yard away from strong winds and with good soil drainage since it cannot deal with soils that do not drain well.
You probably will want to put it on the north or east side of a home or building, excavate the soil from the planting hole and amend it, checking the hole for water drainage. If drainage is poor or slow, plant it on a large mound. The plant should have 3 or 4 inches of surface wood mulch applied to the soil surface after planting that will decompose and continually improve the soil over time.
I would not put this tree on drip irrigation if you get one of the larger selections, but bubbler and basin type irrigation that floods the area under the tree and then irrigate again when the tree needs it. You could use drip on the shorter or dwarf forms. This tree prefers drier soils so treat it like a pine tree when you irrigate it and don't irrigate too often.
This tree is relatively shallow rooted so it will not handle drought or missed irrigations well. You would fertilize it much like a pine tree or any other landscape tree. This tree may or may not survive for decades here and will not like our hot summer temperatures and strong winds. It can handle the low humidity and alkaline soils just fine.
There are selections of this tree that may be better suited than the standard deodar cedar which is too large for most home landscapes. Some selections you might look at include Deep Cove, which is more compact and has claims that it can tolerate high temperatures better than others, and Aurea, which is golden in color.
Golden plants in our climate are sometimes not a good choice, however, since the yellow color makes us think they are not healthy. You will have to get this mail order most likely unless you can get a nursery to special order it in for you. It is a specimen tree for the yard and should be used as a focal point.
Q: I have six green, healthy, full and vibrant African violets. But, they never blossom. I have a plant light on them from about 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day and I feed them with African violet food once a week and occasionally spray the leaves with a light mist of water. I've had good luck with African violets in the past, so I am really curious what you think.
A: The usual reasons for African violets not blooming include not enough or the wrong kind of light, the pot is too large, soil moisture is not right, fertilizer is not high in phosphorus or you're using the wrong potting soil.
African violets need several hours of bright but indirect sunlight in the morning hours for blooming. Our sun can be too bright at times and burn the leaves. An east window might be best. If they are under lights then you will need a grow light to get them to bloom. Ordinary fluorescent light does not have enough red light in it to get them to bloom.
Light needs to be close, about 12 inches away, not on the ceiling. A combination of fluorescent and incandescent also will work or, of course, natural sunlight. If they are getting east light then it is possible they are not getting enough light from that source if the window is too dark.
The soil should be evenly moist but not wet. Do not use saucers under them and keep them wet this way. Use a good quality houseplant fertilizer or stakes high in phosphorus, which encourages them to bloom. The roots like to be a bit pot-bound and crowded. If the pot is too big and you are giving them too much nitrogen fertilizer it can delay blooming.
Q: Is it possible to grow giant sunflowers in Henderson? Do you have any recommendations for when to plant them and where to plant them in the garden? Do you have recommendations for planting pumpkins? I was planning to start the seeds indoors. Where in the garden do you recommend? Should I make a sunscreen for the garden? Do you recommend any material for constructing it? Do you have any recommendations for protecting the garden from the 100-plus degree heat in the summer?
A: You can plant sunflowers from seed directly into the garden area. The time of year for planting is early, just after danger of frost has passed. You would usually be safe planting in early March.
You also can plant them in peat pots before this and transfer them into the garden area after freezing temperatures have passed if you want an earlier start. They germinate best if the soil temperature is about 50 degrees or more, so make sure the sun shines on the soil if you are direct planting. They should germinate in about 10 days and produce heads in about 90 days.
Prepare the soil by adding amendments such as compost and a starter fertilizer and remove any large rocks bigger than a golf ball. Prepare the soil deep, I would recommend at least to 12 inches deep if these are tall sunflowers. Let the sun warm the soil for a few days after you prepare it. This will speed up germination.
Plant the seed 1 to 2 inches deep and about 2 to 2 1/2 feet apart. Sunflowers with very large heads may need to be planted further apart than this. Apply more fertilizer around the plant in 30 to 45 days after planting.
Seeding pumpkin seed directly into the garden is the easiest way to start pumpkins. If you are not experienced in gardening you may have difficulty starting pumpkins from seed indoors and transferring them outdoors. Pumpkin plants grow in different sized vines; you must know what type of pumpkin plant you are growing so you know how much space they require. The more compact pumpkin plants require less space than traditional pumpkins.
Pumpkins are a warm season vegetable, which means you must plant them in warm soil. If you want them to be ready around Halloween then look on the seed packet to see how many days it will take to grow them. Count back from Halloween that number of days and add about two weeks.
Planting may be as late as July. If pumpkins are planted too early they may soften and rot before Halloween. You must prepare the soil well as you would for your sunflowers using compost, adding a starter fertilizer, removing large rocks and digging the soil fairly deep. They tolerate a wide variety of soils.
You would plant three or four seeds per hill. A hill refers to a circular area about 10 to 12 inches wide. It has nothing to do with an actual hill or mounding the soil.
Lightly mulch over the top of the hill to slow water loss and improve germination of the seed.
You can remove this surface of mulch once you see seedlings and they have set their first set of true leaves.
Bob Morris is an associate professor with the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension.
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