Insects on ficus resemble dotsInsects on ficus resemble dots

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Question: I have a 5-year-old, 6-foot-tall ficus plant indoors. In the last year, I noticed regular leaf drop. The leaves are shiny, sticky and drop the sticky drops below. Do I have an insect problem? No other plants in the living room have this disorder. I hate to lose it. What do you suggest?

Answer: Yes, you have an insect problem. There are several pests of ficus that can cause this, but the most likely is scale. This leaf-sucking insect looks like small, brown, raised oblong dots on leaves and stems.

First, isolate this plant from other interior plants if you can or it will spread to others if it hasn't already. You can try using an insecticidal soap made for house plants, but I will not guarantee a lot of success. You can try dabbing each individual scale with alcohol and rubbing them off. This, of course, is going to be very time consuming. This insect is difficult to control and you may end up having to get rid of the plant and start over.

Q: Four years ago, when we moved in, a dwarf lemon tree was planted between our house and a wall to our neighbor's that offers the tree some protection from wind. It gets morning sun for three to four hours.

The original tree came to us bearing about a dozen lemons. Since then, we have had no fruit. Other parts of the tree display healthy, newly formed leaves. Last year, we were told to turn off the irrigation drips to the tree and water it using a hose with a very slow flow for one hour once a week. We did that, and this year noticed a lot of buds again, but no setting of fruit.

Two months ago, the drips were replaced with three, 2-gallon-per-hour drips for each tree. It goes on for 20 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes in the evening, three times a week.

A: Let's cover two things that jump out at me. First, if the tree is actually only getting three to four hours of sunlight per day, then that is not enough. The tree needs at least eight or more.

The other thing is your watering. I do not know how big your trees are, but even small trees (maybe four to six years in the ground) at the Master Gardeners' Orchard we give about 20 gallons of water everytime we water.

My calculations tell me your tree is getting 4 gallons each time you water, which is three times a week. Compare that to our 40 to 60 gallons per week and our trees are not overwatered. In fact, they are on the edge of not getting enough. I have moisture sensors in three rows that tell me if they need water.

In my opinion, your lemon tree is underwatered. I would put in four emitters in a square spacing about 18 inches from the tree trunk. You can keep them at 2-gallon-per-hour emitters, but increase the length of time for that tree to two hours. Or, you can put in larger emitters such as 4-gallon-per-hour emitters and four emitters and water for one hour. As the tree gets bigger, you will need to add more and/or larger emitters.

Next is the location. I know you think it gets some protection from winds, but planting between the side of a home and a wall can cause more wind damage to the tree. Winds moving from the front yard to the back or vice versa will actually increase speed when they channel between the house and wall.

If this is a relatively narrow space, my guess is the tree is getting beat up pretty badly in that location. It is better off in an open area on the south or west side of the yard but not against a hot wall.

Keep in mind that your tree was put in four years ago. That was at the tail end of an unusually winter-warm decade. During the past two seasons, it has been back to freezing winters here and that is about when you hoped your lemon tree was going to produce. I think you may have had some freeze damage.

So what to do? Move the tree this fall to a more sun-exposed and warmer location. When you plant it, amend the soil because our soils here are pathetic. Be sure to stake it. Mulch the tree with 3 to 4 inches of wood mulch. Make sure you water it enough. I think the frequency you mentioned is right on.

With drip irrigation you only need to water once. You do not need to divide it up into two applications on the same day. Do not use variable drip emitters that let you dial up to large volumes of water. If you can't use a drip, then water with a bubbler and a basin.

Fertilize once a year right after harvest.

Q: I am excited about the new Katy apricot I just purchased. I remember eating Katy apricots when I was a kid and they tasted so good. Any suggestions?

A: Katy apricot produces a vigorous, beautiful tree here. It can double wonderfully as a landscape tree as well, not just a fruit tree. If the fruit is thinned early, it produces large, beautiful yellow fruit with an orange blush.

It will handle most locations, provided there is plenty of light. Keep it away from hot walls, but plant it in full sun or as much sun as possible. It will do better in wood mulch than rock mulch. The tree is one of our best and most consistent producers in the Master Gardener's Orchard.

Q: I have had yards and gardens in various houses in Las Vegas since the 1970s and only this year have I experienced such annoyance with birds, specifically grackles. No amount of tossing pine cones, pebbles or squirting the hose will deter them.

A: Grackles are our worst bird pest at the Master Gardeners' Orchard. They like to nest in palms, particularly ones that have a skirt (old fronds that have died and remain hanging down on the tree). They are very territorial. Frequently, they will go nest or congregate somewhere else and come in to feed a short distance away. They are tough to deter.

We have tried numerous things with little luck. Mostly we have to rely on having so much fruit that we can tolerate some damage or pick fruit a little early. They do have their favorites, but they mostly like fruit that is ripe.

Currently we are trying to attract birds of prey, American kestrel and barn owls, to the orchard for some assistance with our pest problems. We don't pay well, but they can have all they can eat.

Q: The house I bought in Henderson came with fruit trees. The peach trees are loaded, but never seem to ripen on the tree or off, and the birds completely demolish the fruit. I find hundreds of peach pits at the bottom of the trees. Are these really the best trees to have in this climate? I'd prefer to have something else, without fruit or flowers.

A: There are many landscape trees that require very little effort to derive their benefits. Most of these are the so-called desert or desert-adapted trees.

However, the vast majority of fruit trees require much more effort than shade trees. There are a few fruit trees that do well as landscape trees, but you still have to put forward the effort needed for a fruit tree, if you want both.

In short, if you want a landscape tree, then put in landscape trees and remove your fruit trees. If you do not like them, they will never get the maintenance they need to look good and provide usable fruit. Sounds like you are a candidate for pine trees and palms.

Bob Morris is an associate professor with the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension.