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Garden Guy Dave Owens

Some of you in the Phoenix metro may be familiar with Garden Guy Dave Owens since he appears on newscasts .. but he also has many tips, videos and articles for desert dwellers on Azfamily.com.

I can't figure out how to embed videos but here are some links to some short winter gardening vids...

Garden Guy: How to care for Christmas plants and flowers

Garden Guy: Natural ways to zap winter weeds

Garden Guy: Protect your plants

Also check out the Garden Guy blog at http://www.azfamily.com/community/blogs/the-garden-guy/

And Dave has articles, FAQs and products on his personal site at www.gardenguy.com 

Happy gardening! j / itsa


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Merry Christmas everyone

Wishing all of you a very Merry Christmas and happy holidays!! j & B

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Agave has many uses

I apologize for the lack of posts past several weeks - just crazy busy. I ran across this article by Jonathan DuHamel called "Agave, a plant of many uses" recently and including some portions of it below and a link to entire piece which is a very worthy read. j / itsa
 

Agaves have been used by people in southern Arizona for at least 4,000 years both as a wild plant and a cultivated plant.

Agaves, sometimes called century plants, are succulents like cacti. Their normal life span is usually between 10 and 30 years, not a century. At the end of their time, they shoot up a stalk which is often quick growing, as much as one foot per day. Agaves make a stalk just once in their lifetime, then die.

Some examples of agave uses include:  

Fiber - is extracted from the spiked leaves. By the way, the pulp in some species is acidic enough to cause dermatitis but baking reduces the acidity. The cleaned fibers were used to make clothing, rope, baskets, and brushes. The end spines could be used for needles, and with careful extraction, came with thread attached.  

Food - the heart of the plant (imaging a giant artichoke) was roasted yielding a sweet nutritious food that is slightly slimy and tastes like molasses. Cooking is essential because otherwise the heart of the agave is very poisonous. The juice of the agave heart was boiled down into a sweet syrup.  

Drink - the juice could also be fermented (by spitting into it) into pulque, a beer-like drink and of course made into tequila or mescal.  

Medicine - agave contains polysaccharides which are bactericidal, and saponins and sapogenins that have antibiotic, fungicidal, and antiviral properties.  

Building materials - stalks can be used for a variety of building purposes and they make good, light, strong walking sticks.

Read DeHamel's full article explaining agave uses in more detail on Tucson Citizen


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Pomegranate pests

As a follow up to my Wonderful Pomegranate post last week, a word of caution about a critter that can do some damage to your fruit.

This is the evil Leaffooted Bug (Leptoglossus phyllopus). These things can measure up to an inch long and can fly. They are interesting critters since they move slowly on branches and fruit and sometimes they’ll turn and watch you with wary eyes.

Although a bit amusing to watch, this pest will bore holes into the ripening pomegranates causing brown spoiled spots and eventually it falls to the ground in a pile of rotting fruit. (Note: these pests not only damage pomees but can wreck havoc on many kinds of crops, including fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts and ornamentals.)


Scouting is necessary because of the nature of the leaffooted bugs’ damage. Damage produced is similar to that produced by stink bugs, and be warned ... and, speaking of stinky, these bugs also can emit a distinctive odor when handled.

Leaffooted bugs hide in the tops of trees and are often camouflaged by the tree canopy, so some sites suggest taking a long pole and giving the tree a good whack. If disturbed, the bug will take off and usually land nearby, giving you a chance to take a closer look at it and make an ID.

These bugs have long sucking mouthparts that they use to suck the juice from seeds that don't have a hard coat which is why they really love pomegranates. They overwinter as adults in weeds or debris piles so clean up the area around your trees. Also watch for their eggs and young nymphs in the early spring.

According to the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agriculture Sciences, nymphs of the leaffooted bug have much the same shape as adults, but do not acquire the flattened leaf-like hind tibial expansions until well along toward becoming adults. Eggs are golden brown and are laid in a single row or chain along a stem or leaf midrib. They are somewhat cylindrical, flattened on the undersides and at the ends and are closely laid end to end, forming a stiff cylindrical rod in which each egg appears as a joint or cell. (Photograph by: Lyle J. Buss, University of Florida)

A few tips to help eradicate the pests naturally without chemicals include...

One lady wrote in the VPA forum... “I staple paper bags over my immature pomegranates to keep the bugs off - but like Anita, I have had far fewer leaffooted bugs this year since I got chickens so I too am assuming that many of the nymphs became chicken treats. The nymphs are bright red and black and have a much smaller 'foot'. I handpick any adults I see and drop them in soapy water - just like squash bugs. ...”

Another member wrote .. “Hand picking of the adults seems to work best for me at dawn or dusk - they don't seem to fly away as fast as they do during the daytime.”

And eHow.com suggests planting Mexican milkweed, which attracts ladybugs and lacewings which prey on young leaf-footed bugs.

If we use any bug control spray around our place, it's pyrethrum (made from certain species of the chrysanthemum) and have read another non-toxic solution called Multi Purpose Insect Killer is used on organic gardens.

So just remember to watch for the bright red nymphs in the spring and don’t let the adults get out of control in the summer and fall months ... and happy harvesting!

Sources (and learn more) at:
  GrowingProduce.com
  University of Florida Institute of Food and Agriculture Sciences
  Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
  Valley Permaculture Alliance forum

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Happy Thanksgiving

Wishing all of you a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with love and laughter. 

As you reflect on your blessings, please take a moment to remember those serving our country and separated from their families today and throughout the year. 

Have a fun, safe holiday weekend! j & B

 

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Wonderful pomegranates

This is a "Wonderful" time of year in our southern AZ household. We have 4 Wonderful pomegranate trees (and yes, "wonderful" is a specific type of tree) ... and they are definitely that!

This year's pomegranate harvest (or pomees as we call them) is very small due to the hard freezes we had early this year. But they are very easy to grow, keep well in storage (if you have a cool place to store them) and are very tasty!

According to the California Rare Fruit Growers, Inc. the pomegranate is a neat, rounded shrub or small tree that can grow to 20 or 30 ft., but more typically to 12 to 16 ft. in height. Dwarf varieties are also known. It is usually deciduous, but in certain areas the leaves will persist on the tree. The trunk is covered by a red-brown bark which later becomes gray. The branches are stiff, angular and often spiny. Pomegranates are also long-lived. There are specimens in Europe that are known to be over 200 years of age. The vigor of a pomegranate declines after about 15 years, however.

The AZCentral.com gardening forum writes: Pomegranates do not require the same amount of water as other fruit trees because they are native to the dry regions of the world. An established pomegranate tree could be watered deeply once every two weeks during the hot months and still have good fruit production. If the tree is younger, it may be watered a little more frequently until it is established. You can water less during spring and fall. Most pomegranates are dormant during our winter and can be watered once a month. If time permits, build a soil ring around the drip line of the tree and create a bowl to collect the water and allow for a good deep soak.

Per CRFG, the fruits are ripe when they have developed a distinctive color and make a metallic sound when tapped. Our test is ... if they twist off the tree easily, they are most likely ready. Well, that and when critters start pigging out on them in Sep and Oct, the pomees are ready. And fruits must be picked before over maturity when they tend to crack open, particularly when rained on.

The pomegranate is equal to the apple in having a long storage life. It is best maintained at a temperature of 32° to 41° F. and can be kept for a period of 7 months within this temperature range and at 80 to 85% relative humidity without shrinking or spoiling. The fruits improve in storage, becoming juicier and more flavorful.

The fruit can be eaten out of hand by deeply scoring several times vertically and then breaking it apart. The clusters of juice sacs are then lifted out and eaten.

We cut each end off then score it vertically so it's easier to peel and reveal the red jewels (aka arils). WARNING: The juices will stain things! And the fleshy internal membrane turns fingernails a lovely shade of yellow esp after pulling out the seeds manually. But the good news is my nails turn back white several weeks after the last pomee is eaten.

The fruit also makes an attractive garnish when sprinkled on various dishes. Pomegranate fruits are most often consumed as juice and can be juiced in several ways. The sacs can be removed and put through a basket press or the juice can be extracted by reaming the halved fruits on an ordinary orange juice squeezer or use a blender for a bit then strain seeds.

The juice can be used to make jellies, sorbets or cold or hot sauces as well as to flavor cakes, baked apples, etc. Pomegranate syrup is sold commercially as grenadine. The juice can also be made into a wine.

A great blog post with several pomee recipes is http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/pomegranates/ and the POM site has recipes, tips, coupons and more at www.pomwonderful.com

Have a wonderful day! :)  j / itsa



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