In the garden this week:
Fruit. Cut off all vertical shoots or water sprouts on your citrus and avocado trees. If you see suckers growing from the base of the trunk, remove them as well. You can also keep your trees at a height of 10-12 feet through pruning. If you allow the trees to grow tall, you will need a pole pruner with a basket attachment to harvest them, unless you want to stand a ladder up into the canopy, both of which are laborious practices. While topping of shade and ornamental trees is not recommended, fruit trees are a different story. Still, you do not want to remove more than 25% of a tree’s canopy at one time.
Vegetables. I have found Miracle-Gro All Purpose Garden Soil for In-Ground Use to be a highly economical and effective amendment when planting vegetables from 3-inch or 4-inch containers. Two weeks ago, I dug a hole for a Chocolate Sprinkle tomato plant that was a little larger than its small root ball, filled the hole with this amendment, and placed the plant in the amendment-filled hole. It took off like a rocket with shoots that are already three feet long from which I have harvested a significant number of fruit. I should mention that my soil has been heavily mulched over the years so that plants benefit from a build-up of minerals and beneficial decomposing bacteria and humus, the end product of mulch decomposition.
Herbs. Now is the time to plant cilantro, also known as coriander (Coriandrum sativum). This plant is unique in yielding both an herb and spices. By definition, herbs are the pungent leafy portions of certain plants, while spices are derived from seeds, fruits, flowers, or roots. Coriander seeds have a citrusy flavor and are used in a multiplicity of recipes, while coriander root plays a major role in Thai cuisine. Cilantro leaves are found not only in salsa and guacamole, but as a garnish for fish and meat. Cilantro is native to the Mediterranean and well-suited for growing in our climate. Seeds come up reliably when planted in the fall, and plants self-sow, giving you a lifetime supply. Coriander seeds sold in the grocery store spice section will germinate, too.
Flowers. Lily and Jack of Hearts pelargoniums both grow into 2-3 foot tall perennials that bloom from spring until fall. They are allied with regal and Martha Washington geraniums, and both bear prolific blooms with deep red petals; the petal bases of Lily are black, while those of Jack of Hearts are red. They are among the vanishing stock of rare plants from San Marcos Growers that may never be seen again once the nursery closes for good at the end of this year. I highly recommend perusal of their catalogue at smgrowers.com and ordering your choices through the retail nursery closest to you that carries their stock. Click on Retail Locator on the left of the home page to find outlets in your area.
Reindeer moss, used as a mulch for containerized plants, is a fibrous chartreuse lichen grazed by caribou and reindeer in Arctic lands. A lichen is an organism that consists of an algae living among fungal strands in a mutually beneficial relationship. In our part of the world, lichens are commonly seen in orange, blue-green, yellow, or white and may be seen growing on the trunks of certain trees, especially oaks. I recently received a letter from a reader who attached a photo of citrus tree limbs that were covered in white by what he thought was a disease. It was actually lichens, and I told him not to worry since they were not pathogenic. However, it would be a good idea to scrape them off since they might interfere with gas exchange on the trunk and branches.
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