Phil The Gardener | Gardening Tips For Modesto CA And Beyond

How to Prune Fruiting Pomegranate Trees

Phil The Gardener — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 14:46:17 +0000

I am going to help a friend prune his pomegranate trees. Late winter is a great time of year to prune your pomegranates before they leaf out.

If you keep a pomegranate plant for the fruit, you should not turn your bush into a tree. Heavy pruning of a pomegranate bush into a tree will result in less fruit production.

For More Information I put an article from the Green Thumb here.

Happy Gardening

Ranunculus Flower Fields At Carlsbad Ranch

Phil The Gardener — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 06:05:38 +0000

The Flower Fields® at Carlsbad Ranch. This ranch has over 50 acres devoted
to raising the ranunculus bulb crop. The dramatic fields of color attract more
than 200,000 visitors each year, many come back again and again. The
ranunculus flower is a member of the Buttercup family. The Tecolote Giant
Ranunculus is the type of ranunculus grown here.

To this day the Flower Fields is the only Ranunculus grower in the world that
allows visitors to walk the fields and experience the bands of color up close.
During the bloom season you can take a wagon ride around the perimeter of
the Flower Fields to get a better look from all sides.

The next time you are in Southern CA between early March to early May drop
by to visit a sea of color at The Flower Fields® at Carlsbad Ranch.

Happy Gardening

Illegal Beekeeping In NYC

Phil The Gardener — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 23:17:16 +0000

The residents are ignoring a ban on honeybees in NYC and continuing to promote their hobby. Here is an article in CHOW that is well written and informative on the little critters.

With the very existence of honeybees threatened by disease and CCD I hope they are able to get the ban lifted soon. Honeybee pollination is a vital part of our life.

Worx 19” Cordless Lawn Mower- How To Mow With No Emissions

Phil The Gardener — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 20:53:16 +0000

Are you tired of all the hassles with maintenance getting ready to mow in the spring? Go over to The Best Lawn Mowers Reviews and check out a new video that was posted there. It is about a lawn mower that doesn’t have any emissions.

For More Information go to: Best Lawn Mowers Reviews

Happy Gardening

Where Do Almonds Come From

Phil The Gardener — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 05:35:39 +0000

[bubblecast id=284714]

Have you ever wondered, where do almonds come from?

If you live in the Modesto, Ca area you know that cloud of dust that has been coming into your house for the last couple of months is being stirred up as the farmers are harvesting their almonds and other fall crops.

The farmers are bringing in their bountiful crop of almonds once again. The long journey started in the early spring with the beautiful snow colored almond trees in full bloom being pollinated by our friend the honeybee. It takes millions of honey bees to pollinate the almonds in the area around Modesto.

After almond pollination the the almond nut grows rapidly as the trees take in nourishment from the fertile soil, water, and plenty of sunshine. In early August the first almonds are shaken from the trees and thus begins another 2-3 month almond harvest.

There are several varieties of almonds ranging from the soft shells to the hard shelled variety you may find in the mixed nuts in the shell you get for a Christmas gift.

Happy Gardening

Transplanting Sego Palms

Phil The Gardener — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 03:37:09 +0000

Norman asks Phil The Gardener;
I have a nine foot sego palm growing at the end of my
garden.

It has two trunks and makes fan shaped fronds. It is growing
too near my gutters and roof and I was thinking about
transplanting it. Can you give me any ideas on how to do this
without killing the palm. I have had it for several years.

Also can it be split? Thank you for your time and answer.

Phi The Gardener’s reply;

Sego Palms

We have transplanted several Sego Palms in Modesto CA with great success. Transplanting Sego Palm ‘Cycads’ is very easy and fairly risk
free as long as you plan ahead. It is best to move the tree during the
early spring or winter when the plant is not actively growing.

Dig a trench at least 12 to 18 inches away from the trunk all
the way around the tree, and at least 12 to 18 inches below
the ground, deeper if necessary it never hurts to keep as
much of the root system as possible.

If the sego palm is 9 feet tall you will need a lot of manpower
or a mechanical means to move the tree. You may need to
splint the trunk to keep it from bending.

You can divide the the tree but this can increase the chance
of killing one or more of them. I would not recommend it.

How deep to plant Sego Palm?
Replant it back to the same depth or even a couple of inches
higher. Too deep and you will kill it. Water it in to make sure
you get the soil settled around the roots and no air pockets.
After it is planted make sure it doesn’t get too much water a
little on the dry side is better than too wet.

For more information go to: Transplanting Sego Palms

Happy Gardening

Drought Tolerant Crepe Myrtle Trees Around Modesto CA

Phil The Gardener — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 02:18:12 +0000

Here are some examples of the drought tolerant tree crepe myrtle in and
around Modesto CA

As you can see they come in multiple colors-purple, pink, scarlet and
white. Sit back and enjoy the crepe myrtles.

For more information go to: Drought Tolerant Crepe Myrtle Trees Around Modesto CA

Happy Gardening

Drought Tolerant Tree In Modesto CA: Crabapple Trees

Phil The Gardener — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 22:49:09 +0000

The crabapple tree is drought tolerant and does well in the hot Modesto summers.

For more information go to: Drought Tolerant Trees For Modesto CA: Crabapple Trees

Happy Gardening

Modesto CA Drought Tolerant Tree: Crepe Myrtle

Phil The Gardener — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 20:54:00 +0000

Modesto, CA is in a drought so if you are looking for a flowering drought tolerant tree that will do well in drought conditions, a good choice would be the crepe myrtle. Crepe myrtle trees come in white and many shades of pink.

For more information go to: Drought Tolerant Trees For Modesto CA: Crepe Myrtle Trees

Happy Gardening

Rotting Agapanthus

Phil The Gardener — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 23:10:12 +0000

Nellie wrote:
I am fairly new to these. I planted 19 of these plants and within one week,
I noticed some yellowing, wilting and finally collapsing. Upon pulling the
stem I noticed that the base of the leaves was mushy and slimy. At first I
thought I did not watered enough after planting (they were grown in 10″
containers and blooming) so I watered. All three plants that have the same
problem are on the same row. What do I do? The other plants seem OK so far.
Is it something in the soil? I am in Zone 10 (Miami, FL). They have
plenty of sun, southern exposure, some shade in the morning. What do I do
before they all die? Are the roots still alive? should I dig them out and
treat the soil? Please help!

Phil The Gardener’s Reply:
Agapanthus do very well year round in zones 7-11 and are generally disease
free as long as they have good drainage and are not over watered.

For your container plants, make sure you use a well drained potting mix, add
in a granular fertilizer. The soil should drain readily and not retain excess water.
The plant can suffer from root and rhizome rot in heavy poorly drained soil.

Remove the plant from the container and replace the soil with a good draining
potting soil replant. Check with your local garden supply for a good fungicide
to treat the affected plants and soil.

Happy Gardening

http://www.philthegardener.com/rotting-agapanthus/