Today (2-2-2016) at the Arboretum

It was a beautiful day at the Arboretum today, Groundhog day,  and there are some interesting plants and things to talk about. 

Sinkhole in the Bauer Lawn. 

A fairly impressive sinkhole has opened up on the Bauer lawn, just about where the band-shell stands during the summer concert series. It's about six to eight feet deep and at the bottom is an opening that leads to who-knows-where. One of my hobbies is cave exploring so I find this quite interesting. It is thought that this sinkhole formed when an old abandoned water well collapsed -however there is another explanation that is a bit more Indiana Jones'ish; that somewhere under the Arboretum is an old tunnel that used to lead from the racetrack, under the arboretum to who-knows-where. It's rumored that it existed to serve as a bomb shelter during World War II, and went from about where the Baldwin service entrance to the track is to the far side of the Bauer lawn. Is this a sinkhole resulting from the partial collapse of the rumored tunnel? Would it be possible to explore the tunnel if safe entry could be made into it, and if so, what kind of surprises might there be inside of it? Somebody call the History Channel, I feel a series coming on. 

Sinkhole in Bauer lawn; what caused it?

Looking into the sinkhole a small passage  trends westward. 

Meadow-brook Section Surprises

Taking a stroll through the Meadowbrook was interesting today. For the most part it was a symphony of naked branches waiting for spring to make them decent. There were some interesting items however. First, right in the middle of the Meadowbrook's southern lawn (the Meadowbrook section has  southern, northern, and western lawn areas), was what looked like a display of Liquidambar balls. They were probably collected there by Arboretum gardener Bryan Burks who was working nearby. The pile struck me as interesting so I took a picture of it at ground level. 

Pile of Liquidambar seed balls on the South Meadowbrook lawn. 

Magnolias Starting to Bloom -Are My Worries Valid?

Just adjacent to the Meadowbrook section is our Magnolia collection. This year is a big question mark for it. Several of the trees have bloomed out of season this early fall and the big question is; how will this (and the drought, and a moderate infestation of shot hole borers) influence this years bloom? Every year, despite all threats from the drought, insects, strange fall weather, our collection of some 40+ types of  Magnolia never fail to put on a show. However this year they seem oddly late - is this perception valid? Is there a problem with them that could stymie the annual spectacular of bloom I'm so used to?

So to check out this hunch I went back into our recent photo archives and looked for pix of Magnolias blooming here from several years back. Here's what I found:

January 22, 2011

January 21, 2012

The image on the left was taken in late January 2011; It along with others from the same time show that the Magnolia collection was in full bloom by now in 2011. The image on the right is also from late January, but in 2012. So in these two years the collection was in pretty good bloom by now. However:  The below images were taken February 11th, 2010 -so it's probably not time to panic just yet. 

February 11th, 2010

February 11th, 2010

Keep Your Handroanthus off of my Tabebuia -Sometimes Botanists Have a Hard Time Getting it Right

This beautiful little blooming tree pictured below can be seen in full glory in the east shore of Baldwin lake. It's name here is Tabebuia impetiginosa 'Paulensis'. It is a natural variety of its origin plant that occurs in South America on grassy plains between 500 and 800 feet above sea level. The genus Tabebuia is now the genus Handroanthus. This plant is now Handroanthus avellanedae (Lorentz ex Griseb. ) Mattos var. paullensis (Toledo) Looking this particular plant up it's apparent that this is one of the most confusing genus of plants out there. For some reason taxonomists haven't done very well categorizing it. Here's a list of most of the names that his plant has had over the years:

Tabebuia avellanedae var. paulensis 

Bignonia heptaphylla Vell.

Handroanthus eximius (Miq.) Mattos

Handroanthus impetiginosus var. lepidotus (Bureau) Mattos

Tabebuia avellanedae var. paulensis Toledo

Tabebuia eximia (Miq.) Sandwith

Tabebuia heptaphylla (Vell.) Toledo

Tabebuia impetiginosa var. lepidota (Bureau) Toledo

Tabebuia ipe (Mart. ex K.Schum.) Standl.

Tecoma curialis Saldanha

Tecoma eximia Miq.

Tecoma impetiginosa var. lepidota Bureau

Tecoma ipe Mart. ex K.Schum.

 Handroanthus avellanedae (Lorentz ex Griseb. ) Mattos var. paullensis (Toledo)  -but for how long?

Other Interesting Things Out in the Garden:

Armillaria mellea, the 'honey mushroom' growing on the infested roots of an African Acacia tree in the African section. 

Beautiful gum oozing out of a Red river gum tree -if you look close you can see flecks that look like golden glitter suspended in the dark amber-colored gum. 

Bold Bunny Leaves Beady Evidence

Q. We have an animal using our patio as their bathroom.  The exterminator thinks it’s squirrels or rabbits but wasn’t much help as to what to do.  In the four years that we’ve lived in the house, this is the first time we’ve had this problem and while we do have squirrels running along the fence and through the yard on occasion, we have never seen a rabbit.  About a month ago, the problem started and it’s almost daily.  That’s when we turned off the sprinklers and we picked all the oranges off the two trees, growing in pots on the patio.

Do you have any ideas or is there someone at the Arboretum with that can offer advice.  Critter Ridder and Repels All work for a night and I haven’t found anything useful reading internet sites or from calling L.A. Animal Control.  

I’ve attached two pictures.  One is the mess left on the patio and the other is bark at the base of a pluot tree in the backyard.  Is it possible an animal is eating the bark?

Creature's scat. 

 

Bark that has possibly been attacked by creature that left above scat. 

A. Looks like a definite lagomorph –my guess is cottontail rabbit. You do not see them during the day here in the San Gabriel Valley as they like to operate just after nightfall. This drought has caused them to act a bit more boldly in their nightly forays for food and travel further than they usually would. 

Instead of 'Critter Ridder' (which is mostly hot and black pepper extract) and 'Repels All' (rotten eggs, dried blood and garlic oil) I would try a combination of fox urine (available online or at garden centers) and/or a motion activated scarecrow (remember to move this around every several days).

Mares Eat Oats and DoesEat Oats and Little Fungi Eat Ivy

 Question:

I have very tall hedge of ivy serving as the fence between my neighbor and me, a bit higher than my one-story Spanish house.  The ivy was probably planted in the 1920's.

A large section, about 4-5 wide, and about 8 feet tall,  has died.  The rest of the hedge looks healthy.  I have to continually keep it from invading the flower beds around my house.

Any idea what causes the ivy to die back?  I planted bougainvillea in the hopes that it will cover the dead branches. Not sure if the ivy will recover first or the blight will spread to rest of the ivy hedge.

Ann

Hi Ann,

There are three common ivy diseases: stem rot -caused by the fungus, Rhizoctonia solani; anthracnose -caused by the fungus Colletotrechum omnivorum, and bacterial leaf spot which is caused by a Xanthomas bacteria.

However, the bottom line to remember is that all three of these diseases are associated with too much water in the soil or on the leaves.

This means that your the first thing you have to do is cut your watering frequency to once once or twice a week (which you should be doing anyway if you live anywhere in Southern California during this drought) and make sure you are watering in th early morning hours only so that water doesn't have a chance to stand on the leaves and make a perfect incubator for the above mentioned leaf spotting organisms. 

You might also want to spray the entire area in the early summer with a copper fungicide. This will help cut down the amount of spores that are available to re-infect your ivy. Remember to re-apply it after it rains. 

Cheers,   Frank

Ground Cover Strawberries Failing to Thrive

Question:

Last summer we planted the native strawberry, Fragaria chiloensis, from flats in two large parkways under large magnolia trees.  They were well mulched and are on a drip system.  Meanwhile they are not thriving.  They are hardly growing and as we understand from various literature these plants should be fast growing.  What could be the problem?

Thank you for the help.

Carol

Hi Carol,

Strawberries require light, more than they are able to receive under shady magnolia trees. Also, drip is a terrible way to water ground covers of any type. In order to thrive ground covers need to be irrigated in such a manner that the entire area that you want them to cover is watered. For ground cover under Magnolias (I'm assuming you are taking about the evergreen magnolia), I would suggest Liriope spicata, also known as 'lily turf'. These grassy, mounded plants grow to 12 to 18 inches tall and have shallow root systems that do not have to compete with the magnolias thirsty network of roots. Once they are established you should only have to water them once or twice a week.

Cheers,   Frank

Where Can the Children Play?

Hello

I live on a quarter acre and would like to fill some areas with what I have heard is drought resistant turf that requires less water but provides a play space for children.  

What companies make drought resistant grass like they use in Phoenix?  

Where do I buy this product in San Fernando Valley?  

I am a pediatrician and the obesity crisis and motor development in children is also a challenge in this generation.  

Frances 

Hi Frances,

After doing a little research I found out that a Bermuda grass variety called 'Midiron' is the most popular water saving grass for the Phoenix area. You can plant Bermuda in the San Fernando valley but you should be aware that because it gets fairly cold here compared to Phoenix that Bermuda grass lawn can take on a straw-like appearance from November through April when it goes dormant because of the cold. You can overcome this problem by over-seeding the grass with red fescue or you can spray the straw colored lawn with turf colorant (mostly harmless -just make sure you get a water or latex based type and not one that contains polyethylene glycol -the active ingredient in anti-freeze).

I would look at the following grasses (links provided for information and do not constitute a recommendation of the companies providing them):

Eco-lawn

A blend of California native and  U.S. native fescues developed for California. This preforms a little better in shadier areas or half sun in the San Fernando Valley and might be best mixed in with the others below for sunny areas.

UC Verde  Buffalo Grass

Has a long establishment period and cannot be played on in the wintertime unless it is over-seeded with Red Fescue or Perennial Rye.

Native Carex

Great looking lawn that requires no more than once a week at the most watering, however playing sports on it could be a nightmare of skinned knees and twisted ankles as the texture of the thing is defined by the woody basal clumps it can develop. 

Creeping Red Fescue

This can save maybe half the water of a traditional lawn and you can mow it and play sports on it (occasionally). It does tend to get lumpy when planted by itself. 

Bermuda Grass

Besides what is mentioned above, Bermuda grass makes an excellent sports surface and requires half the water of lawns like dwarf tall fescue. Local sod growers will have varieties that perform better here in Southern California. 

Rhizomatous Tall Fescue

A new introduction by Valley Sod Farm, this is like the traditional dwarf tall fescues like 'Marathon' except that it doesn't require as much water, about half of that of traditional fescues, and is does not get as lumpy as dwarf tall fescue lawns tend to get. 

Also, the UC schools are busily researching better alternatives to the traditional turf lawns. For more information on this quest go here.  

Sod Growers Located Near Los Angeles

Possible Light at the End of the Polyphagous Shot Hole Borer Tunnel?

Dr. Akif Eskalen pointing to  PSHB attacking a tree at the Arboretum.  

The two different unknown species of Polyphagous Shot Hole Borer (s),  that until now have had free reign tunneling into and destroying such California native trees as Sycamore, Box Elder and Red Willow, may be seeing leaner days ahead now that a new parasitic wasp that appears to attack them and keep their numbers under control has been discovered. You can read more about it here.
In the meantime (it can take up to two years for the parasite to be tested, bred and released) if you have a Sycamore tree that you want to save from the beetle then spraying a contact insecticide mixed with a bark penetrant every 6-8 weeks on the bark of the trunk and larger branches may be the only way to save it. The treatment (which should be done by professionals with a bucket truck), is expensive, but I've seen it keep the infestation levels down on trees that, if lost, could drop the price of the properties containing them by 10's of thousands of dollars.

Possible Sewer Damage Has Homeowner Singing the Bamboo Blues

Here at the Arboretum bamboo (like this Phyllastachys aurea) can obtain epic proportions. 

Q. My neighbor has recently planted giant clumping bamboo over the common plumbing easement for the city sewage line where their line and mine run. Do we have a potential future issue with these roots attacking and obstructing the waste line? If so what can we done about it that I can recommend to them.

A. That all depends on how deep, old and well maintained your sewage line is. Bamboo have fibrous roots that generally go no deeper than 24 inches. If your sewage line is relatively shallow (2 feet or less) then it is probably not up to code because many city codes require burial of sewer lines at least 2 feet below grade and it will have problems with the bamboo roots, but only if the line is also leaking -which should be fixed anyway. If you are up to code and your line is not leaking you should not have any problems with the roots of any bamboo or tree for that matter. So getting to the root of the problem -plant/sewer problems are almost always the fault of faulty, leaking, cheap, or not installed to code sewer lines and not the fault of the plant.

So what should you do if you're concerned? Have a plumber check your lines if your worried -it's not your neighbor's responsibility to check and see if your plumbing is up to code. You also might want to mention to your neighbor (during the dinner you've invited them to in order to smooth out your relations) that bamboo is, in general, a huge water hog that really isn't compatible with our current water conservation paradigm.

Wanderings in the Arboretum Collection: Spine of the Cross

Colletia paradoxa

Located in the southwestern corner of the Water Conservation Garden, a strange and formidable looking plant, Colletia paradoxa (syn. Colletia cruciata), is blooming. A member of the same family as Jujubes and Ceanothus, the plant itself resembles a kind of cactus. It has mostly no leaves but instead has flattened triangular stems that give the plant its unique look. It eventually grows up to 8 feet tall and 12 feet wide. Besides looking like a cactus the stems are stiff, tipped with spines, and quite dangerous –this is not a plant for right next to your basketball court. It is, however, a great plant for keeping people out of areas they are not supposed to be in.

The flowers are quite spectacular; small, white  1/8” to ¼”   wide and bell shaped blooms that cluster around the flat stems like popcorn. They are rumored to smell like custard, however I did not notice any smell coming from them as I was photographing them.

The plant, which is commonly called espina de la cruz (spine of the cross) in Spanish,  is found in the montane hills of Uruguay, Southern Brazil, Northern Argentina and parts of Chile. Although it is very drought tolerant here, the areas that it’s native to aren’t particularly dry. The specimen here in the Water Conservation, according to our accession records, came from Humboldt University; that is Humboldt University in Berlin Germany. 

Wanderings in the Arboretum Collection: 臭茉莉 Chòu mò lì (Stink Jasmine; Glory Bower)

Clerodendrum chinense bloom.

Located in a patch of ground on the west side of the tropical greenhouse, the weedy looking green shoots of the Clerodendrum chinense pop up over an area of about 100 or so square feet. A native of China, this interesting plant has the nickname there of “Stink Jasmine”. Smelling the white, capitate clusters of blooms you are immediately impressed with their pleasant jasmine-like scent that somewhat borders on that of Gardenias. Why the “Stink Jasmine” moniker for this un-mint-like member of the mint (formerly the verbena) family?

Clerodendrum chinense plant

The answer to this riddle is quickly obtained with one ‘scratch and sniff’ of its leaves: they smell like rancid peanut butter. This same smell can be noticed on the Tree of Heaven (Ailianthus altissima) with which Clerodendrum chinense shares the first part of their common names in Chinese ( 臭茉莉 (Chòu mò lì ) meaning Stink Jasmine and 臭椿(Chòu Chun) meaning Stink Tree -臭 being the symbol for ‘stink’ in Chinese). This specimen was first obtained from San Marcos Growers in 1994 under its old name Clerondendrun phillipinum. 

Wanderings In The Arboretum Collection: Nuxia floribunda

This medium sized tree sits prominently on the north edge of the Bauer lawn and is in full bloom right now. It’s pom-pom like clusters of fluffy white blooms have a not unpleasant slight sweet scent, adding to the already pleasant shade it throws on the bench located underneath its canopy on its south side. It’s shape makes it quite a pleasant looking tree, having a classic umbrella appearance.

Nuxia floribunda on the north edge of the Bauer lawn. 

It is native to South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe where it can be found in forests between 900 and 4,000 feet. Although it used to be in the Buddleia family it has recently been placed in the mint order in the relatively obscure Stilbaceae family. This particular specimen derives from plant material obtained from the Kirstenbosch Botanic Garden in South Africa. It has been widely planted in South Africa as an ornamental, and its bark and roots have medicinal value. 

Nuxia floribunda's sweet smelling, frothy white flowers are quite attractive. 

Nuxia's gnarled base add to its appeal. 

Bougies, Italian Cypress, Oxalis, Oranges and Ginkgos: Selected Plant Information Questions for November

Q. I live in Northridge, CA and have Rosenkas (a variety of Bougainvillea that is used as a ground-cover)  that are 2 years old. They have almost no bracts on them, and very long branches (over 4 feet long).  They are planted in the ground - not in containers, 2 feet apart and were planted as a ground cover.  They are hand watered; no more than once a week.  I haven't used any fertilizer, but have amended the soil with homemade compost.   Maybe the compost contains too much nitrogen? The plants do get more than 1/2 day of sunlight.  Could you let me know approx. how many inches should be cut off the branches when I prune them in spring? Some are close to 72" long.

What is the best fertilizer to use and during what season should this be applied?  Also, at what time of the year should they be pruned? 

A. The following things will cause bougainvilleas to favor vegetative growth over producing bracts and flowers:

1.          Too much nitrogen. I have never seen a bougainvillea in need of fertilization.

2.         Too much water. They should be watered no more than once a week after being in the ground for two years.

3.         Too little light. Bougies should be in at least half day full sun.

Remember to prune your bougainvilleas after all danger of frost is past -usually after the middle of March.

Homemade compost is nitrogenous enough to cause them to favor green growth and not flowers.  Suggest cut each plant back by at least ½ in late March.

Cheers,   Frank

Q. I have an 80 year old Italian cypress that is about 75 feet tall.  There is sap running from the tree.  The sap seems to be coming from an old place where a branch was sawed off maybe over 20 years ago.  It is about 8-10 feet from the base of the tree.  I can't tell if the sap is coming from a place higher in the tree and then dripping off from where the branch was, or, if the sap is coming from the place where the branch was itself.  I live in Atwater village, and am under Los Angeles' water restrictions.  Is this something to be concerned with?

A. .If the tree is otherwise healthy I wouldn’t worry about it –do keep an eye on it though.  I would also keep a 4” thick layer of bark mulch underneath the canopy of the cypress. This will help by keeping even the drying of the soil under the tree and it will decompose to help feed beneficial microorganisms that live in its root zone.

Cheers,   Frank

 Q.  I have a marathon 3 lawn.  It has a oxalis infestation.  Can you recommend a good spray or chemical to use?

A. Oxalis thrives in soils that are dryer than is optimal for Marathon grass. Once were off water restrictions and you can water your marathon more frequently the oxalis should abate.  Sometimes the seed load from oxalis infestations make it tough to control even if you water correctly, if that's the case then the judicious use of pre and post emergent pesticides may be necessary.  For a list of herbicides and their use, please refer to the University of California Davis page at:   http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7444.html

 Q. Given all the heat is it now too late to feed roses?  Any difference if in pots. 

A. Nix on the rose feeding right now, there's a new pest that loves new growth called the chilli thrip. Same goes for the pots. 

Cheers,   Frank

Q. I have a large dwarf naval orange that is about 20 years old that is producing adequate and tasty fruit.  The tree is losing lots and leaves and large branches are dying off.  Outside of leaf miner damage I don’t see any other signs of pests.  Do You have any suggestions about what to do with it?

A. Wait till after we've had a significant rain (about two months after that actually) and then re-evaluate. Water restrictions here have made conditions rife for significant salt buildup in the soil, which can lead to dying off of branches. A good soaking (2-3 inches of rain) should alleviate that. Do not fertilize your trees until next year.

Cheers,   Frank

Q. Which male ginkgo tree would work best in a front yard in La Crescenta? We need it as a shade tree and would prefer a fast grower (fruitless).  And, do you know of any nurseries that sell your suggestion?

A. I would plant Fairmont or Princeton Sentry.  They're going to grow a bit faster than the wider than tall Autumn Gold variety. You can find them here:

http://www.boethingtreeland.com/plants-a-z?letter=G&p=2

Cheers,   Frank

A Magnificant View: Photo Class Links

Took this picture this evening with my class.

Looking north from the Bauer Lawn. 

I would like to thank everybody who showed up for class -it was a lot of fun helping everybody get better shots. Here are some of the links I mentioned during the class:'

Photo Class Links

DSLR Autofocus Modes Explained

White balance explained: how cameras correct the color of different types of light | Digital Camera World

The Golden Ratio: Design's Biggest Myth

Macro Lenses | Macro Lens Guide from Nikon from Nikon

DSLR Lenses - An Introduction - Digital Photography School

Depth of Field Table

HDR Tutorial with Bracketing and Photomatix Pro - YouTube

Chilli Thrips: Rose Disfiguring Pest Possibly Transported by Recent Hurricane

In just the last month a new pest has appeared on roses. It’s damage includes distorted and elongated foliage, scarred flower buds, and brown, angular spots on the new growth of the roses. The culprit has been identified: chilli thrips.

Previously a pest of tropical and semitropical areas of Texas, Florida and the Caribbean,

the 'chilli thrips’ distorting and disfiguring damage can be mistaken for other conditions. Herbicide damage, micro-nutrient deficiency, even excessive aphid infestation can lead to damage that looks much like these tiny, almost impossible to see pests.

Chilli thrips damage

The pests are small, and may have come in on the remnants of hurricane Dolores, which broke up over Southern California this last July (the thrips were first discovered in mid-August of this year). At 2 millimeters long, they’re not much larger than a grain of sand. This makes them incredibly mobile as they can be swept up into the atmosphere on strong winds and deposited hundreds if not thousands of miles away. They are thought to have originated in the Caribbean, an area prone to massive hurricanes that can travel from the far eastern Atlantic Ocean all the way over across Mexico into the Pacific. It’s as if they were living in an international airport for wind distributed insects.

Besides taking them to their destination, the hurricane also created the perfect conditions for their survival. The warm rains and overcast sunlight combined to create loads of soft, easily infested foliage on the roses that are the ideal conditions for this pest which feeds mostly on new growth.

So how can you take care of this? There is a possibility that the insects might not make it through the winter. They are tropical pests and may not have the ability or the strategy (hiding in leaf buds of nearby host plants that can keep them alive through the winter) to make it through one of our average winters. However this is an El Nino year and that means that winter temperatures might not dip low enough to kill of this pest. There is also the possibility that insect predators like insectivorous mites and others could start to find them tasty and effect control that way.  For those experiencing infestations of this mite in greenhouses and areas where they are established there is a predacious mite that you can purchase to control it.

If you are facing an infestation it is recommended that you remove all infested foliage from your plants, bag it where you cut it, and dump it in a landfill. Composting the foliage can lead to a greater level of infestation in yours and your neighbors yard as the tiny little pests slough off of the infested foliage as you are carrying it to your compost pile.

There are pesticide strategies as well. Spraying fine horticultural oils like Monterey Horticultural Oil and alternating those sprays with products containing Spinosad can help bring damage to roses down to manageable levels.

Is this just a fluke due to El Nino? No, probably not. Los Angeles County entomologist Gevork Arakelian says the new pest introduction rate has increased to about two new pests a month. This may be due to the El Nino conditions making it possible for pests established to the south of us to head northward, and also the lack of funding for agricultural interdiction programs designed to keep pests from arriving here via our ports, airports and borders.  

Inexpensive 3D Trap Aids in the Detection of PSHB

There is finally some good news coming out of efforts to control the Polyhphagous Shot Hole Borer (PSHB). With over 200 common landscape and native trees being attacked by this pest, and over 36 host trees it can breed in, the term 'apocalyptic' is hardly an exagerated one for this pest. Up until the last 6 months things were looking kind of grim, with only regular trunk spraying of contact insecticides being an effective control. Because of the huge list of hosts and trees under attack and non-hetrogenous nature of the ornamental trees (good scientific experiments require multiple samples of uniform subjects, something hard to find with the mature trees the beetle attacks), progress in controlling the beetle has been slow. However the use of 3D printing has allowed custom traps specific for this beetle to manufactured en mass for deployment in the field. These custom traps will allow researchers to better determine the effectiveness of prospective treatments in the field. Also, at least one parasite specific for PSHB may have been discovered in Taiwan. Stay tuned!

Worries About a Weeping Fig

Question:

Hi, 

There is a weeping fig tree growing 6 feet away from our home in the neighbors yard and it is about 1.5 - 2 stories tall.  I was wondering if this is hazardous to the pavement, foundation or pipes since I hear they have a vigorous root system.  There are no signs of damage yet. but to prevent it from growing larger, what are things that can be done?

I also have a Sycamore tree in the front yard maybe 15 feet away from the house that is 27 years old.  Should I be worried of future issues with these trees?

Thanks!

Hi Sara,

Most tree issues are best dealt with when they appear, except those that involve safety. If you are worried about the tree failing have a consultant (preferably an ASCA consultant), evaluate the tree for safety. That being said there are several things you can do to help mitigate damage from yours and your neighbors' trees.

1.       Don’t attract the tree.

a.       Trees roots grow where there is water. If your neighbor has a tree with damaging roots that you are worrying about, make sure the area on your property adjacent the tree is a low water use landscape that doesn’t attract thirsty tree roots.

2.       Cut ‘em off at the pass.

a.       If you are dealing with a particularly pernicious plant, like bamboo, you can trench between the roots and your property down to 3-4 feet and then install a barrier of very thick PVC plastic. You can purchase such plastic at bamboo wholesalers. Although mainly for bamboo, this barrier can work for trees as well.

3.       Cut em back?.

a.       Cutting the roots of your neighbors trees could cause them to fail, so do consult an arborist (see introduction) before you consider this option.

Cheers,   Frank

Because 'Borrowing' and 'Las Vegas' Go So Well Together

It looks like the MWD is going to Vegas looking for water. I could make all kinds of gambling allusions but they would all be somewhat dicey.

Mushrooms Mass on Local Lawn

Question:  My front lawn has been inundated by mushrooms.  I just picked 1/2 pail this morning and now I have another 1/2 pail out on the lawn. What can I do?

Answer: Mushrooms can pop up in a lawn anytime the conditions are right. Some come during winter rains, others during summer humidity, and still others when there is enough moisture to precipitate dew out on the lawn. Even lawns that are watered only once a week can produce mushrooms. Besides in some cases producing an unsightly band of darker and then lighter colored grass, few mushrooms contribute to lawn diseases.  Many people feel that mushrooms are unattractive and they look for a way to kill the fungus.  The actual mushroom is simply the fruit of a fungus.  Killing the mushroom does not remove or-kill-the mycelia, or fungi, causing their growth.

Still some may consider these unattractive or a nuisance. What can be done to help lessen their occurrence? Below are some options that can help reduce the number and occurrences of mushrooms:

1.  Reduce amount of moisture in the area:  Mushrooms thrive in moist soils, refrain from, or slow down, the amount of irrigating or water you do to the location. This will not get rid of all the mushrooms, but can in some cases decrease their numbers.

2.  Eliminate decaying elements that enhance the growth of mushrooms:

• ·         Remove grass clippings after mowing, raking them with a rake or using a bag grass catcher on the mower.
• ·         De-thatch your lawn. Some lawns, especially tropical grasses like Bermuda and Saint Augustine, build up a layer of dead stems and roots that encourages mushroom growth.
• ·         Have tree stumps ground and removed. Leaving tree stumps in the ground can encourage fungi that will infest other trees and cause heart rot. Also, buried wood over two inches thick from trees that were infested with Oak root fungus (Armellaria mellea) can encourage infestations of the fungus in trees whose roots come in contact with it, as well as producing large clusters of honey colored mushrooms.

3.  Increase the amount of light in the area mushrooms grow in; this can work for some mushrooms that do not need the sun to stimulate their fruiting, but does not work for all mushrooms.

4. Change your brand of mulch or compost: Some mulches and composts are very friendly to mushroom growth. If your using wood mulch make sure that that it is composed mostly of bark –under composted wood chips are great chow for mushroom producing fungi. If you’re using compost or amendment that is high in under-composted steer or horse manure you are likewise treating mushroom producing fungi to a very nutritious meal.

4. Learn to enjoy the fungi. In most cases mushroom producing fungi is not harmful to your lawn.

6. Have your mushrooms identified. You can bring your mushrooms to a local mycological society meeting and have them identified. This is very good idea if you feel that your dog or neighbor children might eat the fungi off of your lawn

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7. Replace you lawn with ground cover and landscaping less susceptible to mushroom growth. Low water use landscape is less likely to harbor mushroom mycelia, and the period of mushroom production is much more likely to be shorter than that of a lawn.