GARDENERS’ Q&A

Question: I am harvesting dozens of figs, but the birds are harvesting even more! How can I beat the bird’s pecking the fruit?

Answer: The fig harvesting season is in full-swing to the delight of local fruit growers.  However, birds also share in that delight, and they have keen eyes and know exactly when the figs are ripe. They don’t wait until the fig has softened and you had better not either. Figs are ripe when they turn from green to brown. Granted, the fruit will get sweeter if allowed to remain on the tree longer but if the bird damage is too severe, you must harvest the figs as soon as possible. When competing against our feathered friends, the best strategy is to get the fruit as soon as it is harvestable. Unfortunately, figs do not ripen further once harvested and will only keep a few days in the refrigerator.

The only surefire way to keep the birds off of the fruit is to cover the plants with bird netting which is available at various garden centers.

Question: Why won’t figs ripen on my fig tree?

Answer: It may be due to an environmental factor or a problem with the variety. If a fig tree freezes to the ground during a cold winter or if it is heavily pruned back, the regrowth tends to be lush and vigorous. This often results in the bush growing too vegetatively to mature the fruit. Figs are also shallow-rooted and easily stressed, which can hinder ripening. Mulching and regular watering during dry spells should help. Certain unadapt varieties will never mature the fruit regardless of the management program.

Question: My family has always dusted vegetables rather than spraying them and we have always debated the question as to how long the insecticide dust is effective. Sometimes, unless it rains, the white dust residue will remain for weeks.

Answer: Garden dusts are only effective for 5-7 days regardless of how long the actual dust particles applied remain visible. This is why it is so important to apply only a very thin—almost transparent—layer of dust when spraying. If you pour it on, as many people do, after several applications you will have a “whitewashed” plant which can actually be damaged by the excessive accumulations. Such accumulations should be removed by washing or brushing off with a broom.

Question: My pecan tree produced a bumper crop last year but set a light crop this spring. Can you tell me the likely cause for the difference?

Answer: Pecans tend to produce heavy crops on an alternate year cycle. However, under a properly managed production system, the alternate-year bearing characteristic can be reduced. This usually amounts to applying adequate nitrogen fertilizer and proper watering throughout the production season. Zinc sprays and a pest management program are beneficial as well.

Question: Do you recommend use of fertilizer spikes around landscape trees?

Answer: While fertilizer spikes will not harm landscape trees I do not recommend their use. Fertilizer spikes provide a concentration of nutrients in a limited area while not providing any nutrients in the remaining area. The roots of most trees extend out as far as the limbs (known as the dip line) and in many cases, extend out much farther than the limbs. Tree roots that absorb water and nutrients are also distributed fairly uniformly under a tree’s drip line. I recommend use of a complete fertilizer (such as 15-5-10 or 13-13-13) that is spread uniformly around the tree at the drip line.

Question: Does the color of light make any difference in how plants grow?

Answer: Light quality refers to the color or wavelength reaching the plant surface. Sunlight can be broken up by a prism into respective colors of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. On a rainy day, raindrops act as tiny prisms and break the sunlight into these colors, producing a rainbow.

Red and blue light have the greatest effect on plant growth. Green light is least effective to plants as they reflect green light and absorb none. It is this reflected light that makes them appear green to us. Blue light is primarily responsible for vegetative growth or leaf growth. Red light, when combined with blue light, encourages flowering in plants.

Fluorescent light or cool white is high in the blue range of light quality and is used to encourage leafy growth. Such light would be excellent for starting seedlings. Incandescent light is high in the red or orange range, but generally produces too much heat to be a valuable light source. Fluorescent grow lights have a mixture of red and blue colors that attempts to imitate sunlight as closely as possible, but they are costly and generally not of any greater value than regular fluorescent lights.

NOTE: Attached also is a file (DSCN1305) in JPEG format.

The fig harvesting season is in full-swing to the delight of local fruit growers.  However, birds also share in that delight, and they have keen eyes and know exactly when the figs are ripe.

PHOTO CREDIT: William M. Johnson