Cactus Bugs by Wizzie Brown

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What Are These Bugs on My Cactus?!

Red Cactus coreids swarming on a prickly pear pad

Early signs of damage by these insects are round, yellowish spots on cactus pads.

Cactus coreids or cactus bugs, Chelinidea vittiger, are shield-shaped insects with piercing-sucking mouthparts. They are most commonly red but can vary in color. They have distinctive antennae; if you look at the antennae in cross section, they are triangular in shape. Adults have fully developed wings while immatures, or nymphs, do not and are sometimes mistaken for weevils. Cactus coreids feed in groups on prickly pear cactus. Often the first indication of damage is round, yellowish spots on the cactus pads. If left unchecked, feeding areas can increase in size until they cover entire pads causing a yellow, pitted appearance.

Use Least Toxic Solution For Control

If you feel the need for management, try high pressure water sprays, hand-picking or squishing, or vacuuming them off the plants. Insecticidal soap can be utilized on smaller stages but may not work as well on larger nymphs and adults. You could also use a contact pesticide, either naturally derived or synthetic. If you eat the fruits or pads, avoid using systemic products which are taken into plant tissue.

About Wizzie

Wizzie Brown

Wizzie Brown
County Extension Program Specialist – Integrated Pest Management
Email:EBrown@ag.tamu.edu
Wizzie has been with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service since 2002 and has been playing with insects since she was a toddler. She is an Extension Program Specialist with the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program. Wizzie holds a B.S. in entomology from The Ohio State University and a M.S. in entomology from Texas A&M University. The integrated pest management program provides identification, biological and management information to whomever needs help. Wizzie’s research focuses on imported fire ants, including community wide fire ant management. Wizzie also is happy to provide programs to area groups on a variety of arthropod-related topics. You can find insect and other arthropod information on Wizzie’s blog.

Kern’s Flower Beetles by Wizzie Brown

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What is This Beetle in My Flowers?

Kern's Flower beetle eating pollen from a yellow flower

Kern’s Flower beetles eat pollen, not flowers.

Kern’s flower beetles are a type of scarab beetle, closely related to May and June beetles.  They are medium in size, reaching about 1/3 inch in length.  There are multiple color variations ranging from all black, to brownish-orange or creamy white with black markings.

Should You Treat for Them?

These beetles eat pollen in multiple types of flowers.  Often you will find numerous beetles in a single flower.  Treatment of these beetles is optional as they feed on pollen and typically do not eat the flower itself. If you feel the need to remove the beetles, you can hand pick them and dump them into a bucket of soapy water.

For more information or help with identification, contact Wizzie Brown, Texas AgriLife Extension Service Program Specialist at 512.854.9600.

Additional Information

About Wizzie

Wizzie Brown

Wizzie Brown
County Extension Program Specialist – Integrated Pest Management
Email:EBrown@ag.tamu.edu
Wizzie has been with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service since 2002 and has been playing with insects since she was a toddler. She is an Extension Program Specialist with the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program. Wizzie holds a B.S. in entomology from The Ohio State University and a M.S. in entomology from Texas A&M University. The integrated pest management program provides identification, biological and management information to whomever needs help. Wizzie’s research focuses on imported fire ants, including community wide fire ant management. Wizzie also is happy to provide programs to area groups on a variety of arthropod-related topics. You can find insect and other arthropod information on Wizzie’s blog.

All Wisteria Are Not Created Equally by Gayleen Rabakukk

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Not All Wisterias Are the Same

Wisteria frutescens vine climbing up a cattle panel fence. Purple blooms hang within the foliage

Wisteria frutescens will help make this cattle panel trellis a colorful privacy screen.

Last month we decided to build a privacy screen to block our bedroom patio area. We settled on an open design with stock panel trellises and added planter boxes below. I was giddy at the prospect of another garden spot, imagining all sorts of vining vegetables climbing up the trellis. Nearly 12 feet of extra space for beans or peas!

My husband had other ideas. “It’s permanent, I’d like something we can plant once, then it’ll grow for years.” He suggested wisteria and I cringed. I’d known more than one person with wisteria that had grown into a monster vine, overtaking the trellis then moving on to the house, damaging siding and shingles. But in the interest of marital harmony, I decided to do some research.

A Native Texas Wisteria to the Rescue

Turns out there are multiple kinds of wisteria, and this is where using scientific names can come in handy. Wisteria frutescens, also known as Texas wisteria, is native to east Texas and the southeastern United States. The native Wisteria frutescens has a slower growth rate than its Asian counterpart, Wisteria sinensis, an import considered an invasive species by some.

Wisteria sinensis grows lightning fast: up to 10 feet a year and can choke out other trees as its hard, woody vines wrap tightly around a host tree and cause death by girdling. This rapid growth made it a darling of those in a hurry to have lots of coverage in a short time and I’m confident this is the type my friends with the roof problems must’ve had.

Wisteria frutescens can still reach heights of 30 feet, just not as quickly. It also has other advantages when it comes to flowers. Wisteria frutescens can flower in its first year and bloom throughout the summer. The plants we found at our local nursery already had flower buds which opened up shortly after planting. Wisteria sinensis can take 10 years or more to flower.

How to Tell the Difference

Purple flowers of Wisteria frutescens

If you’re buying plants, look for the scientific name on the tag: Wisteria frutescens is the native species. This was the only choice offered at my favorite local nursery, but box stores definitely carry Wisteria sinensis. If the scientific name isn’t listed look for key phrases like: “growing up to 10 ft. or more annually.”

If you’re wondering about a vine already growing in your yard, if it’s taken over, there’s a good chance it’s Wisteria sinensis. Here are a few ways to tell the species apart:

  • With Wisteria frutescens, leaves emerge first, then it flowers. Asian species bloom first, then leaf out.
  • Also, Wisteria frutescens bloom clusters (racemes) are round and compact – like a pine cone, 3-6 inches in length, while the Asian species are twice that size.
  • Once the blooms go to seed, Wisteria frutescens has smooth seed pods opposed to fuzzy pods with the Asian species.

It may take a few years for our Wisteria frutescens to cover the privacy screen, but that’s okay – I snuck in some bean seeds to grow alongside them this summer.

Additional Resources

Texas Invasive Species Institute

Wisteria frutescens information in the Wildflower.org Native Plant Database

Grow Green Native & Adapted Landscape Plants Searchable Database

Texas Native Shrubs

About Gayleen Rabakukk

Gayleen gardens in the hills of northwest Travis County. When she’s not digging in the dirt, she’s either writing or tending to her Bed & Breakfast, Hill Country Highland. Gayleen is a Travis County Master Gardener intern.

 

 

In Austin’s May Vegetable Garden

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Summer Season Has Arrived in the May Vegetable Garden

It’s right about now that gardeners really settle in to bragging about what they are harvesting from their garden. It can be really annoying if yours isn’t as far along or if the deer and squirrels have picked everything clean.

But if you are one of the lucky ones and are enjoying squash, cucumbers, and maybe even a tomato, pat yourself on the back. You deserve it for surviving the rough spring that we’ve had.

May is the beginning of our summer gardening season for heat loving plants. And, unfortunately, the beginning of another wave of pests ready to mow down your crop. See what is on the May vegetable garden checklist to make the most of this month.

FERTILIZE
  • To keep vegetables growing vigorously fertilize lightly when the first fruit appear and again 3-4 weeks later. A general recommendation is 1 cup of organic fertilizer per 10’ of row, but please follow your soil test recommendations if you have them. If you have a small garden with only a few plants, work in 1-2 tablespoons of fertilizer per plant
WATER AND IRRIGATION
  • This spring’s severe lack of rain has reminded us to irrigate smartly. Consider a rain water collection system, no matter how small, and conserve water by using drip irrigation rather than overhead sprinklers.

    Drip Irrigation Installation examples

    Examples of drip irrigation

  • Remember to water the soil, not the leaves. It’s the roots that provide moisture to the plant. Leaves have a coating on their upper side to shed water, not absorb it.
  • Water plants deeply and as infrequently as you can to encourage deep roots in preparation for stricter water restrictions.
PLANT
  • Plant heat-loving plants like sweet potatoes, Malabar spinach, okra, and Southern peas anytime this month. Just keep in mind that the sooner they get established the better they will be able to withstand the heat that is to come.
TRANSPLANT
  • Eggplant and pepper transplants can still go in the ground early this month.
SOIL
  • Apply a compost layer and then mulch to suppress weeds and retain moisture.
  • Consider growing a summer cover crop like cow peas or vetch in areas that you can later cut and drop into place for mulch.
DISEASES/PESTS TO LOOK FOR
  • Hornworms will be more prevalent, especially in the vegetable garden. Pick them off plants when you see them and feed them to the birds.
  • Blackspot and other fungal diseases will be prevalent due to high temperatures and May rainfall. Apply fungicides according to label directions during dry spells.

    Squash vine borer moth

    Squash vine borer, Melittia cucurbitae

  • Monitor plants for squash vine borers, cabbage loopers, corn earworms, and beetles. See our Texas Vegetable Garden Insects Field Guide for identification and management strategies.
  • Watch for squash vine borer eggs at the base of stems, loopers under the leaves, earworms inside the cob, and beetles everywhere else.
  • Rather than spraying, bag and destroy infested plants that are nearing the end of their harvesting season.
HARVEST
White and red potatoes

Small tubers may be ready this month if you planted in February.

  • If you’ve planted potatoes, harvest a few new potatoes from the perimeter of the potato plant by carefully pulling back the soil without disturbing the plant. Potato blooms are a good signal that the plant has matured enough to form some small tubers.
  • Harvest onions when the tops fall over, then let them dry for a week before storing or eating.
MAINTENANCE
  • Keep up with weeding and don’t let them produce seed. Make yourself a weed wiper to spot treat. Since most weeds are annuals, they will go dormant in the coming heat and give you a respite.

    weed wiper

    Use a homemade weed wiper to spot treat for stubborn weeds.

  • Install drip irrigation systems in vegetable beds in preparation for summer.
  • Strawberries are beginning to wane so it is time to pull them out. It’s better to grow them as annuals from fall through spring than trying to nurse them through a droughty summer.
  • It is critical to mulch everything growing in your garden to help conserve moisture and regulate soil temperature. Over the summer, the mulch will gradually break down and enrich the soil for future plantings.

Additional Resources

Watch the Vegetable Gardening in Central Texas Webinar

Vegetable Planting Calendar (English) (Español) (traditional Chinese)

Recommended Vegetable Varieties for Travis County

Vegetable Seed Sources

Vegetable Gardening in Austin

Plant Rotations, Successions and Intercropping

Rootknot Nematode Management

Monthly Gardening Calendar for Austin and Central Texas

About Sheryl Williams

Photo of Sheryl WilliamsSheryl Williams has been a Travis County Master Gardener since 2010 and currently works as the Horticulture Program Assistant at Texas A&M AgriLife Extension – Travis County. She was introduced to gardening by her mom and grandma and has been an avid vegetable gardener most of her life. Sheryl believes that there is nothing more satisfying than growing and preparing your own food. She likes gardening in Austin year round and concedes that means pulling weeds every day. She practices organic gardening principles and enjoys the challenge of outsmarting garden pests. Occasionally she loses these battles, but doesn’t mind sharing a good meal.

Forest Tent Caterpillars by Wizzie Brown

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forest tent caterpillar on foliageTent Caterpillars Start to Appear in April

Forest tent caterpillars cause damage in the larval, or caterpillar, stage. Caterpillars are a greyish- brown color with bright blue and yellow stripes running down the sides of their body. The back of the caterpillar has white shoeprint/ keyhole markings. Larvae also have fine white hairs over their body but are not a stinging caterpillar.

These caterpillars, although called tent caterpillars, do not make an actual tent like others in their group. Other tent caterpillars make a web between two branches where they join or split from each other. Forest tent caterpillars make a silken mat on the tree trunk or large branches where caterpillars gather in groups between feedings.

Forest tent caterpillars appear once a year, typically in April. In some years outbreak populations can occur and numerous caterpillars can be seen in certain areas. They chew foliage of trees, usually deciduous hardwoods. Even though the caterpillars eat foliage, many trees can withstand 20% loss of foliage without being harmed. Concern should be when other stressors are apparent along with the caterpillars, such as drought or disease.

Treatment Options

If the need to manage forest tent caterpillars occurs, less toxic active ingredients that can be used to treat foliage are Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) kurstaki or spinosad. Another option would be to treat the silken mat with a pyrethroid product when the caterpillars are resting there.

For more information or help with identification, contact Wizzie Brown, Texas AgriLife Extension Service Program Specialist at 512.854.9600.

About Wizzie

Wizzie Brown

Wizzie Brown
County Extension Program Specialist – Integrated Pest Management
Email:EBrown@ag.tamu.edu
Wizzie has been with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service since 2002 and has been playing with insects since she was a toddler. She is an Extension Program Specialist with the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program. Wizzie holds a B.S. in entomology from The Ohio State University and a M.S. in entomology from Texas A&M University. The integrated pest management program provides identification, biological and management information to whomever needs help. Wizzie’s research focuses on imported fire ants, including community wide fire ant management. Wizzie also is happy to provide programs to area groups on a variety of arthropod-related topics. You can find insect and other arthropod information on Wizzie’s blog.

Mexican Honeysuckle – First Responder from 2021 Winter Storm by Kirk Walden

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Orange blossoms of Mexican Honeysuckle.

Mexican Honeysuckle – a first responder from the 2021 Winter Storm in Kirk’s garden.

Protective Covering Not Enough

I have a lot of Mexican Honeysuckle (Justicia Spicigera) scattered around the front of my house. Too much, in fact that I couldn’t cover it all in anticipation of February’s storm. So, I chose to protect one of the largest patches near my front door. It was nearly four feet tall and six feet wide. I covered it with a tarp and weighted the corners down with large rocks.

dead and brown foliage of mexican honeysuckle after the winter storm

Figure 1-0221. A mushy mess was uncovered once the storm passed.

That turned out to be futile. When I uncovered it, the damage was evident. (Figure 1-0221). It was a mushy mess. But, rather than ripping it out immediately, I followed the Texas A&M Forest Service recommendation and left it in place to see what would happen.

Do You Smell That?

A couple of weeks later, the rotting plant material was stinking up the garden. And, there were no obvious signs of life. Still, I wasn’t prepared to dig it up.

dead foliage cut back on mexican honeysuckle

Fig 3-0421. Dead foliage was cut back to the ground.

Nurseries were hit hard, too. They didn’t have any replacement plants. So, I cut it back to ground and waited for spring. (Figure 2-0321).

Rapid Rejuvenation

It wasn’t a long wait. Incredibly, it began to green-up almost immediately. I swear you could see it grow every day. All I did was water it on a regular schedule. Exactly five weeks after the haircut, the plant was over one foot tall and three feet wide. Looking strong and healthy. (Fig 3-0421)

bright green new growth on the mexican honeysuckle - a first responder

Fig 3-0421. The first responder in Kirk’s garden.

It continued to grow, even blooming a little in the summer. I even dug up a few shoots to plant elsewhere in the garden. By September, it was just about completely restored at three feet tall and six feet wide.

When I cut it back this winter, most of the main stalks were bigger around than lead in a pencil. Healthy and strong.

I lost a lot of plants in freeze. Most of those that made it took seven to eight months to partially recover — some won’t be fully recovered until this spring. The Mexican Honeysuckle was presentable in a mere seven weeks. Since I had it various spots in the garden, it was the first sign of hope no matter where you looked. In less than seven months it was essentially completely recovered. Turns out, it didn’t need protecting.

This spring I’ll be dividing more of it to add to my back garden, which the butterflies will love!

Additional Resources

Kirk is participating in the Travis County Master Gardener Winter Storm Project.

Weather Strategies for Austin Gardens

Frosts and Freezes

Native and Adapted Landscape Plants searchable database

Climate Graph for Austin Bergstrom

About Kirk Walden

Kirk Walden

Kirk is a hands-on experiential gardener. While he appreciates the cerebral aspects of gardening, he revels in the visceral experience of digging in the dirt. When he moved to Austin in 1998, the home had virtually no landscaping, mostly just limestone and cedars. His determination to beautify it led to an avocation as a serious gardener that culminated in Travis County Master Gardener Certification in 2014.

Ants and Termite Swarmers ID by Wizzie Brown

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Ants and Termite Swarmers ID. These swarming termites captured on a sticky trap

Formosan termite alates, also known as swarmers

Watch for Flying Objects

Soon it will be time for swarming insects to emerge out from their homes in the ground and fly into the air in search of a mate. Usually, this event coincides with warm temperatures and a significant rainfall event but can also occur if you forget to turn off your irrigation system.

“Swarmer” or “alate” are other terms that describe the reproductive stage of ants and termites. These insects have wings when they initially leave the colony, but the wings are either shed or chewed off after they land on the ground and before they form a nest. So, how do you tell them apart?

Ant and Termite Swarmer Differences

Ant Swarmers Identification

Ant swarmers antennae are bent or “elbowed” at a ninety-degree angle. The thorax and abdomen meet at a constricted, narrowed, or pinched waist. If you find a reproductive that still has wings- they chew off their wings once they have mated and land on the ground- the front wing will be larger than the hind wing and all wings will have few veins. If the wings are missing from the ant swarmer, there will not be a wing stub left on the thorax from where the wing was attached. Male ant swarmers retain their wings after landing on the ground, but they die after mating.

Termite Swarmers Identification

Termite swarmers have antennae that are straight and a thorax-abdomen area, or “waist”, that is broadly joined together. Their reproductive wings are similar in size and shape and tend to have a lot of veins. Sometimes with termites you may find only wings that have been left behind due to shedding when the termites land on the ground or you may see the termites themselves with or without wings still attached. If you find a termite reproductive without wings, there will be wing stubs, called “scales”, left behind on the thorax. Male and female termite reproductives shed their wings after landing on the ground, pair up, and find a site to begin a new colony.

For more information or help with identification, contact Wizzie Brown, Texas AgriLife Extension Service Program Specialist at 512.854.9600.

About Wizzie

Wizzie Brown

Wizzie Brown
County Extension Program Specialist – Integrated Pest Management
Email:EBrown@ag.tamu.edu
Wizzie has been with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service since 2002 and has been playing with insects since she was a toddler. She is an Extension Program Specialist with the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program. Wizzie holds a B.S. in entomology from The Ohio State University and a M.S. in entomology from Texas A&M University. The integrated pest management program provides identification, biological and management information to whomever needs help. Wizzie’s research focuses on imported fire ants, including community wide fire ant management. Wizzie also is happy to provide programs to area groups on a variety of arthropod-related topics. You can find insect and other arthropod information on Wizzie’s blog.

Novice Perennial Planter Meets the 2021 Winter Storm by Linda Burch

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Bright yellow gold lantana flowers of the perennial plants 'New Gold'

Learning to Garden In Texas

In 2013, I moved to Round Rock. Texas, growing Zone 8B. I quickly learned that growing plants as a Master Gardener in Virginia required a whole new learning curve in Texas. I decided to plant Texas native and adaptive perennial plants along with a few annuals to keep the beds in my front and back yard in bloom from at least Spring through Fall each year.  Bulbs, perennial ground covers, and annual seeds round out the planting.

How Did Lantana Weather the Storm?

In my front yard u-shaped bed edged with rocks, I planted Lantana x hybrida ‘New Gold’ in 2019. This area receives afternoon sun on the west side of my front yard. My research indicated that Lantana Gold is hardy in the Texas summer heat and drought conditions. I chose two Lantana from a local nursery and planted them about twenty four inches apart as they would spread over the bed as a groundcover. By the Fall of 2020 the Lantana covered about one half of the bed. The rocks around the bed kept the Lantana within the bounds of the bed for the most part. When the Winter Storm of 2021 arrived I had not covered the Lantana, so I feared it was dead.

Lantana Perennial Plants are Alive!

Snow and ice remained on the bed for well over a week. When the snow finally melted it appeared the Lantana was dead. I trimmed the dead branches and added some compost and mulch to the bed. For the remainder of 2021 I watered as needed weekly. In March part of the Lantana began to leaf and by April 10 seemed to be leafing out well. By December of 2021 the Lantana covered three fourths of the bed. In December 2021 the Lantana was thriving during the warm, mild 4th quarter of 2021.

Snow and ice covering the perennial plants bed

Somewhere under there is “New Gold’ lantana.

Lantana starting to grow new leaves

New leaves started growing in April

Lantana growing in a perennial plant bed

Fully recovered by December

More to Learn about Perennial Plants

The case study process was very helpful to me as a Master Gardener. I noted in my July quarterly report that the Lantana plant grew vigorously during the heat of the summer. However, the blooms declined as leaves on nearby oak and crepe myrtle trees restricted full sunlight in the afternoon. So my next question is will I remain content to have fewer blooms on my Lantana? Or should I transplant it to another full-sun location in my yard? Learning is the best part of gardening!

Additional Resources

Linda is participating in the Travis County Master Gardener Winter Storm Project.

Weather Strategies for Austin Gardens

Frosts and Freezes

Native and Adapted Landscape Plants searchable database

Climate Graph for Austin Bergstrom

About Linda Burch

Photo of LInda
Linda Burch has been a Travis County Master Gardener since 2014. She was also a Master Gardener in Virginia – but learned that those gardening skills didn’t always transfer to Texas Gardening. She loves to garden with perennials, herbs, and vegetables and has expertise in soils and composting.

Plant Pecans – The Bare Minimums by Ray Prewitt

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The Other Best Time to Plant Pecans

Green pecan nut hanging on tree

February is a great month to plant pecans

After discovering a small, mature, and very neglected pecan orchard on our new homestead some years back, the saying that the ‘best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago’ never rang truer. February is an important month for pecans and many other fruit and nut trees that thrive in our area. It’s my last chance to collect scions for grafting and my last chance to get bare-root trees in the ground to shore up production from my aging trees. All efforts hinging on Old Man Winter’s rarely graceful exit.

Bare-Root Stock is Ideal to Plant Pecans

We lean towards planting bare-root trees (when we can find them) because they are usually less expensive (no container, no growing medium, easier to ship), quicker to adapt and grow, easier to prune to the desired fruit-or-nut-bearing shape, and the specialized nurseries deal in a wider selection of cultivars.

The “Bare” Minimums

If you are new to planting bare-root stock, there are a few ‘bare’ minimums in their handling and planting that should not be overlooked.

Storage

These are dormant trees and to keep them that way, they should be kept in a cool and dark space until planting. Planting on a sunny day? Keep them in the shade until their new home is dug.

Timing

Maybe you are all fancy pants and outfitted like a commercial grower, but most of us won’t be able to keep unplanted trees under ideal conditions to keep them dormant or from going into shock. Get them in the ground.

Planting

Keep the root ball moist and soak it for 3 hours before planting. Dig the hole twice as wide as the root ball and deep enough to leave the crown and any grafts exposed after backfilling. Create a cone of native soil for the roots to rest on, still leaving the crown and any grafts above grade. Backfill with native soil and give it a soak.

For a comprehensive list of tips and planting instructions for all fruit and nut trees, try hopping on over to this article featuring Agrilife Extension fruit specialist, Dr. Larry Stein.

Pollination is Key

Pecan trees are monoecious. This means that they produce separate male and female flowers on the same plant. Male flowers are located on 4-5 inch long catkins, while female flowers are small, yellowish-green, and grow on spikes at the tips of shoots.

Female flower of pecan

Female flowers grow on the tips of shoots

Green catkins hanging from twig

Male flowers are called catkins

Pecan are wind pollinated. The pollen is blown from male flowers called catkins to female flowers called nutlets. On most varieties, the pollen is not shed at the same time that the nutlets become receptive.

This means that you need two flowering types:

  • Type I, or protandrous, pecans are those in which the catkins appear first.
  • Type II, or protogynous, pecans are those in which the female nutlets become receptive before the catkins begin to shed pollen.

You can find the list of recommended varieties and their pollination type using this link.

If you have a notion to use some of the abundant native trees as pollinators, you are in luck, sort of. I was hard pressed to find any information regarding the pollinator types for native trees so I reached out to Dr. Monte L. Nesbitt, Extension Program Specialist at Texas A&M AgriLife Extension.

He says, “Native pecans are a mix of Type I and Type II. Both exist in any group of native trees. They also vary a great deal in the timing of their respective flower appearance and maturity. So you can have early, mid and late Type II and early, mid and late Type I. It’s very asynchronous, although generally falling in the time period of late March to mid May.”

Sounds like a roll of the dice to rely on as a specific pollinator unless you have a large stand nearby.

Upgrade Your Native

We have had pretty good luck with removing smaller natives (up to 12” diameter) at the base and then selecting a suitable new stalk to graft on an improved variety the next season. These Texas trees are tough as nails and will absolutely try to send up multiple, new trunks after cutting one down. Sometimes we leave 2 or 3 stalks for grafting and remove all but the best graft in late spring.

If you have the luxury of some small natives on your property or you decide to let a squirrel treasure seedling go to root, give grafting a go. It’s not as daunting as you think. You have just enough time left this year to cut scions. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension has the whole process laid out for you right here. They also have a video on YouTube.

Help When You Need It

As always, the Travis County Master Gardner Help Desk volunteers are eager to help with your plant questions or concerns. If including photos, take one close-up showing the detail or problem, take another of the whole plant, and please make sure your photo is in focus. I’m sure your plant will sit still for another one.

Additional Resources

Backyard Fruit and Nut Production Tips for Travis County

Fruit and Nuts for Austin

Recommended Fruit and Nut Varieties for Travis County

Webinar – Home Fruit Production with Dr. Larry Stein. Broadcast Date 9/14,2021. Dr. Stein’s area of research has been on production horticulture developing best management practices for pecans, he is also an editor of the Texas Pecan Handbook

Improved Pecans from Aggie Horticulture (co-authored by Dr. Stein)

Native Pecans from Aggie Horticulture (also co-authored by Dr. Stein)

Texas Inlay and Four Flap Grafting which includes a link to a YouTube video

About Ray Prewitt

Ray’s green thumb points straight back to his mother and credits his great-grandmother for his love of pickles and occasional use of a sun bonnet while gardening. He is an actor and former aircraft salesman. He and his partner have a large vegetable garden for the kitchen and for sharing, but mostly he is trying to perfect the pickled pepper.

Time to Plant Bare Root Fruit Trees by Alina Flasinska

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Several bare-root fruit trees at the nursery for sale

Bare root Fruit trees to Plant in February.

Now that the big freeze is over (knock on wood) and we are coming up on the end of meteorological winter, it’s time to get those bare root fruit trees in the ground! You may have seen the tempting displays popping up in local stores and nurseries. After this cold weekend, I know I’ve started dreaming of a flush of blossoms in the spring and fresh fruit jams in the summer and fall.

BARE ROOT FRUIT TREES

A bare root fruit tree is a tree has been dug up, had the soil removed from its root system, and stored while dormant with something to keep the roots moist until planted. Bare root trees are generally cheaper and have longer roots than potted trees. Sometimes nurseries go ahead and pot them into gallon pots just to keep the roots hydrated.

bare root fruit tree without soil

Healthy bare-root peach ready for planting.

When selecting a bare root fruit tree, you’ll want to confirm that the roots are moist and that the wood is alive and healthy. You can snip off a bit of root to make sure the insides are a healthy white. Watch out for knots or galls on the root—those can be sign of root knot nematodes.

Scratch Test Technique

Healthy wood will be flexible with visible (dormant) buds. Check the bark for injuries, gum, or other signs or stress or disease. If you’re unsure the wood is alive, you can make a small, shallow scratch in the trunk bark (above any graft line, if applicable) with your thumbnail or a smooth knife to check if the cambium layer is damp and greenish. If the tissue is brittle, brown, and dry, the tree has died.

HOW TO PLANT

Bare root fruit trees must be planted when dormant, so now’s the time. Planting them when dormant helps them start growing roots before they break dormancy, which will give them a leg up later when our Central Texas weather gets hotter and water gets scarcer.

Pick a spot that gets plenty of light, drains well, and is slightly elevated. Low spots, even with good drainage, tend to trap cold air. If you’re worried about the tree breaking dormancy too early (like what happened with many of my fruit trees before the big winter storm in 2021), you can try planting them on the north side of your property and out of the warm afternoon sun.

Roots being placed in a bucket of water prior to planting

Hydrate roots while digging the planting hole.

Don’t Forget to Hydrate!

Before planting, remove any packing material from around the roots, like paper, moss, or weird gelatin goop. Use a bucket of water to place the tree in to help hydrate the roots while you prepare a planting hole. Dig a hole about the size of the root system or slightly bigger, usually about 12-18 inches across. Dig deep enough so the ground is level with the root collar, which is the part where the trunk meets the root ball. There will be a visible color change on the trunk to indicate where the soil level was when it was grown.

Place the tree in the hole and fill it with the original soil you dug out. This will help the growing root acclimate to the soil in your yard. If you mix in amendments, that can change the structure of your soil in the hole and contribute to root girdling (where roots wrap around each other and the trunk instead of spreading out) as new growth seeks the path of least resistance. Water the tree well to settle the soil and get of any large air pockets.

Now – Off With Its Head!

Then—and this is the most painful part—cut, cut, cut. Get rid of all the side branches and cut your trunk by at least a third (leave a 36 inches tall trunk.) This cut back will help the tree divert resources into root growth, which will mean faster and healthier top growth later. Place a grow tube or aluminum foil on the lower 18 inches of the trunk, leaving the upper 6 inches of the trunk exposed. This cover will help reduce sunscald, keep scaffold limb formation at an appropriate height on the trunk

And finally, remove all other plants in a 2-3 foot diameter around the tree. The bare soil will reduce competition for nutrients. Mulching this area can also help suppress weed growth and slow down water loss. Dormant trees don’t need a lot of water, so you can generally hold off on watering again until new growth starts to emerge.

VARIETIES FOR CENTRAL TEXAS

Texas Chill Hours Map

Austin chill hour range is 450 to 750 hours.

For fruits with chilling requirements, like apples, pears, plums, and peaches, one of our biggest growing challenges in Travis County can be insufficient chilling.

Local Stations Chill Hours

Between 45 and 32 Model used, date range 11/1/2020 through 2/20/2021

Varieties with a lower chilling requirement will have better production and fruit quality. However, you don’t want a chilling requirement that is too low, because those trees might break dormancy too early and take damage from late spring frosts.

Other fruit trees, like persimmons, jujubes, figs, pomegranates, citrus, pecans, olives, and loquats all have unique requirements and sensitivities depending on variety.

Click here for a list of fruit varieties known to do well in Travis County. For more information and tips and tricks for successful growing, check out the Fruit and Nut Fact Sheets compiled by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension.

Additional Resources

Fruit Varieties for Travis County

Aggie Horticulture Fruit and Nut Resources

Fruit and Nuts for Austin Overview

About Alina

Alina Flasinska is a Travis County Master Gardener 2022 intern. Alina has studied Sustainable Agriculture at ACC through their Continuing Education program and has been a volunteer out at Greengate Farms. She says she likes to be a “lazy” gardener who uses natives and adapted plants that require minimal work to look great.