By Bev Eckman-Onyskow
For the Daily News

                     Come to the fair, and bring your gardening questions with you!

     That's what a lot of area residents did at the county fair last month, stopping by the Otero County Master Gardener Association booth.
     Master Gardeners were staffing it, several at a time, during fair hours.
     The most frequently asked question they got was, "When will the next Master Gardener basic training classes start?"
     Answer:  The exact times and days of the week and tuition have not been set, but a 12-week class will start in September 2008.  The previous classes ran in the spring, so the decision was made to switch to fall so that other people might be able to fit it into their schedules.
     President Connie Klofonda reported that so far, "seven people applied for the class through the Web site, and nine at the fair."
     The Web site is:  www.oteromastergardeners.com.  If you do not have a home computer, the Alamogordo Public Library provides free computer access for library patrons.  Or stop in at the Otero County Extension Office on the fairgrounds, and leave your contact information.
     Q.  How do you get rid of powdery mildew?
     A.  First, powdery mildew is one of the most widespread plant diseases, and is particularly prevalent and severe here in the hot, dry Southwest.  It's easy to identify because it produces patches of white or grayish talcum-powder-like growth, which gave the disease its name. 
     It affects all kinds of plants, from grasses to flowers and vegetables to trees.  We have it on the lilacs in our backyard, and are spraying them as indicated below.
     Dr. Curtis Smith, horticultural specialist for the New Mexico State University Extension, commented, "If it's spring, there's powdery mildew in New Mexico."
     Some suggestions, from various sources:  Water in the morning so the plant can dry out during the day.  Avoid overhead watering to help reduce the relative humidity.  Prune overcrowded plants to increase air circulation, which also helps reduce relative humidity and infection.
     Apply a fungicide that says on its label that it will work on powdery mildew.  Apply at 7-14 day intervals to provide continuous protection throughout the growing season.  READ THE LABEL CAREFULLY.
     Avoid late-summer applications of nitrogen fertilizer to limit the production of succulent tissue, which is more susceptible to infection.

 

     It will be fall in a few weeks, and that's the time to remove and destroy infected plant material as well as infected vegetables and other annuals to decrease the ability of the fungus to survive the winter.  Do not, repeat do not compost infected plant material.
     Q. Where do I find wildflower seed?
     A. Plants of the Southwest near Albuquerque.  "We carry a lot of wildflower seed mixes.  In your area, I'd suggest the high-desert wildflower seed mix," said Plants of the Southwest's manager Luis Guzman (no relation to the Guzman's Greenhouses of Las Cruces mentioned below).
     "Our catalogue is available at the best price ever--it's free."
     The high-desert mix, 3,000-6,000 feet, contains purple aster, plains coreopsis, desert marigold, Mexican evening primrose, Mexican hat, yellow prairie coneflower, firewheel, Rocky Mountain Bee Plant, blue flax, pink wild snapdragon, gold poppy, blanketflower, Desert 4 o'clock, and California bluebells, according to Susan Westbrook in the Plants of the Southwest mail order office in Santa Fe.
     "It's predominantly perennials, but the annuals will re-seed themselves," she said.
     Call (800) 788-7333 for a catalogue.  You can also access the Web site:  www.plantsofthesouthwest.com.
     Q.  Where can I buy ocotillo?
     A.  First, ocotillo is a hardy desert plant well suited to this region.   It grows from the Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts in Southeast California to west Texas and south into Mexico, generally on open desert slopes below 5,000 feet.
     It can grow as high as 20 feet, and a mature ocotillo can have as many as 75 canes, so consider that when you plan a planting area.  It could be used as living fence when planted in rows.
     "I have friends in Tucson who made a fence just sticking the canes in the ground and watering them--they propagate like crazy," said Master Gardener Bob Skaar. 
     Ocotillo will bloom annually, with red flowers up to an inch long in clusters, March through June or later, depending on rainfall.
    "It's low maintenance, it's a native plant, it's very hardy, it will survive in the worst droughts and come back," said Skaar.
     "They are easily propagated--just break off a piece and stick it in the ground, and it will grow.

 

     "And it has beautiful flowers and attracts hummingbirds."
      Find ocotillo at Guzman's Greenhouse, 655 E. University, Las Cruces.  (505) 523-1520.  "We have about a half-dozen left, but we'll be getting more in," said Jessica Reyes by telephone.  "The range from 4 feet to 5 or 6 feet tall, and from $39.99 to $49.99."
     And speaking of Guzman's, a contingent of Master Gardeners trekked to Estancia to visit McLain Greenhouses last week. It is a commercial operation, specializing in large container gardens.
       McLain's had more than 150 different container gardens in its 2007 Container Garden Trials, ranging from roses, penstemon, dahlias and petunias to ornamental grasses.
    While McLain Greenhouses is not open to the public and does not sell retail, the good news is that McLain's supplies Guzman's Greenhouse in Las Cruces.
     McLain Greenhouses literature says, "Each year, every horticultural company introduces new and improved plant varieties.  It is difficult to know which materials will be successful in your customer's garden. 
     "This is the purpose of our container garden trials: to evaluate the performance of annual and perennial flower cultivars under out unique New Mexico environmental conditions and deliver to you, our (commercial) customer, the highest quality of plant material.
     "Our growing conditions are characterized by high altitude, intense solar radiation, low humidity, drying winds, large fluctuations between day and night temperatures, and our season-long need for irrigation.
     Plants are evaluated based on plant vigor, uniformity, floriferousness (ability to bear flowers) and tolerance to environmental stress."
     Q.  How do I take care of indoor cacti?
     A.  Good question. I killed a lovely cactus dish garden by over-watering.  I ordered another, and this time I read the directions--and it's thriving.  The cacti are in a shallow terra cotta dish.  I put that dish in one slightly larger, and water into it.  Water is absorbed through the terra cotta.  I water every five weeks, not the three-times-a-week that killed its predecessor. 
     Moral:  Read the directions and the labels.
     For large floor-model cacti, "it depends on the size, but generally water every 20-25 days," said Gary Guzman.  He's the owner of Color Your World, 540 N. Telshor in Las Cruces, (505) 521-0496 for directions.
     He suggests using a cactus-mix fertilizer for the succulents, and said he has pencil cactus, 4 feet and taller, as well as other varieties, in stock.

 

     Skaar is a fan of a Moisture Meter, as I am.  It is a gauge that registers dry though moist to wet.  Skaar uses it to determine when to water his ocotillos.  One cannot tell by looking at the surface of the ground, or of dirt in a container, whether a plant's roots need watering.  More container plants are killed by over-watering than by drying out.
     The Moisture Meter has a metal probe and a gauge that registers dry, moist or wet.  It is available in garden supply departments and catalogues.
     Q.  When should I transplant trees?
     A.   "Only in the fall and early spring, because plants can't handle the heat," said Klofonda.  "Don't put them in the ground until October."
     Q.  I have ants on my kitchen counters, and don't know why.  How do I get rid of them?
     A.   If they are in the house, they are probably the ones called "sugar ants."  Keep the counters clean.   There are ant baits, which sometimes work. 
     There are also ant-killer sprays; again, read the label, particularly if there are children and pets in the area. 
     Some sprays say they are non-toxic; if you are unsure, there's usually an 800 number on the label to call.  That's what I did when I got tired of killing ants a few dozen at a time.  I was reassured to learn that the product was non-toxic and could be used safely on kitchen counters.
     One area native swears by using boric acid, sprinkled on the backs of the counters, to kill both ants and roaches.  Boric acid is a primary ingredient in ant and roach killers.
     Q.  How do I propagate prickly pear cactus?
     A.  "This will work for any cactus, and now is a good time to do it," Klofonda said.  "Pick off a piece at a joint.  Use tongs to handle it.  Let it dry for two days, then put it in a hole and put dirt around it so that it stands up.  Water it gently, don't over-water or it will rot.  Bob Skaar started ocotillos like that. (See above)."
     Q.  Why are Mexican elder / ash tree leaves turning brown?
     A.  "They do that in the summer, they don't like it here," Klofonda said.  "They green up in the fall.  Mexican elder stays green all winter; they are the opposite of deciduous trees." 
     (Deciduous trees are those that bud out in the spring, then leaf out, then drop their leaves in the fall / winter.)
     Overall, Klofonda said, "It was a great county fair.  The weather cooperated, and the Master Gardeners enjoyed visiting and talking with everyone."
     In addition to the Master Gardener Web site, information is available on the Master Gardener hotline from 8 a.m.-noon, and 1-5 p.m. Monday through Friday, at 437-0231.  Question-calls left with the Extension office staff will be returned by a Master Gardener. 

GARDENERS MAILBAG
     Here are questions I received via the Internet, from a reader who is in the process of moving from California to a home "between Tularosa and Alamogordo."
     Q. "Do citrus trees grow here, or does it get too cold?"
     A. It gets too cold here in the winter to try to grow citrus trees in the ground. 
     If the trees were in containers, they could be brought indoors during the winter.  Or put them on a patio and screen them with a shelter during the winter.  This would obviously work better with dwarf trees and / or husky people available to move them.
     Q.  "I'd like to bring my lilac bush here from California.  What do you think?"
     A.  There is just a possibility it might work.  First, wait for relatively dry weather in the hope some dormancy will be achieved.   Then carefully dig up a good root ball, burlap it and keep it moist in transit. 
     Please let me know how it works out.
     Good luck!        
    
Bev Eckman-Onyskow is an Alamogordo-based freelance writer and vice-president of the Otero County Master Gardener Association.  E-mail your gardening questions and comments to her at beckmanonyskow@aol.com.