Gardening - The fruits of labour

One of the most divine rewards of gardening is picking and eating fresh, home grown fruit straight from the tree. Watching your own fruit mature, looking forward to eating a particular orange or gorging on strawberries are pleasures only available to the dedicated and patient gardener; growing fruit trees is a long lasting, initmate affair.

For the average sized garden there are many fruits and nut trees to suit. Although the fruit tree tends to be low, nut trees, on the other hand, can grow into beautiful shade trees - the walnut tree is a perfect example of this.

Many discussions about fruit trees going on at The Gardening Forum Spain come join in the fun and share your images!

Choosing your tree
There are two main factors when considering buying your trees, location and soil type. Try, if possible, to avoid planting in really exposed areas, as the wind will pull off the flowers and the tree will never fruit. Planting a mimi orchard creates a micro-climate, which generally greatly extends the variety of fruit a garden can accommodate.

Buying your tree
Choose a local supplier as they are likely to have suitable cultivars for your climate; you could try nispero (Achras zapota - the other CampoGirl has one of these growing), apple, pear, guayavo, fig, plums or almond on heavier land or citrus fruits, kaki, membrillo, mulberry, nispero, walnut, where the soil is sandier and lighter.

If you have limited space and an orchard is not quite possible, make espaliers from apples, plums and pears against a wall or fence. Wire the desired branches against the wall in the form you want and then prune the remaining branches each autumn. Continue to remove the vertical water shoots as they appear. In time, the tree will get stronger, and the chosen branches will thicken and bear fruit on the spurs, and the tree will no longer require support, you could also try growing this up a trellis - giving extra support.

Grafting is another way of maximising variety and yield from the garden. Keep like with like - oranges and lemons or limes; stoned fruits together, apples and pears etc. The only trouble you may find is one graft dominates the others and doesn't allow an even development.

For a conversation point you could put 3 trees in the same hole and let them grow together, this is prone to chaotic growth but promotes a long fruiting season.

So, enjoy the fruits of your gardening labour and lets get busy!

Gardening Definitions (N-P)

Naturalising
Growing plants, particularly bulbs, in simulated natural environments, such as grass or woodland conditions.

Node
A stem joint, which is sometimes slightly swollen, from where young leaves and side-shoots arise.

Offset
A young plant that arises naturally on the parent, as with many sorts of bulbs, or on short lateral stems, as with sempervivum.

Opposite
The arrangement of leaves in alternate opposite pairs, as on ligustrum and syringa.

Organic
Any chemical compound containing carbon. The term is applied to substances derived from the decay of living organisms, such as garden compost. It is also applied to a style of gardening that rejects the use of synthetic chemicals and products.

Pedicle
The stalk of an individual flower - applied particularly to branched flowers.

Peduncle
The stem that supports a flowerhead.

Perennial
Any plant that lives for three or more years; usually applied to a non-woody plant.

Perianth
A term used when sepals and petals are indistinguishable from each other. The combined sepals and petals of a tulip or hyacinth flower are known as the perianth.

Perlite
Lightweight expanded volcanic rock in granular form, used in place of sand or grit top open up or lighten composts used for pottings and cuttings etc.

Petiole
The stalk that attaches a leaf to the stem.

Pinching Out
Removing or pinching out the growing point of a stem, either to promote a branching habit or to induce flower buds.

Plunge
To set a pot or any other plant container up to the rim in the soil, or in a special bed of ashes, peat, grit or sand.

Pollard
A tree cut back to the main trunk and maintained in a bushy state by regular pruning at intervals of between one and a few years.

Pollen
The male cells of a plant contained in the anthers or pollen sacs.

Pollination
The transference of pollen grains onto the stigma of a flower. The resulting plantlets are later moved into larger pots, pans or trays, or set out into a nursery bed or into their growing position.

Provenance
The place where seed originated in the wild. Knowing the provenance will have a bearing on this conditions under which the progeny will thrive in cultivation.

Carpenter Bee (Mijas Bee) Spain

The Carpenter bee, otherwise known as the "Mijas Bee" here in Spain, I must admit it is a scary looking creature and certainly makes a heck of a noise, leaving people running away screaming! LOL

These Carpenter Bees are large, hairy bees distributed worldwide. There are as many as 500 species of the Carpenter Bee in 31 subgenera.

They are aptly named the Carpenter Bee beacuase nearly all the 500 species build their nests in burrows in dead wood, bamboo, or structural timbers, their smaller cousins, otherwise known as "Small Carpenter Bees" - very fitting, LOL, build their nests in the ground.

Carpenter bees prefer to attack wood which is bare, weathered and unpainted. Therefore, the best way to deter the bees is to paint all exposed wood surfaces, especially those which have a history of being attacked. Wood stains and preservatives are less reliable than painting, but will provide some degree of repellancy versus bare wood. To further discourage nesting, garages and outbuildings should be kept closed when carpenter bees are actively searching for nesting sites.

Many of these Carpenter Bee species live next to one another, well the females does anyway - she will live in tunnels alongside her own daughters or sisters, creating a sort of social group. Between them they make partitions for privacy using wood bits between the cells in the nest!

Carpenter bees should not be dismissed entirely though, they can be important pollinators on open-faced flowers, even obligate pollinators on some, such as the Maypop (Passiflora incarnata), though many species are also known to "rob" nectar by slitting the sides of flowers with deep corollas.

You will start to see the Carpenter Bee in the late-spring and early summer, this is because the Carpenter Bee starts its quest for a favourable site to make a nest and meet a mate.

The male Carpenter Bee can be very aggressive and if you are anywhere near his nest you will see him hovering in front of you. The males, however, are quite harmless as they lack stingers. Female Carpenter Bees can inflict a painful sting but seldom will unless they are handled or molested - similar to the honeybee.

Damage Control!
You can buy many different types of damage control for Carpenter Bees and for the wood they are attacking.

Liquid sprays of carbaryl (Sevin), chlorpyrifos (Dursban), or a synthetic pyrethroid (e.g., permethrin or cyfluthrin) can be applied as a preventive to wood surfaces which are attracting bees.

Be aware that these sprays and treatments may only last for 1-2 weeks and you may have to repeat the treatment if the problems persist. You may find tunnels which have already been excavated - you're best bet here is to buy an insecticidal dust (e.g., 5percent carbaryl) and get it into the nest opening. You may also wish to choose sprays that you can buy from garden centres that are labeled "wasp and ee control".

When you have treated the holes where the Carpenter Bee is resting, be sure to leave the hole open for a few days, this will allow the bees to distribute the insecticide throughout the nest galleries, once that is complete, plug the hole with glue etc to protect the wood from being invaded again.

Although carpenter bees are less aggressive than wasps, female bees provisioning their nests will sting. Treatment is best performed at night when the bees are less active, or while wearing protective clothing.

Garden Deifinitions (J-M)

Juvenile
Plants which have a distinct early phase, when either the habit, leaf shape or some other characteristic differs from those of the adult. Eucalyptus tress commonly bearjuvenile and adult leaves.

Lateral
A stem or shoot that branches off from a bud in the leaf axil of a larger stem.

Leader
The main stem (or stems) of a tree or shrub that extends the existing branch system.

Leaf-Mould
Partially decayed dead leaves which have broken down to a flaky condition resembling peat. Oak and beech leaves are the most suitable materials.

Lime
Calcium, a chemical used in horticulture, particularly to neutralise acid soils.

Loam
A reasonably fertile soil that is neither wet and sticky, nor dry and sandy. It is moisture-retentive and contains a blend of clay, silt, sand and hummus, and is rich in minerals.

Lobe
Descriptive of leaves, stipules, bracts or petals that are cleft into separate areas that are still united by part of the surface.

Maiden
A nursery term for a young grafted tree in the process of being trained. Applied particularly to one year old fruit trees.

Monocarpic
A plant which dies after flowering and seeding. Annuals and biennials are true monocarpic plants, but the term is also applied to perennial plants which grow for a number of years before flowering and then dying.

Monocotyledon
A group of flowering plants that have only one seed leaf in each mature seed.

Monoecious
A plant that bears bisexual flowers or separate male and female flowers on the same plant; for example, corylus (hazel) and juglans (walnut).

Mulch
A layer of organic matter, such as decayed manure, leaf-mould, garden compost, straw or composted bark, which is spread on the soil around the plants. A mulch conserves moisture in the soil, adds nutrients and suppresses weeds. The term is also used for inorganic material including gravel and black polythene sheeting.

Red Weevil in Spanish Palm Trees

Gardening Forum - Discuss the red palm tree weevil

The Red Weevil has been making its way to the western world since the mid 80s. It was captured in Egypt in 1992 and then seen in Spain in 1994, it is thought that the Red Weevil made its way to Spain from Egypt by way of human intervention, by being transported on date palm trees.

The Red Weevil is starting to cause havoc on Palm Trees across the Spanish region, unfortunately the Red Weevil's devastating effects are only noticeable when it is too late and the Palm Tree is dead. The late detection of the weevil constitutes a serious problem in the fight against the Red Weevil pest. Although, much research has been carried out, no safe techniques for early detection of the pest have been found.

Despite the attempts to kill these pests more than one thousand Phoenix Palm Trees have been killed and it has cost millions of euros in damage and is continuing to spread.

The Red Weevil originated in southern Asia and Melanesia, where it is a serious pest of coconuts. In 1985 the Red Weevil had reached the eastern region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, spreading to the whole of the United Arab Emirates and into Oman. It was recorded in Iran in 1990 before being discovered in Egypt at the end of 1992, it is also found in Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority Territories.

The red palm weevil is a member of Coleoptera: Curculionidae. The male and female adults are large reddish brown beetles about 3 cm long and with a characteristic long curved rostrum; with strong wings, they are capable of undertaking long flights.

It is the larvae that produce the damage to the palm. Adult females lay about 200 eggs at the base of young leaves or in wounds to the leaves and trunks; the grubs feed on the soft fibers and terminal bud tissues. They reach a size of more than 5 cm before pupation. Just before they pupate, they move towards the interior of the palm making tunnels and large cavities. They can be found in any place within the palm, even in the very base of the trunk where the roots emerge.

Pupation occurs generally outside the trunk, at the base of the palms. The larva pupates in a cocoon made of brown dried palm fibres.

Have you found this red palm weevil in any of your palm trees - let me know your story, I would love to hear from you. We are running a discussion about Red Palm Tree Weevils on our gardening forum.

Gardening Definitions (G-I)

Genus
The category in botanical classification below family. A genus is a group closely related plants known as species. All the species of beech trees (for example), are grouped under the genus Fagus. Related genera are grouped in turn into a family, in this case Fagaceae. The common beech is identified by a genus and a species name, Fagus sylvatica. A natural variety is identified by a third name, such as Fagus sylvatica var. heterophylla, and a cultivated variety (or cultivar) by quotation marks, as Fagus sylvatica 'Dawyck'. A cross (or hybrid) between two species is identified by a multiplication sign: for example, the hybrid willow Salix x rubens
Germination
The initial stage of a plant's development from a seed. Germination periods vary: given the right conditions of temperature, moisture, light and oxygen, it may occur within days or take weeks or months.
Glabrous
Smooth or bare - used to describe a part of a plant that is hairless.

Glaucous
Describing the grey-blue colour of some plants, or the grey or white waxy bloom on them. An example is the white bloom on the leaves of some brasicas, particularly cabbages, and succulents such as sedums.

Grafting
Propogation plants by joining a stem or bud of one plant to the root of another so they unite to form a new individual. It is widely used in cultivating fruit trees and roses.

Habit
The characteristic shape and growth form of a plant.

Half Hardy
Frost tender species of plants that can only be grown in the open reliably during summer - for example, canna and French and African marigolds.

Half Standard
A tree or shrub, usually with a single stem growing 75cm-1.2m high before the head branches.

Hardening Off
The gradual acclimatisation of tender and half hardy plants, grown under heated glass or other forms of protection, to outside conditions. Plants are usually placed in a coldframe in late spring, with air gradually admitted until the lights of the frame are left off entirely.

Hardy
Plants which survive frosts in the open, year by year.

Herbaceous
Any plant that does not form a persistent woody stem. Botanically, the terms applies to annuals, biennials and perennials - but by common usage is chiefly associated with perennials which die down in autumn and reappear the following spring.

Hose in Hose
An abnormal floral mutation in which flowers appear to grow in pairs, one arising from the centre of another. Primrose and polyanthus are examples.

Humus
The dark brown residue from the final breakdown of dead vegetable matter. The term is often used to describe partly decayed matter that is brown and crumbly, such as well made compost or leaf mould.

Hybrid
The result of crossing two distinct varities or, occasionally, genera. Hybrids may either show a blending of characteristics from each parent or favour one more than the other.

Incised
The margins of the leaf, stipule or bract that is deeply and sharply toothed or lobed.

Inflorescence
The arrangement of flowers on a stem, often referred to as a flowerhead.

Inorganic
A chemical compound or fertiliser that does not contain carbon. The term is applied to synthetically produced fertilisers, although some naturally occurring plant nutrients have inorganic origins, as, for example, the mineral fertiliser rock phosphate.

NEW Gardening Forum for Spain

Campo Girls & Hoes launch their first Forum for the Spanish gardening community!

Gardening Spain & Forum

This is a new forum that we have just started this week and we look forward to meeting new people, we have some members from the USA already (as we share similar climiates to some parts of America).

As much as we love writing the blog and keeping up with the gardening community we needed room to grow and a Gardening Forum seemed the perfect opportunity for us to do just that - we will keep up with the blog but also continue to work on the forum.

We look forward to seeing you all and please do come and introduce yourself!