Q. We live in Temecula and we enjoy your column in The Californian very much. Our problem is we planted two plum trees (one Santa Clara and one Satsuma) eight years ago. Our trees are loaded with leaves but very little fruit. We deep water them once a week and they are growing in the sun. We feed them about two times a year. Please tell us what we can do differently. We will look forward to your advice. Thank you. -- A. P. Mascitti,
A. Oh my goodness, if you have not pruned your trees in eightyears, that is the reason they are not producing fruit. Plum treesshould be pruned every year starting the year they are planted. Bynow your trees probably have so many branches and leaves that nolight can get into the center of the tree. They most likely need tobe thinned and then pruned for structural soundness and then toencourage fruit production. It may be a daunting task butfortunately the state of California has come to your rescue. Go tothe UC Davis Web site ( http://homeorchard.ucdavis.edu/general-pruning.html )and there you will find a wealth of information on pruning writtenespecially for the back yard orchard grower.
Q. My tomato plants grew beautifully and I was eagerly waiting for the tomatoes to ripen. Just about the time that they looked as if they would soon be ready to eat, they began developing black bottoms. The tops look fine but the bottoms are dark and ugly. What is going on and what can I do about it? - Sherry
A. What is going on Sherry is that your tomatoes have developed what is called blossom end rot. It is not a disease but a physiological condition caused by a calcium deficiency. What you can do about it is to make sure that your plants do not get too wet or too dry. Either of these conditions prevents the plant from taking up calcium. This is a very common problem for the home gardener and is more prevalent in tomatoes grown in pots because plants grown in containers dry out quickly, especially on windy days. The top of the tomato will still be good to eat, just cut away the "ugly" part. Try to water your plants evenly and keep them slightly moist, not soggy or dry, and the condition will go away and the rest of the fruit will ripen into beautiful tomatoes.
Q. I'm wondering if you know of anything we can plant or broadcast on top of the ground to deter gophers. I hesitate to poison or trap them, and am wondering if there is a better method of getting rid of them. Thank you. - Gail in Oceanside
A. I'd love to tell you that there was something other than trapping or poisoning that would work Gail, but the truth is that there is no evidence that anything else works.Â
There is a plant called gopher purge that is often said to repel gophers and many anecdotal cures such as bubble gum and human hair but death is really the only effective answer. If you can encourage barn owls to nest they will do the job you hesitate to do because gophers are their natural prey.
Rose Crawford is a certified garden consultant and a mastercomposter who lives and gardens in Vista. She answers yourgardening questions every other week. E-mail questions to email@example.com or write to "AskRose," c/o Features Dept., North County Times, 207 E. PennsylvaniaAve., Escondido, CA 92025.