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Questions and Answers:Q. I am doing some reforestation work on my land and am interested in planting some of the same drought tolerant loblolly pine seedlings that I purchased last year from a local nursery. They are doing great. How can I get my hands on some more? A. Bred for sandy sites and fast growing, the drought tolerant Loblolly Pine seedling is our best choice for reforestation. Unfortunately, my vender went out business. But, I'm sure an new internet search will yield you a fresh source. Q. What are the best fruit tree varieties for our area? A. It's important to plant the variety of fruit tree recommended for our area because most fruit trees need a certain number of hours below 45 degrees during the winter to have a good fruit set. Look for fruit trees grafted on "nemaguard" rootstock to protect from nematodes. Contact your local extension agent's office for a spraying and fertilizer schedule to control pests and keep growth vigorous. Well-rooted container trees work better than bare root, but bare root trees are cheaper. Plant fruit trees in January or early February. Here are the recommended varieties for the common types of fruit trees that we plant in this part of Texas: Apples: Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Gala, Holland, Jerseymac, Mollie's Delicious, Fuji, Granny Smith. Nectarines: Armking or Crimson Gold. Plums: Bruce, Allred, Methley. Apricots: Royal or Bleineim. Peaches: Springgold, Bicentennial, June Gold, TexRoyal, Sentinal, Harvester, RedGlobe, Fireprince, Bounty, Milam, Loring, Dixieland, Redskin, Jefferson, Sam Houston. White Flesh Peaches: Melba, Palace, White Hale. Figs: Texas Everbearing or Celeste. Pears: Orient, Moonglow, Kieffer, LeConte, Ayres, Garber, Maxine, Warren. Pecans: Sioux, Pawnee, Desirable, Choctaw, Kiowa, Caddo, Cape Fear. Q. I've rooted dozens of avocado seeds and would like to plant them. Any suggestions? A. Your best hope for an avocado tree would be in a container because they will freeze to death in our winter. They grow into very large trees and will even outgrow a container quickly. Rooting them is fun, but getting them to live outdoors is impossible. However, if what you hear about global warming is true, you might be able to have an entire orchard of avocados in a few years, so be patient. Q. I love strawberries. When should I plant them? A. Fall is the best time to plant strawberries for spring harvest. Annual varieties such as Chandler, Douglas or Sequoia work best. Good garden dirt with some organic fertilizer works best. Pick all fruit because rotting fruit attracts pill bugs. Q. How long do I chill tulip bulbs before they can be planted? A. Tulip bulbs need 12 weeks of chilling below 45 degrees. A standard refrigerator will work. Don't accidentally eat them. You need to get them soon, so you can chill them for early spring bloom. Q. I would like to fertilize my Staghorn fern, but I don't want to kill it. Any suggestions? A. Staghorn ferns, named because they resemble deer antlers, can be fertilized with a foliar feeding type fertilizer that does not contain copper. Copper will kill the fern quickly. Since most popular foliar feeding fertilizers contain copper, read the labels carefully. Look for a fertilizer with a nutrient ration of 20-6-16 or close. Water staghorns at least once a week, more often if not potted and mounted in sphagnum moss. I've heard some folks put banana peels at the base of staghorns to nourish them. This practice will invite rot and pests, so it's a bad idea. Click Here to Ask Me a Gardening Question
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