Cold Hardy Citrus Trees

Assess plant health, do some light trimming

You may have to make some tough choices come September about what stays in your yard over the winter.

If you have left alone plants that were damaged in last February's unusual freeze to see if they recover, September is a good time to assess their health, says horticulturist Connie Howard.

That's what Howard and her colleagues at the Tucson Botanical Gardens are doing, especially since the attraction needs to display healthy plants.

While you may not be as pressured to get rid of sickly plants, Howard suggests taking a realistic look at their survivability as summer winds down.

"Fall is the best time to plant," she says. "You might make the judgment to take (a plant) out now and put something in so the roots grow in all winter."

Make sure that replacement plant is a more cold-hardy one. The same type of plant might not survive the winter. "Don't plant frost-tender plants," including citrus trees, until spring, she says.

It's a difficult decision whether to keep or pull out a freeze-damaged plant, especially if it's showing signs of life, but is not thriving. It's a personal gamble, says Howard.

"Things that are weak are going to succumb to another frost if another hard frost comes," she says, "but we could have a mild winter."

Also closely examine your plants for other seasonal effects. It's time to trim back plants, including roses, that suffered damage from the summer heat and winds.

A light trimming - leave heavy pruning for later in the month when it's cooler and the rains have stopped - will help plants recover and green up in the fall, says Howard.

Also, pull out yellowing annual flowers to make room for winter bedding plants.

Howard also includes these items on your September to-do list:

• Fertilize citrus, roses and lawns for a last spurt of growth before winter.

• Plant flowering bulbs and winter annuals and edibles.

• Prepare the wildflower garden for sowing in October. Pull out old plants, weed and turn dirt over about one foot deep. Add soil amendments if you wish. Collect small and large rocks so you can loosely lay them over the planted seeds to help retain moisture and provide protection for seedlings.

Ancient Figs Via Historical past

The fig tree, ‘Ficus carica,’ possibly originated in Northern Asia according to archeological fossil records. Spanish missionaries brought it to the United States in 1520. Historical Sumerian tablets record the use and consumption of figs in 2500 BC.

In Greek mythology, the fig figures prominently as a gift of Demeter to Dionysus and as getting received the blessing and sanctity of the Greek Gods. Plato documented that Greek athletes at Olympia were fed diets of figs to enhance their operating speed and all round strength. The figs contained up to 50% concentration of sugar which was nearly like feeding the athlete a candy bar.

The most renowned Biblical reference to figs is that, in which Jesus cursed a fig tree for not making any fruit for him as he passed by, a curse that killed the fig tree, Matt 21:18

The Jewish King, Hezekiah, was cured of a life-threatening plague by applying figs to the infected spot. 2 Kings 20 The Apostle, James, brother of Jesus, utilised the metaphor of the fig tree to describe the proper behavior that he expected to adhere to from Christian living. James three:12 Fig leaves were employed in the early church to hide the genitalia of nude, marble sculptures that adorned religious buildings. Fig trees had been also utilized in ancient historical past as shade trees and to chop and use as fast start off firewood.

Cooked figs had been used as sweeteners in ancient times and this practice is nonetheless utilized in a lot of third globe countries in Asia Minor. The figs include above 50% sugar. Hybrid figs contain many hollow, tiny seeds on the interior of the fruit, comparable in taste as those discovered in blueberries and strawberries. A fig fruit has a round tiny opening at the base of the fig known as an ‘eye.’ A tiny wasp flies into the interior of the fig and pollinates the tiny flowers lining the interior walls of the fig. These tiny seed are not typically digested by the stomach and offer a excellent laxative impact to the elderly sedentary citizens. American hybrid figs do not demand or get pollination to be transformed into edible fruit.

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