Sweet ‘Cocktail’ Grapefruit
“The greatest service which can be rendered any country is to add a useful plant to its culture.” These words of Thomas Jefferson are precious to me since I have long felt that I can provide no more...
Category Archives: Fruit Trees
How to Grow Pomegranates, the Healthiest Fruit on Earth
Pomegranates are probably the healthiest fruit on earth. Hundreds of peer reviewed articles in scientific journals attest to the multi-faceted benefits of pomegranate consumption, from lowering chol...
The Pluot Revolution
“I was visiting my parents in Modesto and we picked up some delicious pluots at a local fruit stand. Since my Santa Rosa plum has rarely bloomed or produced fruit, I was interested in replacing it wi...
‘Satsuma’ Mandarin: the Perfect Fruit Tree
If you are looking for a fruit tree that produces in the fall with a minimum of care, consider a ‘Satsuma’ mandarin. Ronald Chong, our conscientious correspondent from Hacienda Heights, emailed a ph...
Fall Planting of Deciduous Trees
When it comes to deciduous shrubs and trees, fall and winter are the seasons they get serious about root growth. In places like Southern California, where the ground never freezes, roots never stop ...
Euphorbia Trees and Growing Cherimoyas
At one time or another, most of us have probably seen one of those television shows that highlight valuable works of art, antiques, or odd ball memorabilia that were found quite by chance in someone’...
Macadamia Orchard, Finger Limes, Sweet Cherries
The pleasure of hanging out with plant people is what you learn from them. Such people, and the plants they grow, are typically full of wonderful surprises. Just the other day, I met Ash Jahanbin, w...
Bananas, Grapefruits, and Oak Tree Beetles
“I have banana trees that bloom and produce fruit of the ‘Ice Cream’ (also known as ‘Blue Java’) variety. I have heard that I should trim the flower off after a single cluster of bananas has formed o...
Orange and Mango Tree Problems and the Amazing Trifoliate Orange
I have a Valencia seedless orange tree that I set out about 40 years ago. The fruit has always been sweet and juicy. But the last couple of years the oranges are larger with thicker skin and not much...
TreePan, WaterBoxx, Growboxx, and Kumquat Tree
Newly planted trees need a steady supply of water and this reality presents a special challenge when the trees in question are planted in parkways along city streets. In Los Angeles, the concrete pa...
