Kumquats, Limes, & Pomegranates
I bought two 5-gallon kumquat trees last year and re-potted them into half-barrels. They had fruit on when I bought them and they fruited nicely through last summer. This year I had some flowers, but...
Category Archives: Fruit Trees
Persimmons and Parthenocarpy
I have a persimmon tree purchased 9 years ago. In the past 3 years, the fruit hasn’t grown larger than a grape, changing color but not expanding in size. The tree receives sun all day long. W...
Ambrosia Beetles Attack Avocado Trees
My huge avocado tree has been attacked by ambrosia beetles. My tree trimmer says there is nothing to be done to save it. I’ve lived with this tree for 30 years and don’t want to lose it. ...
Orange Tree and Avocado Tree Problems
Orange and avocado are the most sensible fruit trees to grow in a sub-tropical urban environment such as Los Angeles. Given plenty of sun, both are relatively pest-free trees and produce dependably ...
Backyard Orchard in Long Beach
Yard space in America is disappearing. From 1999-2014, the average size lot in America shrank from 9,600 to 8,600 square feet. During that same period, the average size home increased from 2,100 ...
The History of Fruit Tree Grafting
No one knows when grafting of plants began. Initially, grafting was thought to be an extension of vegetative or clonal propagation by cuttings. Just as softwood (shoot) or hardwood cuttings, detach...
Citrus Colors
Did you ever wonder why limes are green and every other type of citrus fruit is either orange or yellow? The reason for this, I recently learned, is that limes (and lime trees) are the most cold sen...
Yucca, Tangerine, and Hellebore
What do a yucca tree, a tangerine tree, and a hellebore have in common? Not much, really, except that, if you live in the San Fernando Valley, you can grow all three of them in your own backy...
Primrose Jasmine, Thickets, Cherimoyas
The more I learn about primrose jasmine, the more I like it. This time of year, it’s nice to look at, too. Long shoots are bedazzled with butter yellow blooms. Primrose jasmine will cover a ...
Avocado Prices Have Not Changed in 100 years
Over the last hundred years or so, the price of avocadoes has not changed. Back in 1920, the price of avocadoes, which were a newly introduced delicacy in California, was around $1 a piece and, toda...
