Tom Knoblock 308-660-0410

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Post Freeze Plant Care Info

Do not cut plants back till this spring

When we have a number of sunny days in a row

You need to remove the tarps so plants do not overheat.

Also before it rains remove blankets so the blankets stay dry

Loquat & Water Lily Pond

Wrapped the tree w/xmas lights as the loquat is blooming

This was a 20'+ tall Papaya I cut back to about 4' and covered. It should sprout out of the trunk next spring

Good News Rain Forecast for Next Week!

6 Health Benefits Of Walking In The Rain

Protect your young &

Frost Sensitive Plants

Hardiness Zone 9 - 11 Plants

Preparing for the freeze

Protect your water lines!

Don’t forget to detach your hoses from the hose bibs and leave

just a drip on to ensure your house water lines don't freeze.

Check where your water shutoff from the city is to make sure it is covered or underground.

Also if you have a sprinkler system with an above-ground vacuum breaker drain it and insulate it. See the photo below.

Protecting your plants in your yard

https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/.../FrostsandFreezes.pdf

Move potted plants indoors or at least in the garage.

Water your plants well before it freezes

(this store's additional heat in the soil)

Mulch well, and above the graft of fruit trees

Plants that are mulched may die to the ground but come back from the roots.

Cover plants with bed sheets, blankets, boxes,

plastic storage tubs etc. down to the ground.

Heat will come up from the moist ground to the covering

to help protect the plant.

So do not tie the covering around the base of the tree,

hold it down away from the tree so heat can come out of the ground to protect the tree.

If you have seedlings in the ground you could cover them with a plastic cup and a sheet of plastic over that, again the ground is not frozen so the heat from the ground will protect the plants. Be sure to remove it when it warms up.

You can use foam pipe insulation to protect the trunk of a tree.

If you have plants that are growing up against the house you could tent them into the house to get heat from the house.

Take cuttings of plants you want to make sure you do not want to lose. Keep them moist.

Be sure to either drain or blow out your sprinkler system and cover the Vacuum Breaker which is above ground to prevent it from freezing

Time to order Fruit Trees & Clump Bamboo for Spring Planting

Fruit trees & Bamboo will be available in early March

10% Off orders placed and paid by the end of January

Click the links below for Fruit Tree & Clump Bamboo order forms

(These lists are the current availability which may change

so let me know an alternate when ordering)

Spring 2024 Fruit Tree Order Form

Spring 2024 Bamboo Order Form

Subtropical-Nursery.com

Buy 2 Fruit Trees or Bamboo, and receive a 3 cu ft bag

of mulch when picked up at the nursery

to help you properly plant your new trees

Pleasantly surprise your gardening friends

with one of our Gift Cards

Click Here to Purchase a Gift Card

Click Here to purchase a Gift Card

Wildflower strip to attract pollinators

Attract Pollinators to your yard

Prepare your yard for your fruit trees

Provide habitat and food for pollinators for your Fruit Trees

Now is a great time to prepare your site before

you plant a Wildflower Garden.

It is very important to have a clean, weed-free seedbed before planting. This can be done by soil solarization or tilling.

If you are dealing with an established weed problem you may consider spraying with a broad-spectrum herbicide or a natural weed killer. You may have to do this a few times to get rid of as many weeds as possible before planting.

Natural Weed Killer That Works Better Than Round-Up

(I have not tested this)

3qPk3aR

45 Percent White Vinegar: https://amzn.to/47RzvDU

Epsom Salt: https://amzn.to/44sQjOE

Blue food coloring (so you can see where you have sprayed)

Chapin 4-Gallon Backpack Sprayer: https://amzn.to/45ozZzZ

Wildflower Establishment Guide

Additional Pollinator Habitat Restoration Resources

A couple of wildflower mix suppliers I have used;

Texas Region Native Pollinator Wildflower Mixture

Wildflower Mixes from Turner Seed

To help with germination and erosion control I used an

Erosion control mat to cover the seed to keep moisture in the soil.

Add a Bee House to your landscape

Crownbees.com Crownbees.com

How to Help Your Fruit Trees Get Pollinated Using Mason Bees

Winter Pruning Tips for your fruit trees

Click the Links Below for YouTube videos

PRUNING FRUIT TREES | BEST SHAPES for SIZE for PRODUCTION

How To Prune Fruit Trees - Peach, Apple, Fig and more

Pruning Fig Trees | Heavy Pruning for Production and Size

Winter Blackberry Pruning

Small Home Orchard

Gopher Control that has worked best for me

Selecting Fruit Trees for the Coastal Bend

Things to consider when choosing fruit trees

to fruit successfully in our climate.

Many temperate fruit tree varieties such as apples, pears, peaches, plums, etc. don’t do well In South Texas.

Why? We live in a semi-tropical environment with a very mild winter and not a true temperate climate with a consistently cold winter.

Fruit trees chill hour requirements

Fruit trees, such as apples, peaches, pears, plums, require a period of dormancy and the accumulation of chilling to produce flowers and fruit.

If a fruit tree is grown where winter cold is insufficient to satisfy the variety’s chilling requirement, blooming and foliation will be delayed and erratic; fruit set and fruit quality will be poor.

A chill hour is the amount of chilling received by a plant at 32 to 45 degrees F.

The Coastal Bend is in Hardiness Zone 9b

The minimum average temperature range is 25°F to 30°F.

The Coastal Bend on average receives 110-310 Chill hours

For plants to thrive in your geographical area, it requires matching ideal USDA Plant Hardiness Zone compatibility with the optimum amount of chill hours.

Pollination of Fruit Trees

Some types of fruit trees may be pollinated with their own pollen and are considered self-fruitful or self-pollinating. Other types of fruit trees require pollen from a different variety of the same type of fruit trees. The transfer of pollen from one variety to a different variety of the same type of tree is called cross-pollination. Cross-pollination is essential for apples, pears & most sweet cherries. Cross-pollination is not essential but does improve the number of fruit that form on other fruit trees.

Pollen is primarily transferred by honeybees.

Fruit Tree Chill Hour, Hardiness Zones & Pollination Requirements

Almond – 200 to 700 chill hours – Zones 5 – 9 - most require cross-pollination
Apple – 200 to 1200 chill hours – Zones 5 – 9 – most require cross-pollination
Avocado – Zones 5 – 9 – A & B types help with increased pollination, but is not required
Banana – Zones 4 – 11 – self-pollinating
Cherry – 600 to 1200 chill hours – Zones 5 – 7 – most require cross-pollination

· Cherry, Barbados & Surinam – Zones 9b – 11 – self-pollinating

Citrus Trees – Zones 9 – 11 – self-pollinating
Figs – 100 to 500 low number of chill hours – Zones 5 – 9 – self-pollinating
Grapes – 100 to 500 chill hours – Zones 5 – 9 – most are self-pollinating
Loquat – Zones 8b – 11 – self-pollinating
Olives – Zones 9 – 11 – most are self-pollinating
Peaches – 150 to 1200 chill hours – some are self-pollinating
Pears – 400 to 1500 chill hours – Zones 5 – 9 – some are self-pollinating
Pecan – 200 to 1600 chill hours – Zones 5 – 9 – most require cross-pollination
Persimmon – 100 to 500 chill hours – Zones 5 – 9 – some are self-pollinating
Pomegranate – 100 to 200 chill hours – Zones 7 – 10 – self-pollinating

Checkout my updated Airbnb at the Nursery

Fresh Papaya for breakfast

Click the link below

Fisherman's Cabin in

Texas Subtropical Botanic Garden

Up to 3 Guests w/kitchen

Winter Rates & Discounts now available

Click here for a $25 Discount Card for a future reservation

Click the Links Below for YouTube videos

Gopher Control that has worked best for me

Attract DRAGONFLIES For A MOSQUITO-FREE Yard

Watering Trees in the Summer - Aggie Horticulture

How to Water Your Fruit Trees LOW MAINTENANCE Drip Irrigation Walkthrough and Tour

Trimming Banana Plant Leaves to promote faster growth, Flowers, and Bananas

How to Stimulate Dragon Fruit Bud Growth With Nutrients

Growing Backyard Citrus presented by

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

Galveston County Master Gardener Youtube Presentation

Link to the Youtube Presentation

Link to download a PDF of Growing Backyard Citrus

Also a PDF of Extending Your Citrus Season

Caring For Container Grown Lime Trees

How To Grow Blood Oranges

Facebook Indoor Citrus Tree Growers Group

Grafted Citrus Trees

Lemons

Improved Meyer Lemon

Meyer Lemon Fruit

The Meyer lemon is thin-skinned with a bright yellow rind, which turns orange-yellow as the fruit ripens on the tree
The lemons have a juicy, moderately acidic and flowery flavor
Meyer lemon trees are prolific citrus fruit producers with incredibly fragrant and beautiful blossoms
The lemon juice tastes sweeter than a Eureka and provides an incredible, unique lemon flavor and scent
Meyer lemons are a hybrid of a lemon and mandarin and are less acidic than other true lemons as a result

Frost Eureka Lemon

Showy and very fragrant white flowers in the spring the Eureka blooms randomly years round making lemons available almost any time. This four-season special produces less seeds and has a high perfectly acid lemon flavor.

Oranges

Hamlin Sweet Orange

Hamlin Swet Orange tree is one of the most cold-hardy sweet oranges. Grown since 1885 this early-ripening, is great for marginal citrus growing regions. The fruit is thin skinned, has a few seeds and a delicious tangy sweet flavor. Excellent juiced or for fresh eating. Fruit ripens October to January.

Avocados

Lula Avocado

Lula has an exceptionally long harvest period, making it a great choice for winter residents. 'Lula' produces green-skinned fruits with a slight neck, weighing 10-20 ounces. A small inner nut and an excellent creamy taste with high oil content. cold-hardy to 15F. The fruit ripens from late October to January.

The Lula avocado tree grows to 20 ft.

It is a “Type A” pollinator.

U-La-La Super Hass Dwarf Avocado

The U-La-La Dwarf Avocado is a dwarf variety making them great container plants. The tree grows to just 8' indoors or 15 to 20' outdoors. The fruit is very similar to the Hass Avocado, except this variety is larger with a very small seed and has a longer shelf life. A single fruit can weigh over a pound.

The U-La-La Avocado is a cold hardy avocado variety that can take temperatures as low as 18 degrees.

Low Chill Peach Varieties

Tropic Snow Peach

Tropic Snow, a white-flesh peach, requires 200 hours of chill, and its fruit is ripe in early June.

It is not uncommon for the Tropic Snow to produce fruit in the second year of life. The Tropical Snow Peach is self-fruitful.

USDA Plant Hardiness Zones in the 6 – 10

Grows to 12 - 18'

The Tropic Snow Peach skin is yellow with a blush of red. The flesh is white and freestone. The fruit is medium-sized and just a tad smaller than the size of a typical grocery store peach.

Many say this is the best ‘white peach’ for warm climates.

The fruit is very juicy, mildly aromatic, and has a bright flavor that is sweet and slightly tart.

Eva's Pride Peach

One of the finest low chill early season peach varieties. From the renowned fruit hybridist Floyd Zaiger, the Eva's Pride peach has become a must have for all backyard grower in both climates well suited to peaches and areas that receive less than 200 hours of chill. Self fertile

Other Fruit Tree Varieties

Trimming Banana Plant Leaves to promote faster growth, Flowers, and Bananas

Ice Cream Banana Tree 3 gal Many rate the Ice Cream banana tree as the best tasting banana.

It has a taste reminiscent of vanilla pudding, yet the texture is firm and sweet.

The bananas are medium sized and the flesh is snow white. The skin of the fruit is an unusual blue green and the leaves are silver green.

Grows 8 to 15 feet. Zones 8-11.

HOW TO GROW YOUR OWN DRAGON FRUIT

How to Stimulate Dragon Fruit Bud Growth With Nutrients

19 Health Benefits Of Dragon Fruit

Video Tips

8 Tips How to Get MORE Dragon Fruit

5 Tips How to grow a ton of dragon fruit

Tipping Dragon Fruit Branch to Help Induce more Buds

HOW TO INDUCE DRAGON FRUIT TO FLOWER

EASY FRUITING TIPS

Edgar's Baby Red Dragon Fruit

This dragon fruit hybrid called “Edgars Baby” is the result of years of research, crossing, and selection by Edgar Valdivia.

‘Edgar’s Baby’ has a sweet and tangy, reddish inner flesh with tiny, edible, black seeds. With several fruits over a pound

White, fragrant flowers adorn the plant in late spring to early fall.

Edgar’s Baby may have up to 4 fruiting cycles per year.

We recommend 2-3 different varieties for proper cross-pollination.

Fast grower. Easy-to-grow. Easy to containerize.

Balanced flavor
Very sweet and tangy
Zone 10-11

HALLEY'S COMET Dragon Fruit

Halley’s Comet is a pink skinned, green finned fruit with beautiful purple flesh ranging from 1-2 pounds.

The flesh is sweet with an average brix of 16.

The plant is fast growing, easy to care for, and grows well in containers and can tolerate full sun. White, fragrant flowers adorn the plant in late spring to early fall. The flowers are over 13” across, elaborate and bloom only at night. Blooms all summer

May have up to 4 fruiting cycles per year. DOES NOT need to be cross-pollinated. Is often considered by many to be the best variety of dragon fruit.

KATHIE VAN ARUM Dragon Fruit

Amazing Coconut Sweet Taste

Hylocereus ‘Kathie Van Arum’ E. Meier

Kathie Van Arum Dragon Fruit is a hybrid variety that comes from Hylocereus stenopterus and Hylocereus undatus. It is one of three hybrids created by German hybridizer Eckhard Meier.

This is one of the few red/purple nocturnal flowering cactuses that are highly fragrant. Its bloom has purple with deep pink edges and pink to light pink edges. It starts to open its flowers during the day and will be completely open by dusk.

The bloom is approx 9-12" and extremely stunning.

This is a self-pollinating hardy grower and gets large quickly.

The fruit often weighing .5 – 1 pound. The fruit has an amazing Coconut Sweet Taste with a brix reading of 22.5. The flesh is pink and the skin being almost maroon with green fins.