Can Fruit Trees Survive Desert Sun? | Full Sun vs Shade

[@erinr9027]

I really appreciate seeing somebody garden successfully in a dry, hot climate. The Texas sunshine can be brutal. You've helped me adapt my strategies for helping my plants to thrive. Thanks!

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey Erin! While the heat can be a little different between here and Texas, a lot of the same principles will apply. What part of TX are you in?

[@erinr9027]

@@EdgeofNowhereFarm West Texas. I think we're technically a semi-arid desert. We do have trees here ... They're just small-ish and very far apart.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

@@erinr9027 ah yes, that would be much more like us over here!

[@yaima0901]

@@erinr9027 im from west Texas too (Midland) how’s your garden going?

[@erinr9027]

@@yaima0901 so-so. It was great until the heat set in. I had a good year for fruit but my vegetables have been struggling. We're just trying to survive this summer - having 2 really brutal summers in a row is rough on my trees especially. Do you have a garden?

[@Jetdizon]

Thank you for this video. I live in AZ and I am planting different kinds of fruit trees. Your videos have been so helpful and I truly appreciate all the education that you are providing to desert fruit tree growers.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey there Jessica. Glad you're enjoying the content and finding it useful. If you have any questions as you go, please shoot them over and we'll do our best to answer them!

[@tristamsculthorpe4609]

Just what I needed to know. Great video - concise and informative.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Glad you enjoyed this one and found it useful!

[@lisahendershot9530]

I can’t tell you how much I love your Chanel. I’ve been asking a lot of questions about shading and I’ve trusted your advice. My vegetable garden and trees are doing fine and producing well even with the late planting I had to do this year. Can’t wait to meet you all this fall! Thanks again. 😊

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey Lisa! I'm glad to hear they're doing well. We get the question about sun and shade all the time and usually it centers around trees that thrive best in full sun. A little TLC and they will do really well for you. Glad you're enjoying the content!

[@ericbowers1620]

Excellent video showing that it can be done and how important a nice layer of woodchips can be for temps :)

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey Eric! It's funny because I had never actually tested the temp differences until we did this episode. I could feel the difference, but sometimes seeing is believing!

[@pamelamercado6902]

Your farm looks fantastic. I'm glad your hard work is paying off.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey Pamela! Thank you. We're starting to see light at the end of the tunnel with this initial phase of the farm's development.

[@mindychen7230]

Going to get some of that tree paint! Excellent idea. Just got a new tree and about to plant it this weekend. Never thought of that. Thank you so much.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey Mindy! If you're going to pick up some of that paint, be sure to use our discount code at IV Organics. It's "EONFARM" and it gets you 10% off.

[@breakingburque2200]

So excited I’m getting my irrigation going finally

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Woohoo!! We simply would not be able to do any of this without that on our trees, vines and shrubs. It's a real pain in the rear to get it installed, but so worth it in the end!

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Yes! I don't know why so many people think a garden needs shade cloth. Most plants and trees love the sun and heat. One of your videos inspired me to get a little electric mulcher. Thanks for the great videos! 🌞🌱🏜️

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

It's funny, because we get that question all the time. Both from folks living here in AZ and also elsewhere across the country. However, it's never asked by folks in Central CA that grow fruit trees much like these in full sun, during hot summers, for most of the country!

[@dterra278]

Ive also heard of something called carbon loading plants. I cant remember the detail but its essentially providing manure or something that is still giving off co2 in the morning to help keep plants from loosing moisture through the pores under thier leaves. When the plant is co2 loaded it tends to contribute to the plants ability to retain moisture

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hmm, haven't heard of this one before. We fertilize these trees with composted manure these days.

[@MrDanisve]

That amount of CO2 is nothing in an open atmosphere. The extra CO2 might help if you farm in a greenhouse, but wont do much open air like this. And adding CO2 too plants makes their DLI increase (amount of light they can absorb) thus they should need more moisture. Cause they produce and at increased rate.

[@kebertxela941]

How often are they getting the 60gallons per tree?

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey John. This time of year it's once/week. Winters are much further between (if at all) and Summers we sometimes inch that up to twice/week (45 gallons each watering).

[@dterra278]

@@EdgeofNowhereFarm is this all being pulled from a well?

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

@@dterra278 yes, we're on well water here.

[@kebertxela941]

@@EdgeofNowhereFarm thanks for the reply,love your water rings.

[@brammutje15]

i like the change of editing. the music in the scene switching between you guys was good vibes too. maybe you could add text in the segments too about what tree/variety it is with some quick info

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

I'm glad you're noticing the changes in the editing. With Lori home Full Time now we've been able to work on making the content more engaging. We've started to put text in a few areas, but you're right. We can definitely do that a bit more.

[@farsightcanaandogs1999]

Good info to know - thanks! Recently subbed and learning a lot about what will thrive on our homestead once we move to AZ.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Glad you're enjoying the content! We have some unique challenges out here, but there are also many advantages. It's all a matter of adjusting to the seasons.

[@desertdanblacksmith1394]

More good stuff! thx Folks!

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey Dan! Glad you enjoyed this one. Had to get this one out there as we have had a TON of questions as to why we don't shade our trees....answered a few today already actually....

[@janet-Spirit_of_the_Living_God]

You give this transplanted PNW gardener to Southern Utah such hope!

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Oh yes, it can be done. I imagine you still get some solid chill hours during the Winter season up in Utah, so there are probably varieties you'll be able to grow that are out of reach for us!

[@michaldurana4227]

Love it, love it , love this content, thank you for this video so much!! ❤❤❤

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Glad you enjoyed this one and found it useful!

[@mofomoco]

For reference ilive about 20 miles southeast of these guys. My fig trees enjoy full sun. Even late day sun. All of my 60ish trees love full sun. Biggest change was giving more frequent water. I water 2x a day for 5 or so minutes each time. Enough the water comes out the bottom a little.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Glad you're seeing those great results. They really do love the sun as long as they get a drink of water from time to time!

[@championhomestead6273]

Hi Lori and Dwayne. I always appreciate your videos, thank you. I know you touched briefly on how much water you use for your trees along with the mulch in order to not use shade covers. Can you give us more specifics about how much water you use in order to avoid using shade cloth. Shade cloth is the next thing on our list of things to do and we’d rather just water.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey guys. Right now our semi-dwarf and full size trees (stone fruit, pome fruit, mulberries, citrus, figs, etc) are getting 60 gallons/week (once per week). The grapevines get about 8 gallons per week (once/week). The guava and blackberries are on drip and get around 32 gallons/week (once/week). We usually inch that up a bit once we're firmly above 100 degrees each day to around 90 gallons per week. For that we split into 2 separate days to have more consistent soil moisture. Usually the fig trees are the first to let us know they need more water as they get a little crispy at the tips when there's not enough moisture.

[@PO-po5de]

How are the knats and noseeums there in summer? Our plants do great here in Southern AZ, but last year the bugs really pestered.. so sitting in the orchard wasn't too fun come June... How is it where you are? Great growing😀🌿👍🙏

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

We do get knats from time to time, but usually it's only when we have monsoon rains. For now it's not too bad for us.

[@bavondale]

interesting vids so far. just subscribed. gonna start from beginning

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Glad you found us! The older content has a lot of information, but a quick warning. I (Duane) was very nervous for the first couple of years and I talk really fast when that happens. I'll apologize in advance for that!

[@cherylbishop7657]

Do you have plans for the pawpaw tree's.?.GOD BLESS

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey Cheryl. We don't grow paw paws, because of their need for humidity. Our air is simply too dry for them to thrive without significant alterations to the air around the tree. A greenhouse would help in Winter, but that's when those trees are dormant and a greenhouse kills pretty much anything during the Summer growing season here.

[@elizabethlipker306]

This is so helpful, thank you!!!

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Glad you found this one useful Elizabeth. It's a common question we have asked of us here, so we wanted to address it.

[@mesutozsen903]

eline emeğine sağlık bu güzel vlog için kolay gelsin hayırlı işler....👍👍👍👍👍

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Mesut'a teşekkürler. Bunu beğendiğine sevindim!

[@kariiremiriam2266]

Thank you so much for sharing with us

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Glad you're still enjoying these Kariire!

[@hattiemercer4026]

just started watching your channel love seeing you little flirt bugs smooch, I live in Phoenix so I just had an issue with my peach tree and all of a sudden I found out I had borers and I cut it back and put a covering over the trunk after spraying it with neem oil any thing else I can do ? it came back new leafs giving it extra water

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey there Hattie, glad you found us! We have borers that we deal with from time to time, but they tend to be transient for us and the trees grow fast enough to bounce back. It sounds like you have a good plan with the Neem and if it's working I wouldn't change it. We use the IV Organics Trunk Protectant for our young trees and also to treat issues like this. There are several essential oils in it, plus DE that helps with the critters in addition to protecting the trunk from sunburn/sunscald. We have a discount code you'll want to use if you head over there. It's "EONFARM" and it gets you 10% off. I'll link the website for you here; ivorganics.com/

[@errol5603]

Impressive!!

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

It's pretty amazing how resilient these trees are.

[@camiele4]

Texas heat and humidity is crazy brutal right now so some of my young tropical fruit trees are suffering in containers. I mulch, water, fertilize and still their leaves curls and burn. My herbs beds are doing great after I provide them with the shade fabric. My strawberry bushes are so burnt once I planted them in full sun. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Tropical fruit trees are a real challenge in our environments and it's why we shy away from them. Container growing also is a challenge as the roots do not have the ability to push down into the soil to keep themselves cooler.

[@rafaljankowski2807]

How about loquat? Our got leaves scorched last summer. It made it but looked awfull. Should have planted it in the partial sun...

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

We've always had all of our loquats, including the current 4 on this property, in full sun. It's normal for them to get some sun-scorched leaves in the Summer, but you should be seeing new growth on them during the Fall - Spring months. I'll link to a video we did on loquats for you here as planting time is critical for these; kzbin.info/www/bejne/a32WcqSGjMxlftk

[@AbidAli-bv2gl]

Another Excellent video. lot to learn

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Glad you enjoyed this one Abid!!

[@chris432t6]

This is a cool video. Thank you.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Glad you enjoyed this one Chris!

[@TroyArmstrong]

Thank you for sharing, I always find your posts very educational and entertaining. I have a question if you please My daughter lives in Tucson, she called me yesterday and said the all the peaches on her peaches trees are dying by shrinking and developing wrinkles and has a hole in them. In your opinion, what is going on?? I told her to keep any eye if she notice any insects Now, how can she save them or what's left of them ??? thanks

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

It sounds like she may have an issue with irrigation if she's having her peaches shrink like that this time of year. We make sure to maintain irrigation while fruit is ripening, especially peaches as they need a LOT of water to fully ripen. If there is damage to the fruit (and it sounds like there is), the best thing to do is remove them as they will only deteriorate from here on out. That's a real bummer....

[@khaledwaleed9867]

Guys, you are the best Your advises really helped us growing trees more easily than we did before, specially the way you water trees (the two circle method) Can you please tell me the type of valves you use with the rings, cuz I couldn't find anything like theme here in Iraq. A link to any website would be great. Good luck and thanks for your vlogs

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey Khaled! I'm glad to hear you're finding the content useful and it's helping you with your fruit trees! I'll link to the website where we buy our irrigation bubbler heads. Hopefully you're able to view it ok; www.sprinklerwarehouse.com/rain-bird-1400-series-pressure-compensating-trickle-bubbler-0-50-gpm-1402

[@khaledwaleed9867]

@@EdgeofNowhereFarm That really helped me, this brand has a dealer here. I really appreciate your help

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

@@khaledwaleed9867 perfect, glad to hear you'll be able to source these!

[@chemareyes69]

Soy de mexico de una parte semidesertica y es mi sueño poner una granjita con mucha variedad de arboles,vegetales,animales..❤❤❤.....un dia que regrese a mi pais podre hacer todos eso.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

México tiene algunas áreas de cultivo MARAVILLOSAS. No se necesita mucho espacio para realizar una enorme cantidad de producción. ¡Pollos, cerdos, patos, cabras y muchos árboles frutales con huertos vegetales!

[@sparkyin3d]

You inspire me !

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Love hearing this. Funny thing is, we get inspiration from folks just like you all the time, so it goes both ways!

[@dewaldtdirksenvanschalkwyk4621]

60 gallons per month or day or week

[@dewaldtdirksenvanschalkwyk4621]

Plz

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

It depends on the time of year, but peak of summer it's 2x/week (60 gallons each). Spring/Fall generally 1x/week (60) and Winter very infrequently. Sometimes once/month or less depending on rain.

[@cherylbishop7657]

There are no links, can you please put them in comments .GOD BLESS

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey Cheryl. Let me know what you're looking for and I can link it here for you. We do have a few links in the video description if you hit the Show More button.

[@stp7629]

Thank you for an informative video. I live in the Phx area. Where did you buy your guava trees? Normally during the summer months how many gallons of water to do you provide for your citrus tree and how often do you water them? When is the best time to plant the guava trees? In the fall? Thank you again.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey there S TP, glad you enjoyed this episode. I believe we purchased the guava trees from either Home Depot or Lowes. The best time to plant those is immediately after the last frost in Spring. Early March is usually a good bet. Right now we're at 60 gallons/tree once a week, but that will go up to about 90 gallons once we're consistently over 100 degrees. Depending on how the trees are doing we may go a bit higher than that and split it over 2 separate days if the trees start to really struggle.

[@stp7629]

@@EdgeofNowhereFarm Awesome! Thank you :)

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

@@stp7629 sure thing!

[@patmcneal1525]

Great that you broke up the narration a bit, Duane is always clear and informative, but it is nice to hear Lori, once in a while, fun video. Thanks.. Pdm

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey Pat, thanks for the notes on this one. We're working on our editing skills and trying to make the content more engaging. Nobody (including me, Duane here) wants to hear somebody rambling on for several minutes without a break or change of scenery. Plus it keeps me from winding up in the weeds with too much info.

[@marschlosser4540]

Looks good! Make Mine Mulch! After reading Ruth Stout's classic, I tried to never have bare soil. Does not compute. God set things up to mulch land-based plants and that's how plants want it. Even rice can be raised in mud if it has mulch. We're cooler here than you are, but here the wind can be nasty. It's after 7 PM, got the tepary seedlings soaked, the cowpeas seedlings (yori cahui) soaked. Watered the Thompson grape (2 years in the ground and it wilted! First time that happened). Most all the fruit trees look good. Plenty of blooms on the 3-in-one jujube but no fruit yet (year 2 in ground). hasta, kids!

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey Martin! Agree 100% on the mulch. It's funny, because it's always been a common practice until more recently. I assume it's because of modern ag and the need to mechanically harvest and control everything. I'm surprised your grapevine is wilting. Is it because of the wind?

[@herb3014]

Great work! How do you control termites?

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey there Herb. We only concern ourselves with termites in and around the house and for that we call in professionals. We welcome them around the farm otherwise as they are a key ingredient in breaking down the wood chips and helping us to create organic matter.

[@2mustange]

There are also quite a few channels and facebook groups who have had success with tropicals for anyone curious.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Lots of folks in the city growing tropicals, that's for sure.

[@McRod-1]

Great video! Thank you. Does the county place any limitations on your water usage?

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Glad you enjoyed this one. Wells are not metered, but there are limitations on the pump size and how much acreage you can use for traditional, flood irrigation (less than 2 acres). The biggest issue with that are the wells that have multiple houses (a fried of ours has 10 houses on 1 well) where folks put in pools, lawns, pretty much everything you would in the city. Also, Surprise is heading North and is now subdividing into standard city lots (7-8 houses per acre) and using well water for those communities. The aquifer is one of the best in the state because of the proximity to the Hassayampa river, but everything has limits to what it can support.

[@deeag4907]

Hi There from New Mexico Can you please share once again the company where you purchase your trees?

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

We purchase most of our trees from RSI Growers. I'll link to them for you here; rsigrowers.com/

[@fredgrower8500]

Hi, just wanted to thank you for offering me advice on watering my fig trees on a set schedule. Been doing twice a week, along with my citrus and pomegranate and they are all looking much better. Just read some of the comments and you are saying you are watering 1x a week, now I'm confused. In Tucson.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Glad to hear the watering schedule is working for you. We are currently watering once/week and usually hold that schedule from Fall - late Spring. Once we see regular temps above 100 we usually increase that to 90 gallons, but twice per week (45 at each watering). However, if it's working for you at twice per week there's no need to change. If it ain't broke, don't fix it is my motto!

[@fredgrower8500]

@@EdgeofNowhereFarm thanks for the reply. I will master this someday, thanks for all the help!

[@usha52]

Your plants are so healthy and green. My newly planted Anna apple tree has fruit but the leaves are drying and leaves not green. Please help.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey there Usha. You mentioned newly planted, when did you put it in the ground? Also, we remove the fruit the first season, so the tree can concentrate on root development. You'll want to consider that with a tree in it's first growing season.

[@usha52]

@@EdgeofNowhereFarm I planted in the month of April first week . It was about 3 ft with a few fruits,though I knocked of most of fruits.

[@WaldoG-b9j]

Should i have one or two plums even if self fertile in Arizona

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

The self fertile plum varieties we grow here do just fine on their own. Now if you're growing plum/apricot hybrids, you typically need a Santa Rosa or Brugundy plum to cross those.

[@WaldoG-b9j]

Best video!!

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Thank you, glad you enjoyed it!

[@WaldoG-b9j]

Whats better weeping santa rosa plum or regular santa rosa plum

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

I suppose that really depends. We've had both and eventually they both produce fairly well. We have found the weeping produces sooner than the regular tree, which was a bit surprising.

[@f.larson6989]

When plating a fruit like (nectarine, citrus, guava etc) how deep and wide do you make the hole. I have rock solid soil. Thank you.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Great question. It's been a while since we planted a tree on camera, but we don't make it much bigger than the pot. We use an 8" hole auger to dig into the hard soil and widen that only wide enough to easily backfill with native soil. No amendments. For bare root trees we make it wide enough to accommodate the root ball and then amend the soil by about 30" with Kellogg's Amend that we buy from Home Depot. I'll find one of our planting videos for you where we show our irrigation rings which is key when dealing with very hard soil like we have. Also important are root stocks. The trees we buy have root stocks grown in Arizona and designed for our soil. That helps as well; kzbin.info/www/bejne/epeneIp7oaqobc0

[@f.larson6989]

@@EdgeofNowhereFarm I have used pick axe and auger as well but I wait for monsoon rain to soften up the caliche before digging.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

@@f.larson6989 that is a wise decision!

[@zainzyklon8661]

I have read that jojoba trees (Simmondsia chinesis) improve the climate in sufficient quantity, even produce rain and this plant is native to Mexico and Arizona. Would be good if you multiply the jojoba and then distributed in the surrounding area to provide better conditions on the farm. There is also a study about it from the University of Hohenheim where experiments were made in the desert of Israel. In addition the plant requires very little water, fruits produced for cosmetic oils.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey there Zain. I have to admit, we never considered planting Jojoba. Sounds like it might be worth considering. Thank you for the suggestion!

[@aliajellu]

Hey brother, love your work ❤️ Going to start to do this in central Mexico this year! Question: have you tried the waterboxx technology? If so what were your results?

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Glad you're enjoying the content and getting this started down South! We have not tried any of the water box techniques (I'm assuming you mean something like the Groasis?). One of the primary reasons is we have only planted fruit trees so far on this property and they require much more water than desert adapted trees which they are designed for. We may give them a shot as we move onto the back of the property and begin working on desert pasture.

[@bobthrasher8226]

Do you apply any soil inoculant (bacteria/fungus) when you plant your trees or thereafter?

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey Bob. We have not included any inoculants in our plantings. The woodchips usually bring their fair share of fungus with them and the compost we use as fertilizer brings the bacteria.

[@hippiebits2071]

Is there any worry with adding that much mulch around an already established (but young) tree? I added added about 3 inches in the early spring with no problem but was concerned about adding too much.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

We usually keep anywhere from 8 - 12 inches of wood chip mulch around the trees at any given time with no issues. Beyond that and you're not really gaining much advantage, but it's not going to do any harm, especially during the Summer months.

[@brandonqtu]

Seattle so cold this year 🤣!!! Send us some of your Arizona heat!!!!

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Only if you send some of that cold down this way!!! ;)

[@carolineloder2083]

@@EdgeofNowhereFarm and some of their rain would be awesome! 🌧️

[@brandonqtu]

@@carolineloder2083 Yes we got so much water this year for sure!

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

@@carolineloder2083 that's for sure!

[@usha52]

In Tucson my young apple tree having dry leaves and looks unhealthy. Watering enough ,is it too much sun?

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

I responded to your other comment, so please take a look at that.

[@dianadinh4727]

I have a question if I use wood chip around my trees do you think there will be an issue with having scorpions?

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

We usually don't see any in the woodchips around our trees, we mostly see them in rock areas. We had several at the old property where we had river rocks.

[@mr.larocca5150]

Are you getting any water cutbacks in AZ? Here in CA starting in June outdoor watering is going to be limited to one day per week.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

We're on a private well with restrictions always in place that we abide by. I can't speak for folks in the city who would face restrictions based on water availability.

[@jesurunblends]

ty for this video you gave me an idea to grow a tree in a big container I have a Pomegranate I would like to plant in a container plastic or ceramic? would be best? im thinking plastic because it will require less water

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Pomegranate trees need to have some size to them in order to set and keep fruit, so I would try to find the largest pot you can manage. We have found that concrete pots actually do the best as they seem to insulate better than either clay or plastic. If you go the clay or plastic route, you'll want to give the tree some mottled sun during the hottest parts of the day.

[@khamsibq]

Am from saudi arabia Our land and weather is exactly like urs in arizona

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey Bandar! We have a lot of viewers from the Middle East that share ideas with us, because you're right, it's very similar!

[@arnoldmartinez5067]

Don’t your citrus tree leaves ever get scorched from the summer heat waves?

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey Arnold. The only time we get any scorching is if we get a few weeks of cooler weather followed by harsh, dry heat in the middle of Summer. What happens is the tree puts on new growth and the young shoots don't do well with hot, dry weather. Otherwise, full sun all the time for the varieties we grow.

[@gustavohopkins242]

im here in Phoenix, does your farm sell to any grocery stores or restaurants? do you find July and august too hot for the trees? do they go dormant?

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey Gustavo. We sell everything directly through our customer email list which you can join on our website. When we get into the hottest part of summer the trees usually stop growing until Fall when they take off again.

[@hokejs1]

Have similar temperature in Spain-planted orange trees, lemon trees etc-they grow but slowly- for me problem there is ants, they eat the roots and make nests there- i wonder if u there in Arizona at your farm have such problem?!

[@gustavohopkins242]

what kind of ants eat roots in Spain? we have many types of ants in Phoenix but I don't know of any that would harm the roots. the leaf cutters can be a bit rough on some plants

[@johac7637]

I also live in AZ, yes we have ants, my go to is Boric Acid ( but my soil is already toxic high on Boron) I use a Berry clamshell (no holes) and mix Boric Acid with honey, peanut butter, icing sugar, I give them a choice, buffet, and it keeps our population way down, when I find a nest I use a commercial poison, pour it into the hole.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey there Edgars! We don't have any issues here with ants eating the roots of trees. That sounds like a nightmare!

[@hokejs1]

@@gustavohopkins242 its small sugar ants- they live under ground and destroy the root system - for protecting leafs and flowers i found wey how to protect it but roots underground is difficult- i cant move the ant nest unless poison them or kill the quenn but its hard to do

[@zia_kat]

@@hokejs1 hey, i have the same problem. they aren't eating the roots but they are digging around the roots to build nests and depriving the trees of nutrients by replacing soil contact with air contact. the only thing that worked for me was doing a spinosad soil drench.

[@peetky8645]

irrigation-- 60 gallons per week?

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

For the full size trees, yes. For dwarf trees, grapevines and bushes (blackberries) it's much less.

[@victorialg1270]

Do you net the trees to keep birds from getting the fruit?

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey Victoria! Yes, we do net the peach trees to keep the birds at bay. Some of the trees don't require any protection (apples for example) and a few of them we use Organza bags on to protect the fruit, as netting does as much damage to the tree as good. Figs would be a good example of that.

[@thomasa5619]

I wonder what provides shade to trees Bigger trees?

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

I suppose in the right environment, that would be the case! Here these are the biggest trees around!

[@thomasa5619]

@@EdgeofNowhereFarm but those bigger trees are in full sun! And they’re fine! I’m just being a smart arse

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

@@thomasa5619 10-4, first thing in the morning over here, so I'm blaming it on the lack of caffeine at this point!

[@thomasa5619]

@@EdgeofNowhereFarm it’s difficult on the internet anyway. Hope the coffee was good!

[@thailandfruitmonster7315]

No shade cloths?

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Not on anything we grow here!

[@SuburbicultureAZ]

Hey farmers, What is the secret to getting loquats to survive and thrive in full sun?

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

For us it's been focusing on planting time. We've planted 5 loquat trees out here, all 5 are doing well and all of them were planted in October. This gives them time to get established before the sun starts beating down on them the following June when they start to struggle a bit. Other than that, we treat them exactly the same way we do the rest of our in-ground trees.

[@SuburbicultureAZ]

@@EdgeofNowhereFarm Right on. I've also had great success with October planting for multiple cultivars. You can definitely tell a difference between October planting and March planting.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

@@SuburbicultureAZ I would have to agree. Especially for us in warmer climates as the roots continue to grow even when the tree goes dormant. Not cold enough to freeze the ground!

[@tvanbrown]

60 gal of water, each tree...each watering?

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey Tim. The full size trees get 60 gallons once/week during the Summer months. That is not the case for grapevines, bushes (blackberries) and our handful of dwarf trees. They need much less. Also, that number will come down over time as the trees establish. Maybe not at the peak of Summer, but most of the year.

[@muskepticsometimes9133]

Isn't your farm a cooler than phoenix? you are at higher altitude n much cooler nights.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

I think you may have asked a similar question on another episode, but we're about 3-4 degrees cooler than Phoenix. Still very hot in the Summer with temps above 120 degrees from time to time and regularly above 110.

[@muskepticsometimes9133]

@@EdgeofNowhereFarm thanks. My citrus get really beat up by sun, a few smaller ones died. I did paint trunks. 1) 3-4 deg is significant 2) They are 6 foot from block wall 3) smaller trees planted in ~April 4) summer of 23 was record heat 5) our night temps much higher due to concrete "heat island" 6) root stock ?

[@chifylube]

Reed says wood chips will kill your trees and says to never do it. It seems to work fine for you, so why does he say that?

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Reid and I disagree on a few things and this is always one of them. He usually shrugs and says something to the effect of being a hippie. :) He was raised on a conventional pear orchard, so he always leans that way. We feel much more strongly in taking care of the soil life as much as the tree. Fertilizer would be another one of the differences. He uses only conventional fertilizer and we use composted manures on most of the farm. At least once they're past the first 6 months in the ground.

[@chetnash5991]

A 25 degree difference? Make you wish you had a sub basement!

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Amen to that Chet! Some of the older homes in Phoenix were built as tri-level homes with the bottom floor slightly submerged, but you don't see that any longer. I assume it's due to the heavy monsoon rains we see during the summer months.

[@stuartgross162]

How did your bay leaf tree do in full sun?

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey Stuart, the bay leaf is doing fantastic and pushing a lot of new growth right now! We will have to give an update on it soon.