encore date: October 20, 2016
original air date: October 22, 2016
How do plants help us heal? Herbalist Ginger Webb from the Sacred Journey School of Herbalism explores surprising benefits. On tour, Rasmey Mau Raymond turned weedy land into healthy food for her family and the wildlife. Daphne explains what’s going on with a troubled lime tree, and why native honey mesquite is a tree to add to your list. Trisha flavors up recipes with fun-to-grow microgreens.
In San Marcos, Rasmey Mau Raymond wanted organic food for her young family, a fragrant cottage garden for pollinators, and habitat for birds. See how she and husband Matthew reclaimed hard-packed soil to restore their land’s diversity.They repurpose wash tubs, feed bins, and other discarded materials for raised beds and rainwater collection.
How do plants help us heal? Herbalist Ginger Webb from the Sacred Journey School of Herbalism explores surprising benefits.
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Leaf damage on my lime tree: what’s going on?
Thanks to Amy Acosta-Welch for this great question about her lime tree. She’s noticed damage to her lime tree leaves: what’s happening?
It appears that so far, the damage is pretty limited and diffuse, with no discernible pattern, so it’s a bit hard to know for sure. Amy says she’s noticed some grasshoppers in her yard, but they’re voracious eaters, and they tend to devour leaves pretty quickly, leaving only stems behind. Some of the damage appears to be caused by the wind, or some other physical damage.
In a few places, it also looks like sun damage, which could have been caused if the tree is in a container and was moved into the shade for a period of time, then back into the sun.
Some of the other damage, where there are actual holes, could also be the early stages of caterpillar feeding, and since there’s not yet any discernible pattern to the damage, we asked entomologist Wizzie Brown, my colleague at the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, who suggested that since this is a citrus plant, and since it’s butterfly season, the most likely culprit is swallowtail caterpillars.
I’d say the issue isn’t worth worrying about. Especially if the tree is mature. But you should watch to see if the problem progresses. Check for swallowtail caterpillars, which have a very distinctive appearance. Again, if the tree is mature, consider leaving the caterpillars alone, sacrificing a bit of your tree for the sake of future swallowtails.
Keep the plant healthy with sufficient water and fertilize with a high nitrogen formula this fall and next spring.
Prosopis Glandulosa
Native honey or Texas mesquite is a medium-height, often shrubby, deciduous tree. Due to their thorny branches and tendency to take over in disturbed areas, mesquite trees have a pretty sullied reputation, especially among ranchers. But in cultivation, honey mesquite makes a great landscape tree. It lends the perfect amount of bright, dappled shade to a yard; providing protection from the harsh rays, but allowing enough light in for other plants to grow underneath. The divided leaves sway in the slightest breeze and have a beautiful, wispy appearance. Once established, honey mesquite easily survives on annual rainfall, but will benefit from a little supplemental irrigation during extended heat and drought. With ample rainfall, the tree produces fragrant, creamy-white flowers, followed by long bean pods that can be slightly annoying to clean up. Plant honey mesquite in full sun, and away from your home and other structures. Getting only 20 to 30 feet tall but up to 40 feet wide, honey mesquites can be too large for some home landscapes, so be sure you have plenty of space.
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Trisha Shirey grows tasty and nutritious microgreens—mini-gardens that the kids will love.