Offering my Help.

[Swampy]

I live in phoenix AZ. I planted red grapes about 4, 5 years ago. It took them about 2 years to get big enough or mature, whatever before we got anything. they did great with their first crop... but after that they have been weak. Tey get pruned back every year.

any Ideas?

They probably exhausted themselves fruiting. Are you pruning or shearing them? Unless it dies back to ground every year you shouldn't be pruning or shearing heavily. Try just letting them grow or making your cuts by then stems nodes (Look like curled knuckles between every years growth). Or try a fertilizer stake a few inches away from the bottom of the plant.

Edit: just looked up red grapes, what kind? There is about 160 speices of red grapes not counting cultavars or hybrids.

[Swampy]

How do I get grass to grow in TN. My front yard gets tore up by my dogs. They are 100+ lbs, and tear it up QUICK.

Well first in a landscape with dogs install a dog run. But your lawn is probably lacking root expansion. Depending how bad it is you may need to renovate your front lawn. But run a aerator in spring (lets the root system breath better also helps a little with compaction) when the ground is not soft like mud not hard as concrete and use a granule fertilize with high in phosphate (depending on your local ordinances)

[MoeMag]

They probably exhausted themselves fruiting. Are you pruning or shearing them? Unless it dies back to ground every year you shouldn't be pruning or shearing heavily. Try just letting them grow or making your cuts by then stems nodes (Look like curled knuckles between every years growth). Or try a fertilizer stake a few inches away from the bottom of the plant.

Edit: just looked up red grapes, what kind? There is about 160 speices of red grapes not counting cultavars or hybrids.

[Swampy]

Quick example before I get you confused. Pruning is like plucking a eyebrow, shearing is like shaving your face.


Pruning is selectively hand cutting branches or twigs out. Its a lot more labor intensive to get shrubs and trees shaped and cleaned up, but some plants (I.E. Roses, cherry, plums) demand it. Common pruning cuts are 1/3 renewal (Say you have a shrub with alot of dead material or is just to big. Most plants are not affected by cutting a 1/3 of the old growth out every year so in 3 years its like a fresh planting but has a established root system). Dead heading/or pinching, with annual flowers (I.E. Marigolds, mums) when the heads of the flower, dead or alive, when they are removed it stimulates the plant send of two flower shoots. Also pruning in arboriculture selective pruning cuts are made to isolate disease, sucker growth, and light shaping.

Shearing is used with more heavier equipment (I.E. chain saws, hedge trimmers, power pole saws). Its not gentle with plants, but it must be done to control multiple shrubs heights. Also they tend to keep plants in a shape/or thicken them up. Some plants (mostly grasses) like your Hosta's, ornamental grass, and lawns with Bermuda grass (actually called scalping but same process) all die back to the ground at the time the frost comes around and grow better in the next growing season. Shearing is mostly done by people that like the clean look of a shaped shrub.

[Swampy]

How close are they planted to each other? They maybe choking each other out.

[Spider-TW]

How about keeping an arabic coffee plant in Houston? No robusto

The weather's wrong, the soil's varied. Mountain laurels have to be kept in pots with different soil than around here. Just a curiosity.

-edited for lack of concentration-

[Swampy]

How about keeping an arabic coffee plant in Houston? No robusto

The weather's wrong, the soil's varied. Mountain laurels have to be keep pots with different soil than around here. Just a curiosity.

The big things with soil is PH and type (loam, sand, clay, etc)

Arabic coffee plant: You stumped me on this one. It is a speciality plant and will not grow here properly in the States. If its that temperamental its best suited for indoor use or greenhouse garden use. Now your making me go back to books on this one I'll find you some info. Best bet is to just WiKi it's botanical name.

[Spider-TW]

The big things with soil is PH and type (loam, sand, clay, etc)

Arabic coffee plant: You stumped me on this one. It is a speciality plant and will not grow here properly in the States. If its that temperamental its best suited for indoor use or greenhouse garden use. Now your making me go back to books on this one I'll find you some info. Best bet is to just WiKi it's botanical name.

"The coffee plant is a woody perennial evergreen dicotyledon that belongs to the Rubiaceae family." Does that help?

They like calcium and magnesium. I can find a pot and some limestone. Would that help maintain the soil minerals?

I have a big mediterranean lemon in my back yard that I don't know how to prune, if that would be any more practical. My landscaping is a little different.

[Miscue]

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[MoeMag]

How close are they planted to each other? They maybe choking each other out.

About 10 ft or so.

[Swampy]

"The coffee plant is a woody perennial evergreen dicotyledon that belongs to the Rubiaceae family." Does that help?

I found your botanical name, Coffea arabica. I still can't find info about this plant in my books. I did a do a couple of web searches and came up with really nothing. You may want to contact a full blown Horticulturist (I'm just a Landscape Horticulturist, and he/she would be the guy I'd go for answers).

What did find was http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffea_arabica and that it likes moist soils. Adding Limestone will not change soil PH dramatically.

You have a very unique landscape.

[Swampy]

A cool tree.

Northern Catalpa (Catalpa speciosa)

Kind of messy but a great tree.

Has a extremely huge "showy" flower, yellow and purple markings in the flower, flowering in late June. Really doesn't have a good fall color. Grows pretty fast and slows with age, with a irregular crown/coarse textured to break up a landscape. Is one of the few whorled leaf arrangement with about 12inch long leaves. Is very tolerant with pH, salt, urban landscape, heat, and drought. Plant in full sun for best flower but can grow in partial shade, not so great in wet soils. Use for open areas because of its growth rate, root structure, and brittle wood. Also susceptible to a soil borne fungus called Verticullium, which to my knowledge will is not treatable . Also is Native to lower midwest states.
Pics: (saving bandwidth)

Close up of flower:

Leaves:


For more images search google for Northern Catalpa or Wiki Catalpa speciosa

[skife]

any advice for growing some stuff in a closet?

[Swampy]

any advice for growing some stuff in a closet?

LOL. For legel use a grow light. http://homeharvest.com/lightingmain.htm. But make sure you have enough water and minerals.