I have noticed lately that since I started misting my outdoor
trees 3-6
times a day, some things are happening to some of the trees.
Two dwarf
Myrtle have caught mildew fungus pretty badly, a flowering
quince has
developed yelow and deformed leaves, a barberry has had it's
blossoms
stop developing. There is an overall funk over a some of the
plants.
Though, it has not affected the junipers. I live in zone 12 in
the
desert, Tucson, humidity has been low, 15-25%. The dew point
has been
24-30. Is there a point where there is too much water on the
leaves and
top soil, or is it just learning which species like it and
which species
do not? Brian

Fine dropletlets of water are one of the major means of spreading
funguses, so a little misting can go a long way . . . the WRONG
way.

In the dry Arizona air, you will do much better to water your
trees morning and late afternoon, rather than spraying the leaves
with a fine spray of water. Keep your trees under shade cloth
and out of direct drying winds (but still keep sufficient
distance between trees to assure air movement) and you won't have
to mist as often. Once in the a.m. and once in the p.m. (during
daylight) is probably MORE than enough. Let them be exposed to
only morning sun. Shade from anything after noon will let them
grow healthily.

When temps climb in late summer, you COULD water 3 times a day,
BUT your trees probably pretty much shut down (a second dormancy)
at that time of year, so most of them may need less water,
anyway -- natives excepted, of course -- maybe.

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - A "native"
of Nogales and Tempe, with stints in Prescott in between, and
many long climbs in the Grand Canyon

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