Your consultation write-up

Of all the trees in the yard that are planted too deep, this one is the least of my worries, but it still needs some soil pulled back from the base. When soil and mulch sit against the trunk, the bark stays damp and the tree slowly struggles. Take it down until you can see the root flare, and keep mulch about a foot back from the trunk going forward.

To dig out a root flare, pull the soil and mulch back by hand or with a trowel until you see where the trunk widens out into the main roots. A strong stream of water from the hose also works well to blast the dirt away without damaging the roots. That flare should sit right at the soil line or slightly above it. The video below shows why an exposed root flare matters so much, with examples of what buried and exposed flares look like.

This tree is gone. It was most likely planted too deep. Go ahead and pull it out, roots and all.

This is a great spot for a mango. A mango can and will grow up into full sun, but a young one needs some protection first. The wall and the trees around it shelter it until it's big enough to grow up into the sun on its own. Plant it well above grade, on a low mound so the root flare sits clearly above the soil line, and cover it on frost nights for its first few winters. I prefer seedling-grown mangos here, and Greenlife Nursery is my go-to.

This peach is planted too deep and definitely needs a root flare excavation. Wait until winter, once it has dropped all of its leaves, then dig it out. The tree is dormant then, so it handles the disturbance much better.

Make sure you actually find the root flare, not just a root. If you need to, you can slide a shovel under the root ball and gently lever the tree up to get it higher above grade. Again, wait until the leaves are off before doing any of this. Pull the soil back by hand, with a trowel, or with a strong stream of water from the hose until the flare where the trunk widens into the main roots is fully exposed and sitting at or just above the soil line.

The other option is to just pull it out and plant a new Florida Prince peach at the correct depth. Digging out a tree planted this deep is a lot of work with no guarantee, and a new tree planted right catches up quickly. Long term, you'll probably be happier with that route. Plant the new one in winter while it's dormant, with the root flare at or slightly above the soil line, and prune it every winter to keep it open and productive.

This hedge looks healthy, and keeping it fed will keep it thick and green all the way to the ground. The best thing you can do for it is feed the soil underneath it. Lay compost along the base of the hedge three times a year, spring, summer, and fall, and keep mulch over it. Then give it a monthly organic liquid feed through the growing season.

Our monthly fertilizing program covers the hedge and the rest of the yard. I've laid out exactly what we do in the Soil and Feeding section below, with our pricing, so you can either have us handle it or copy it yourself.

The elephant food between these pavers was getting hit by afternoon sun and the heat reflecting off the concrete, which is about as tough as it gets. For gaps like these, you want something low and flat that spreads, takes the reflected heat, and can handle being stepped on.

Make sure the gaps are filled with soil, not rock, and that they're getting water. A drip line along the edge or a regular hand watering until they fill in makes all the difference.

When you plant something new in these gaps, add mulch around it. I know it's messy at first, but it keeps the soil cooler and holds moisture while the plants get established. Once they've grown in and filled the gaps, the mulch isn't necessary anymore, because the plants shade the soil themselves.

Taking care of the lawn

Healthy grass starts with the soil. Topdress with a thin layer of compost in spring and fall and rake it down into the turf, then give the lawn an organic liquid feed monthly through the growing season. Water deeply and less often so the roots grow down, and mow on the higher side in summer to shade the soil.

St. Augustine

St. Augustine is the more dominant grass. It handles shade much better than Bermuda and will take over the Bermuda on its own. It doesn't come as seed, so it has to go in as sod. You don't need to redo the lawn. Start by laying a few strips in the corner under the ficus. Let them get established, and then they'll start pushing out into the rest of the lawn on their own. The best time is late spring through summer, when the soil is warm. Evergreen Turf and West Coast Turf are the places to buy it.

The other option: tall fescue under the tree

The other option is to pepper tall fescue seed into the shady spots under the tree, where the Bermuda thins out. It's a cool season grass that likes shade, stays green through winter, and blends in with the Bermuda. You'd need to choose one or the other, since St. Augustine would crowd the fescue out. Seed it in fall, which is right now. Rake the bare spots lightly, spread the seed, cover it with a thin layer of compost, and keep it moist until it sprouts.

I know you're not a fan of the jujube, and pomegranate would work great here in its place. This spot takes hot afternoon sun, so it needs a fruit tree that can handle it. Here are a few other good options.

Same thing with the apricot. The root flare needs to be dug out. The best time to do it is now, through the winter, while the tree is heading into dormancy and under less stress.

Pull the soil back by hand, with a trowel, or with a strong stream of water from the hose until the flare where the trunk widens into the main roots is fully exposed and sitting at or just above the soil line.

This fig would benefit from a root flare excavation as well. As you're doing it, take pictures and send them to me in the Garden Nerd Club, and I'll let you know if you've found the flare or need to go further.

Pull the soil back by hand, with a trowel, or with a strong stream of water from the hose until the flare where the trunk widens into the main roots is fully exposed and sitting at or just above the soil line.

Out front, a groundcover will cover this area and cool down the hot rock. Rock soaks up heat all day and radiates it back at night. Covering it with plants drops the temperature around everything else in the bed.

If you switch the rock to decomposed granite, that's a better choice than the larger rock. It packs down, holds less heat, and is easier to plant into. I'd still plan on groundcover growing over it, since plants covering the ground will always cool the area more than any rock or granite.

Plant these at the spacing listed and let them run together. They all handle full sun and fit in well with the cactus you already have.

For the moringa, give it a good deep soak now, then once a month for the next few months. After that, stop the extra watering through the rest of winter. Moringa goes semi-dormant when it's cold, and wet, cold roots are what hurt it most.

Once spring comes and it starts pushing new growth, you can really hit it again with more water. It needs supplemental water through its first two summers while its roots get established. After that it takes less water than trees that aren't desert adapted.

Frost can burn it back in winter. If that happens, leave the damage on until spring, then cut back to live wood once it starts leafing out.

Timing your pruning changes what you get. I like to prune my moringa in early spring. When I do that, I get fewer pods and more foliage, which makes for a fuller looking tree. When I prune early in winter instead, I tend to get lots of pods. Choose based on whether you want more leaves or more pods.