stephenbrueggerhoff, Author at Brazos County Master Gardeners

Time to Prune Trees and Shrubs

February 6, 2026 by stephenbrueggerhoff

Stephen Brueggerhoff, CEA – Horticulture, Brazos County AgriLife Extension; published 2/03/2026

All images unless otherwise noted by Stephen Brueggerhoff

Are you ready for spring pruning? Hands trembling in anticipation of cleaning up the yard after the freeze? I offer caution for a few weeks, assess the extent of the damage to your ornamental trees and keep your eye on a ten-day forecast to begin landscape maintenance tasks.

Make a Plan Before Pruning Trees

The best way to start any activity is with intention and a plan rather than jumping in with loppers at the ready. The reason we prune trees is to train, improve flower quality, restrict growth, and maintain basic architecture. Pruning during late winter is an appropriate season regarding a tree’s reduced metabolism. Keep in mind that pruning some plants such as azalea or gardenia will have to wait until after they express seasonal flowers. Follow guidelines promoted by Texas A&M Forest Service regarding pruning maintenance for oak trees to reduce the potential for oak wilt infection. More info online at texasoakwilt.org. Ornamentals with berries such as hollies and pyracantha produce fruit on old or second-year growth and require strategic pruning in the current year.

Thinning and Heading Pruning Cuts

Two types of pruning cuts used are thinning and heading. Thinning is the removal of entire branches to its point of origin, minimizing overall tree size and enhancing the structure. Heading cuts inhibit apical dominance, which is growth concentrated at the tip of a branch or stem. Once committed, heading cuts support shoot development along the side of a branch and below the cut. Limit your pruning by looking at the overall structure of your tree or shrub. Identify and remove all dead, broken or diseased limbs and prune the material back into a strong lateral branch. Removing this kind of material may be enough activity to maintain a natural shape for your trees. Commit additional corrective pruning such as removing narrow branch crotches or water sprouts on trees. A general rule of thumb for shaping is to trim no more than one third of the total canopy. You may have to delay additional pruning for another year depending on the amount of material to be removed.

Branches should be cut just outside a bark ridge and branch collar where the branch attaches to the trunk. With pencil-thin branches, make your pruning cut at a 45-degree angle above an outward facing bud or node. Make purposeful, clean cuts and always clean your tools and keep the blades sharp after use.

Shaping Shrubs

Two forms of shaping shrubs are formal and shaggy. If formal, the best practice is shearing the hedge form wider at the base than at the top. This technique avoids shading foliage at the base of the hedge. Shading can cause sparse growth at the bottom of the form and can create holes in the canopy. Species often trained into a round or box shape are Dwarf yaupon (Ilex vomitoria), Chinese fringe-flower (Loropetalum chinense), Glossy abelia ‘Sunrise’ (Abelia x grandiflora), Purple sage (Leucophyllum sp.), and even Barbados cherry (Malpighia glabra). Shrubs like American beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) or multi-trunk trees like Crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia sp.) perform best by keeping them a bit shaggy and in their natural form using selective thinning cuts.

Basic Techniques for Pruning Fruit Trees

Fruit trees will soon show signs of annual growth, and it is now time to prune and shape them. Annual pruning fruit trees is essential for maintaining a balanced architecture supporting fruit development, increases new growth for next year’s production and enhances air circulation and light penetration through the canopy. Pruning is committed from mid-February to mid-March at a time when the trees are growing out of dormancy. Strategic heading and thinning encourage bud expression and vegetative growth. I have had an experienced orchardist tell me to prune peach trees just as the branches begin to blush; prune when the pink petals of the tree show through opening buds as they emerge from dormancy. Thinning can also mean selectively culling fruit, lighten the load and promote development of larger fruit.

Pruning to Form Central Leader or Open Canopy

The two primary forms used for different types of fruiting trees are called central leader and open canopy. Central leader is a pruning form used for pear, plum, persimmon and apple trees. The habit of these fruit trees is to sprout branches with vertical growth, and shaping uses a combination of targeted heading cuts and limb spreaders such as wood shims or weights tied in the middle of a supple scaffold branch to force it into a lateral structure. The result looks like a pyramid, and you will maintain a central trunk combined with heading cuts to encourage lateral branches that maintain the structure. Open canopy pruning is committed to stone fruit like peaches and nectarines, creating an open center structure and scaffold branches forming a vase shape. We’re creating a structure where fruit weight is evenly distributed throughout the canopy. There is additional information for you to explore regarding best pruning practices from Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Earth-Kind® Landscaping program, as well as Fruit and Nut Resources online at aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu.

Keep conserving natural resources, maintain and sustain your trees and shrubs and I will see you in the garden.

Planting Fruiting Trees In Winter

February 6, 2026 by stephenbrueggerhoff

Stephen Brueggerhoff, CEA – Horticulture, Brazos County AgriLife Extension; published 1/20/2026

All images unless otherwise noted by Stephen Brueggerhoff

Winter is the recommended season to dig in newly purchased fruit trees. The trees are undergoing a period of dormancy estimated from December through end of February, allowing roots to establish prior to summer environmental stressors. Since these trees are going to be in their forever home, it is best to plant them correctly from the start. I offer steps to assist in this lifelong friendship and years of fruitful production.

Step One: Find the Best Location and Test the Soil

Find a location for your tree that offers the best exposure to sunlight, access to water and proximity from structures and surrounding trees. It is important to look up and around at surrounding buildings and trees to ensure your site is not covered by shade during the growing season. Another preliminary step is to make sure the area drains well; make an assessment if you need to plant on a berm to improve drainage. Also commit a soil test of your growing area. You need a baseline measurement of soil nutrients, pH and salinity levels to determine the right varietal as well as practice sustainable tree maintenance. Ensure that you have adequate access for consistent application of water. The bottom line is you do not want to be hauling buckets of water to maintain your tree.

Step Two: Dig a Hole

Next step is to dig a hole twice as wide and no deeper than the height of the root ball. Some may be planting bare root trees or vines, making it slightly challenging to determine how deep to make the planting hole. Look for a distinct color change where the roots meet the trunk, called the root collar, well below the graft union and plant at that level. You can also use the part of the trunk that naturally flares at soil level as a visual guide. The final level should be a little less than one-inch higher to account for settling.

Examining fruit tree roots before planting

As you remove your tree from its container, look over the root mass and remove any inward growing or fixed and curling roots. There is a technique called root washing, removing all soil from the root mass by washing with a hose and exposing any malformed roots for pruning. Root washing provides you with an opportunity to clearly see and adjust the roots as you plant. You can also try to shake loose media surrounding the root ball. Whatever technique you decide to use always make sure to prune out any malformed roots you see.

Always save and use extracted native soil for backfill to encourage optimal root growth. Supplemental media like peat moss or shovelfuls of compost may encourage roots to become more localized and not readily move out of the enriched environment of the planting hole. Also, we’re reducing an abrupt change in soil texture at the interface between the soil in the planting hole and surrounding soil, allowing for adequate drainage and reducing what is often referred to as the bathtub effect. Once you place the tree in the hole, backfill with one-third of collected soil at a time, making sure to lightly tamp the soil enough to hold everything in place, water in the soil until you see it pool slightly, then let drain to reduce air pockets that may collect while planting. Repeat this activity until you fill up the hole to surrounding soil level. Build a 4-inch berm around the tree at least 2 feet away from the trunk and fill the berm with water for final settling.

Step Three: No Stake and Watering

Tree roots serve a dual purpose: they absorb and transfer water and minerals as well as provide a foundation and support. After planting, you will be pruning your fruiting trees to a single trunk at about 2 to 3 feet tall that will not be top heavy and therefore may not need staking. If you do decide to stake, check on your tree throughout the year to ensure it has firmly established roots and remove the stakes within a year of planting. In the absence of seasonal rains, hand water your trees every four days for two weeks and increase the time between watering until you can water the tree every twenty days. Always take into account soaking rains; the key is not to over saturate the soil, which can lead to root rot. Remember that lawn sprinklers do not replace directed application of water via drip emitter, soaker hose or if nothing else, good old hand watering.

Finding the right place and using sound practices for planting will go a long way toward cultivating fruit for you and your family’s culinary enjoyment. There is additional information on fruit tree cultivation including fertilization available from our trusted colleagues with Aggie Horticulture. Browse online to learn more: https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/fruit-nut. Check out my live call-in radio show every Thursday at noon, Garden Success on KAMU 90.9 FM, send me an email if you want to connect: [email protected]. Note that I am always available to talk about fig trees, and I always look forward to seeing you in the orchard.

Cleanest Tools On The Block

December 30, 2025 by stephenbrueggerhoff

Stephen Brueggerhoff, CEA – Horticulture, Brazos County AgriLife Extension; published 1/06/2026

All images unless otherwise noted by Stephen Brueggerhoff

Garden tools are essential to a successful gardening experience and often become life-long partners in sustainable gardening practice. Do not forget that practice is only as sound as the care you take in maintaining your garden tools. I offer a few tips and reminders to help you be successful in nurturing this long-term relationship.

Store Properly and Clean After Use

Garden tools properly stored in a garage on a rack — Properly stored tools

It can be challenging keeping tools moisture free living in a region with increased humidity, and it is best to store them dry indoors in a covered shed or garage. Long handled tools such as shovels or rakes can be suspended on a mounted rack for adequate air flow, and hand tools can be hung on a peg board or stored in a drawer. Keep the wooden parts of your tools off the garage floor regarding long-term storage as concrete can wick moisture that may compromise the wood. At least once a year, apply tung or linseed oil to preserve the wood and use walnut oil a few times out of the year.

Tools benefit from cleaning immediately after use. Wear a pair of gloves and use a sturdy long handle utility brush for surfaces of a shovel or on metal tines of a landscape rake. Remove collected soil on metal surfaces with a hard stream of water and a sturdy bristle brush. Use a rag to wipe off water and allow the metal to dry overnight. Afterwards, if you see rust, use sandpaper or steel wool to scrub affected surfaces and then oil with a light application of lubricant. My preference is mineral oil as it provides an effective, long-lasting protective coating and is less caustic than other petroleum-based lubricants. Keep handy a 5-gallon bucket filled three-quarters with sand and moistened with mineral oil to dip your shovel blade in after cleaning.

Popular brand name secateurs, lopper and pole pruner blades can be taken apart for detailed cleaning and sharpening as appropriate. Always stay focused when cleaning your tools to ensure safe handling of sharp objects. It is not necessary to sharpen your tools to the point of cutting a sheet of office paper, rather keeping the bevel intact and sharp enough for clean pruning cuts.

Vigilance for Rust

While it may not be practical to lubricate our tools after daily use, it is important to treat them for long-term storage. I admit I have been that forgetful person that has left tools in the garden overnight and had to rehab rusted hand pruners and shovels. You can remove a patina of rust with household vinegar, saturating a folded paper towel or cloth and rubbing till you see smooth metal. Keep in mind that vinegar itself is corrosive and can damage aluminum and copper. This practice is best used as a last resort rather than for continual maintenance. More severe cases of rust may require soaking in vinegar overnight. Hand pruners can be dismantled to submerge exposed metal. Use glass or thick plastic containers large enough to host the metal parts and make sure that rubber parts or plastic-coated handles are not submerged. Remove from the vinegar bath, wipe with paper towels or rags, and then use steel wool to finish the work. Once these actions are completed, immediately apply your preferred lubricant for a protective coating.

Disinfect and Sterilize

The action of cleaning is a practical way to reduce the potential of your tools becoming a vector for pathogens. However, sterilizing pruners is the best practice when actively pruning plants susceptible to viral or bacterial infection like oak wilt or citrus greening. You can lessen the chance of spreading pathogens by pruning below affected wounds and not through discolored or gummy tissue. Take the time to clean blades when pruning in between individual plants. Consider using available and least caustic sanitizing materials. I do not recommend diluted or full-strength bleach because it is corrosive. Isopropyl alcohol at full or diluted strength is often mentioned in literature and used because of its availability. Alcohol wipe packets can be kept in the pocket or gardening bag for portability and immediate access. Another option that may be practical is non-corrosive household disinfectant products at full strength.

Wait On Winter Cleanup and Spring Pruning

Our landscape plantings are undergoing winter dormancy and depending on the weather, are not actively growing at this time of year. While it is tempting to keep things looking tidy, it is best to let the landscape rest and leave pruning and intensive raking for another time. I will write about best pruning practices for woody ornamental and fruiting trees later in winter. There is additional information for you to explore regarding best pruning practices from Texas A&M AgriLife Extension EarthKind™ Landscaping website: https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/earthkind/. Don’t forget to visit Brazos County Master Gardeners website for local programs: txmg.org/brazos. May you enjoy your gardening experience in the New Year, and I always look forward to seeing you in the garden.

Poinsettia for Holiday Cheer

December 20, 2025 by stephenbrueggerhoff

Stephen Brueggerhoff, CEA – Horticulture, Brazos County AgriLife Extension; published 12/20/2025

All images unless otherwise noted by Stephen Brueggerhoff

Bright and cheerful colors play a very important part in our mental well-being at this time of year. Silver and gold offer effervescent qualities that appear to brighten up even the darkest corner. Greenery through wreaths, bowers or even container plantings bring a sense of ongoing life at a time when plants shed their leaves through winter dormancy. Red is the color that really stands out and depending on a timely seasonal cool down and rain events, we may capture a crimson glimpse from the falling leaves of Texas Red Oak (Quercus buckleyi), Shumard Oak (Q. shumardii), Chinese Pistache (Pistacia chinensis) or Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua). A plant that is always available and very popular this time of year for holiday cheer is Poinsettia.

Poinsettia Origins

We value Poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) as indoor container plantings for their unique and attractive bold red vegetation. They are naturally distributed in parts of southern Mexico to Guatemala in tropical, deciduous forests. The plant is referred to as Nochebuena or Flor de Nochebuena in Mexico, a name offered honoring seasonal Christmas celebrations.

The common name is attributed to the first U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Joel Robert Poinsett who introduced the species in the 1820s. According to an article from the Texas State Historical Association website (www.tshaonline.org), Joel Poinsett’s charge was to expand the U.S. territory from the Adams-Onis Treaty of 1819 down to the what we know as the Rio Grande. Mr. Poinsett brought poinsettia specimens from Taxco, Mexico back to his home in South Carolina around 1828. Cultivated specimens were exhibited at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society flower show in 1829, setting the stage for contemporary cultivation. There is a related species native to Texas and the lower 48 called Fire on the Mountain (Euphorbia cyathophora). This species produces a blotchy and non-uniform red color at the base of each leaf in the fall.

Colorful Foliage

Poinsettia’s colorful foliage are modified leaves called bracts that surround clusters of urn-shaped, yellow-colored flowers that are called cyathia. In their natural habitat, Poinsettia can grow into a shrub reaching 10 to 15-foot tall. They are temperate tropical plants and perform best at temps averaging 70-degrees during the day and 60-degrees at night. They will lose their vegetation if exposed to temperatures below 50-degrees and may exhibit signs of stress at temps above 80-degrees. Because of this sensitivity, it is best to grow Poinsettia in containers to move indoors during cold winter and blistering summer months. The container soil should be well-draining; Poinsettia is susceptible to root and stem rot if kept in saturated soil. Even though the plants thrive with more light exposure, provide afternoon shade during our commonly hot summer months.

Poinsettia are members of the spurge family (Euphorbiacaea), a plant family known for expressing a sticky milky sap when cutting stems or leaves. This milky sap can cause skin irritation for some people susceptible to skin allergies and may cause symptoms such as mild irritation to nausea and diarrhea if ingested by pets. While the plant is not considered poisonous, take care when placing plants indoor or outdoor settings and within proximity to pet traffic and habit.

Varieties That Fit Every Need

Let’s talk about color! There is estimated to be more than 100 varieties hybridized to produce vivid foliar colors that range from deep red to salmon, apricot to yellow, and cream to white. There are also a few that exhibit white speckled variegation to attract our wandering eyes. Remember that the colored vegetation are bracts that subtend the flowers. Nurserymen use natural phenomenon of less sunlight exposure in the fall to initiate flowering and produce this change in bract color. Poinsettia are considered short-day plants, meaning that flower buds form when the plants are kept in 14 hours of total darkness out of every day for a four-week period. This activity is best started in late September or early October to get the bracts to change color in time for our holiday celebration. A few varieties to consider:

Autumn Leaves – blooming from November through December, with bracts in shades of peach, yellow and pink. Reported to be cold sensitive.
Cortez Early Red – vibrant red bracts that can produce by mid-October.
Marblestar – dusty rose centers edged in creamy white. Late blooming in December to January
J’adore Pink – compact habit, pastel pink pointed bracts
Wintersun – bright, large creamy bracts

Resources For Home and Commercial Cultivation

Texas A&M AgriLife Aggie Horticulture hosts a webpage called the Texas Poinsettia Producers Guide, an educational resource offering valuable information on production schedule, irrigation, diseases, management and more. You can also get a glimpse of hundreds of cultivars as well as home and commercial production information from North Carolina State University Extension’s Poinsettia Trials webpage – trials.ces.ncsu.edu/poinsettias/. These holiday plants can continue to bring joy during this season with just a little bit of care and gardening knowledge.

Season’s greetings to you and your family, I look forward to serving you with outstanding horticulture programs, and I will see you in the garden.

Get Plants Ready for Winter

December 9, 2025 by stephenbrueggerhoff

Stephen Brueggerhoff, CEA – Horticulture, Brazos County AgriLife Extension; published 12/09/2025

All images unless otherwise noted by Stephen Brueggerhoff

Late fall brings expected weather with daily temps fluctuating between mid-50 to 60-degrees and hovering around the low 50s to upper 40s at night. Our experience as Brazos Valley residents informs us that local weather can appear to turn to bitter cold on a dime, and that predicting frost events can sometimes be like chasing rabbits. Our first frost can occur at any time between early to late November, with prediction for a first freeze in early December. While absolutes are comforting, we must be flexible enough to use an average of climatic data to be ready and now is a great time to gather materials and make plans to protect our landscape plants from frost and freeze events.

Frost and Freeze Defined

An accurate term describing the first event is radiative frost. Radiated light is collected on plants and other surfaces from the sun, and heat is lost to the atmosphere at night under a clear sky with winds clocking in at less than 4 mph. On a clear night, heat is lost quickly and plant foliage has the potential to cool steadily to a freezing point before sunrise. Mix this with high dew point and the plant’s foliage releasing moisture as it cools. The condensate has the potential to cool to the freezing point and crystallize into frost. Short duration frost may not have a detrimental effect on the plants, but a thick frost formed during a strong radiative event has increased potential to damage the foliage. Advective freeze events occur with steep plunges in temps and wind speeds more than 4 mph. This event can cause ice crystals to form and pierce cell walls within vegetative tissue. Thawing allows fluid to leak out of damaged cells and causes a burned look to leaf and stems.

Covering for Frost and Freeze

Covered Landscaping for Freeze — Freeze protection

Our job prior to anticipated radiative frost or advective freezes is to trap as much heat as possible from the surrounding environment. We are slowing down heat loss just enough to prevent damage to plant tissue and with appropriate materials made of porous fabric like old bed sheets, blankets, burlap or frost cloth. The difference may be measured by a few degrees, but it will be enough to lessen the effect. Regardless of the material and as the ambient temp permits, uncover the plants during the day, allowing heat to accumulate, adequate oxygen exchange and increase sunlight exposure. Bringing containerized plants under a covered porch, combined with fabric covering may be enough protection for the plants during a radiative frost or short duration advective freeze.

A Few Degrees of Separation

It is always best to have a little bit of separation between the foliage and the material. Traditional methods include building a cold frame for protection of in-ground or low profile raised beds. These are literally miniature greenhouses, a wooden frame with a covered, hinged lid that can be opened during daylight hours. You can use bent PVC piping to create a hoop structure that will support the covering. The temp inside these structures generally remains 5 to 10 degrees above outside ambient temps.

You can also make a custom form out of chicken wire for low-growing, mounding plants, use an old tomato cage as a frame to hold up the fabric, or you may have to construct a frame out of wood and hog wire. The best method for covering shrubs or trees is to drape fabric material over the frame surrounding the plant and secure it at ground level to trap as much accumulated heat radiating from the ground as possible. Short end: no lollipop covering! You can also provide a little more insulation by thoroughly watering the soil ahead of these events, or even placing gallon jugs of water left out to warm under the plant coverings. For long duration advective freezes and with sensitive trees like most citrus, mound mulch about 6 to 10 inches at the base of the tree. You are covering the graft union to protect the business end of the tree for future resprouting if you lose the upper canopy. You can also wrap the trunk of newly established trees with a non-plastic insulation material from the ground up to lower branches.

Late Fall Planting, Bundle Up and Carry On

If available from local retail outlets, you can still transplant cool season ornamentals like pansies, snapdragons, dianthus and ornamental cabbage, as well as select woody shrubs and trees. Check out our Brazos County Master Gardener webpage txmg.org/brazos and choose the section How to Garden in Central Texas for lists of plants appropriate for seasonal gardening. You can also keep up with a list of 2026 education programs including our upcoming 2026 Texas Master Gardener training program. Bundle up, my friends, and as always, I look forward to seeing you in the garden.

Persimmon for a Fruitful Fall

December 3, 2025 by stephenbrueggerhoff

Stephen Brueggerhoff, CEA – Horticulture, Brazos County AgriLife Extension; published 10/28/2025

All images unless otherwise noted by Stephen Brueggerhoff

I am a recent convert to the delicious taste of persimmon. I have a tree in the front yard that I recently harvested the ripe fruit, offering a sweet and almost jelly-like flesh that was outstanding in taste and texture. I invite you to consider persimmon for your home orchard.

Persimmon Origins

While native varieties such as the American persimmon (Diospyros virginiana) can be cultivated, varieties of Japanese persimmon (Diospyros kaki), sometimes called Asian persimmon or Kaki, are often used in space constricted urban orchards. These fruiting members of the hardwood ebony plant family are small trees that can be used both as an ornamental landscape feature as well as a food source. American persimmon can reach up to 40-feet, while Japanese persimmon varieties can be kept compact at 15-feet. They are deciduous, with dark green leaves turning brilliant colors of orange red to gold in the fall. The majority produces medium tomato-sized fruit that are more oblong than round, featuring vivid colors from cream-orange to deep red that complement bare branches in early winter.

I am interested in the history of global plant distribution. Knowing where plants originated can help broaden our global cultural and culinary understanding of one another. According to a plant profile from the Missouri Botanical Garden, Japanese persimmon is native to a broad range of the Asian continent – from India and Myanmar to China and Korea and is widely cultivated in Japan. Kaki was brought to the U.S. from Japan in 1856 by Commodore Perry, more than likely attributed to the Perry Expedition and establishment of global trade with Japan. Commercial production increased in the 1930s in California and southeast U.S., and today most of the fruit sold in broad markets across the states are from California orchards.

Cultivating Asian Persimmon

Fortunately, persimmons can grow in a variety of soil types and success is dependant on the rootstock. Rootstock is defined as one variety or species of rooted tree that is top grafted with another species. For our eco-region, American persimmon is used as a rootstock for Japanese persimmon as it is more adaptable to regional soil profiles and resistant to soil-borne pathogens. Bare-root trees can be planted in January and February. Remove half of the top of the tree to a single trunk. Pruning in this fashion forces growth to develop a framework of branches based off a central leader. Containerized trees should be planted in early spring, from late February to early April and pruned to shape. Multiple plantings should be spaced twenty feet apart on center. Fruit develops on branches growing in the current season. As with most fruiting trees, you may begin to see fruit production within the first 3 years after establishment. Most Japanese persimmons produce seedless fruit, with exception of variety ‘Eureka.’ Some varieties, like ‘Fuyu,’ are self-fruitful. Fuyu can be used as a pollinator for all varieties grown in our area.

Astringent Versus Non-astringent Varieties

While persimmons are valued for their sweet taste and pleasant texture, varieties are listed as either astringent or non-astringent. Most persimmons are astringent and must be fully ripe and soft prior to eating to reduce an unpleasant palate pucker. Variety ‘Fuyu’ and ‘Izu’ are two non-astringent, medium-sized and self-fruitful varieties that perform well in our area. Fuyu fruit is flattened in appearance with a deep orange colored rind. Keep in mind that Fuyu can be affected by sustained seasonal freezing weather. Izu looks more rounded with lighter orange-yellow tones and is colder hardy than Fuyu. Variety ‘Tamopan’ is an astringent variety that produces large and flattened, orange-colored fruit. Tamopan has a distinctive ring constriction near the middle of the fruit, providing a wow factor for the effort of growing. This variety has a vigorous and upright growth habit, so my advice is to plant it as a single specimen in the home landscape. While we were not provided with a distinct varietal list of fruit trees planted at our newly purchased house, I determined by fruit shape, size, and color that I have an astringent variety ‘Hachiya’. I patiently waited until each fruit reached anticipated coloration at full ripeness, and then gently squeezed each fruit daily until I could find a little give for each that suggested ripeness for harvest. Japanese persimmon can make a great addition to your home landscape, a fruiting tree that can be kept pruned to height for smaller yards, has great seasonal value with vibrantly colored leaves and colorful fruits that can be left to ripen on the tree in the fall. Browse online on our Brazos County Master Gardener website, txmg.org/brazos for upcoming programs that will include 2026 Urban Orchard seminars.

Do you want to become a Texas Master Gardener? You can also find out more about our upcoming 2026 Texas Master Gardener training program from the BCMG website. I am delighted to tell you Dr. Garett Slater, Assistant Professor and Apiculture Extension Entomologist, will be joining me at Garden Success, my garden radio show this Thursday, November 27 at 12 pm on KAMU-FM 90.9. Dr. Slater directs the Texas Master Beekeeper program and will be talking about his efforts cultivating professional development for commercial and hobby beekeepers. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration with family and friends, and I’ll see you in the garden.