Not too much rain. This plant has had yellowing of the leaves since it was a seedling. I have gotten a few messages from people that the Golden Midget just has yellowish leaves. I can propose that maybe the fruit turning yellow/falling off is because of lack of pollination? I have a blacktail mountain watermelon growing right next to it that has no problems.

From what I've read on a lot of different insecticides, both organic and chemical, is that you should not use them on jade/crassula. I agree, they are sensitive to most insect treatments, outside of soap. My practices with jades are to do pest inspections every time I water, so I can catch any problems when they are minor. Mealy bugs are the main suspect when it comes to insects on jades, and catching them early is a must. Once you have a severe infestation, it is hard to clean them up because of the problem with using insecticides. I have a tweezers I use for removing mealy bugs, but a cotton swab dipped in alcohol works well also. Jades can tolerate alcohol because of the thick leaves, so even a water diluted alcohol mixture in a spray bottle can work for major infestations. Spray the mixture on good, getting all the nooks & crannies, wait 10 minutes, then wash it off with a spray of clean water. Also, are you even sure what kind of insects you saw on your jade? They may not have been pests, maybe something just hanging out in the plant, and you sprayed it for nothing. A good practice is to always identify any insects you find BEFORE you take action, so you can be sure of what action you actually need to take. Joe

This is a good discussion. I also planted a new pomegranate tree about three weeks ago. Our zone here is 10 (San Diego). The pomegranate's leaves are starting to turn yellow. I wonder if this is the normal yellowing for a deciduous tree or if there are some pests involved. Here are some photos: It looks like there are clearly some ants. I am new to growing fruit trees, but have read that ants are sometimes a sign of other infestations and that ants can actually encourage other infestations. Any ideas about what are the little green/brown spheres that seem to interest the ants in the last photo? Any ideas or suggestions for optimizing the health of this tree?

I'm thinking underwatering for the pots is the culprit, although overwatering can also cause the yellow leaf symptoms, though usually not so quickly here. Agree with Mad, going with heat stress & find it nearly impossible to overwater a potted rose in active growth as long as the pot size is adequate, the potting mix good & drainage holes functioning. Like Valrose, potted roses here are watered at least once a day & often twice when the day temps get to 80 & above. I water each one & then go back & water each again to make sure they're thoroughly watered each time. If we get a soaking rain, I skip the watering. Hot days after cooler ones increase water needs here. And it's not only the warmer temps, but the greater intensity of sunlight every year that affects plants whether potted or planted. In the last few years, plants that were formerly happy in part sun part shade conditions have needed more shade as well, which I also chalk up to the intensity cranking up. With such frequent watering of pots, I subscribe to the "weakly weekly" fertilizing routine, using Neptune's Harvest liquid at half rates for larger plants & quarter rates for younger ones, on a second watering of the day. A good bit of rain usually falls here year round, with cloudbursts & storms frequent over the growing season. Though the land is clay based loam, the roses were never more lush & happy than a recent Summer when storms came by daily. Agree with Mad here again, in those circumstances, even with the soil saturated to puddles, no roses (or other plants) seemed to mind at all. What we see as red pigments in rose leaves, such as apparent in new leaves, actually protect the leaf by dissipating heat. Mildew can be brought on by underwatering in heat here, but it's opportunistic, does't bleach leaves & treated by washing the leaves with water wand & making sure the roots have adequate water. Occasionally see older leaves bleach out quickly right ahead of or at the same time as a growth spurt occurs. Just some random thoughts over a late lunch break & likely not well organized, but hopefully food for thought. Are your pots protected from heating up in the sun? I'd water the pots a good bit more, the planted out roses too, and start them on the Neptune's once satisfied their water needs were met daily. The Neptune's also great as a foliar spray applied in early evening when the temp's below 75 & leaf stoma open to absorb it completely. Sue