August 2026

THE HEAT WON’T LET UP.
SO WE TOOK IT INDOORS.
FRUIT TREES, A TX HOW-TO.

Fruit Trees: Site, Soil, and the Fertilizer Schedule That Actually Works

Lunch break: a PB&J and a bowl of homemade cinnamon-lemon puppy chow a classmate brought to share.

Class 3 brought in Dr. Larry Stein to cover fruit trees start to finish, and the big takeaway up front was this: any fruit or crop is growable in Texas, it just depends on how hard you want to work for it. Before planting anything, though, it starts with a real drainage test, digging a post hole eight to ten inches wide and three feet deep, filling it with water, and watching how long it takes to drain. Twelve hours is ideal. If it takes six to eight days, skip the tree and build a raised bed instead.

Planting itself comes down to a few rules worth remembering: dig a hole the same size as the container, not bigger, soak the roots for an hour first, and drop the same soil back in, rocks and all, with no amendments or fertilizer mixed in. Set the tree at the same depth it grew in the nursery, water it in, then cut the top back to eighteen inches. That cutback sounds harsh, but it’s what pushes the tree to send energy into new roots instead of struggling to support top growth it isn’t ready for yet.

The Guppy Tank Just Got a Green Team

Dwarf hair grass and a few sword plants, freshly added to the guppy tank.

Truth be told, the indoor shelf ran out of room, so a few plants got relocated to the guppy tank whether they liked it or not. In all honesty, they’re doing great over there, already multiplying. Picked up some dwarf hair grass and a few different types of sword plants to help balance things out. The tank’s been running a little nutrient-heavy lately, and rather than reach for a harsh fix, the plan is to let the plants and snails do the work, some simple filtration paired with a little patience while the whole system finds its balance.

The Paviso Verde Just Said It’s Time

A new aerial root pushing through the node on the paviso verde philodendron.

The whole indoor collection, plants saved along the way or handed off by someone else, has finally grown up. It’s big enough now to actually propagate and share instead of just working to keep everything alive. This paviso verde philodendron is the clearest sign of it, pushing a brand new aerial root right out through the node.

The wild part is watching the tiny new growth break through that outer skin at the node, the same skin that holds in natural moisture and feeds it to the root as it pushes out, giving the new root system an actual shot at survival before it ever touches soil or water. Nature figured that out on its own. That’s the kind of detail that makes this hobby worth it.

Something Got to the Horned Melon First

All that’s left of a horned melon that never made it to the kitchen.

Found this one busted open and half-gutted right on the walkway, seeds and pulp scattered across the concrete. Horned melon, also called kiwano, isn’t exactly a common sight in San Antonio yards, but the squirrels have been making the most of the whole patch all season, and honestly, they’re welcome to it at this point. It’s turned into a running joke around here more than anything.

A Hawk Was Watching Too

A young Cooper’s Hawk, perched and watching, right around the same brush pile.

Caught a local hawk swooping into one of the brush piles this week, stalking one of the younger, tweenage-looking squirrels. Pretty sure it’s a Cooper’s Hawk, likely offspring from last year’s nest high up in the pecan trees on the next street over. Those brush piles get stacked on purpose, leftover branches and trimmings left in a corner for critters and bugs to have somewhere to hide. Turns out that goes both ways. Whatever the squirrels take from the garden, something bigger out there is keeping its own tally.

Not Sure How Welcome This One Is

A neighborhood cat, stopping by the birdbath for a drink.

This one’s a newer face around the garden, and the jury’s still out on how welcome it is, especially with the birds around. For now, just watching to see how this plays out.

Bird, Lizard, or Snake? You Tell Me

Found sitting in the grass while walking a listing with clients this week.

Found these two cracked shells sitting right in the grass mid-showing this week, no nest anywhere close by. Small bird egg, lizard, or maybe even a snake, that’s my best guess, but I honestly don’t know. If you’ve got a better read on it, reply and let me know.

Little Red House

All Three Stands Open Daily

LRH1, LRH2, and LRH3 are stocked and swinging into fall.
Bring what you’ve got too much of.
If your indoor collection just leveled up like ours did, this is exactly where those extra cuttings belong.

Community Corner

Show Us What’s Growing

This is the final weekend of SABG’s Dog Days of Summer, so if you’ve got a dog, mornings through Sunday are the time to bring them by. Stop by the Giftshop Courtyard for a Polaroid with your pup before it wraps up for the year.

Billy, our own patrol supervisor, sniffing through the beds on her morning rounds.

🌱 Got a great garden picture to share?

A raccoon mid-heist, the vine that’s taken over the mailbox, or the harvest that looked way more impressive before you weighed it. We want to see it.

This one’s from Alice, caught mid-showing snapping a picture of her own, right before I snapped one of her taking it.

Y’all take some great pictures out there. Send yours in and it could be next week’s feature.

Just hit reply on this email, or send it straight to chris@getrealtytx.com.

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Real Estate Corner

Right Tree, Right Place

The right tree, in the right spot, genuinely adds value to a home: shade that cuts cooling costs, real curb appeal, a yard that feels established instead of bare.

The wrong species, or the right one in the wrong spot, can turn into one of the costliest mistakes tied to one of the biggest investments you’ll ever make. Right plant, right place, that’s the rule, unless you’re determined enough to make it work anyway.

Funny enough, “money doesn’t grow on trees” dates back to at least 1891, first showing up in print in a North Carolina newspaper. Nobody’s ever traced who actually said it first. Plant the right one in the right place, though, and it’s about as close to money on a tree as real estate gets.

Buy  |  Sell  |  Invest  |  Grow

Scan to follow the garden, plant stands & more

Hi, I’m Chris — your neighbor & @ThatGardeningRealtor.

Most days you’ll find me elbow-deep in the garden, connecting neighbors with good local vendors, or scouting the next cool spot worth telling everyone about.

linktr.ee/chrisdrawdyrealestate

If any of this, the plant swaps, the fruit tree notes, the squirrel drama, made your week a little better, a two-minute Google review helps more than you’d think. I read every single one.

Chris Drawdy  |  Green Thumb Realty Co.  |  eXp Realty SA TX

(210) 214-2673    getrealtytx.com

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#ThatGardeningRealtor  |  #LiveSimplyOutdoors

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