More than cactus grows in Arizona gardens.
Arizona has two distinct climates: the four-season mountainous regions found in Flagstaff, Show Low and Mount Lemon and the desert regions with long, hot summers and mild, warm winters. The desert regions including the cities of Tucson and Phoenix, where people can garden nearly year-round if the poor soil is amended and sufficient water is available. Since water is scarce, many landscapes use desert plants, cacti and plants native to the area.
Instructions
Native Plants, Trees and Cacti
1. Give these plants a deep watering once a month from May through September. Natural rainfall and lower temperatures will provide ample water through the rest of the year. Run the hose at a rate of 4 gallons per hour for at least an hour per plant.
2. Remove weeds while they're still small. When they're bigger they may be difficult to pull up when they're close to prickly cactus. Use a pre-emergent weed killer spray after the rains in December and January. Choose a still day for the application.
3. Trim back and open up the inside of trees such as palo verde, mesquite and ironwood so the summer monsoon storms don't rip off the branches or uproot the trees.
Grass and Lawns
4. Mow Bermuda grass to a height of 1 to 2 inches every week. Bermuda grass sends out runners underground and over the ground. It can be invasive in flower beds. Pull up the runners as soon as you see them.
5. Feed with a fertilizer high in nitrogen once a month from April through October. Bermuda grass will start to go dormant in November. If you've overseeded with rye grass, continue feeding and mowing.
6. Weed to keep the lawn looking good and to stop the weeds from stealing nutrients and water from the grass. Use a weed killer made especially for Bermuda grass. In other areas of the country, Bermuda grass is an unwanted grass and many lawn weed killers will kill it as well as other weeds.
Flowers and Vegetables
7. Amend the soil with one bucket of compost and a cup of gypsum for every bucket of soil. Arizona soil is poor in organic material. It is also alkaline. The gypsum counteracts the alkalinity.
8. Examine the leaves of the plants. If the leaves turn yellow but the veins remain green, the plant has an iron deficiency, which is common in Arizona. Add iron with an iron rich plant food and cut back on watering. Too much water in the soil, especially during the summer, cuts down on the plant's ability to absorb iron from the soil.
9. Feed every two weeks with a water-soluble fertilizer. Water every three days during the hot months of May through August. Water every four to five days during the rest of the year.
10. Shade vegetables such as peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers and squash during the afternoon in summer. They will slow down production of fruits because the high temperatures dry out the pollen before it can fertilize the flowers. When the humidity increases and temperatures drop in late August, production will increase.
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