Time to plant some vegetables!

Not everything you can get a store will grow here in the Phoenix Valley, but with the right planning most can be growing with some success. Now should be a good time to start prepping to garden of your spring/summer gardens. If you’re going to grow the garden from seed the night might still be a little cold to get good germination quite yet, depending on your part of the valley. But a lot of nurseries started getting good stock in of starter plant (small 4” pots.) [If you are using starter plants and live on the outskirts of town be prepared to cover them in the event of a late freeze, as we all know it’s been known to happen here in late February.]
Some good choices for the first-timers out there are the Tomatoes and Peppers. Roma and Cherry Tomatoes seem to do okay with little attention. Jalapeño Peppers do good too. Anaheim and Bell Peppers tolerate the heat but sometimes the late afternoon sun can discolor the fruit. If you have the room, Watermelon and Cantaloupe are always a sweet choice too.
For those of you that doesn’t feel like planting something every spring and fall, try replacing you Mesquite tree with a fruit tree. What about some fresh homemade apple sauce in the summer?

February Coupon

It's been a mild winter so far

It’s been a mild winter so far

            Freezes can happen as later as early March and are fairly common into late February, so we are not out of the woods yet. But by the current trend, landscaper and home owners are going to have some abnormal decisions to make in a month or so.

            Most years the frost damage forces everyone to cut-back their Lantana, Bougainvillea and Yellow Bells, but not this year. Many properties are going to still need to do a hard cut-back or rejuvenate cut, because the plants are can get too big for the spot they are planted if left to grow even bigger.

            On larger properties with properly spaced plants, imagine how much prettier (more flowers) your yard will get if you let the plants just keep growing.

January Coupons

Spring is here!

What does spring mean for your landscaping? Answers 1) Flowers; 2) New growth; 3) Fertilizer and 4) Water.

A lot of plants are starting to get new growth and or flower. This is most noticeable on deciduous trees (trees that dropped all their levels for the winter.) If at plant is not starting to grow yet and it was frost damaged it MIGHT be dead. It is a little early to come to that concussion yet. I have seen quite a few Lantana and Lemon trees that I suspect/suspected were dead. One a lot I am most likely correct, but even in my own yard I was wrong with my Eureka lemon tree. (I am guilty of not doing anything to protect it.) I thought it might be dead because even my lime had started to bud about 3 or 4 weeks ago and there was nothing on the lemon.

As of yesterday there is ONE bud above the graph point, so it is alive. But now I have to conclude if it is worth saving. It is only 2 years old so hadn’t even fruited yet, but if only one bud is what I have to start over with I just lost at least those two years. I will wait a few more weeks, before I come to a final decision, but I am likely to plant a new tree.

Budding out s natural process that nutrients and water. None native/naturalized species are likely to need some supplemental nutrients (fertilized) and/or water. Native or naturalized species most likely are adapted to get the nutrients and moisture they need from the local soil. But non- Natives such as Citrus new supplemental help. Fertilizers that are sold at retail stores are usually water soluble and early for the plant to adsorb Non-native and native alike.

Water should be straight forward, increase the water to your plants. It should not have been off for the winter, but if it was turn it back on. Your irrigation system should be adjusted with the weather, minimum or 4 times a year. 12 times would be better.

February Coupon:

February is too early!

            On the outskirts of town it is predicted to get to freezing next Tuesday! That combined with the extreme records from last month could be the breaking point for a already stressed frost sensitive plat. Do not remove the dead growth on any plants yet.

            Just because your neighbor’s landscaper did it last week, do not make it the right thing to do. (Think of what your mother use to always said, “You wouldn’t jump off a bridge just because everyone else was, would you?)

            I recommend waiting until March at the earliest to address the issue. If you HOA tries to say otherwise, get on the board and change that for next year. Freezing weather is common in February and very possible in March.

            With ground covers such a lantana you can usually cut it to just above ground level. With trees you should wait for new spring growth and selectively remove just the dead branches. With shrubs you have now the plants trimming tolerance. Shrubs such as Sages and Ruellia can be cut as small as you would like to help train a smaller plant, but less tolerant plants such as hibiscus and roses you need to wait for buds and or new growth to form and selectively prune back to that.