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The Tucson Gardener |
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In the Garden Calendar
Local Garden Links
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Frequently Asked Questions The Tucson Gardener's frequently asked questions listed here are pretty common when you talk to a new to Tucson gardener. New residents from cold country are quick to ask about citrus because they want to grow oranges or grapefruit in their back yard. When summer hits, the big question is when and how much to water? And for the vegetable gardener, it's how do you grow tomatoes in Tucson's heat? These and other questions will be answered here. New questions and answers will be added to the list when it becomes apparent that the questions are frequently asked. If you're new to Tucson gardening you may also want to browse the Tucson Gardener's glossary.
Frequently Asked Questions
Revised on June 3, 2008.
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1. How often should I water?
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If you're going to let the hose run to water your trees you better have a tree well to keep the water under the drip line of the tree canopy. |
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Drip irrigation puts the water in a regulated amount near the plant's roots making the watering more efficient and less costly. |
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The steady drip from an emitter puts the water where it's needed at a slow but steady space allowing for minimal waste. |
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Hoses that seep water are good for flower and vegetable beds where there are lots of plants close together. |
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When to water might be almost as important as how much. Usually the cooler part of the day is recommended whether early morning or late evening. You don't yet have the excessive heat build up in the summer if watered in the morning. Potted plants will benefit by being watered in the morning because that insures they are starting the day off with the needed moisture so they're less apt to wilt. Although in the summer potted plants may need another watering at the end of the day if the high heat and winds dry the containers out.
As Tucson's population continues to grow and new residents want an oasis in their yard whether a fountain, spa, swimming pool or water garden that giant aquifer where our well water comes from is going to dwindle in size. A whole lot more is coming out of the ground than rain runoff is putting back in. We don't see the decline in the water table deep beneath the desert floor but we may hear about it from listening to the news or reading a headline in the newspaper. The "Beat the Peak" summer water conservation programs warn us water is limited in the summer. The stored water gets used faster than the pumps can replenish as demand increases for gardens, evaporative cooling, and swimming pools. The water from the Colorado River is getting shared by an awful lot of people in states bordering the river. A few years of poor runoff and the Colorado River won't seem so mighty.
It's easy to live for today and not worry about tomorrow's water shortage. It'll be somebody else's problem, they'll have to figure it out. Maybe your kids or grandkids won't have a lawn in their back yard or back yard swimming pools will be a thing of the past. Maybe laundry and bathing water will have to be used to water gardens. Or maybe you won't be allowed to wash your car in the driveway or give your pet a bath. And these things won't be voluntary restrictions but mandatory.
Yes, it's hard to imagine not having water coming out of the faucet or the green grass in the back yard. It also seems difficult to remember we live in a desert with the vast selection of plants available for purchase at nurseries and garden centers whether it's bedding plants or some exotic that likes lots of moisture.
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2. How often do I
fertilize my citrus trees?
Thrice is nice. That's the recommendation on a bag of
citrus fertilizer from Arizona's Best. And it makes sense if you think about
it. First feeding comes near the end of winter which means February while
the tree is somewhat dormant possibly looking a little under the weather
because of a number of unexpected freezing nights so the leaves look a bit
dried and discolored. You're putting the fertilizer into the ground
so it's available to the roots for the tree's spurt of growth that will start in
March when new leaves and flowers start to form as the temperatures climb.
The second fertilization will be after the fruit has set which means just prior to the incredibly hot summer, so that means May.
Citrus likes the heat so if the trees are properly watered they'll grow nicely all summer long. Fruit continues to develop so you're going to want to give the tree a final feeding before the end of summer to encourage fruit growth which means August or before.
Keep in mind when it comes to fertilizing more is not a good thing. Too much fertilizer at the wrong time might stimulate new growth that gets hit by a sudden frosty night. Too much fertilizer puts the growth on the skin of the citrus giving you big fruit without much substance. So thrice is nice but once or twice might suffice.
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3. What's the best citrus
to plant?
Start
with what you like. If you like oranges pick a naval, blood, or Valencia. If
you like grapefruit pick the white Marsh or a pink Ruby. What you really need
to consider is where your citrus is going to be grown. Some are more
susceptible to frost damage than others. And although there is always talk
about covering citrus trees to get them through the cold nights of winter it's
a lot of work. You really have to be a dedicated citrus grower to want to go
out and cover and uncover your citrus trees during the winter.
It's not so bad when the trees are small but as they get larger it can become quite bothersome. I had a lemon tree I struggled with for several years covering it with for or five sheets using clothes pins to hold the sheets all together. Then I put flood lights underneath the tree for added warmth. If the wind came up at night I'd have to go out and fix the covering. And once I found the sheet smoldering where it had blown on top of the hot light. Today the tree is quite large and very productive. I make no effort to cover it on freezing winter nights although I still stick a flood light under it to provide a bit of warmth. I give the majority of lemons away.
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Home grown oranges are great for that fresh squeezed glass of juice to start your mornings. |
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These Ruby red grapefruits look good in December but were hit in January by a hard freeze in the mid twenties. |
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These seedy tangerines are easy to peel. |
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The problem with lemons, like summer squash, is you might end up with too many. |
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Tangelos and tangerines are considered the cold hardiest followed by grapefruits and oranges with lemons and limes the most susceptible to hard freeze damage. Where you live in the Tucson area or the micro climates in your garden might help in deciding which citrus to grow.
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4. What does it mean to xeriscape?
In simple terms: the grouping of plants with similar
water requirements. In Tucson it's preferable that you're using low water
requiring vegetations. The xeriscape can then be broken into three zones -
oasis, transition, and arid. The oasis will be a small area
around your home where you'll plant the highest water use vegetation. You'll
keep the area small yet functional and may want lush green plants, shade and
color in the oasis. This will be your outdoor living space.
Away from the house will be the arid zone where you place plants that require little, if any, supplemental water once the plants are established. Native desert plants are perfect for this area since we do live in the desert.
Between the arid and oasis areas is the transition zone where plants that blend with the oasis and arid area yet still require little additional watering once their roots are well established.
In each of those zones you'll want to pick plants that produce ground covers, accent, shade, color and screening. In addition you may want to make the very best use of home and property to direct any rain runoff to supply free unexpected moisture to your plants. Installing and maintaining a drip irrigation system will also help with making the very best use of any water you do use.
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5.
How do I get rid of all those little flying insects around
my houseplants?
There's nothing more annoying than a house full of
fungus gnats that buzz around your ears or fly up your nose when you breath.
Fortunately the little critters are seasonal winter and spring and you only
have to tolerate them for a few months and then they seem to disappear except
for the little bug corpses you'll find around lamps and windowsills. You
probably infested the house by bringing a plant from outside in. Or the
potting soil you used wasn't sterilized.
The little gnats originate in the plant's soil and then the mature adults cause all the annoyance when the leave the soil. The larval state is said to feed on plant roots and can cause root damage which I have never observed on any of my infested greenhouse and house plants.
Yellow sticky traps are suggested as a means to capture the flying adults. The traps will catch some of the gnats but not all and then you still have new ones coming from the soil as they mature. It's been suggested that hot water, not boiling, be used as a soil drench to cook the larvae. Do it outside where the water can drain through the soil. I've never tried the method although I did try a soap solution that didn't work.
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Strips of yellow sticky traps like fly paper will catch flying insects including fungus gnats. |
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Sticky trap was stapled to a small dowel before the protective paper was removed on both sides. |
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I've used a fungus gnat soil drench to kill the larval stage purchased from Gardens Alive which promotes and sells environmentally responsible pest control products. The company also sells yellow sticky traps. After having a severe fungus gnat home invasion the soil drench seemed to work quite well and the following year the number of fungus gnats flying around my ears was minimal.
I've learned to treat any plant that's going to be moved from the greenhouse or from outside to the interior of my home before it's relocated. And even with the precautions taken fungus gnats still seem to appear. A sure remedy would be to remove all house plants from the home .
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6. How
do you get rid of whiteflies?
When the little insects swarm in mass
every time you disturb a plant they've decided to infest it's time to take
action. I've used pesticides once because the whiteflies had taken over
the plants causing clouds of the insects to rise up above the plants every time
they were watered. The plant leaves were stunted and coated with the
whiteflies honeydew excretion. Unfortunately I found several dead lizards after I sprayed.
Lizards are always welcome in my garden and I make every effort to
protect them. Now when I have bothersome whiteflies in the garden
or greenhouse I use a dish soap and water solution which I spray on heavily
and let set for fifteen minutes or so before I rinse off the leaves with fresh water.
I'll check on the whiteflies for a couple of weeks and repeat a soapy water
application as necessary. It's worked well and I keep a spray bottle of soapy
solution in the greenhouse to wash off aphids, whiteflies, and other insects when I spot
them on the plants.
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7.
Why don't you add a
garden forum to the Tucson Gardener Web site?
There's no forum on this site because there are other
well established question and answer sites on the internet that will usually get
your Tucson gardening questions answered.
One of the best on the Web is the Garden Web Forums which offers all kinds of garden specialties whether you're looking for roses, greenhouse information, cactus growing, tips on landscaping, tomatoes or vegetables. All of the forums seem fairly active and there are Garden Web members that have been visiting and answering questions quite awhile. You'll want to visit the Southwest gardening forum or the Arizona gardening forum to post your questions that relate to Tucson gardening. There are lots of active Phoenix gardeners on the forum and fewer gardeners from Tucson.
Even if you don't have a specific gardening question in mind or don't want to become a Garden Web member you can browse the forums to see what people are talking about. You may even discover the answers to gardening questions you never thought to ask.
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8.
The
neighbors' cats keep using my garden as their litter box. How do I
stop them?
My neighbors walk their dogs around the neighborhood. I'm afraid to
take a walk at night because of it. I'm afraid of what I might step on. I
could even slip, twist an ankle or dislocate a knee. I've wanted to say
something to some of the neighbors I've witnessed walking their dogs but I've bitten
my tongue on more than one occasion. I actually purchased a sign I planned
to carry on my walks while I chanted, No more poop! No more poop! But
again, I refrained and haven't planted the sign in my front yard.
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You could try posting suggestive signs in your garden but the cats and dogs can't read. One can only hope for responsible pet owners. |
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At least cats go to the effort to cover their "tracks". Personally I don't think people should allow their cats to wander the neighborhood. It shortens their (the cat's) and many other animals (birds, lizards, etc.) lives as well.
I'm a cat person myself. I have two of them but I don't let them wander the
neighborhood. If they're,
outside they are on a leash and being watched constantly.
I'm guessing you have a sandy or soft soil spot that the cats are using as a
litter box. At least the cat has a definite purpose. I get more annoyed by
local cats marking territory, e.g. spraying car
tires, doors, sliding glass, etc.
If the cats are using the "facilities" and burying it I'd suggest a heavy
mulch of some sort that makes it difficult for them to dig. Poultry netting
laid out on the ground should keep the cats from digging. Some of the garden
catalogs have spiked thing-a-ma-jigs to lay in the garden to keep cats at bay.
Of course another answer, if you've got a fenced yard, is to get a dog. But
then you'll still have a problem in the garden.
In my garden tolerance (most of the time) is the best answer to animal (domestic or wild)
problems.
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9.
How do you grow
good tomatoes in Tucson's climate?
It depends on what you
mean by good. Some people might think a good tomato is a large tomato. Others
consider good to be one that's got real tomato flavor. And still others may
think a good tomato is one that's really prolific so you have baskets of them
covering your kitchen counter.
One way to get lots of bite size tomatoes is to grow some sort of cherry tomato. They do well in the Tucson climate and if you happen to plant more than two plants you'll probably get tired of picking and eating them by mid summer. With two plants you should have enough summer cherry tomatoes for the birds, family and close friends. Just because they're small doesn't mean they're not good. Two cultivars that do well are Sweet Million and Sweet 100's.
For the larger size tomato the nurseries seem to push Celebrity, Early Girl and Heat Wave. They're indeterminate and need to be given plenty of support whether staked or using a sturdy tomato cage You let the foliage grow the offer shade for the fruit to protect it from sunburn.. If you've got the space you can let the tomato plants sprawl across the ground which will make harvesting a bit more difficult.
Another reliable tomato is the determinate Roma which is used for making sauces. But that doesn't mean the Roma tomatoes can't be cut up and used in a salad or sliced to top that lunch time bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich. I always let the Roma tomatoes do their own thing across the ground and if the foliage isn't dense enough I'll provide shade cloth to protect the fruit.
One of the secrets to growing successful tomatoes in Tucson is to get them started early. The earlier the better because once the temperatures start to get over that 100-degree mark the fruit doesn't want to set. The blossoms will fall off. Another problem is sun scald where the green or red tomatoes get burned. If the plants have lots of foliage the fruit should be protected. If not then you're going to have to provide some sort of shade. That might be provided by a nearby tree or the location you choose to plant like against a wall that will provide some afternoon shade.
There are lots of tricks you learn to try to get those tomatoes - shade cloth, heavy straw mulch, drip irrigation, regular watering with soluble fertilizer, background music and constant pampering. Sometimes these things work, sometimes they don't.
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You could end up with blossom-end rot on the tomatoes
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The plants could develop some sort of problem whether it's a leaf spot, verticillium wilt or a nematode infestation
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Tomato hornworms could eat the vegetation
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Ground squirrels and birds think your tomatoes are an invitation to fine dining.
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A sudden freeze in early spring or late fall could wipe out the entire crop
Sooner or later something is going to mess up your plans for tasty tomatoes. There'll be good, productive years and bad years.
But look on the bright side. You get two tries at it each year. Once in the spring and again in the fall. Some of my best tomato crops were produced in the fall right up until the first frost. Just make sure you don't keep growing the tomatoes in the same spot in the garden every year or you'll end up ruining the soil and your chances of ever getting good tomatoes. Crop rotation or letting your soil lie fallow is a must. And start with rich soil by adding steer manure, compost or moisture holding peat moss. Keep improving the soil, try different cultivars from seed if you don't like what the nurseries sell, and be sure to purchase some store bought tomatoes every once in awhile. A taste of one of those and you'll be back in the garden trying to grow your own home grown tomatoes.
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These cherry tomatoes were picked while green to keep them away from the birds. They were ripe within a week. |
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Vine ripe tomatoes are many vegetable gardener's favorite crop. |
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The tomato horn worm can devastate tomato foliage. They are hard to see on the plant. Look for the digested plant droppings they leave behind. |
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Uneven watering, especially in container grown tomatoes can cause blossom-end rot |
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High temperatures and sporadic watering can cause cracking which allows bacteria to get into the tomato and cause rot. |
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10.
What do
I need to do to prepare Tucson's soil for planting?
Rent a dump truck and a back hoe and learn how to use
a jack hammer if you happen to live on a caliche bed. Or maybe you'll be
removing lots of rock from the soil just to make room for your plant's roots. If you're planting native plants maybe all you need is to dig a
hole large enough to hold the root ball. If you're planting on a bed of
caliche you may have to knock a hole through it to make sure to provide good
drainage of shrub or tree. If you look around the desert the
native plants are well adapted to the soil and Tucson environment. If you're trying to enrich and
improve the soil for introduced species or a vegetable garden then you'll have to add the one thing that's missing
from out desert soils - organic matter.
Organic matter is nothing more than material coming from another living plant or animal. Compost is organic matter (tree limbs, kitchen waste, grass clippings, old vegetables, weeds, straw, discarded flowers, etc.) that's been broken down and decomposed into small particles. It's a great additive to desert soils because it loosens the soil allowing air penetration in clay and it also acts like a sponge helping to retain moisture in sandy soils. Once added to the soil organic material continues to decompose and needs to be replenished on a regular basis. If you've got the time, space, and energy for a compost pile or bin in your garden you can make your own rich organic matter to improving your garden soil. An added benefit of home composting is keeping green matter out of the local landfills. You can never have too much compost.
Tree bark, peat moss, wood chips, and composted steer and horse manure are also sources of organic matter.
Again, native trees, shrubs, and cacti are well adapted to our desert climate. They shouldn't need the addition of fertilizers to grow. Other plants will need some out side assistance to flourish in the desert soils. Nitrogen (N) and phosphorous (P) are the two nutrients most needed by plants for vigorous foliage, root and flower growth. Potassium (K) is the other element often found listed on the complete fertilizer bag but it's generally in a smaller amount because the element can usually be found in the desert soils. The big three N-P-K are the macronutrients. Then there are a bunch of micronutrients that are needed in much smaller amounts. They include Iron, Zinc, Boron, and others. They're needed in extremely small amounts for good plant growth and can be found in the soil. Often some plants will show their need for one of the micronutrients by showing symptoms such as iron or zinc chlorosis. A liquid iron and zinc chelated fertilizer can be purchased and added to the soil or used as a foliar spray.
Fertilizers come in different forms and require different applications. Any fertilizer you purchase will have instructions for proper application whether it's one tablespoon per gallon of water, or one pound per 100 square feet of garden space. Read the labels, follow the instructions.
If the idea of adding chemicals to your garden soil doesn't sound like the thing you want to do there are other sources of nutrients whether it's bone meal, liquid sea kelp or some other organic gardening method.
Fertilizers can always be added but once you've put too much the damage is done so tread carefully and follow manufacturers suggested applications. More is not better.
Maintaining good soil for flower vegetable beds is an ongoing process.
Heat, water and soil organisms are constantly working on the soil you've
improved leaching away fertilizers are breaking down the organic matter. To
maintain healthy plants other than those native to the environment you'll need
to continually improve the soil by adding organic material and some sort of
fertilizer whether a dry or liquid application.
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11.
What's the Tucson planting zone?
It's
Zone 9 if you
go by the United State Department of Agriculture or Zone 12 if you use the
Sunset Western Garden Book. What's this mean? These zones give you an
idea of the average cold temperatures for the area. This in turn gives
you an idea of which plants can grow in the Tucson under normal growing
conditions. Sunset Magazine has added a few guidelines, including
high temperature, for their zone description which can be found in their
very popular garden book and monthly publication. With the added
guidelines the Sunset zone guides are popular in Tucson and the rest
of the Western states. Garden catalogs on the other hand will be more apt to
use the USDA zone guide. Keep in mind these are guidelines and low
temperatures can vary around Tucson on any given night because of the
variation in altitude and micro-climates.
To add to the confusion some garden books like Arizona Gardener's Guide by Mary Irish have their own cold hardiness plant zone map. The book breaks the zones down to 1 - 6 with Tucson in zone two. There's nothing wrong with that but gardeners need to know the zones used for the plant suggestions in the book. So keep in mind when you're reading about plants and their zones you know which zone the particular publication is using as a reference.
12.
What should I grown in my
landscape?
I
would hope you would choose drought tolerant vegetation for the bulk of your
landscape to help conserve water. If you have to have grass I'd keep it to a
bare minimum. But each garden is going to be different as are the gardener's
likes and dislikes. If you really don't have any idea of what you should
grow in your landscape I'd consider hiring a landscape architect. Tell them
what you're looking for in a garden and ask them to suggest plants that use
little water. Keep in mind the difference between high maintenance and
low maintenance. Some gardeners don't mind the work while others want to sit
back and watch the plants grow.
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13.
I hate cacti, I hate native plants. Is there anything else I can grow?
Sounds like you're here for the winter
climate and not the natural beauty the desert offers. There are plenty of
non-native plants available in the nurseries that are drought tolerant,
don't have thorns, and will thrive in a Tucson landscape. They may
have small leaves, thick stems, and look best in the spring and fall like
many native plants. Find a good garden book from the
Garden Books list on this
site, talk with knowledgeable nursery personnel or browse a couple nurseries
to see if there's something that will suit your needs.
If you still
can't find what you want, then you might want to consider living elsewhere.
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14.
Can I trust the information I read on some of the garden
forums I find on the internet?
Sometimes you get what you pay
for. I like to browse some of the on-line forums to see what
other gardeners like to discuss. Information comes from a variety of
people with different skill levels. Many write from personal experience,
some may have earned the Ag. Extension Master Gardener title, some may
be professionals in the business, while others seem to like to see
their words on the computer screen and are more interested in the
socializing and sense of community a forum can offer. You'll have to browse
the forums questions and answers to learn who, if anyone, consistently
produces the most reliable source of information. Often they will give their
opinion and then refer you to another source for confirmation of such
information.
Forums can be a great source for trading useful gardening information. But when in doubt make sure you get more than one opinion.
15.
How many garden books do I
really need?
None. I'm sure book authors and
publishers hate to read that but you can probably find most of the
books listed on this Web site at one of Tucson's libraries. If you have a
one time use, then use a library's resources. If you plan on adding a lot of
plants to your garden over time you might want to purchase one or two useful
garden books that can help in your search for information. Maybe you're
interested in one specific subject such as roses, houseplants, cacti or
vegetables. Then maybe one or two specialized books will make references for
questions that may arise. It all depends on each gardener's specific needs.
In my
garden book library I have books that I use over and over. Some of the
corners are folded down, coffee or tea stains a page or two and maybe the
binding has started to look a bit shabby. Some books I've read or skimmed
once and placed on a bookshelf where they gather dust, never to be opened
again. Some books are a bit like a new pair of shoes. They fit fine in
the store but as soon as you get them home and have to wear them for more
than a few minutes you wish you'd never purchased them. The shoes or garden books
will then find their way to a charitable organization in hopes of a
an income tax deduction.
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16.
What's the best nursery in
Tucson?
That depends on your needs and
past nursery experiences. I have one business I visit regularly because of
quality plant materials, good selection, helpful staff and it's not too
far from where I live. I'll visit a specialty nursery or two if I'm looking
for cacti or succulents. I may go somewhere else if I'm looking for
houseplants. Somewhere else if I'm looking for a good price on a clay pot.
I suggest
you explore nearby nurseries first and if they can't fulfill your gardening
needs, look elsewhere until you find what you want.
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17.
What's wrong with buying plants from Home Depot, Lowe's or any of the
big box stores?
Absolutely nothing if you can find the
quality and plants you want for your garden. Sometimes the selection isn't
as great as you'll find in some nurseries. There always seems to be plenty
of bedding plants in various degrees of quality depending on the day of the
week and possibly the time of day. The selection for potting soil seems
good. I shop at Home Depot for lots of things, including bedding plants and
potting soil. I've been to the local Lowe's but didn't find anything I
wanted during that visit.
The service at a big box may not be as good as you get at a nursery. I once asked for help to get 30 bags of manure and the sales clerk said I'd have to do it myself. I went elsewhere because I didn't feel like loading that may bags myself. I once watched a customer toss his merchandise on the floor and stomp out because the line at the register was too long and wasn't moving. It can be annoying when you see all those unused cash registers. Of course that happens in the grocery store all the time. I once watched a shoplifter walk out with two gallon cans of paint to be stopped by an employee in the parking lot. A brief altercation followed and the paint was spilled all over the parking lot.
But then I've walked out of more than one hometown nursery because I couldn't get any service. These things happen.
I shop where I find the merchandise I want at a price I'm willing to pay. I also shop where I can get plant suggestions from helpful staff when I want it.
18.
Why doesn't The Tucson Gardener have any information on lawn care?
If you're a homeowner that has small children, plays
badminton or croquet on a regular basis then I think you're allowed to have
a limited lawn area. Big areas of lawn should be reserved for public parks,
baseball, soccer, and football fields and some school yards and malls. I
don't have any lawn in my yard, the wildlife would eat it to the roots.
Check with ag. extension for your lawn care needs.
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19.
When are you going to add a month by month garden calendar to The Tucson
Gardener website?
Probably never, but until then you
might try one of the following sources for your month to month needs:
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Each month Sunset Magazine has a regional what to do in your garden page. You could get a yearly subscription to help answer your questions.
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The Tucson Botanical Gardens Web site has a "Conventional Wisdom Gardening Calendar for Tucson" under the Garden Info section. It's free and you can access it right now from the link above.
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You can purchase the Month-By-Month Gardening in the Desert Southwest book by Mary Irish. It's broken down by plant type such as fruits, vegetables, grasses, annuals, trees, roses, etc.
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You can purchase one of the two books by George Brookbank. Both Desert Gardening - Fruits and Vegetables and Desert Landscaping - How to start and maintain a healthy landscape in the southwest have gardening calendars.
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Still not satisfied? Then check out The Tucson Gardener's In the Garden Calendar.