Spring Cleaning for Arizona Landscaping...

Spring cleaning just doesn't happen on interior spaces, your landscaping needs some TLC too. If the winter was a little hard on your lawns, trees and plants, now is the time to clean up the damaged areas and plant for the coming growing season. Here are a few tips for some basic landscape spring cleaning...

Frost Damaged Shrubs
In early March, once the danger of frost has passed, you can cut back any winter damaged plants.   By waiting until spring to do your cut backs, you may see that some of the limbs or stems that you thought were frost damaged will actually have new growth appearing on them.  Waiting for the new growth to appear is the best way to know where the new growth ends and where you should make the cut to eliminate the frost damage.

New Plantings
Spring is a perfect time to plant new shrubs and trees and is the time when you will find the best selection of plants and trees at your local garden centers.  If you are craving some home grown tomatoes, then plant some tomato plants in early March.  A vegetable garden is a great way to enjoy your back yard and get a little exercise. “Square Foot Gardening” makes it simple to grow some of your own vegetables and herbs in a small place.

Weed Control
Spring is also an ideal time to apply pre-emergent weed control for summer dicots, monocots, broadleaf weeds and grasses.  The use of pre-emergent herbicides in February and March is very effective for controlling weeds before the plants begin to grow from seed.  Sunlight and microorganisms can breakdown the herbicide and reduce effectiveness.  Effective pre-emergent application prevents germination of most weeds and will help ensure a more successful weed control program.

Winter Plants in the Desert, Phoenix Arizona

Winter Plant Care

During the cooler months of winter, some plants go into dormancy. Essentially, plants are “resting” above the ground but there is activity in the roots if soil temperatures are cool. Adjusting water times and caring for plants in the cooler months is just as important as in the warmer months.

Normally, trees and shrubs that go into winter with adequate soil moisture do not need watering during the winter. The winter rains usually provide enough water. Deciduous plants do not need much water because the leaves, where transpiration occurs, are gone and nutrients needed for growth are not required because there is no shoot growth.

Fertilization of trees and shrubs during the winter in the desert should be avoided. Fertilizer can stimulate plants to come out of dormancy and this could result in damage due to winter temperature. Tender young shoots are more susceptible to the frost that can sometimes come through.

The same holds true for most evergreen plants such as pines, junipers, and native oak trees. When the soil and air temperatures are cold and sunlight is reduced, growth slows or stops. Growth resumes and increases in spring, summer, and fall. That is what spring, summer, and fall are for!