Desert gardening requires careful attention to the watering needs of each tree or plant in the landscape. With extreme heat, wind and low humidity common in our climate, watering properly can be the difference between a lush, enjoyable, healthy landscape, and a so-so barely surviving landscape. The following guide is just that, a guide; it is not written in stone and may vary from yard to yard or tree to tree! New Trees and Plants         

• After your new trees are planted, we would like you to water daily or at least every other day for the first 10-14 days. You may notice that the ground is still very wet the next day after you water your new tree. If this is the case, don't water yet. This means your soil is probably high in clay content and does not drain fast. In this case, only water when the soil starts to dry or approximately every 2-3 days. On the other hand, you may notice that the soil is bone dry, the day after you after. This means your soil drains well and is probably rocky or sandy. In this case, you will need to water daily for the first two weeks and maybe all summer long.
• After the first couple of weeks, effective watering now requires close observation by the tree owner. You now want to observe how wet (or how dry) your soil is between waterings. Example: You watered everything thoroughly yesterday and today, you notice the ground is still wet on the surface or maybe half wet and half dry. What you should do now is probe. Take a 2' long skinny metal bar and push it into the soil, near the outer edge of the well. If your tree is watered properly, the probe should push in, fairly easily to the proper depth ( 2' for trees, 1' for shrubs). If it doesn't reach the proper depth, you know that you need to water again, until the probe can reach the proper depth. Keep checking every day with the probe until you develop your own "customized" watering schedule. You may find that your trees need more or less water than the general water guide. This is true because although temperatures are fairly similar across the valley, other factors can vary drastically. These factors include, but aren't limited to - humidity, wind, method of watering, rainfall, soil drainage, lack of drainage, plant positioning, and type of plant. This is why probing is so crucial to create a custom watering schedule for your yard.
• How much water?

  First Year:		New Tree Watering Schedule:
  Initial tree size:	Gallons per watering	Temperature:	Waterings/week:
  15 gallon	6 - 10 gals	93 or above	3 times/week
  24" box	12 - 16 gals	81 - 92 degrees	2 times/week
  32" box	16 - 20 gals	70 - 81 degrees	1 time/week
  36" box	22 - 26 gals	below 70 degrees	1 time/week
  42" box and up	30 - 36 gals

• Signs that indicate water stress:
  • New plant growth is wilty, droopy or excessively curly
  • Tree sheds an abnormal amount of leaves in the Summer
  • Brown burn spots is center or tips of leaves
  • New leaves are small, and old leaves are yellow
  • New citrus trees yellowing or thinning out
• In addition to watering properly, fertilizing your new trees and plants will enhance color, growth and overall performance.
• For the first two years - Apply fertilizer every month from March to October

  Size when planted:	Am't of fertilizer each month (March-Oct)
  5 gallon	¼ Cup
  15 gallon	½ Cup
  24" box & up	1 Cup

• When applying granular fertilizer, simply sprinkle the recommended amount evenly across the inside of the tree well. DO NOT allow fertilizer to accumulate against the trunk or bark of the tree. This will prevent burn. Thoroughly water all plants immediately after fertilizing.
• . In addition, some trees and plants require fertilizer supplements to ensure proper growth and color. For example, Queen Palms like a little extra manganese and Hibiscus and Gardenia may need a soil acidifier from time to time. Soil conditions may also dictate additional chemical treatments. Please call your local nursery if you are unsure about supplemental fertilizers.

Sod Care

• Watering: Summer Schedule

  Number of Weeks	Times per Day	Duration
  First 2 Weeks	5	5 to 25 min
  Third Week	3-Feb	15 to 20 min
  Established Lawns	2-3 Times per Week	15 to 20 min

• Duration dependent upon spray heads or rotors. 5-10 minutes for spray, 10-20 minutes for rotors
• Watering: Winter Schedule (For over seeded sod only)

  Number of Weeks	Times per Day	Duration
  First 2 Weeks	3	5 to 20 min
  Third Week	2	15 to 20 min

  Established Lawns Weather conditions will dictate the amount and frequency of watering NOTE: If winter lawn is not over seeded, water every 20 to 30 days

• Mowing
  • Celebration - 3/8" to 1 ½"
  • Palmetto St. Augustine - 1 ½" to 3"
  • Midiron - 1/2" to 2"
  • Tifway 419 - 3/8" to 1"
  • Tifgreen 328 - ¼" to ¾"

  Never remove more than 1/3" of the grass leaf in a single Mowing and keep your mower blade sharp.

• Weed Control - Use extreme caution and care when choosing chemical weed controls. Be safe and consult your nursery or garden center for advice and recommendations.
• Dog poop doesn't biodegrade as fast as you think.

Sod Care: For newly installed sod, immediate watering is critical! Lawns should be kept wet for the first 10 days after installation. Water it enough to soak, but not to puddle. Average watering is 5-10 minutes/ 4x per day. Once your lawn is established, it should be watered 2-3 x/week for 10-25 minutes. Early morning is best. Mowing: You should begin mowing your new lawn, no sooner than 2 weeks after installation. Good rule of thumb is to never remove more than 1/3 of the leaf. Once the sod is well established than mowing can be cut down to once a week. Plant Care & Selection: In our plant guide, you will notice many drought restistant plants that fare well in our Arizona climate. Drought resistant plants have a unique ability to withstand dry conditions through both drought tolerance and drought avoidance. It is important to evaluate your landscape before selecting drought resistant plants. Most of them are sun-lovers, but many can also tolerate shade. However, few will tolerate soils that hold mositure, so if you have a clay-type soil, these plants will not do well. If you have questions about plant selection, Last Call Install is happy to assist by suggesting plants or meeting you at local nursey to help with selection.