24 Dec How to Care for Your Arizona Yard During the Winter
Even though Arizona is a warmer part of the region during the wintertime compared to more Eastern and Northern areas, there are still a few intelligent measures you can take to ensure your plants, trees, and shrubs are taken care of.
Below, The Green Goddess goes over a few ways to take care of your Arizona yard during the colder months.
Watering During the Winter
Watering is going to be far more relaxed during the winter months. In many cases, you will only have to water plants, trees, and shrubs either once every 30 days or once every two weeks depending on plant type.
Here’s a handy chart showing watering frequencies for your reference. A good general rule to use is to water to a depth of about 3 feet when it comes to trees, 2 feet when it comes to shrubs, and 1 foot when it comes to ground cover.
Irrigation System Maintenance
In Arizona, the winter months bring desirable conditions for outdoor work. You can check and maintain your irrigation system, addressing any leaks or other problems.
It’s also a good idea to run your irrigation system at least once a month to ensure everything is working properly. This practice will also keep all moving parts in great shape, ready to do serious work during the year’s warmer months.
Avoid Pruning
It might be tempting to clip parts of your plants that die off in the winter, but these parts of the plant create a shield that protects the plant’s interior.
Wait to trim any damaged parts of your plants until late February or early March – which is generally when the danger of frost is no longer applicable. Keeping frost-sensitive plants in the backyard will ensure your curb appeal is kept intact during the winter months.
Avoid Fertilizing
Wintertime is not a desirable time to fertilize due to the fact that fertilizing forces new growth. New growth is particularly vulnerable to colder temperatures, even in desert regions such as Arizona. As a proactive measure, you can lay down mulch. Laying down mulch will hold moisture in addition to discouraging weed growth – this way your plants are not competing with weeds for nutrients and water.
Contact The Green Goddess Nursery For More Pro Tips
If you have any questions about how to care for your plants and your yard during the winter months, please do not hesitate to contact The Green Goddess today.
The Green Goddess provides comprehensive plant design and installation services. Our Phoenix, Arizona nursery now offers a wide selection of plants, flowers, and trees – for all budgets. As experienced plant designers, we help our clients choose the most appropriate interior and exterior plants for their unique situations as well as provide guidance for keeping plants and yards beautiful year-round.