Gardening on the Moon ( GOTM )

Drips Abound in Phoenix

One of the main methods of watering in this part of the world is through a drip irrigation system. This delivers the water directly to the plant as the emitters are generally placed on or near the ground appropriately under the canopy of the plant. The water slowly drips near the plant at varying, preset rates. An added benefit is the reduction in evaporation since the water is not being exposed to a lot of warm air. The entire system is made up of different sized tubes, valves and emitters.

An emitter, one of the least expensive parts of the entire system, is a little plastic controller at the end of a thin tube that allows a specified amount of water to drip out at one time. Generally I use .5 gph (gallon per hour), 1 gph or 2 gph emitters. If a plant needs more than 2 gph, I then have more than one emitter for that particular plant. As it was explained to me, the entire system depends on that little piece of plastic at the end of the tube that costs about fifty cents, if you purchase a pressure compensating emitter (which I highly recommend if you use a drip system). A pressure compensating emitter helps to keep the drips steady making sure that the plant is receiving just what it needs; no more, no less.

Not everything is going to be taken care of so easily. You won’t be able to “set and go” for every plant. I have a few plants that need more water every now and then and some even more often. In the hot weather, I take out the hose and give them a little bit extra at certain times. The amount of water to be applied can be determined by an educated guess and a little experience.

The general rule is that for a perennial or annual, water should wet the soil to the depth of one foot minimum. For small shrubs or larger perennials, the water should penetrate to two feet. A three-foot penetration is necessary for trees and the largest shrubs in the landscape. There is a handy booklet that addresses watering in the desert areas called Landscape Watering by the Numbers: A guide for the Arizona Desert which can serve as a good initial resource.

A Star is Born Discovered

At least one superstar has appeared on the scene in our landscape; vinca. These plants don’t ask for much and in our arid climate they can really take it. The colors that are available range from white to pink to purple with differing shades in between. There are even some bicolored varieties. We have them in decorative containers by our front door located in one of the hottest parts of our property and they continue to flourish.

Vinca only asks for a modicum of fertilizer and enough water to keep them going. On the hottest days of summer, I water the plants by the front door every other day making sure they aren’t getting too much water. The larger pot in the back of the house in partial shade can usually go three days between waterings during the hot summer months. When they are first planted, I use MiracleGro Shake ‘n Feed all purpose plant food. Keep in mind, however that during the summer when watering is heavy, the fertilizer will not last as long and will have to be replenished. An even better idea would be to use fish emulsion for follow up fertilizings to avoid possibility of over fertilizing. Read the label and note the manufacturer’s directions. Vinca is very forgiving and will even grow in partial shade as long as it gets three to four hours of sun per day. Be careful though, it does need well-drained soil and don’t overwater.

During the cold months, I store the vinca in the garage (a basement would be a good place too, but its a rare home out here with one of those) to keep it protected from frost and give it a little water now and then. Some indirect light would also be good if you have it. I take the plant out in the spring, re-pot it and remove all the dead growth, and in a couple of weeks we have a bounty of new blooms. Saving the plants from year-to-year this way won’t work all of the time, but I enjoy the challenge. Here is an article about Vinca from Bella Online if you are interested in learning more.

Those of you who have an idea of what New Jersey (the Garden State) and Phoenix, AZ are like can begin to see that when relocating from the east coast to the desert southwest it is truly like gardening on a different planet. I will have more to say about this in part three of this series.

• Have any of you had an experience of moving from one gardening extreme to another?
  What surprises did you find?
• Were there any discoveries about which you feel particularly pleased?

Gardening on the Moon, www.gardeningonthemoon.com, originally published this post

Article References:

Bella Online - http://www.bellaonline.com/

Water Use it Wisely - http://www.wateruseitwisely.com/waterguide/index.shtml