Planting Facts

Macro close-up of a ladybug on a healthy green desert plant leaf in a Phoenix garden

Common Phoenix Garden Pests and How to Beat Them

Five pests cause most Phoenix garden trouble: agave snout weevil, aphids, whiteflies, spider mites, and scale. Four of the five respond to the same organic sequence — a strong blast...

Common Phoenix Garden Pests and How to Beat Them

Five pests cause most Phoenix garden trouble: agave snout weevil, aphids, whiteflies, spider mites, and scale. Four of the five respond to the same organic sequence — a strong blast...

A screwdriver pushed into damp soil at the base of a desert plant to check moisture in a Phoenix garden

Are You Overwatering or Underwatering? How to T...

Check the soil before you check the plant: push a finger or probe two to three inches down. Damp soil means overwatering, which kills more Phoenix plants than drought does...

Are You Overwatering or Underwatering? How to T...

Check the soil before you check the plant: push a finger or probe two to three inches down. Damp soil means overwatering, which kills more Phoenix plants than drought does...

Close-up of drip irrigation tubing and emitters watering desert plants in decomposed granite

Drip Irrigation 101: Setting Up and Programming...

Drip irrigation works in the desert because it delivers water slowly at the soil surface, where roots can actually use it. Run it at 25 to 30 psi through a...

Drip Irrigation 101: Setting Up and Programming...

Drip irrigation works in the desert because it delivers water slowly at the soil surface, where roots can actually use it. Run it at 25 to 30 psi through a...

Young desert plants protected under a tan shade cloth structure in a sunny Phoenix nursery yard

Sunburned Plants: How to Prevent and Fix Sunsca...

Sunscald is a physical burn, not a disease — bleached tan or white patches that appear only on the sun-facing side of leaves, stems, or bark. Prevent it with 30...

Sunburned Plants: How to Prevent and Fix Sunsca...

Sunscald is a physical burn, not a disease — bleached tan or white patches that appear only on the sun-facing side of leaves, stems, or bark. Prevent it with 30...

Close-up of a desert shrub with a few pale yellowing leaves among healthy green foliage in a Phoenix garden

Why Are My Plant's Leaves Turning Yellow? A Pho...

In Phoenix, the pattern tells you the cause. Yellow leaves with green veins on the newest growth mean iron chlorosis from our alkaline soil. Yellowing that starts on the oldest...

Why Are My Plant's Leaves Turning Yellow? A Pho...

In Phoenix, the pattern tells you the cause. Yellow leaves with green veins on the newest growth mean iron chlorosis from our alkaline soil. Yellowing that starts on the oldest...

Early-fall Phoenix desert garden being prepped with cleared mulched beds and a wheelbarrow

Fall Is Coming: Your September Planting Prep Gu...

Fall, not spring, is the best planting season in Phoenix. Use September to prep — plan your plantings, clear and weed beds, tune drip irrigation, refresh mulch, and run percolation...

Fall Is Coming: Your September Planting Prep Gu...

Fall, not spring, is the best planting season in Phoenix. Use September to prep — plan your plantings, clear and weed beds, tune drip irrigation, refresh mulch, and run percolation...