Yard

Yard Care Tips & Watering Guidelines

ü Slime (fungus) on cactus and plants – Use “Eliminator” (or comparable product) – Malathion 50% Insect Spray. Follow the directions on the container.

ü Agave cactus (grubs attack this one) – Use “Eliminator” (or comparable product) – 5% Diazinon Insect Granules. Follow directions on the container.

ü Trees and bushes – Want nice green, healthy foliage and growth…try this. Ironite should be sprinkled (minimum 12” from the center) around the tree or bush. If there is no rain, water well to start the action. This procedure should be followed every four months. Additional information can be found on the bag.

ü Weeds – If you cannot bend over to pull a few weeds, use “Round Up” (or comparable product). It works well and goes a long way. Pulling weeds in your area helps to eliminate re-seeding of the weeds. Reminder: Stay ahead of the problem – not behind it. Use pre-emergent treatment in January and July.

Important!
Before you plant ANYTHING…
Contact the ARC Committee FIRST!

Watering Guidelines for Tucson, Arizona

This Landscape Watering Guide is for established plants and established grass. These general watering guidelines are designed for conditions in Tucson, AZ and should also work well for high desert regions of Arizona. Plants need less water during cool or rainy weather. Additional water is needed for new plantings or unusually hot or dry weather. Water to the outer edge of the plant's canopy and to the depth indicated. Watering frequency will vary depending on the season, plant type, weather, and soil type.

General Watering Guidelines for Tucson, AZ
Plant Type		Seasonal Frequency — Days Between Watering				How Deeply
Plant Type		Spring Mar - May	Summer May - Oct	Autumn Oct - Dec	Winter Dec - Mar	How Deeply
Trees	Desert adapted	14-30 days	7-21 days	14-30 days	30-60 days	24-36 inches
Trees	High water use	7-12 days	7-10 days	7-12 days	14-30 days	24-36 inches
Shrubs	Desert adapted	14-30 days	7-21 days	14-30 days	30-45 days	18-24 inches
Shrubs	High water use	7-10 days	2-7 days	7-10 days	10-14 days	18-24 inches
Ground Covers	Desert adapted	14-30 days	7-21 days	14-30 days	21-45 days	8-12 inches
Ground Covers	High water use	7-10 days	2-5 days	7-10 days	10-14 days	8-12 inches
Cacti and Succulents		21-45 days	14-30 days	21-45 days	if needed	8-12 inches
Annuals		1-2 days	daily water	1-2 days	2-3 days	8-12 inches
Warm Season Grass		1-2 days	daily water	1-2 days	15-30 days	6-10 inches
Cool Season Grass		2-7 days	none	2-7 days	3-10 days	6-10 inches
These watering guidelines are for established plants (1 year for shrubs, 3 years for trees and at least 1 month for lawn). Drip irrigation times are typically 1½ to 2 hours for each watering.

There are a number of ways to save water in your landscape, and there are some very good reasons to do so. Over half of household water goes into our landscapes in Tucson, which makes watering efficiently one of the best and easiest ways to save water. Proper watering will keep your landscape plants healthy and beautiful throughout the year.

Drip Irrigation Guide for Tucson, Arizona

Drip irrigation is an important water conservation strategy in Tucson, AZ and is widely being used for watering landscapes and gardens in southern Arizona. To be efficient, irrigation systems need to be used properly. The following guidelines are for Tucson, but may be used with residential and commercial drip irrigation systems in southern Arizona.

General Drip Irrigation Guidelines
Season	Plant Type	Frequency	Watering Time
May 1 – September 30	Desert adapted Plants	3 times per week	2 hours
May 1 – September 30	High water use Plants	3 times per week	2½ hours
October 1 – April 30	Desert adapted Plants	2 times per week	1½ hours
October 1 – April 30	High water use Plants	2 times per week	2 hours
These general guidelines are for established plants in Tucson, AZ. Watering frequency may be modified depending on climate conditions, plant type and desired growth rate.

Tucson Drip irrigation systems should occasionally be run for longer periods to flush salts out of the root zone. To prevent salt buildup, a common practice is to irrigate twice the normal watering time, once or twice per year. Maximum drip irrigation times are based on soil type, root depth and emitter flow rate.

Maximum Drip Irrigation Times
Maximum Drip Irrigation is done Once or Twice a Year to Flush the Root Zone
Depth	Emitter Flow Rate	Soil Type — Watering Time (Loam and Clay Loam in Tucson, AZ)
Depth	Emitter Flow Rate	Sandy	Sandy loam	Loam	Clay Loam	Silty Clay	Clay
1 Foot Ground Cover Small Shrubs	1 gph	1.4 hrs	2.3 hrs	3.8 hrs	5.1 hrs	10.3 hrs	7.2 hrs
	2 gph	1.1 hrs	1.9 hrs	3.1 hrs	4.2 hrs	8.5 hrs	5.9 hrs
	4 gph	0.9 hrs	1.5 hrs	2.6 hrs	3.5 hrs	7.0 hrs	4.8 hrs
2 Feet Shrubs Small Trees	1 gph	4.2 hrs	6.8 hrs	11.5 hrs	15.4 hrs	31.1 hrs	21.6 hrs
	2 gph	3.4 hrs	5.6 hrs	9.5 hrs	12.6 hrs	25.5 hrs	17.7 hrs
	4 gph	2.8 hrs	4.6 hrs	7.8 hrs	10.4 hrs	20.9 hrs	14.5 hrs
3 Feet Trees	1 gph	7.9 hrs	13.0 hrs	22.0 hrs	29.3 hrs	59.1 hrs	41.0 hrs
	2 gph	6.5 hrs	10.7 hrs	18.0 hrs	24.1 hrs	48.5 hrs	33.7 hrs
	4 gph	5.3 hrs	8.7 hrs	14.8 hrs	19.7 hrs	39.8 hrs	27.6 hrs

Maximum Drip Irrigation Times are based on the volume of soil that can be saturated from 60% available moisture content. These maximum irrigation times should only be used as a guideline to flush salts out of the root zone once or twice a year.

Drought Tolerant / Low Water Use Plant Lists

The Arizona Department of Water Resources publishes extensive lists of native, drought-tolerant and low water-use plants, trees and shrubs. The lists are custom-drawn for a variety of elevations in Arizona, from the desert valleys of the Phoenix area to the mile-high mountains of the Prescott region. There also are specialized lists for Tucson, which is 1,100 feet higher than the Phoenix area, and for Santa Cruz County, which is at a higher altitude and features a different set of flora.

Tucson AMA Drought Tolerant / Low Water Use Plant List sorted alphabetically by botanical name

Watering Guideline to Establish New Desert - Adapted Plants
Weeks Since Planting	Summer	Fall, Winter & Spring
1 & 2	Every 1 - 2 Days	Every 3 -4 Days
3 & 4	Every 3 - 4 Days	Every 6 - 7 Days
5 & 6	Every 4 - 6 Days	Every 7 - 10 Days
7 & 8	Every 7 Days	Every 10 - 14 Days

Gallons of Water Required to Wet Root Zone
Based on Plant Type and Size
Plant Type: Depth water must soak	Plant Diameter in Feet
	1'	2'	3'	4'	5'	6	8'	10'	12'	14'	16'
Flowers : 1 foot	1	3	6	10
Shrubs : 2 feet	2	8	20	35	50	78
Trees : 3 feet	3	12	26	47	74	105	188	294	425	575	750

Watering Tip

A drip system with a one-gallon per hour emitter and a 15 minute run time only puts out one quart of water.
A garden hose running only two or three seconds puts out one quart of water.

Do I need to water native desert plants?

After native desert shrubs, trees, and succulents have become established in a landscape, they ordinarily don't need watering. But there are certain situations in which you may want to irrigate:

*When desert landscapes are planted more densely than natural desert plant communities--and they very often are--rainfall may not be enough to support them. You'll probably need to do some supplementary watering.

While desert plants are experts at surviving droughts, you may not like how they look while they're doing it. You can improve their appearance during a dry period by giving them some water. (But beware: this can take a huge amount of water during the summer heat!)
Once in a while there's a drought so severe that even some naturally growing desert plants succumb. At such times you may want to ensure the survival of important landscape plants by giving them a drink.
Some plants that grow naturally in areas of the Sonoran desert where there are frequent monsoon thunderstorms may need summer irrigation if you put them in parts of the Lower Colorado Valley little visited by the monsoon.

If an artificial desert landscape were an exact copy of the area's natural plant community, you'd never have to water it. The need for irrigation arises when we ask more from an arid land than it's ordinarily able to provide.