Watering Lantana and Roses in the Mojave Desert

Q. I need suggestions for watering times and days to water in the summer for sprinklers watering trees in lawns, lantana bushes and rose bushes with drip irrigation.

It isn't just the watering that's important for roses but soil health is well. Lantana is much more tolerant of rock and poor soils than roses.

A. When watering trees in a lawn, give the trees extra watering separately from the lawn since the trees should be watered more deeply than the grass. In the summer do this about every two weeks in sandy soil, less often in heavier soils. 

1. Grass is watered 8 to 12 inches deep 
2. while small trees (less than 20 feet tall) are watered 18 inches, deep and 
3. medium height trees (less than 40 feet tall) are watered 24 inches deep. This can be done with a sprinkler on the end of a hose and a mechanical timer. This improves tree growth and establishment if the lawn is being watered carefully.

            Watering times for other plants are also suggested by your water provider. Lantana is a shallow rooted small woody shrub. It should be watered about 12 inches deep and no more than every other day in the summer. Water all its roots on one day and then hold off at least one day before watering again. Lantana will tolerate rock covering the soil surrounding it. Just make sure you apply fertilizer about three times each year. When the top turns brown, cut it back to 1 to 2 inches above the soil.

             Roses are different. Watering frequency is the same as lantana, but they don’t like the soil covered in rock. They like woodchips that disintegrate, covering the soil surface, and surrounded by soil that is rich. Plant them in amended soil and keep the soil covered with woodchips.