Taking Over Your Landscape and Monthly Calendar

Q. I have taken over my desert landscape maintenance, formerly serviced by a company.  Can you please provide a general monthly schedule e.g. fertilizing, pruning, seasonal changes in watering etc.

A. When I consult with people on managing their landscapes at their homes I encourage them to pay a little extra and use certified arborists for pruning ornamental trees and large shrubs. They are good at that. Only highly skilled gardeners are good at pruning fruit trees, roses and other flowering shrubs. These people are hard to find.

“Blow and Go” maintenance companies should not be allowed to do any pruning on your property unless they can demonstrate that they know how to correctly prune your plants. Hedge shears are commonly used for pruning trees and shrubs, this makes them look all the same; gumdrops. Hedge shears should only be used to prune hedges. Many of these types of companies are good at pruning hedges but not other plants.

I sent you a month to month calendar of operations but it’s too long to include here so I will post a more extensive list on my blog (below). Watering is the most important management practice in the desert. I discuss how to water landscape plants on my blog and some tools that would help you determine when and how much to water but water should be applied so that it wets the soil under the entire canopy of the plant. The amount of water applied is determined by plant size; large trees, water 36 inches deep, medium sized trees 24 inches deep, small trees and large shrubs 18 inches deep.

Fertilizers for trees and shrubs are applied once a year in early spring and only when plants need it. Flowering plants are fertilized just before they flower and some, like roses, are also lightly fertilized three or four times per year.

January, pruning and fertilizing trees and shrubs and roses, fertilize the lawn, annual flowers, vegetables and herbs as needed usually once a month. Water trees and shrubs one to three weeks apart.

Apply iron fertilizers to the soil to plants that show signs of yellowing

Control weeds

Dormant oil application on deciduous trees

February, last chance for pruning and fertilizing trees and shrubs including iron applications to the soil.

Light pruning as needed

Control weeds

Water trees and shrubs once a week

March, fertilize lawn, roses

Light pruning as needed

Test irrigation, make sure irrigation system is working properly for the hot months

Last chance to control weeds before it gets hot

Water trees and shrubs once a week

April, control ants causing problems by applying an ant bait

Water trees and shrubs once or maybe twice a week.

May, fertilize lawn. Water trees and shrubs twice a week.

June, light pruning as needed. Water trees and shrubs twice and sometimes three times a week.

July, fertilize lawn at half rate of fertilizer. Water trees and shrubs three to four times a week.

August, light pruning as needed. Water trees and shrubs three to four times a week.

September, fertilize lawn at half rate if hot, full rate if cooler. Water trees and shrubs three times a week.

October, fertilizer applications to trees and shrubs if needed. Water trees and shrubs twice a week.

Control weeds now that it's gotten cooler

November, go on vacation. Water trees and shrubs twice a week.

December, major pruning of large branches, dormant oil applications on trees and shrubs after leaf drop. Water trees and shrubs every one or two weeks.