Can You Straighten a Leaning 20 Year Old Saguaro With Just Water?

 The simple answer is no. Most plants dont grow that way. They grow from their growing points or terminal buds.

This palm was blown over during a hurricane in the Philippines and continued growing from its tips but continued to lean.

This saguaro was leaning because it was always watered at its base. But having a 20 year old saguaro tells me you were doing something right. Learn when to water, how much to water and if you should fertilize it or not on this episode of Desert Horticulture.

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Determine Spacing of Plants from Structures and Each Other from its Mature Height

 Whether you are spacing plants from each other or from structures the distance is figured from its mature height. Learn how to do this and more on this episode of Desert Horticulture.

Whether you are planting a hedge or a tree the spacing of it depends on its mature height. Make sure you know what height your mature plant will be before selecting and planting it. Learn this and more on this episode of Desert Horticulture.

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Grubs and What to Do About Them

 Grub numbers can be critical in a successful landscape. Learn what this number might be and how to treat for them in this episode of Desert Horticulture.

Grubs come in many sizes. Some of them are 3/8 inch long and others can be 4 inches long. They are immature forms of a beetle.  Some landscapes can be 'grub attractors". But homeowners will call anything chomping on the roots of a beloved landscape plant, a "grub'. Learn what they are and what you can do about them in this episode of Desert Horticulture.

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Is Kurapia a Replacement for Lawns in Las Vegas?

 Kurapia has worked well in covering highway and freeway shoulders, rooftops, public utility areas, commercial properties, and solar farm landscapes. Not much is known about how it performs in a desert climate. Is it ready to replace a lawn? There is a lot of mixed information out there regarding Kurapia and how successful its been in replacing lawn grasses. 

Below are some pictures of it growing in southern Nevada and Valley Sod's email to me regarding their trials with it in Sandy Valley, Nevada.

Kurapia can be mowed to remove the flowers so from a distance it looks more like grass.

It is not a total replacement for functional turfgrass like sports fields. Remember that visual replacement for lawn grasses does not infer tolerance to wear and play. How much “wear” your lawn receives should be considered when replacing it with a groundcover of any type.

Valley Sods picture of Kurapia grown in Southern Nevada.

We at Valley Sod started investigating Kurapia about two years ago and planted an acre of the material at our farm in Sandy Valley.  During this time, we have learned how the plant grows and responds to different temperatures and soil conditions.

The plants were exposed to temperatures as low as 18 F to 116 degrees F at the farm.  The plants did not go dormant (or turn brown) within any of those extremes. In fact, it prefers the heat over the cold and has an active growing season from March till the end of October. It does handle some shade. In full sun it has a very small leaf whereby in shade the leaf is larger. Kurapia can be mowed, occasionally if wished, to remove the flowers to make it appear more like a turfgrass rather than a (flowering) ground cover.

Valley Sod became a licensed grower of Kurapia two years ago.  We foresee Kurapia as a great replacement for natural turf because of its drought tolerance and preference for sub-surface irrigation.

If this kind of turfgrass replacement interests you contact Mike@ValleySod.com

Plants Don't Use Water. People Do.

 This episode of Desert Horticulture insists they do the logical thing to do...accept responsibility for your landscape water use.

When occasional water is wanted for a plant then watering it with a hose instead of a controller is a better idea.

After meeting with a local HOA Board about their water use it was clear to me they needed help but were not ready to accept it. First, be ready to accept responsibility for the water used on your landscape.  Gain control of your irrigation. Learn more about landscape water use on this episode of Desert Horticulture.

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