How to Reduce Water Use in a Condominium HOA; Part 2.

 In How to Reduce Water Use in a Condominium HOA; Part 1 you determined what plant water use category you are in; 

Landscape water use categories

0-2 feet of water covering the irrigated landscaped area (nice job!)

3-4 feet of water covering the irrigated landscaped area (not bad)

5-6 feet of water covering the irrigated landscaped area (too much water used, scale back!)

Cranking the Water Use Down

If you are not happy with your landscape water use, or want to save even more water than you have, first consider eliminating trees above the roofline of the condos or at least pruning them lower. Are large trees important? Yes they are but perhaps not nearly as important as the cost of the water they need to survive.

These pine trees are planted too close but the shade they produce can't be denied. As these pine trees get larger, the cost of watering them may be worth more than the shade they produce. It will be up to you but consider removing them after replacement trees have been established.

Big Trees Use More Water than Little Trees

It may sound comical but people buy trees that grow 50 feet tall and only need a tree that is 15 feet tall (single story homes). Examples are pine trees. Sure pine trees may not use as much water as a mulberry but it still uses water. The bigger it grows, the more water it needs. Plant or keep trees that shade the walls and windows on the south and west sides of a building.

This hot, west facing exterior wall has four small shrubs that create no shade on the wall but still require water. Their distance apart (about 10 feet) would provide the water needed to plant and locate three small trees or shrubs (ten feet tall) that would shade this hot wall. As the plants we chose to replace them got larger, more water should be added. Add one more small tree (patio tree) to provide shade for the patio area walls and door.

Selecting "Backbone" Trees and Large Shrubs

Selection of "backbone" trees and shrubs should be hardy, deciduous, and survive temperatures to at least 20F during the winter. What are backbone trees and shrubs? These are trees and shrubs you don't want to lose to winter freezes. The trees and shrubs should be deciduous because we want the sun to warm this condo in mid-winter. If you want to save even more water, use small deciduous desert (xeric) trees and water them separately from the more frequently watered mesic plants. 

Landscape "Negative Space"

The fewer plants used and the smaller they are will, for the most part, determine how much water your landscape uses. Deserts use less water by NOT growing plants. I call not planting.... "negative space". Where are plants needed? Where are plants NOT needed? Leaves these spaces open. Creative use of negative space is challenging. In the wetter, eastern US lawns were used to occupy negative space. In the desert we must be more creative; boulders, changes in rock size (texture), changes in elevation, artwork, wall paintings...all can be important when not using water.

Dry washes can use textural changes along with plants. Rocks don't use water.

Open spaces don't use any water and the plants used were desert in origin (xeric) so they aren't watered very often. I would substitute small trees near the windows.

Textural change in the mulch and wall paintings add color and interest to an otherwise somber area and don't use any water. What is the water use here?

Planting in Desert Soil

Locations of ten foot tall trees or shrubs should be 4 to 5 feet from the home. Taller trees and shrubs can be planted further away. 

Soil amendments should be lightly mixed with the soil at planting time along with water. 

Planting holes should be wide and not necessarily deep unless there is a clear drainage problem. If a slight drainage problem exists, plant on a mound of amended soil rather than digging deep.

Water should be applied away from the foundation of the home. In the desert, plant roots follow where water is applied.

Trees and shrubs should be fertilized once in the spring. Two times at most. Showy plants are fertilized three or four times a year and when they flower best.

Trees use water. Bigger trees use more water. Lots of big trees use lots of water

Changing from Lawn to Desert Landscape

Q. After 6 years of trying to have a beautiful lawn in Las Vegas, I finally give up. The water company has offered me $3/foot to convert to water smart landscaping. What should I do? Do I add more rocks and plants? Artificial turf? What trees should I use, if any?

A. If you do nothing else after removing the lawn, plant some trees or large shrubs that shade to the West and South exterior walls and windows of your home. This will help reduce air conditioning costs during the summer. These plants should be deciduous, in other words drop their leaves for the winter.

Shade South and West Walls

            Select trees that grow to about the same height as your home. Avoid trees that grow huge. They use more water and don’t really provide any extra savings in air-conditioning costs. A two-story house can handle bigger trees so in your case these should be deciduous trees so they drop their leaves in the winter and allows sunlight to warm the house. I will get back to you with some recommendations on some plants.

Sometimes just a vine on a trellis is enough to shade a wall or entrance from the hot sun.

Choose Desert Trees

I would steer you towards trees that are adapted to desert environments, in other words, “desert trees”.Regardless of the trees you select, plant them a distance from your home no closer than half of their mature height. Plant them no closer together than this either. Dig the holes for the trees at least 3 times the width of their container and no deeper. Smaller trees establish more quickly and grow more rapidly in the beginning than larger trees. Irrigate the soil around plant roots no closer than 3 foot away from the foundation of the home.

Many desert trees have excellent form and good looks like this Mesquite in this desert landscape.

Fake Grass Has Pluses and Minuses

            Personally, I don’t care for artificial grass unless it’s used for a specific purpose other than just covering the ground. It gets terribly hot during the summer if it’s in the sun and requires upkeep. If you go in that direction, start asking some questions because it is not maintenance-free. I wouldn't use artificial turf unless you have a reason to put it in. Aesthetics, or just looking at it, is not a good reason to install it. It's in the sunlight it gets exceedingly hot during the months of about April through September. It starts cooling down sometime in mid-to-late October for the fall months. If the air temperature is about 105° F, and the sun is shining directly on it, the surface temperature of your artificial grass will be about 165° F. I know because I've measured it.

Some artificial lawns look very realistic but they will be also more expensive.

Suggestions

Start appreciating open spaces. That's what concerns water deserts is open areas. Don't fill the entire landscape area with plants. Learn to appreciate what is called "negative space".

Shade the walls and windows of your home on the south and west sides. With a two-story home this requires trees 25 to 40 feet tall.

Don't plant anything closer to the house than 3 feet from it. Apply the irrigation on the side of the plants away from the house or any cement surface such as patios, driveways, sidewalks, etc.

Think of your landscape plants in multiple layers; the tall ones, the medium-sized once, small ones and groundcovers and vines.

Odd numbers of plants are usually more appealing to the eye than even numbers up to about 7 plants. Above that number, the eye doesn't seem to notice the difference.

Repeat plants through your landscape to provide some continuity and rhythm. There is no need for every plant to be different from each other. Repetition or repeating plants is a good thing and landscape design.

Privet Tree Leaves Black Spots are Disease? No.

Q. I'm sending you a photo of a leaf from my privet tree that has some kind of fungus. Can you suggest some fungicide for me to use?

Spotting on privet leaves. It could be a disease problem but it would most likely not be
there if the tree was getting proper care.

A. I think it is just a lack of good nutrition and perhaps a lack of adequate watering rather than a disease caused by a pathogen like a fungus. Even if it were a fungus disease, it is more susceptible to disease if it is in poor health. However, too much irrigation water applied too often can look similar to this.

            Not enough water usually results in leaf drop in the early stages of stress with this tree. I will post your picture on my blog for readers to see your particular problem.

            Japanese privet does much better in mixed landscapes rather than alone in rock mulch, if you have it in rock mulch. They do not like soils that develop in a rock environment and have trouble picking up the right nutrients from these types of soils to stay healthy. Please be aware that this tree is not a desert plant so it will require more care to keep it looking good.

EDDHA found in the ingredients of an iron chelate fertilizer

            Without soil improvement you might try giving it a better fertilizer product. Fertilizers for trees and shrubs from manufacturers such as Miracle Gro, Peters, Jobe’s fertilizer spikes and others will provide better nutrition for the plant than using an inexpensive agricultural fertilizer. Add to this an iron product that contains the EDDHA chelate (look at the ingredients).

            Specialty fertilizers like these are not inexpensive. However you can save some money by not using it each time you fertilize. You can make an application and then boost plant performance by using just a little bit of nitrogen fertilizer when the plant needs it.

            But if the plant is in rock landscape you will need at least one expensive fertilizer treatment annually to improve your plant performance under the poor soil conditions of rock mulch landscapes.

Desert Spoon For Desert Landscaping

Ruellia A Good Choice for Desert Landscapes

Landscape Committee Wants Evergreen Shade Trees

Q. I am on our landscape committee for A Henderson HOA. We are going to remove many dead and diseases trees in our small community. Mostly privets that through the years have died after we converted to desert landscape from grass. Others are mainly ash trees that are diseased and or have dead limbs and with pruning look terrible. Most of our yards face either East or West. We have been advised to replace the trees with fruitless olives or living oak. All yards are small and have rock mulch. As many other communities we are cash poor and need to make a wise decision because it will be expensive. We are looking for evergreen, shade trees if possible.

I forwarded this question to Andrea Meckley, a Certified Horticulturist working in the Las Vegas area since 1992.

A.  I understand your situation with the privet trees doing poorly.  Since you are going through the expense of replacement I realize you want to make good choices.  Below are a few thoughts:

1. Fruitless Olives:

                  Pros:  evergreen, little leave drop 

                 Cons:  slow grower, sometimes they will fruit even though they are not supposed to.  If this happens you can apply a solution to stop them from fruiting if it concerns you

2.  Southern Live Oak: 

                 Pros:   evergreen

                 Cons:  slow grower, debris from leaves and acorns

Between the two above I would choose the Olive. 

 Young European olive

Young Live Oak

Since you have existing sycamore and desert willow trees that are deciduous, I would also consider the following medium size evergreen and semi-evergreen trees:  Xylosma tree (Xylosma congestum), Holly Oak (Quertcus ilex), Blue Palo Verde (Parkinsonia florida), Desert Museum Palo Verde (Parkinsonia 'Desert Museum'), Bay Laurel standard trunk tree (Laurus nobilis), and Shoestring Acacia (Acacia stenophylla) which may be a little messy. 

Palo Verde in Bloom

Young shoestring Acacia

One good source for good pictures and more information can be seen at Southern Nevada Water Authority website.  Please contact me if you wish to discuss further.

Andrea Meckley

Certified Horticulturist

American Society for Horticultural Science

imn2plants@aol.com

Texas Mountain Laurel Good Choice for Desert Landscapes

Preserving Large Trees When Converting to Desert Landscaping

Q. We are planning on removing our lawn and changing over to desert landscaping but after reading your blog I am wondering how the old, large Modesto Ash trees will fare from this change? Do you think it would be an issue? I tried to find out about their root system, it seems like it is shallow, but won't that be an issue as the roots will be damaged and then covered with hot rocks?

See this posting on my blog:

http://xtremehorticulture.blogspot.com/2015/08/converting-to-desert-landscapes-can.html

Large tree suffering die back due to drought after conversion to desert landscaping

A. I am not telling you not to convert to desert landscaping but be cognizant that established trees can get hurt in the process and many landscapers do not know how to convert from lawns to desert landscaping with existing large trees. 

If you have large trees in an established landscape you have some options. 

1. Leave the lawn surrounding the big trees and remove lawn where there are no big trees. 

2. Remove lawn and spiral in-line drip tubing around the existing trees out to a distance of their drip line (spread). However, if you do this you should put this drip tubing on a separate valve and run it longer and less often than drip going to other plants. 

3. Put LOTS of plants beneath these large trees and drip irrigate them to assist the existing trees with enough water. This is above and beyond having emitters for the large trees, too. 

4. Use a lawn irrigation valve to feed bubblers to existing trees and form a basin around the trees to capture water from the bubblers. This is called basin/bubbler irrigation and is a form of flood or border irrigation. The basins must be level and flat and be three to four inches thick.

HOA Replacement Trees for Privets, Ash and Sycamore

Q. I am on our landscape committee for a Henderson, Nevada, HOA. Needing professional advice, I thought of you immediately, as a longtime resident I read your weekly column and read your blog.  This fall we are going to remove many dead and diseases trees in our small community. Mostly privets that thru the years have died after we converted to desert landscape from grass. Others are mainly Russell Ashes that are diseased and or have dead limbs and with pruning look terrible, lopsided, etc. I am without hope that with the pruning done they will ever pull out of it. The various landscapers thru the years used the ashes as replacements and as I have read in your column are no longer considered a good choice. Most of all our yards in our small community face either East or West. We have been advised to replace the trees with Fruitless Olives or Living Oak. All yards are small and have rock mulch. As many other communities we are cash poor and need to make a wise decision, because it will be expensive. We will be replacing approximately 25-30 trees. The other mature 15 yr. old trees in our landscape are sycamore and for the most part doing well, along with a few other Desert Willows,etc.  We are looking for evergreen, shade trees if possible.

Thank

you so much,

I forwarded this email to a certified horticulturist working here in southern Nevada. She has worked with plant selection for a number of years and enjoys answering this type of question.I do want to mention that sycamores are a poor choice as a landscape tree for single-story or even two-story residences. They just get too tall, they consume a lot of water and require a lot of maintenance because they are out of their climate zone. In my opinion they should not be planted in hot desert climates and desert soils. They are a larger scale tree and require big properties to look good. They do well in arid climates provided there is enough water for them. Certainly they should not be planted in large quantities.

Bob Morris

Sycamore near south facing wall with heat damage to the leaves facing the wall

A. Bob Morris forwarded your email to me.  I am Andrea Meckley, a certified horticulturist working here in the Las Vegas area since 1992.  I understand your situation with the privet trees doing poorly.  Since you are going through the expense of replacement I realize you want to make good choices.  Below are a few thoughts:

1. Fruitless Olives:

                  Pros:  evergreen,  little leave drop  

                 Cons:  slow grower,  sometimes they will fruit even though they are not supposed to.  If this happens you can apply a solution to stop them from fruiting if it concerns you.

2.  Southern Live Oak:  

                 Pros:   evergreen

                 Cons:  slow grower, debris from leaves and acorns

Between the two above I would choose the Olive.  

Since you have existing Sycamore and Desert Willow trees that are deciduous, I would also consider the following medium size evergreen and semi-evergreen trees:  Xylosma tree (Xylosma congestum), Holly Oak (Quertcus ilex), Blue Palo Verde (Parkinsonia florida) , Desert Museum Palo Verde (Parkinsonia 'Desert Museum'), Bay Laurel standard trunk tree (Laurus nobilis), and Shoestring Acacia (Acacia stenophylla) which may be a little messy.  One good source for good pictures and more information can be seen at snwa.com under 'landscapes' and then under 'plant search'.  Please contact me if you wish to discuss further.

Hope this helps. 

Andrea Meckley, CH

imn2plants@aol.com 

Converting to Desert Landscapes Can Damage Existing Trees

Q. We removed half of our lawn with a 15 year old Chilean Mesquite in the middle which has done very well up to this point. Besides water from the lawn it had its own water supply located near the trunk. During grass removal, roots were chopped and six small plants with drip emitters in the rock mulch surrounding the tree. Will the tree be okay now that the front half sits in rock with only the plant emitters providing water.

A. The short answer is it will not. You need to supply more water to this tree or it will begin to drop its leaves and the branches will begin to die back.

Mesquite roots growing deep for water.

            Now the long answer. Chilean Mesquite is among a group of plants, called phreatophytes, which have the potential to develop a very deep root system when growing in the wild along arroyos. In the case of mesquite, 200 feet or more. This is if the tree is in the right location together with deep, infrequent rains that help establish roots to that depth. Arroyos, or desert gullies, concentrate rainwater in one location pushing water to great depths with the roots of these plants not far behind.

            Phreatophytes like mesquite when grown with water that is applied frequently grow rapidly, vigorously with a very dense canopy. In many home situations, trees do not develop deep roots because the water supplied to them, such as your lawn, is applied only to the surface few inches.

            During 15 years of growth, the vast majority of roots will grow in a “mesh” 12 to 18 inches just below the lawn. The six irrigated plants planted under the canopy will help somewhat but not enough. Removal of tree roots also reduces generally speaking, most trees can lose as much as 50% of their roots and still recover provided they get adequate amounts of water.

            My hunch is your mesquite will start dropping leaves at the onset of hot weather and you will see limb death in the canopy. The roots will try to reestablish themselves wherever they can find water but the canopy will die back because of root loss and inadequate amounts of water.

Tree dieback after converting from lawn to desert or rock landscape.

            What should you do? During this hot weather you should put a hose out there and irrigate the rock beneath the tree about once a week during hot weather. This is a stopgap measure.

            You might consider installing a “bubbler and basin” around the tree in the future to provide more water. Use an irrigation valve previously for the lawn for the water source to bubblers. An irrigation bubbler is installed 2 feet from the trunk. If this basin is quite large, two bubblers located in this basin might be needed to fill it. Each time you irrigate, fill the basin.

Mesquite blown over because shallow rooted due to lawn and flower bed

            It is important that the basin constructed is level and wide enough to lie on top of about half of the area under the canopy of the tree. A level basin, or berm, is built around the trunk approximately 3 to 4 inches high of the tree with the trunk at its center.

            The bubbler is a type of emitter that pushes out usually 1 to 2 gallons a minute. Drip emitters emit gallons in hours, not minutes, so this is a large amount of water applied in one spot in a very short. Of time. This is why the basin or berm is needed.

            If the tree is on a slope, then install the basin around the trees so that it is level. The water from the bubbler must flood the basin and be contained by the basin for it to work well. This may take 10 to 15 minutes with bubblers and anywhere from 20 to 30 gallons every time the tree is watered.

            In midsummer when it's hot this, watering might be once a week to every 10 days or so for desert trees like mesquite. Adjusting how often you water and how much is applied each time will determine how fast the tree grows and how dense the canopy is.

            If you begin to irrigate less often, but apply more water each time, you will slowly encourage the roots of desert trees like mesquite to grow deeper.

How to Prune Arizona Rosewood Against a Wall

Q. I planted a 5 gallon Arizona Rosewood a year ago against a wall for visual screening. How and when should I prune it?

Arizona Rosewood one year after planting

A. This plant can be grown as a shrub or small tree. As a shrub, led it continue to grow as it is except for any weak stems. Any weak, floppy stems should be cut back about 1/3 to half their length to encourage them to become stronger.

As a tree, it can be grown with a single trunk or multiple trunks. This initial pruning to establish its architecture or form should be done during the winter or early spring. It is not too late now.

If your plan is to use this as a small tree, then I would select 3 or 5 larger diameter stems (an odd number is more pleasing to the eye) coming from the ground and eliminate all other growth coming from the base. As new growth appears from the base, eliminate it at any time of the year you see it.

Next, stake these stems individually in an arrangement you would like them to grow. Staking young stems for one year will encourage them to continue growing in those directions. Finally, cut any long, floppy stems back to encourage strength. Make these cuts ¼ inch above a side branch in any direction away from the wall. Remove any strong growth growing towards the wall.

Here is some excellent information with more background on Arizona Rosewood by an extension agent in Arizona.

http://ag.arizona.edu/yavapai/anr/hort/byg/archive/arizonarosewood.html

Creosote Bush for Desert LandscapesIn the Mojave Desert

Don't overwater this plant! And it doesn't require much in the way of fertilizers.Like any desert plant, they perform better if there is some organic matter added to the soil at the time of planting. In our Mojave desert soils there is almost 0% organic matter so a little bit will help get them established.

An old stand of creosote in the background and creosote which have been cut off with a road grader and re-grew from the base.

Arizona Rosewood Good Choice for Desert Landscapes

Parrys Agave Good Choice for Mojave Desert Landscapes

Parry’s Agave

Andrea Meckley, Certified Horticulturist

andrea.meckley@aol.com

 
Description:  Evergreen succulent
Mature size: 2’x 2’
Flower:  with aged plants
Water use:  low
Exposure:  all day sun
Origin:  Arizona, New Mexico, and Northern Mexico

Parry's Agave

Hardy:  to 5 degrees F
Uses:  Landscape accent plant, potted plant

One of the many hardy agave species for our southwest landscapes and gardens is Parry’s agave (Agave parryii).  The grey green leaves grow slowly as a compact rosette.  Adding interest are patterns of indentations of previous leaves showing on the back of each new leaf.   In late spring to early summer old Parry’s agaves, 20 years or more, produce a twelve-foot stalk of blooms that can grow four inches a day. Hummingbirds are attracted to the flowers which begin as red or pink buds, opening to a bright yellow bouquet.  The plant dies after blooming but during its lifetime produces offsets assuring more plants will replace the original.   Planted in groups or alone this plant is attractive in the succulent garden, in pots, or in the landscape.

Ornamental Pear in Bloom Now... A Nice Tree Where it Has Room to Grow

The good and bad about ornamental pear in the desert.

Eliminating Lawn Can Lead to Problems for Established Trees

Q. I have a beautiful Loquat tree where the leaves have suddenly started to turn yellow and fell off.   Most of the fruit has also fallen off. The tree was located in the middle of grass. I had the landscape converted to desert rock in September. At the same time watering schedule was changed. I suspect it is being under watered. But before I increase it I want to ask if the cold winter we had here could have caused this yellowing.

A. Thanks for the pictures. It is probably not the cold. In a lawn situation the roots go everywhere and anywhere and usually spread to about 1½ to 2 times its height away from the trunk.

Loquat with rock mulch applied after growing in a lawn for a few years. In many cases the drip emitters do not
apply the water in the same places as lawn irrigation and the plant roots of established trees and shrubs die back.
This results in leaf drop and eventual die back of the limbs of established trees and shrubs.

            In drip irrigation we usually place the emitters a foot or so from the trunk. This bypasses about 80% of the root system it created when growing under a lawn.

            So, yes, it probably is drought but perhaps not because you are not delivering enough water. It is more likely that most of the tree roots are not receiving water. You can place emitters over a greater area under the canopy of the tree. But I would also reduce the size of the root system.

            Try root pruning the tree to reduce the size of the root system so it is closer to the emitters. Keep tree roots contained in the area directly under the canopy. Wet the soil thoroughly under the canopy and vertically slice the roots in a circle all around the tree at the edge of the canopy. This can be done with a sharpened spade.

Leaf drop of established loquat due to replacement of lawn with rock mulch and drip irrigation.

            At the same time, thin the canopy by removing wood. This reduces the tree’s demand for water. A tree that size will probably require 20 to 30 gallons each time you water. With the lawn now gone, the tree will actually use more water since the cooling capacity of the lawn has been removed.

Purple Lantana Dying Out



yellow or gold lantana

Q. Am having trouble with purple Lantana. They are dying out. The gold Lantana is still doing well. Am watering 3 days a week at 20 minutes and 4 days a week at 7 minutes. I have noticed that my neighbors are having the same type of trouble. Hope you have a solution.

A. The lantanas in general flower on new wood so as they get older the flowers will get further and further from the center of the plant provided it does not freeze back. This tends to make the center kind of bare and most of the foliage and flowers at the ends.

Trailing or purple lantana

            If it freezes back and does not die out due to very low temperatures then the plant will stay more compact and will need to be trimmed back to a few inches each early spring. But this plant, if it is in a place where it stays warm and does not freeze back, will tend to get leggy and not have much foliage on the inside.

            So make sure you cut it back to keep renewing new growth close to the center of the plant. You can do that now to some degree. Cut back one third of the stems to a couple inches in length. Stagger the cuts so that they are random on older wood through the canopy

            It will require watering fairly often if the soil drains of water easily. Fertilize lightly in the spring and fall. To maintain bushiness irrigate frequently like any normal shrub. If you decide at some time to replace it make sure you add compost to the soil at the time of planting.

Living Windbreaks Use Water - A Major Concern in the Desert

Q. We just moved from Las Vegas to Pahrump We bought a home on an acre of land - I'd send a picture but - to be honest  - its just bare high-desert land As far as we know Pahrump is considered Zone13 (Sunset). We would like your advice on trees for wind barriers. We have been told by locals that there are several pine trees that would make a good wind barrier. Judging by the look of the town, most properties have planted the pines around the perimeter of their properties.

After reading SNWA desert planting ideas and other high-desert websites, we thought we would start with the pines and then layer from there (inward) For example:pines fruit or other shade trees large bushes or grasses edible and low bushes finally, low growing plants.  We want to encourage birds, hummingbirds and butterflies and we will add raised beds for veggies.

Could you give us your advice on the types of pines and other trees that would grow in this area. Could you please comment on the layering plan or give us some indication which direction we should head?

A. I would refer you to a fact sheet I wrote a couple of years ago which can be found at http://www.unce.unr.edu/publications/files/ho/2006/fs0688.pdf

It basically says that the windbreak will affect an area downwind equal to about five times its height. Windbreaks need to be multilayered when possible with a combination of trees and shrubs. A variety of plants, not just one kind, is more desirable. The biggest mistake I see done in Pahrump is putting a big line of trees right on the border of their property. It just does not make any sense to me. If they need a fence there is a lot of things you can build that don't require water. If it is a windbreak then it is too far from the living area to be very effective. You need to answer the questions where does the wind come from that you are trying to stop. What time of year is it a problem.

Design your outside living area first. Then go ahead and place your plant materials for screening, visual barriers and windbreaks. Windbreaks integrated into your landscape can use smaller plants. Remember big plants use more water than little plants and if you put a whole bunch of trees on the perimeter of the property what good does that do except use up a bunch of water unnecessarily. Plants need to be concentrated near living areas and they need to be part of the outside living area, usually defining the "walls" and "ceilings" of these spaces.

Fences on the perimeter of the property may be expensive at the beginning but they are lower maintenance and use less water than a living fence on the perimeter. In the fact sheet I purposely stay away from recommending plant materials. There are plenty of places that can recommend plants for your area including your local garden club, nursery and extension office. The extension office in Pahrump has a great little garden area that demonstrates some plants for the area. They have lists as well.

Basic recommendations for trees for the desert are to keep them in scale with the house and property, and put them where they will do the most good and you can appreciate them. Every plant you put in the ground should have a good reason for being there. This is the desert and water is precious. I hope this helps a little. this is a big topic to cover.

Ornamental Pear a Good Choice But Needs Special Soil Preparation at Planting

Q. We recently planted a fruitless Bradford Pear tree in the place of a tree that was dead. It is in good soil which I mixed with planting dirt from Star Nursery, where we purchased the tree. It was in a 15 gallon pot and is about 10 feet tall in the ground, so I would think it is possibly two to three years old. I realise this is not the best time of year to put a tree in the  ground, but hope that it's maturity will give it a good start. We had a number of these trees in our yard from new when we lived in Texas and they did very well in the heat there. So I wonder if you have any advice or tips for us now we have one here in Nevada. We did do the 'call before you dig'. Any advice etc will be really appreciated

A. Ornamental pear varieties like Bradford, Chanticleer and others perform reasonably well in our desert keeping in mind they are not desert plants. I have watched them growing for many years along Maryland Parkway in front of the Boulevard Mall and across the street from it.

            They have beautiful blooms in the spring and a nice round, dense canopy provided they are planted and maintained properly. They probably should not go into the hottest part of the landscape with a lot of reflected heat.

            With this in mind they will never perform well for any length of time in a rock mulch landscape. They may do okay growing in rock mulch for a few years but after about five years the leaves will begin to yellow and scorch, the canopy will thin, and branches will die back.

            When this happens, it will be open to borer attacks, the same kind that attack other fruit trees. These trees should be planted in an organic mulch such as wood chips which decompose and add valuable organic material back to the soil.

        Ornamental pears should be planted with lots of organic material in the planting hole, they need to be staked solidly for the first growing season. After the first growing season they should be firmly established in the soil.

            Fertilize them once a year just like you would any other fruit tree. Use a well balanced fertilizer with the three numbers the same such as 8-8-8, 10-10-10, etc or fertilizers sprayed on the foliage 3 to 4 times after the leaves emerge before it gets hot. They will benefit from periodic applications of iron because they will get yellowing from iron chlorosis.

            I like to divide our landscapes into three water use zones; high water use, moderate water use and low water use. These water use zones represent the total amount and frequency of water applied.

            These trees could easily go into the high or moderate water use zones but never the low water use zone. The watering frequency would be the same as other large trees and shrubs as you would apply water under the canopy so that at least half the area under the canopy is wetted to a depth of 18 inches.

Removing Bermudagrass for Desert Landscaping

Q. We are going to be removing about 3500 s.f. of bermuda grass. What is the best and easiest way to do this ?

A. I am assuming this is common bermudagrass, not hybrid bermudagrass. Many of the hybrid bermudagrasses are more restrained in their growth and easier to remove and keep under control. Common bermudagrass is more wild or rank in its growth and more difficult to remove and get under control. The easiest way I feel would be to irrigate and lightly fertilize the bermudagrass and mow it a couple of times so it is growing well and healthy.

Sod removed with sod cutter in prepartion for the
installation of desert landscaping

        You don't want the Bermuda to enter into any kind of dormancy before you try to kill it and remove it. Once the bermudagrass is happy and growing well then you will try to kill it. The best time to remove it is in the fall when it is sending energy reserves into its roots and stolons. There is a net movement of stored energy in this direction in the fall. In the spring there is a net movement of materials towards leaf and shoot growth. You will not get the best control in the spring but it is what it is.

        Like I said, get it happy and growing well and when you have a solid stand of grass which has been mowed then spray it with Roundup. Make sure that you use a spreader/sticker in the spray mix and follow the directions precisely. I would also use distilled water, not our tap water since it is quite alkaline. Some people have reported a better kill with Roundup if there is a small amount of nitrogen mixed with the solution. You can take a tablespoon of ammonium sulfate or urea per gallon and put it in the mix as well if you want to but it is not necessary in my opinion. It is important to get an even application of Roundup over the entire grassy area. You do this by spraying the Roundup in an East West pattern first and then spray the second time in North South pattern so that you get good coverage.

        When you spray, you should be moving your spray applicator at a speed of about 3 ft./s over the area. Do not stop and give some areas a larger dose. You're just wasting chemical. Keep the applicator moving at all times when your spraying. It is important to keep your spray applicator moving at the same speed across the area slightly overlapping the sprayed area each time you cover it. Let the grass dry for 10 minutes or so and repeat the application in the opposite direction. Do not irrigate for 24 hours after the application.

        Give yourself about 10 days and you should see the grass beginning to decline. Roundup does not work quickly so do not expect to see dead grass the next morning. It won't happen. Rent a sod cutter and cut the sod out as deeply as you can. Once the sod is removed begin irrigating the area heavily and frequently and apply a light application of fertilizer to try to stimulate any bermudagrass which is remaining.

        You will probably see spots of bermudagrass trying to come back in seven days if it is hot outside. Spot spray these areas with the same Roundup solution as soon as you see them emerging. Stay on top of these spots and kill them as you see them. Do not let these get out of control. This is very important. I am not telling you to keep an old solution of Roundup. Every time you spray you need to mix up a new batch. These solutions are not stable very long and begin to disintegrate fairly quickly.

        Once you feel you have most of the bermudagrass under control you can begin to develop your landscape. If you are putting in desert landscaping with rock mulch, the bermudagrass will reemerge where you have your drip emitters around the new plants. You can Spot spray this emerging bermudagrass with Roundup making sure none of the spray lands on desired plants. It is okay for it to land on the soil or rock but not on green leaves or stems of living plants.

        Other chemicals you could use around shrubs and groundcover plants for bermudagrass control are Fusilade and Poast but they can be a little sketchy in their control. You can also grub new growth out with a hoe when you see it but do not let the grass go to seed or get very old or it will get established again. Bermudagrass will not grow in complete shade so making sure you  are shading the soil with rock, mulch or competitive groundcovers like turfgrass is good control.

There is more information on Bermudgrass here.

http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7453.html