September Landscape and Garden Tips from the Desert Botanical Garden

September brings the hope of fall temperatures in the Valley, even though we’re not quite there yet.  Here are some landscape maintenance tips for homeowners from the Desert Botanical Garden for this transitional month.

Because we are still in Monsoon season and can be experiencing high humidity and rain storms, you should be careful about watering cacti in your yard.  Once things dry out for at least a week, you can begin to water your cacti.  Wait until the end of September and slightly cooler temperature to cut back on watering your trees and shrubs to prepare for winter.  However, if your soil is saturated from heavy rains, be careful about irrigating.  Trees can blow over and cacti can be susceptible to rot.

If the weather has cooled off by the end of the month, take advantage of the ideal planting conditions that encourage root growth and help new plants get established before winter.  Hold back on pruning, as trunks and branches can actually get sunburned if exposed to the still-hot summer sun.    You can give plants their last application of fertilizer before the winter, but you’ll want to use a low nitrogen formula to prevent excessive new growth that could freeze if we get a winter frost.

Finish out the summer with these simple tips for caring for your landscape and prepare for cooler days ahead.