[Arid_gardener] After frost pruning/saguaro care

[Christine M. Bahto]

ORIGINAL QUESTION:
Date: Tue, 13 Feb 2007 14:38:53 -0700 (MST)
From: chipandbecky at hotmail.com

Rebecca
85338

Hi there - I was hoping to get some direction on when it would be best to
prune plants that were effected by the frost in January.  Most of them are
shrubs and ground cover plants.  Also, I wanted to know the best way to care
for a saguaro that is being transplanted.  I have heard not to have any
water near it because they will rot, and I have also heard that you should
have a drip line on them to help them root.  Please Help!!!

Thanks - Rebecca

ANSWER:

Rebecca,

The average last day of frost in the Phoenix metro area is Mid-February...so
prune away! Look for new growth and cut just above it. If you are not seeing
any new growth you might want to wait until you actually start to see some.

As for the saguaro, if you put it on drip it will eventually rot and if you
never water it, it will never grow roots.
You need a happy medium.

After it is planted wait about 1-2 weeks before you start to water, this way
any roots that may have been damaged during the transplant will have time to
heal. Then you should water it deeply approximately every 2 weeks during the
summer to stimulate new root growth. Cut off the watering at the end of
October and resume watering again (athough less frequent) next summer to
ensure that it has rooted. Help it get through it's first 2 summers after
which only water, once a month especially if it's an extremely hot, dry
summer (like all of them!), never water in the winter.

Hope this helps,
Christine Bahto, Master Gardener, Maricopa County, U of A Cooperative
Extension