[Arid_gardener] Re: plants at the county extension office

[Dick]

There is really no such thing, mj, as a low water use tropical plant. All the plants in the Demo garden are watered weekly even when it is 110F and much less often when the daily temp high hovers around 75 and lower. The important strategy is to water deeply at least 3 feet checked with a soil probe.. Deep feeder roots are not as effected by daily temp fluctuations but shallow irrigation keeps feeder roots near the surface where evaporation is high. Transpiration through foliage stomata increases as well in high temperatures but the irrigation target is to keep the foliage turgid and rewater when wilt is apparent and before critical-wilt, from which the leaf cannot recover, has put the plant in jeopardy. 

I haven't the time now to make you a complete list but all the plants at the Coop are marked and any self respecting plant catalogue will list temp ranges. Citrus, there are many varieties, are all subtropical and all are delicious fruit but all of them are frost tender and water usage is higher, perhaps, than an oak but less than a grass lawn.  I have four adult producing citrus varieties flourishing in my central Phoenix landscape.  I irrigate by deep watering at the drip line only less than monthly but I turn the water on when I detect a definate wilt in foliage and find relatively dry soil three or four inches deep in the drip zone. 

Start with bananas. I have experienced several hard freezes in my yard but I have a large banana patch with no less than three bunches and a couple of blossoms. Passion fruit is fun to grow. There are many species. Jim Baker nursery often has warm climate fruit species on his shelves. As a last resort, join our non-profit club. 

The demo garden was originally a 30 plus year old bermuda/wire grass lawn that a couple of members and I turned into dust 12 inches deep with a tiller. We screened every square inch of soil 15 inches deep to tremove 90% of the stolens. That strategy worked because we have not seen a blade of grass in that plot for four or five years, but, we tilled every single solitary soil organism (we didn't count but there were millions per cubic inch) back into the ground to nourish the new warm climate plants.

For a quick tropical look, plant bananas and papaya. Get your papaya seeds from a Safeway store and plant the seeds. They will come up like grass.

Some of us are working out there every Saturday morning. Stop and get acquainted. We have tools and applications.

Dick Gross, Sec/Ed, Arizona Rare Fruit Growers. 

Bcc: Arid Gardener; azcrfg


  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: mj barrett 
  To: rkgross3 at cox.net 
  Sent: Tuesday, October 30, 2007 12:16 PM
  Subject: plants at the county extension office


  hi Dick!

  i went back to the extension office to look at the tropical plants that i understand the rare growers group takes care of. i am redoing my yard and wanting to make it look more tropical but with as many low water plants as i can. 

  do you have a list of the plants that you have found to do well here in phx? i have been on your web site and found the articles on fruit but nothing about general tropical looking plants. the liink to more info doesn't work... 

  thank you!

  mj
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