[AG] Low Water Use Trees

[Linda A. Guy]

Most native specimens will benefit from regular watering during the first summer season to become established, after which time minimal irrigation is required. However, the speed with which a desert tree grows is often related to the amount of
water received. What I am suggesting is that if you want faster growth, more water will speed the process. Sometimes, though, the trees are grown too fast, and the trunk cannot support the weight of the more lush canopy. You see this often after
monsoon storms have blown away well watered specimens in landscapes whereas specimens in uncultivated areas are more apt to withstand the wind.

In addition to low water use, you will need to consider the size of the space, if you can handle the leaf and pod litter that many leguminous trees produce (i.e. is a pool or water feature nearby), do you have allergies, are there power lines
nearby, do you want color, when, do you care if deciduous or evergreen, etc. We have a publication MC 33 on Drought Resistant Trees for Maricopa County, but there are also other tree pubs at
http://ag.arizona.edu/maricopa/garden/html/pubs/pubs.htm#Ornamentals
You can see these at your public library's reference section or order them [see the top of this web page for instructions].

There is another good booklet co-published by City of Phoenix, SRP, and Desert Botanical Garden, among others, called Desert Shade Trees. You might call the DBG to see if its still published, then stop by to look at some of the candidates that
you are considering for your yard.

Linda Guy
Master Gardener

ebdive2@aol.com wrote:

> arid_gardener
> Hello, Can you please name  3(if there are that many) desert trees which grow rapidly and can do so with no supplemental watering; if it needs a week or so of h2o to begin, that is possible.  Thank you for any help you can provide. Elizabeth
>
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