Check out our brand new 2016 Garden Calendar and Journal.

Sonoran Seasons

Pima Master Gardener Newsletter

Fall 2015
 

Helping you become a more successful gardener.

Entrance to Tumacácori National Historical Park
A Master Gardener Outreach Program
Greetings from your Pima County Master Gardeners
 
We made it!  Members of b oth the animal and plant kingdoms are breathing sighs of relief. T hanks in part to a robust El Niño, w e're  appro aching the fall equinox with pretty good monsoon rainfall amounts around the area.

Now it's time to prepare for a kinder, gentler gardening season, offering abundant rewards for the informed gardener.  Knowing the possibilities for each season is the first step toward getting the most from your garden. To that end, we have prepared a terrific new Master Gardener Calendar and Garden Journal that gives you monthly guidance on what to plant and tasks to perform. See the article below for more information and where to get the calendar.
 
In this issue of Sonoran Seasons, we're featuring one of our ambitious outreach programs--Tumacácori National Historical Park. Our work began there a few years ago in the Kino Heritage Fruit Tree area, and has since expanded to include landscaping the entrance (cover photo) and other projects. Tumacácori is a gem and we're proud to be contributing to its future.

Also this time we're talking about xeriscaping--a very important concept for the Sonoran Desert. We've had our own journey of discovery in our Xeriscape Demonstration Garden at our Cooperative Extension Office on North Campbell. 

A new feature, Name That Bug!, introduces you to some common insects that you might find right outside your door. Can you identify the insect in the photo?

Finally, I've taken the liberty to indulge myself with an article about my personal passion--adeniums. They're beautiful and they do well in our desert heat and sun. I can not have too many of these.

Take your time browsing through this issue, and forward it to your gardening friends by clicking here Also, visit our website for access to many resources and publications, and like us on  Like us on Facebook Facebook to stay in touch.

If you like the work we're doing, please make a donation to our program today through this secure UA Foundation link.
 
Thanks for being our friend and happy gardening!  
 
Paul Ellis
Master Gardener Coordinator
Bringing History Alive
Tumacácori National Historical Park
Debbie McIntosh, Master Gardener

Sometimes the smallest contributions have the biggest impact.  That's the case for the two peach pits found during restoration work on the Tumacácori Mission in 1987.  These little pits actually led to the acclaimed Kino Heritage Fruit Tree Project.  Though they were covered in adobe dust, they were in pristine condition and dated from 1800 to 1848.   This ignited imaginations to wonder if the original orchards, which covered much of the historic grounds, could be replanted with fruit trees related to the originals cultivated by the Spanish missionaries. 

In 2003, with Tumacácori funding and the help of Jesus Garcia, Desert Survivor's Nursery and many Tucson organizations, fruit trees that possibly descended from those original 1680's orchards were identified.  Cuttings of quince, pomegranate, fig, plum and Mission grape were vegetatively propagated to ensure the new plantings were identical genetic copies of the originals.

More 
Available NOW!   Our New...
2016 Master Gardener Calendar and Garden Journal 
Lessons from our Gardens
Cathy Shirley, Agnes Stahlschmidt, Anne Hunt--Master Gardeners
 
Beyond being a beautiful calendar, this thoughtful publication will guide you throughout the year with Master Gardener know-how and advice specific to the Sonoran Desert. It also doubles as a journal for your own observations. It may be the best ten dollars you'll ever spend on gardening. Look for it at area nurseries, Master Gardener Workshops, Seminars, Fall Plant Sale, farmers markets, or purchase it at our offices at 4210 N. Campbell Ave. 
It makes a perfect gift for your gardening friends. 

The calendar features:
  • Monthly reminders of gardening tasks
  • Monthly guidance of what to plant
  • Monthly photo of a common garden insect
  • Links to community gardening resources
  • An easy-to-understand primer on our desert soil
  • Ways to conserve water and support healthy plants

Fall Activities Lineup

 

Join us for some fun, educational activities over the next few months. Refer to our recent Activities Update for more information on all of these events. Here's the schedule for our Campus Arboretum Tours.  Tours of our 14 Demonstration Gardens are available on Wednesday and Saturday mornings at 9:00, except around major holidays.


 September

Name That Bug!
Master Gardener  Insect & Plant Disease Team

This is a new feature in the Sonoran Seasons News lette r to introduce you to insects that may be crawling or flying around your yard right now. They may be beneficial or destructive, or some of each. Knowing the difference and how to control them will help you be a more effective gardener.  

Do you recognize this  insect?  Is it a:

A.  Cucumber beetle?
B.  Seed bug?
C.  Harlequin bug?
D. Squash vine borer?

Click here to find out and to get  information on all four.

Xeriscape Gardening
Cathy Shirley, Master Gardener

Our Xeriscape Garden
History of Xeriscape
in the West
The concept of xeriscape gardening began in Denver, Colorado, in the early 1980s. Located in the rain-shadow of the Rockies and experiencing rapid population growth, the Denver Water Commission was concerned about limitations on future water supplies and established a task force partnering with area landscape contractors and the Colorado Extension Service, to educate the public on water conservation in the landscape.
The task force coined the term xeriscape, a hybrid of the Greek word xeros, meaning dry, with the English word landscape, and developed the seven principles of xeriscaping: planning and design, soil improvement, limited turf, mulching, efficient irrigation, low-water use plants, and appropriate maintenance. A demonstration garden based on those principles was installed and dedicated in 1982. In the succeeding thirty-three years, xeriscape demonstration gardens have been planted in many arid states. 


Photo taken in August
 
All-Star Plant 
Flattop Buckwheat

This perennial shrub,
Eriogonum fasciculatum var. polifolium, is native to the Sonoran Desert at elevations from 1,000' to 4,500'. It's commonly found on dry slopes and washes.
Preferring full sun, but tolerant of partial-day sun, flattop buckwheat grows quickly to a rounded shrub about 2' x 3'. It's adaptable to most soil types, as long as the site drains well. Given its desert origins, flattop buckwheat is a low water-use plant and frost tolerant to 15° F. The shrub should be left to grow to its natural shape; no pruning is needed.
Consider the Master Gardeners in Your Gift Planning
 
Pima County Master Gardeners is a non-profit, volunteer organization that supports the community with many free educational outreach programs and activities to help gardeners at all levels.  We rely on our fundraising events such as Plant Sales, and donations from individuals to support our program.  Please consider us in your gift planning. For more information go to the UA Foundation Guide to Giving. You can make a tax-deductible donation today through this secure UA Foundation site.
Gardening Tips and Reminders

Here are a few tips and reminders to help you succeed during the next few months. Click on the links for more specific information.

  • Plant trees and shrubs of all types early in the month.
  • Plant cool-season vegetables from seed, such as spinach, lettuce, broccoli, and cauliflower.
  • Plant cool-season annual flowers such as petunias, pansies, stock, snapdragons, alyssum, dianthus and calendulas.
  • Sow desert wildflower seeds.
  • Fertilize roses for the last time.
  • Fertilize new plantings of flowers and vegetables with a high-phosphorus mixture to encourage root growth.
  • Cut back watering frequency as the weather cools.
  • Remove warm-season flowering plants to make room for cool-season ones.
  • Protect cold-sensitive plants, e.g. adeniums and pachypodiums, from cold nights.
  • Sow seeds for beets, endive, kale, peas, and turnips.
  • Plant flowering perennials such as gaura and angelita daisy.
  • Add small amounts of ammonium nitrate to winter vegetables every month.
  • Reduce watering to help plants become dormant and protect them from freezing.
  • Irrigate citrus trees deeply (three feet), about once every three weeks.
  • Prepare for the first frost by obtaining sheets, blankets, frost cloth, and utility lights.
  • Perform general garden cleanup.
  • Prevent winter weeds by applying a pre-emergent herbicide prior to the start of the winter rainy season. 
Adenium: 
Sculptural Elegance,  Floral Extravagance
Paul Ellis, Master Gardener Coordinator
 
F or the title of this article, I borrowed a description of adeniums from the wonderful book by Mark Dimmitt, Gene Josep h and David Palzkill as there is no better description of this magnific ent plant.* Adeniums are known by many names, such as Karoo Rose  and Desert Rose, but an adenium is an adenium.  The plant originated in equatori al Africa, but is found in other areas of sub-Saharan Africa. It is a member of the Apocynaceae family, the same family as Dogbane.  It is a succulent and stores water in its stems and roots. The leaf is somewhat similar to the Oleander.  


Gardening Questions?
Jean Lewis, Master Gardener
 
The Pima County Master Gardeners Plant Clinic can help you solve your garden and landscape problems.
 
Volunteer certified Master Gardeners can:
  • Present best watering practices for plant health and sustainability.
  • Teach you how and when to plant trees, shrubs, edibles and flowers.  
  • Help you select the right plants for your site.
  • Identify insects, diseases, and plants.
  • Recommend the least toxic treatment to avoid blanket use of herbicides and pesticides.
  • Identify and help you attract beneficial insects.
  • Discuss when and what to use for soil amendments.
  • Share proper pruning techniques.     
To speak with a Master Gardener you may visit the Plant Clinic in person with your samples or photos Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm at 4210 N. Campbell Avenue, Tucson. Or you may call 520-626-5161 or email your question and digital photos to fcorrell@cals.arizona.edu . Some questions may take several days to answer. There is no charge for this service.
 
Check out these answers to some common problems we see in our Plant Clinic. FAQ
New Citrus Fertilization Chart for Arizona
Deborah North, Master Gardener
 
As I described in the last edition of the Sonoran Seasons Newsletter, Dr. Glenn Wright of the Yuma Agricultural Center has made some changes in recommendations for the  fertilization schedule of sweet citrus based on extensive studies.  

The publication AZ1671  Citrus Fertilization Chart for Arizona
is now available as the official word on the subject. Historically, we've been instructed to feed citrus 3 times each year using Valentine's Day as the first application date followed by Memorial Day and Labor Day. These dates are based upon Southern California's growing season and are not suitable for our warmer and drier climate. Findings indicate that the addition of nitrogen in late summer or early autumn to sweet citrus creates fruit quality problems. 

The new recommendations are to add fertilizer on the following schedule: 
  • For oranges, tangerines and grapefruit - Apply 1/3 of the recommended range of fertilizer in January-February, 1/3 in March-April and 1/3 in May-June.
  • For lemons and limes - Apply 1/3 of the recommended range of fertilizer in January-February, 1/3 in March-April and 1/3 in August-September.
If you have citrus trees I would urge you to print out the new chart and follow its recommendations for optimum results.

Home Garden Consulting Service
Our experts will come to you.
 
We now offer an on-site consulting service to local residents. Master Gardener Consultants who are experienced and knowledgeable in urban horticulture will come to your residence and identify plants, diagnose insect problems and plant diseases, evaluate watering issues, and provide general care guidelines. They'll spend up to one hour in your garden answering questions and helping to problem-solve. No physical labor will be performed. This service is available to residents within a 10-mile radius of the Pima County Cooperative Extension Office at the intersection of Campbell Avenue and River Road for a fee of $40. Call for a quote beyond 10 miles. To request a consultation, call the Plant Clinic at 626-5161 or email: fcorrell@cals.arizona.edu    A consultant will contact you to arrange this service .
Community Gardening Links
  1. Green Valley Gardeners www.greenvalleygardeners.com/ 
  2. Tucson Bonsai Society  www. tucsonbonsaisociety.org 
  3. Sierra Vista Area Gardeners Club  www.svgardenclub.org 
  4. Native Seeds/SEARCH  www.nativeseeds.org/ 
  5. Rose Society of Tucson  www.rosesocietyoftucson.org 
  6. Tucson Cactus and Succulent Society http://www.tucsoncactus.org 
  7. Tucson African Violet Society   www.tucsonavs.org 
  8. Tucson Area Iris Society   www.tucsoniris.org 
  9. Tucson Orchid Society  www.orchidsocietytucson.org/ 
  10. Tohono Chul Park  www. tohonochulpark.org 
  11. Community Gardens of Tucson  www.communitygardensoftucson.org  
  12. Desert Survivors   http://www.desertsurvivors.org/
Master Gardener Links
Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Jeffrey C. Silvertooth, Associate Dean & Director, Economic Development & Extension, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, The University of Arizona. The University of Arizona is an equal opportunity, affirmative action institution. The University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or sexual orientation in its programs and activities.