Planning not Planting, July 2018
If it is nearly hot enough to melt the container the plant is sold in, it is too hot to be planting! It’s no surprise that July and August are hands out of the dirt and onto the paper (or keyboard) to do some planning. Not only is it stressful for you to be working out in the heat and intense sun, plant roots exposed to scorching air and hot soil during transplant will most likely not fare well. Your time is better spent looking into rebates for the changes you will be making. Desert Water Agency (DWA) has grass to desert landscape incentives as well as rebates for efficient irrigation nozzles. Both programs were just renewed with more funding. Here are some things you can start planning for during the hot summer months:
Nozzle upgrade- Switch traditional spray nozzles for multiple stream rotary, drip or pressure compensating bubblers.
Grass removal- Are there certain water thirsty plants that can be pulled out and replaced? If you have grass you don’t use, time to pull it out and plan a new desertscape.
Pollinator pit stop- Do you have pollinator habitat in your landscape? Some of our native plants are magnets for hummingbirds, bees and butterflies. Be sure to include both host and nectar plants (like desert milkweed a Monarch host plant and brittlebush a great nectar plant) in your design!
Summer planning could pay off this fall since rebates are available! www.dwa.org/rebates