Year-round grass in Phoenix, AZ?
gbooks
12 years ago
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tiemco
12 years agoneilaz
12 years agoRelated Discussions
Native Grass planting in AZ
Comments (8)What is your objective? Why are you going with buffalo rather than hybrid bermuda or St Augustine? Is the area full sun? I hear about Habiturf. It seems to be a little dicey to get started, but once in, it performs as advertised. The seeded buffalo grass is not going to be all female. In fact it would probably be a little leggy with very tall male and female flower stems that make it look shaggy in a week after mowing. I'm not sure blue grama will thrive in Phoenix. Have you asked around about that? If so, then you should be able to mix it like you are suggesting in with the Legacy buffalo. Have you seen Tech Turf from the Turffalo company? It is a hybrid buffalo that has both male and female, but it is better behaved than most. By that I mean the seed stalks grow at about the same rate as the grass itself, so it never looks shaggy. But since the seed and flowers are brown, it has that brown cast to it. Also Tech Turf grows very dense. Most buffalo is a thin turf and prone to weeds. Tech Turf is not. It spreads much faster, too. Here are two pictures of Tech Turf from Lubbock, TX. The first is mowed at 3/4-inch every week. The second is mowed to 2.5 inches, but as you can see, not very often. But that second pic gives you an idea of how dense it can get. Those runners are trying like mad to spread. The second one was probably 5 inches high and had not been mowed for 3 weeks. A normal buffalo grass would have had seed stalks standing up 10 inches or so in that time....See MoreEastern redbud in Phoenix AZ am I crazy?
Comments (12)I'd agree with the general advice given, but I do disagree about Eastern Redbud(Cercis canadensis) not being drought tolerant. It grows wild well into Central Kansas where many other Eastern species of tree don't make it out to because of heat and drought(average precipitation in this area is as low as 25"(6350mm) and summer highs can be as high as 115F(46.1°C)). It also grows in full sun and nearly full sun in this area. In fact in the beginnings of creeks and erosion channels in the upper 1/3(elevation) of hills in the largely treeless Flint Hills it is one of the tallest trees, forming in some parts somewhat of a canopy growing over the top of Chinquapin Oak(Quercus muhlenbergii) among others. So, it is quite drought and heat tolerant. Although Phoenix, AZ is even hotter and drier than Central Kansas, at least for a much much longer period of time during the year. So, it would most likely do best in full shade and definitely need regular watering, but not excessively like many other Eastern trees would need in your climate. There are other Redbud species which would look very similar and be even more heat and drought tolerant than Eastern Redbud. 'Oklahoma' and 'Texas' are both popular cultivars of Oklahoma Redbud(Cercis reniformis), which was first described from Southern Oklahoma's Arbuckle Mountains. It has a smaller thicker glossy leaf, with generally darker flowers(except the cultivar 'Texas' which has white flowers), and grows a bit smaller than Eastern Redbud. Western Redbud, or California Redbud(C. occidentalis) is native to Arizona, even not too far from Phoenix. It grows all around the Grand Canyon also and I've seen it in full sun surrounded by baking hot exposed rock there(i.e. it was growing out in the open with no other plants around). It has smaller, duller, more blue-green, thicker leaves than Eastern Redbud and grows smaller with multiple trunks. It's leaves are also often notched at the tip giving them a kidney shape to them, but otherwise rounded at the tip and not pointed like Eastern Redbud. It should do well for you in Phoenix. Lastly, Mexican Redbud(C. mexicana) is native from South Central and SW Texas(starting around San Antonio) down through much of Eastern Mexico. It's leaves are even smaller(1"-1.5"(2.5cm-3.8cm) long and wide) than C. reniformis with an undulating leaf edge and very thick and glossy even more so than Oklahoma Redbud. It's also very closely related to and probably should be lumped with Texas Redbud(C. texensis) which has slightly larger leaves, which are less glossy, and doesn't have an undulating leaf edge. Both will grow smaller than Eastern Redbud. Some also try to lump C. reniformis with C. texensis also(putting them all under the name of C. reniformis and calling them all "Texas Redbud"). Historical treatments of these different Redbuds have lumped most all into the same species or just mere varieties, but based on current information I think they are well justified as their own species. But, if a plant tag says something like Cercis canadensis reniformis or Cercis canadensis var. mexicana, etc. you can just delete the canadensis part to get to the scientific names I used. Mexican Redbud, Western Redbud, and Oklahoma Redbud are all in the nursery trade, with Western Redbud being the most difficult to find, at least in my experiences(only found it offered in a couple of nurseries in California). Mexican Redbud is the next most difficult to find, but I've seen it at nurseries in Texas and Arizona. Sorry, but I can't remember which nursery in Arizona, but it was in Tempe or Scottsdale....See MoreBest palm for full sun tubs look good year round?
Comments (9)The Bureau capitata is also good in containers, but the spread of the canopy and size even while young will look best in larger sized pots, At least a half oak wine barrel or larger still. Transplanting a palm out of a container that has been growing for years is also a bit of work. Often easiest if you are willing to simply break the pot to liberate it. At a minimum, make sure the pot's opening is not less wide than the pot, or you'll likely not get it out without breaking the pot. Almost all of these palms are a bit thorny to prune/transplant, but for their beauty, can't hold that against them. Arenga engleri is another slow growing clumping palm good for containers with no thorns and interesting silver color on the Lear's reverse, but you need to be careful of the ripening seeds, they are a skin irritant, and the blooming portion of the palm does die after it blooms. Very slow to bulk up in SF East Bay Area conditions without benefit of reflected heat, which actually can be an advantage for a long term container plant....See MoreLawn renovation/reseeding - Phoenix AZ
Comments (2)The best solution for weed control is a healthy lawn. Lush, thick Bermuda grass will choke out most weeds and along with Bermuda hybrids, it is the best choice for a lawn in the Phoenix area. It will stay green until the first freeze (usually about Dec. 1) and begin greening up in March if not overseeded. There are two classes of weeds - grasses and broadleaf (clover, spurge, London rocket, etc.). If you have broadleaf weeds, use a product containing 2-4-D which will not harm the Bermuda. Your Spectracide does not kill Bermuda but is effective on a wide range of broadleaf weeds. It also comes with a warning not apply to Bermudagrass when daytime temperatures exceed 85° F. The poa annua will be dying as soon as warmer weather arrives, if its not dead already. Using Round Up now may not kill the existing bermuda. The active ingredient (glyphosate) needs to be translocated to the underground rhizomes and roots as well as the stolons, and it won't do this until the grass is actively growing when its hot - May - September. To reseed your lawn, wait until mid May when night time temperatures are consistently above 65 degrees to seed more Bermuda. Here's a link to the steps on seeding a Bermuda lawn. FYI, The seeded variety 'Princess' is a seed producing hybrid variety. It is legally termed a hybrid, due to the arrangement and selection of seed producing parent plants in production fields. 'Princess' produces a lawn which looks much finer then most other seeded types of Bermuda plants and is darker green in color....See Moregbooks
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