I'm wondering if it might be the fertilizer. How much did you put down and what kind? Has it rained more than it did last year? Is it hotter? What's in your compost? That sounds like an awful lot of watering to me. I know it is really hot there, but still...

I agree with much of what Kathleen says, e.g., bigger pots, no black pots, shade for container coolness, etc. I have most everything in pots, too. Everything from 8" - 12" all the way up to half-barrels. I have some plants in old galvanized wash tubs. I line metal pots with sheets of styrofoam, often stuff that comes as packing in boxes. This year, I'm using some inexpensive plastic pots and I lined them with multiple sheets of kraft paper. I let other plants grow around the bottoms of the containers to help cool the roots. I haven't had a lot of success with MG's Moisture Control soil. A key ingredient to plant growth is oxygen. A couple of years ago, I read about using wood chips to aerate the soil and since have read this article in MEN. I will say that every container that I've added wood mulch to has healthier plants than the ones that don't. About the ollas: If you buy these things, they are ridiculously expensive. I solved the problem by buying terra cotta (unglazed) wine coolers at the thrift stores. You will find most of them come complete with a lid that solves the mosquito problem. No lid? Just turn a saucer upside down over the top. I wish I could say that my container 'gardens' are a complete success, but that is not the case. It's a matter of soil, plants, water, light, shade, temperature and a host of other factors. Experiment and keep notes. You'll figure out some of it. ;o) Here is a link that might be useful: Wood mulch

tommyr once again this is your opinion and not fact and you should say it as IMO. Mullenium your sarrs. will do fine inside as long as they get 6 hrs of direct sun or you are using grow lights to supplement the sun light if less than 6 hrs. A south facing window will work fine. The water may be your problem. It is more than tap water if it is running through a dirty ditch. Your tap water would probably be better. If the ppm of your tap water is below 100 it will work just fine. For now buy some distilled bottled water to use and see if that helps. No spring or drinking water as these contain salts and minerals that will kill your plants. Distilled water is usually in the laundry soap isle at the grocery store.

With new trees and shrubs, the objective is to water enough to moisten the surrounding soil a bit, NOT just the rootball. In fact our soils will draw water out of the potting medium if they are dry. Use the rule of 1, 2, 3. Water to a depth of 1 foot for turf and groundcovers, 2 feet for shrubs and three feet for trees. Think of it as 'water banking'. When you apply water it soaks in to a certain depth. Then evaporation from the soil surface pulls the moisture back up to the soil surface. The longer you can keep the moisture in the root zone, the better off your plants will be and you won't need to water as often. Usually the length of time you irrigate should be set to about 2 -3 hours because most drip systems are set up with one gallon emitters. Having multiple emitters for your trees will help deliver a larger quantity of water (assuming they are on the same valve as your other plants). One gallon of water will moisten about 1 cubic foot of soil - this is about minimum for 1 gallon size plants. For your new plants - Weeks 1 & 2 - Water every 1 - 2 days in summer Weeks 3 & 4 - Water every 3 - 4 days in summer Weeks 5 & 6 - Water every 5 - 6 days in summer You will probably need to stick to this last schedule throughout summer for your plant selections. When temperatures cool in the fall (October), extend the interval between waterings. By December you should only need to water once every two weeks. Hand watering One of the common mistakes made by gardeners new to the desert is standing over their plants with a hose, spraying leaves until they drip. Unfortunately, its the roots that take up the water, not the leaves. If you are hand-watering, the best thing you can do with that hose is lay it down near the plant not right next to the stem/ trunk, but out near the tips of the roots. In trees, at least, that means near the ends of the branches. You want the plant to form a wide and deep root system. Shallow roots collect too much heat from the surface (which is one reason mulch is so important, but thats another FAQ!) and can contribute to trees blowing over in monsoon storms. When you lay the hose down, slow the flow to a trickle and let it soak in over a long period of time, following the guidelines mentioned above. Water gushing out will just run off instead of soaking in. You may want to pick up a copy of Landscape Watering By The Numbers. It's free and available at many nurseries or by calling your local water conservation office. Happy Gardening! Thanks to AZTREELVR and Pagancat for their expert advice!