Fall has officially arrived in Phoenix. The temperatures are no longer in the triple digits and the days are getting shorter. The fall season may not seem like an active time for your landscape, but in reality, this is a very active time as it is the ideal planting and maintenance season in Phoenix. Follow these five landscaping tips to ensure a fantastic fall season for your landscape.
Fertilize
The best and most ideal time to fertilize your landscape is in the fall because trees and shrubs are still growing underneath the soil. Colder temperatures are a signal to trees that they should stop top growth and focus on root development. Fertilizing with Moon Valley Nurseries’ Super Charged Moon Juice and Moon Dust Organic Blend allows organic enzymes and amino acids to stimulate new root hair growth and stronger cell development while helping the tree grow faster and recover quicker from stressful events. These essential nutrients will be absorbed by the root system of your tree. Your tree will then use these nutrients to grow its root system and ward of any disease in the fall. Excess nutrients are then stored in the roots and will be available for vigorous top growth once spring arrives.
Add instant color with fall annuals
While the rest of the country is dreading the dark winter days, residents in Phoenix are spending more time outside adding instant color to their landscape. Fall annuals are a fantastic and easy way to add striking color to accent areas, garden beds, and hanging gardens. Be sure to visit any of our huge flower tents in Phoenix as we have a great selection of Snapdragon, Stock, Geranium, Alyssum, Pansy, and Petunia that will bloom from fall through spring. For more abundant bloom cycles this fall, pick up a bag of our Moon Dust Organic Blend which creates fantastic results because it was developed especially for our tough, compact, and alkaline soils.
Tree Maintenance
Now that the monsoon season is over, it’s time to check on the status and health of the trees in your landscape. Staking your trees after the strong winds and heavy rain during the monsoon season is extremely important as the adverse weather conditions may have damaged the foundation of your tree. After planting, the single stake will suffice for 3 to 6 months of growth. At which time we recommend switching to double stake harness for the next year. If your tree was planted in the spring, we highly recommend double staking this fall.
You can safely prune a tree in the fall, and you’re going to want to do it before the winter cold sets in. If the temperature shows early indications of cold weather be careful when pruning your tree. You do not want to hack your tree as this will affect the health of your tree, and it will leave it exposed and susceptible to any potential frost damage.
If you have any questions stop in and speak with any of our certified nursery pros. You can also give our tree services division a call at 602-814-0355 or visit our tree services page. They can assist with any needs or questions you may have.
Planting new trees and shrubs
We’re quite lucky to be living in Phoenix as we have two fantastic planting seasons. Even though the spring season is a good time to plant, the fall season is the ideal time to plant new trees and shrubs. In the colder months, trees and shrubs convert their energy to root growth. Planting in the fall allows up to five months of root development. Once spring arrives, the tree or shrub that was planted in the fall will already have a very established root system. With the root system established, the tree or shrub will focus its energy on top growth. Trees and shrubs planted now in Phoenix will have ample time to grow a shade canopy before the summer heat arrives next year.
Plant in the vegetable garden
Urban vegetable gardens are becoming more and more popular every year in Phoenix. Cultivating and growing vegetables may seem like a challenge, but it can be quite easy to grow vegetables and, more importantly, fun. If this is your first attempt at a vegetable garden, we’d suggest that you primarily use transplant vegetables. These vegetables have already sprouted and will put your garden weeks ahead of schedule and are available at our eight nursery locations in Phoenix. We also recommend picking up our Super Charged Moon Juice with Furst Liquid. Moon Juice is a concentrated liquid that contains three important micronutrients - Iron, Manganese, and Zinc - required by every tree and plant. Plant artichokes, beets, broccoli, carrots, celery, lettuce, onions, and peas this fall.
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