The fall season has finally arrived and as always it's the best time to plant. The combination of cool days and even cooler evenings allows the soil to hold the warmth from summer without the blistering sun pushing temperatures well over 100 degrees. This ideal balance encourages root growth all season long!
Now that we have transitioned to fall, our experts have compiled a few tips and tasks for your landscape this month.
Now that we have transitioned to fall, our experts have compiled a few tips and tasks for your landscape this month.
To Do List:
- Watering: Now that we are in the fall season, it is imperative that you adjust adjust your watering schedule. The cooler nights and cooler days are going to translate into the ground retaining moisture longer thus permitting us to use less water going forward. The amount of water should not be cut back, however, the frequency at which you water your lawn will be reduced. Be sure to read up on our Watering Guide schedule.
- Plant Annuals: Add instant color to your landscape with fall annuals like the Pansy, Geranium, Snapdragon, and mums. Available at any Moon Valley Nursery location.
- Weeds: Don't let those weeds settle! Remove them ASAP. We stock all the things you need for your weed prevention at any of our Moon Valley Nursery locations. Also, consider adding mulch to areas to reduce the number of sprouting weeds.
- Fertilizing: We cannot stress the importance of fertilizing everything on your landscape. And we mean everything. All of your trees, flowers, vegetables, and lawns. It may not seem like it, but this is still the growing season and this is when your trees and plants are going to be utilizing the most nutrients. Once the temperature drops, the material on our landscapes will stop top growth and focus on root growth. This is the main focus of trees and plants during the cooler months. Fertilizing now and throughout the winter will allow the plant to soak up the nutrients and store them for explosive spring top growth. Everything should be feed with the proper fertilizer to ensure optimal growth during this crucial time. Moon Juice is a staple that should be used on all your trees, plants, flowers, vegetables and more all year round. This makes your watering more effective as well as making the nutrients more readily available for the plants and trees to uptake. The entire brand of Moon Valley Nursery fertilizers can be used now on everything from turf, palms, desert trees, shade trees, palms and more. Click here to see all of our fertilizers.
- Tree Care: Since everything is now starting to grow again we have to think ahead about proper care and trimming. Making sure you have your landscapes well cared for is a vital part in making sure you protect your investment. This time of year we can trim off any dead or sun damaged that may have occurred over the summer, cut back any excessive branches or some that may have been damaged by summer storms and also clean all of our citrus and fruit trees of unwanted suckers.
Below are a few trees our experts recommend planting for this month:
FicusThe Ficus nitida is the most popular tree through our region for their instant shade, minimal maintenance, and versatility for just about any landscape. Don’t let the amazingly green appearance fool you as they are one of the most durable trees around. Lush, dense foliage provides dense canopies of shade from strong softwood branches. Many of our customers plant these along property lines as barriers for blocking sun, noise, wind, and views; as well as letting the exceptional beauty stand out on any property. The foliage of the Ficus are very hardy and can be trimmed into topiary like shapes while handling the summer heat. The foliage is thick and it can provide some excellent privacy.
Arizona AshThe Arizona Ash is well suited to handle all extreme temperature changes. In the fall, this deciduous tree’s foliage turns into a vibrant golden color. The Arizona Ash is seedless and only requires one clean up once the leaves drop. The tree grows its leaves back quickly in the spring, which provides maximum shade in the summer months. Its canopy of shade covers a large amount of territory and its flowers form in small clusters in the spring.
Brazilian PepperHardy and adaptable to many environments, the Brazilian Pepper is an attractive evergreen that is known for its compound leaves and shiny red berries. It provides year-round shade and privacy with its thick foliage and spreading canopy of crisscrossing branches that support its finely toothed and dark green elliptic leaves. The Brazilian Pepper blooms showy clusters of white flowers in the spring which are followed by eye-catching small red peppercorns throughout the fall. Its dark-green foliage, white flowers, and red color make it an extremely popular tree to plant in any landscape seeking instant color.
Chinese ElmWidely used throughout the Southern U.S. for more than 100 years, the Chinese Elm is a beautiful tree and one that has become a very popular choice for our customers due to its dark green foliage on its umbrella shaped canopy. The massive canopy of shade can come from rather quickly with these trees. The Chinese Elm thrives in hot and sunny environments and in very mild winters, they can retain their leaves.
TipuIt’s massive shade, ridiculous growth rate, low water usage, and bright yellow pea shaped flowers has made the Tipuana tipu a popular tree for homeowners across the Southwest. When it comes to shade the Tipu is the perfect choice. This semi-evergreen grows extremely fast and spreads with age producing a layered umbrella-like canopy. Its growth habit and massive canopy of shade makes it an ideal tree to cool your home, shade your patio, or as a way to protect other plants in your yard from the summer sun.
Museum Palo VerdeIf you're looking for the "WOW" factor look no further than the Museum Palo Verde. It’s spreading, open canopy of shade is supported by blue-green, sculpture like trunks that provide a stark contrast to just about any landscape. In the spring, breathtaking yellow flowers emerge and cover the entire tree. The Museum Palo Verde’s layered shade makes the tree look light in your yard while providing very cooling shade for your home.
CamphorAlong with its beautiful green bark and fragrant foliage, the Camphor never loses its leaves, which makes this a great choice for the inexperienced or over-worked landscaper. Camphor trees are also known for attract small wildlife, which can add a great natural effect to your landscape. This tree is much faster growing than live oaks but provides the same benefits, making it a popular choice for those tired of the same old oak tree look.
Raywood AshA popular choice for landscapes across the southwest, the Raywood Ash is known for its breathtaking display of rich red to deep burgundy foliage in the fall that gives any landscape a unique touch for the season. Its leaves drop off quickly after the fall season, allowing for an easy one time clean up. During the warmer months, the Raywood Ash is an ideal shade tree that grows more upright than it does wide. Its dark green foliage provides a sharp contrast to any landscape and looks great as a stand-alone or specimen shade tree
Shamel AshA classic looking "Legacy Type" tree, the Shamel Ash, also known as the ‘Evergreen Ash’, is a great solution for just about any landscape that needs a large, fast-growing shade tree. Capable of reaching great heights, the classic, larger-leaved, green foliage is attractive and compliments just about any landscape. It creates a massive canopy of shade and is a great climbing tree or even one to hang a swing off of!
JacarandaFor a tree that puts on a truly spectacular floral show, consider a Jacaranda. These trees often grow with multiple trunks, making them an interesting addition to your landscape. In the spring and summer, the Jacaranda tree produces purple trumpet-like flowers. This tree grows very fast and provides a soft, filtered shade with incredible blooms.
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