It’s hard to believe it’s March in the Valley of the Sun because it’s been so cold and rainy this winter. But spring really is upon us right now! Yes, get ready because the days are getting longer and warmer and it’s already time to start your spring planting.
Spring time in the valley leaves a lot of folks confused. Sometimes it goes so fast it seems we’ve jumped right from winter to summer and people miss it completely. But this year you can be prepared if you follow a few simple steps.
The number one mistake people make in the spring is waiting too long to plant new shrubs and trees. If you have plants that died last summer or this winter and you want to plant new things, NOW is the time to do it. All plants and trees go through a bit of “planting shock” when they are first put in the ground.
They need time to recover from the shock and time for their roots to get established before the intense summer heat puts a lot of stress on them. Now is the perfect time to get them in the ground. By planting now, you are giving your plants and trees a head start. With the right care, these plantings will be healthy and growing like crazy by the time April is here.
If you wait too long to plant, the roots don’t have time to establish themselves before they are under intense stress from the hot summer sun and soaring temperatures. That’s why those plants and trees sometimes don’t survive or just look in poor shape all summer long. Planting early is the key to success.
All home owners should check their irrigation for proper operation BEFORE they plant new things. Don’t wait until your new citrus tree is in the ground before you realize it’s not getting any water. We recommend a thorough check-up of your irrigation system at the time you are removing dead plants and trees, and this is the best time for Sprinkler Repair in Phoenix Arizona!
Yep!, it is the perfect time to repair what isn’t working, cap off drip emitters you won’t be using, and add drip emitters to new areas of the yard for new plantings. Once you know everything is in good working order you are free to plant new things that will thrive all summer long.
Lastly, home owners should choose carefully the types of things they want to plant to make sure they are a good fit for their irrigation system. For example, you may want to plant a lovely flower bed. Flowers are “high water” plants and in the summer they need to be watered (on average) twice a day, every day.
But unless the flower bed has it’s own zone (station) for watering, it will only be watered when everything else is watered and that will not be enough for flowers to survive; you would have to supplement with hand watering. If you increase the watering on everything else to compensate for the needs of the flowers, you are likely to drown out the rest of your landscaping.
We recommend consulting with a professional irrigation technician to find out what is best to plant, how to manage your watering zones, and to create a new watering zone if it’s needed.
To get your irrigation system into tip-top shape, get an estimate on creating additional watering zones, make repairs or get advice about your landscaping, give the expert irrigation techs at D&L Sprinkler Service a call at 602-329-3396.
Dennis Lee is the owner/operator of D & L Sprinkler Service here in Phoenix which services customers Valley wide. His friendly staff is available Monday through Saturday or visit them at www.dandlsprinklerservice.com.
