August Desert Gardening List

Things to do in your desert garden in August:

Your desert backyard can thrive with the right low-water plants.

Plant:
- Heat-loving annuals such as portulaca and sunflowers.
- Palm trees thrive in hot, sandy soil.

Care:
- Pay particular attention to your trees this month, keep airways available as it's now middle of monsoon season.
- Many palm trees have huge amounts of fruits ripening on them this time of year. You can remove the flower stalks at any time, especially if the litter is staring to obstruct a walkway or street. Dropped fruit can be hazardous in walking areas as they get rather slick!

Watering:
- Bulbs need to maintain a regular watering schedule while they are actively blooming. Water to a depth of 6 inches each time.
- Water annuals daily. Annuals in planters may require watering twice daily, depending on pot size, composition and sun exposure.

Fertilize:
- Citrus can do with some fertilizer this month. This will get them ready to ripen over the fall. Water down the trees thoroughly, then apply fertilizer the following day and water it again.
- Palm trees thrive in the summer and this means they are using up the nutrients in the soil like crazy. Fertilize by watering the first day, applying fertilizer and more water the following day.