January Desert Gardening List

January is typically the 'cold' month in the desert. Here are a few tips to keep you on track during the month of January:

Plant:
- Set out hybrid tulips and hyacinth bulbs that had been prechilled (Zones 9-10). They need at least a month and a half of chilling before planting.
- Plant winter-growing aloe somewhere that protects them from afternoon sun.
- This is the best time to plant bare root trees and shrubs.
- African daisies, calendula, California poppy, hollyhocks, larkspur, pansies, roses, snapdragon, sweet peas and verbena can be planted this month.
- In your garden, plant asparagus, cabbage, lettuce, potatoes, radishes and strawberries (and other berries).

Care:
- Check to see birds and squirrels haven't attacked bulb gardens. If they are getting at them, protect with wire or mesh.
- Protect frost-sensitive succulents during freeze warnings with sheets, frost cloth or cardboard boxes overnight. Citrus should be protected as well.
- If you experience frost damage this month on your cactus or succulents, leave it on the plant until next month. Cutting off the dead or damaged areas will make the tender wound opening susceptable to further frost damage, disease and rot.
- Prune roses, grapes and deciduous fruit trees.
- Harvest ripe citrus.
- Control winter weeds.

Watering:
- Check the moisture in bulbs this month. Water only when the soil is dry. The same also applies to potted plants and most perennials.
- Cactus should be watered every 4-5 weeks if it hasn't rained. The same applies to summer-growing succulents.
- Winter-growing succulents should be watered about every 2 weeks. Increase watering to 10 days if the weather has been warmer than average.
- The biggest tip for watering this time of year - when in doubt, let it dry out! It is a lot harder to kill a cactus via drought. Over-watering leads to rot and disease.
- The drier a cactus or succulent is the less chance they'll have of being damaged by frost.

Fertilize:
- Irises at the end of January (Zones 9-10). If it's extra chilly this month, wait until early February to do so.
- Fertilize overseeded Bermuda lawn.