What a great way to start the year with a nice soaking rain on New Year's Day (along with a double rainbow)!
Unless you have a garden, annuals, or rye grass, you can set your controller to the 'off' 'stop' or 'rain' setting to stop the watering cycle without disturbing your programs. In fact, any time you receive one-half inch of rain or more, we recommend that you stop the watering cycle on your controller to help save water and money.
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Recommendations below are for plants that are established in the landscape (in the ground about two years).
- Desert Adapted - once every 35 days
- High Water Use - once every 18 days
- Desert Adapted - once every 45 days
- High Water Use - once every 21 days
- Desert Adapted - once every 30 days
- High Water Use - once every 14 days
Cacti and succulent watering
Annuals & vegetable watering
- Once every 7-10 days (or more if you are starting seeds)
Wildflower watering
- Once every once every 12-15 days if no rain
Note: These recommendations are a general guideline only and may need to be modified for your specific site conditions.
Landscape Watering by the Numbers: Don’t forget our online, interactive watering guide. If you input some simple information about your landscape irrigation system, it will tell you how long to water to give your plants just the right amount with these frequencies.
Fall & Winter Leaf Drop - It's Natural
December and January is a typical time for leaf yellowing and partial or complete leaf drop on plants such as palo verdes, native mesquites, desert willows (seen in photo), elms, ash, pistache, and Texas sage. Leaf-litter provides beneficial mulch for your plants or can be added to your compost.
Don't forget, Mesa offers its residents a $5 compost bin made from a repurposed trash container.
If frost is in the forecast and you have sensitive plants, learn how to protect them in this University of Arizona publication.
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There's Still Time to Treecycle
Christmas tree recycling drop-off sites will be open through Jan. 16. Collected trees are taken to the Salt River Landfill and chipped into nutrient rich mulch and composting products. Get the details!
At this link, you'll also learn how to donate your live Christmas tree to plant at a Mesa park.
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SRP Shade Tree Workshops
SRP offers a Shade Tree Workshop, then gives you two free trees to plant on your property to help save energy. The next ONLINE classes will be offered on Jan. 12, Jan. 28, or Feb. 18 via Zoom. Webinar attendees will receive their trees at an SRP Shade Tree pickup event in Spring 2023. For SRP electric customers only. Register here.
Photo: Thornless Mesquite
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Resident's Guide to Water Conservation
Tue., Feb. 7, 6-7 p.m. on Zoom. In this online program, you will:
- Get the latest news about drought and Mesa's water supplies
- Learn how saving water means protecting the environment while keeping more money in your pocket
- Find out how water is typically used in a household
- Hear how to get a free water-saving kit
- Learn about Mesa’s “Cash for Grass” program for residents and HOAs
- Get Mesa’s top indoor and landscape tips on how to save water
The Resident’s Guide to Mesa is a series of free classes with useful information to support Mesa residents who want to improve their neighborhoods. They are provided by Mesa's Community Engagement Department. Learn about additional classes and programs.
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Know Your Water News
The Central Arizona Project delivers water from the Colorado River Basin to communities in Maricopa, Pinal, and Pima counties. You can find updates about the river and shortage impacts at their Know Your Water News site.
Follow the link to find stories, infographics, videos, and more. Here's a video example, Colorado River Tier 2a Shortage for 2023.
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This Resolution Will Save Water and Save You Money!
This year, resolve to save water! This small commitment benefits both you – by saving you money – and the earth. And it doesn’t require big changes to make a difference. Here are some ideas to get you started:
Need more ideas? Visit our water conservation pages.
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Water Wisdom: If you didn't overseed with winter ryegrass (bravo), your dormant Bermudagrass only needs water once every 30 days this time of year. A good winter rain will cover that requirement.
**Reduce your landscape water use 30 to 50 percent by adjusting your irrigation each season.** Landscape Watering by the Numbers: A Guide for the Arizona Desert will help you determine how much water to apply and how long to run your system. Visit the interactive website or request a free copy of the booklet.
-H2O-
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