The next 10 days show 110° and above... and still little monsoon relief!
Unlike us, our plants can’t pack up and head north or find a shady patio to cool off. Instead, they tough it out – dropping leaves, shedding branches, or slowing growth to survive the extreme heat. But even the toughest desert plants have their limits. Without the right care, some may run out of energy or succumb to stress-triggered diseases.
Check out our tips below to help your landscape survive during this stretch of sizzling summer weather. 🌿☀️💧
Recommendations below are for plants that are established in the landscape (in the ground about two years).
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- Desert Adapted - once every 15 days
- High Water Use - once every 8 days
- Desert Adapted - once every 17 days
- High Water Use - once every 9 days
- Desert Adapted - once every 13 days
- High Water Use - once every 6 days
Cacti and succulent watering
Annuals & vegetable watering
- Once every 1-3 days, possibly multiple times each day
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.
Don't Miss Our Saturday Workshop!
Hiring a Pro – Finding the Best Contractor for Your Landscaping Project.
Aug. 2, 10-11:30 a.m. Whether you’re updating your landscape or planning a major home improvement project, this free workshop is designed to help you confidently navigate the contractor process and avoid common missteps. Mesa Water Conservation staff will also be sharing information on Mesa's Grass-to-Xeriscape incentives – now up to $2,100 for residential and $50,000 for HOA/Commercial qualifying properties.
All attendees will have a chance to win a Dry Climate Gardening book by Noelle Johnson or a $50 gift card to a local nursery. Mesa Main Library, 64 E 1st Street.
Videos On Demand
How Do Those Desert Plants Survive?
Our Water – Use It Wisely blog provides interesting insight as to how our native plants survive and tolerate our harsh weather conditions. Learn about the remarkable adaptations to the challenges of the desert climate. Read the blog.
Photo: Creosote Bush, one of our toughest desert plants.
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☀️🌿 Hot Weather Plant Care Tips
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Add organic mulch around plants (but not touching the stem) to lock in moisture and keep roots cool.
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Water deeply – but not too often! Even grass only needs water every 3 days, even in extreme heat.
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Only water daily if it’s an annual, veggie, potted, or newly planted. Desert trees and shrubs? Nope – they prefer infrequent, deep soakings.
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Provide temporary shade (30% cloth works well) to protect tender plants from harsh sun.
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A quick mist during peak heat can cool surfaces and help birds and wildlife too!
Photo: An agave at Desert Botanical Garden with shade cloth to protect from sun burning.
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Phoenix Launches Green Stormwater Infrastructure Handbook
Looking to capture rain where it falls (when it falls)? Check out Phoenix’s new Green Stormwater Infrastructure Handbook, a free, 25-page guide released earlier this year. It’s packed with practical design tips for landscaping features that collect and use rainwater right where it lands, benefiting nearby plants instead of sending water off to distant retention basins. 🌧️
Find more details in our Water – Use It Wisely blog.
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10 Ultimate Arizona Water-Saving Tips
Check out these ultimate AZ water-saving tips from Water – Use It Wisely for easy ways to save water this summer and all year round!
Shade Tree Programs – Get a Free Tree or Two
Aug. 23. SRP Offers Free Shade Trees when you attend an online Shade Tree Planting workshop. Why? To help reduce your cooling costs, improve air quality, and cool our communities. Since summer isn't the best time to plant, there will be a tree pick-up event planned for fall. For SRP electric customers only.
Oct. 4. Mesa Electric customers can attend a workshop and pick up their tree the following week. Learn more.
If you plant a tree, record your tree to get it onto our planting map on our Trees Are Cool page.
Photo: Desert Willow
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💦 How Long Should You Run Your Sprinklers?
To keep your grass healthy, water deeply – about 6-10 inches into the soil. That usually takes ¾-inch of water, which might mean around 20 minutes for typical pop-up sprinklers.
But sprinkler systems vary, so the best way to know for sure? Do a Can Test (see pg. 5 in our watering guide)! It’ll help you set the right run time every time you water. The adjustment you'll make through the seasons will be the frequency or days between waterings.
Pro tip: During the hottest part of the year, watering grass once every 3 days is enough. If you're watering daily – or more than once a day – you’re overdoing it!
**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.
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