The summer monsoon season went out with a bang! Many areas saw an inch or more between Friday and Saturday’s thunderstorms – a welcome relief after the summer heat and dry period.
Time to adjust for fall! As days get shorter and cooler, your plants need about half the water they did in June. If you haven’t checked your irrigation clock lately, now’s the perfect time! Use our step-by-step guide to reprogram your timer to match the suggested fall watering schedule below.
💡 Got a smart controller? Good news – it should adjust automatically with the seasonal changes.
🌱 Fall is planting season in Arizona! Don’t miss our one-stop fall planting resource site for guides, tips, free wildflower seeds, and inspiration. 👇🏻
Recommendations below are for plants that are established in the landscape (in the ground about two years).
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Warm season grass (Bermuda) - once every 7-10 days
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Overseeded cool season grass (rye) - 4x per day for the first 7 to 10 days to germinate, then once every 3 days
- Desert Adapted - once every 21 days
- High Water Use - once every 10 days
- Desert Adapted - once every 24 days
- High Water Use - once every 12 days
- Desert Adapted - once every 18 days
- High Water Use - once every 9 days
Cacti and succulent watering
Annuals & vegetable watering
- Once every 4-5 days (or more if you are starting seeds)
Wildflower watering
- Once every 1-2 days to germinate, then once every 5-7 days
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.
Gardening and Landscaping Programs at Mesa Library!
Sat., Oct. 11, 10-11 a.m. Growing Seasons and Basics of Growing in Arizona Learn more about the gardening growing seasons and the foundations of growing in Arizona with Master Gardener Pam Shields. Red Mountain Library, 635 N. Power Road.
Thur., Oct. 16, 6-7 p.m. Snowbird Gardening Success Seasonal visitors or year-round residents, take notes with Angela Judd and make the most of fall and winter in Arizona. Learn which cool-season flowers, herbs, and veggies thrive here. Don't miss our local gardening influencer! Arrive early! Mesa Main Library, 64 E. 1st Street.
Sat., Oct. 18, 10-11 a.m. Planting for Butterflies Part of the Xeriscape Done Right: A Water-Wise Landscaping Series from Mesa’s Grass-to-Xeriscape Program! Meet our expert, Noelle Johnson (AZ Plant Lady), and discover how to turn your desert garden into a butterfly haven! In this class, Noelle will teach you how to attract butterflies using the four key elements of a butterfly-friendly landscape. You could win great prizes, including one of Noelle's books, a $50 gift card to a local nursery, or tickets to National Geographic Live's Chasing Monarchs.
BONUS: There will be a quick wildflower seed planting demonstration following the program at the library's Monarch Haven & Reading Sanctuary garden. Red Mountain Library, 635 N. Power Road.
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City of Mesa Kicks Off Tree Planting Season
 Mesa is partnering with community organizations and volunteers to plant hundreds of trees across the city as part of Trees Are Cool, a citywide initiative launched in 2023.
Check out these exciting programs:
•Oct. 3, 8 a.m. - Get Answers, Get Planting
Emerald Park 1455 S. Harris Drive
•Oct. 4, 10 a.m. - Mesa Electric Shade Tree Workshop
Charles K. Luster Building. 640 N. Mesa Drive
•Oct. 25, 7:30 a.m. - Community Tree Planting
Reed Park, 1631 E. Broadway Road
•Nov. 8, 10 a.m. - Mesa Neighborhood Shade Tree Workshop
Eagles Community Center, 828 E. Broadway Road
>> Get the details!
Helping HOA's Cash In on Xeriscape & Irrigation Upgrades!
 Have you heard the exciting news? We offer great incentive programs customized to HOAs and other non-residential customers (multifamily properties, businesses, churches and nonprofits). Incentives of up to $50,000 are available for converting grass to Xeriscape. Plus, up to $20,000 for updating irrigation equipment. Incentives are for FUTURE PROJECTS ONLY. Learn more.
Residential customers may also qualify for up to $2,100 for future Grass-to-Xeriscape conversions.
Water – Plant It Wisely Fall Microsite!
Want a landscape that’s beautiful and sustainable? Check out Water – Plant It Wisely, our ultimate Arizona fall landscaping and planting microsite.
At Water – Plant It Wisely, you'll discover:
- 🌸How to plant now for spring wildflower bloom
- 🦋 Ideas for designing with wildlife in mind
- 🎥 Our “Drab-to-Fab” landscape video series
- 💧 The best fall water-saving landscape ideas
- 🌱 Can’t-miss specialty plant sales
✨ Bonus: When you visit the site, don’t miss your chance to sign up for a FREE packet of wildflower seeds mailed right to your door!
👉 Explore now: WaterPlantItWisely.com
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 Are you thinking of overseeding your Bermuda grass? Save time, save water, save money and more. Check out Plant of the Month (to NOT Plant): Ryegrass or Winter Grass.
Adjusting Watering Frequency for Plant Type
Different plant types need different watering schedules to stay healthy. Our guidelines distinguish between desert-adapted plants and high-water-use plants.
High-water-use plants (like citrus, hibiscus, and roses) need more frequent watering.
Desert-adapted plants (such as palo verdes, Texas sages, and penstemons) can go much longer between waterings.
Here’s the trick: a Texas sage and a hibiscus of the same size require the same amount of water per watering to soak the root ball. The difference is in how often they need it. If both types share the same irrigation valve, you’ll have to water for the thirstier plant, often giving the desert-adapted one more water than it needs.
👉 Find more tips like this in our online watering guide by clicking the More Tips link at the bottom of the watering guide page.
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Plant Pollinator-Friendly Wildflowers Now
Did you know? Wildflowers need to be seeded in the fall for those gorgeous spring blooms. The best time to plant is October through mid-December.
This colorful backyard display of California poppy and purple owl’s clover is proof of what a little fall planting can bring!
👉 Learn more at our Planting Wildflowers page.
✨ Bonus: Visit our Water – Plant It Wisely site and request your free packet of wildflower seeds, mailed right to your door!
**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.
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