July Gardening Duties for Low Desert Arizona Gardens

Gardening throughout the low desert of Arizona all through July is troublesome. Uncover methods to maximise your Arizona yard’s potential in July and navigate the challenges of scorching local weather to verify your vegetation’ survival. Protect learning to check which duties to do, how loads to water, and which pests may current up. I’ve moreover included a helpful “July Yard Job Pointers.”

For particulars about what to plant and harvest throughout the low desert all through July, please see my planting guides or this weblog submit, “What to Plant and Harvest in July: Low Desert of Arizona.”

Click on on on the title to leap to that half and research additional about what to do all through July:

What To Do throughout the Low Desert Arizona Yard in July

July is commonly the preferred month throughout the low desert. Monsoons may carry humidity and moisture, nevertheless they may not. It’s vital to pay attention to your vegetation’ watering desires this month. The frequent temperature is 107°F (41.6°C), and the frequent rainfall is 1.22 inches. Should you’re throughout the yard this month, consider to work exterior throughout the cooler morning and evening hours and maintain hydrated. Low desert consists of elevations below 3500 ft throughout the Southwest, such as a result of the Phoenix and Tucson metro areas.

Vegetable Gardening throughout the Low Desert Arizona Yard in July

A lot of keys to gardening all through July throughout the low desert embrace:

Vegetable yard duties all through July:

• Put collectively for monsoon winds by staking roselle vegetation, huge sunflowers, and completely different vegetation requiring additional help. This weblog submit explains additional about monsoon gardening.
• Take into consideration planting sweet potato slips or black-eyed peas as a cover crop in any empty beds. Be taught additional on this weblog submit.
• Fertilize sweet potatoes with a balanced fertilizer. 
• Filter squash and completely different vegetation which have stopped producing or current indicators of heat stress and sickness to make room for monsoon and fall planting.
• Don’t prune or fertilize most vegetation. Most have to be in summer time season dormancy to survive. Pruning can expose new areas to sunlight hurt, and fertilizing could trigger stress. 
• Bell peppers can get sunburned if fruits get direct photo voltaic; current some shade if scalding is a matter. 
• Tomatoes may be ending up. Take away spent or diseased vegetation. Discover which varieties you most well-liked and which did successfully. If tomato vegetation nonetheless look healthful, permit them to maintain throughout the yard and protect them alive. They’re going to produce as soon as extra when temperatures fall.
• Cucumber manufacturing slows and even stops this month as temperatures heat up. Pull vegetation if very important if cucumbers are bitter or pests or illnesses are an issue. Plant Armenian cucumbers of their place.
• Pot up any indoor-grown seedlings outgrowing their containers if it isn’t time to plant them exterior. Fertilize indoor-grown seedlings every completely different watering.

• For many who haven’t already, order garlic and completely different fall-planted bulbs like ranunculus and anemone. Moreover, order prechilled tulip bulbs to plant at Thanksgiving and saffron crocus for those who want to develop the world’s most expensive spice.
• Bear your seeds and plan for fall and winter planting. 
• Onion blooms have developed seeds. Save them and check out rising your private from seed. You may additionally save bolted parsley and dill seeds.

Vegetable Watering Ideas:

• Hopefully, monsoon humidity and added moisture will come to the low desert this month. A rain gauge helps measure how loads rain you receive. For many who measure .5 inches of rain, study that the rain penetrated your soil after which flip off your water timer. You may additionally insert a screwdriver into grass or rocks to seek out out whether or not or to not water. If it passes merely into the soil, you presumably can wait to water. Monitor vegetation for indicators of stress and assure they get enough water and have good drainage.  
• All through scorching local weather, annual greens need additional frequent watering. Water to a depth of about 8-12 inches every 2-3 days, allowing the best of the soil to dry out sooner than watering as soon as extra. 
• All through July, I usually water my raised beds every completely different day. I make the most of the yard grids from Yard in Minutes to water my raised beds. Use code Angela10 to avoid wasting a number of $10 off $100 or GITG5 to avoid wasting a number of 5 p.c on any dimension order.
• For many who haven’t already, check the irrigation system and timer. Run the system; study all drips and sprinklers for leaks and proper watering. 

My July Yard Journals

Low Desert Arizona in July: Pests & Wildlife to Watch Out For This Month

Monitor vegetation for pests and sicknesss. Eradicating vegetation is often increased than treating them if vegetation are struggling or overwhelmed with pests. The heat is annoying for vegetation – they possibly obtained’t recuperate if overtaken. 

Widespread Pests All through July:

• You might even see circles cut back out from leaves on roses, pomegranates, and completely different vegetation. Leaf-cutter bees are accountable and use the leaves to assemble their nests. It’s magnificence hurt solely and nothing to worry about. These solitary bees are great pollinators.
• Monitor squash and melon vegetation for squash bugs in all phases: adults, eggs, and nymphs. This submit will educate you additional about stopping and controlling squash bugs.
• Three-lined potato bugs are a typical nuisance on tomatillos and flooring cherries. If seen, study vegetation a lot of events a day. Protect a soapy bucket useful to drop them into. If numbers improve or get out of hand, take into consideration pulling the plant.
• Leaf miners on cantaloupe or completely different melons. Take away damaged leaves.
• You need to nonetheless have aphids or chrysanthemum lace bugs on sunflowers, nevertheless hopefully, useful bugs like lacewings and ladybugs will cope with them for you. If not, you presumably can take away damaged leaves and spray them with water.

• Spider mites are widespread on beans, significantly in scorching, dry conditions. This weblog submit explains learn to forestall and cope with them.
• If rollie-pollies are consuming seedlings (they significantly love beans) sooner than they sprout, an environment friendly reply is to sprinkle a small amount of this slug and snail bait when you plant. It is iron phosphate with an attractant for slugs. It’s non-toxic to worms and safe to utilize.
• Monitor tomato, pepper, and eggplants for tomato hornworms. For many who see insect frass (droppings) or eaten leaves, look fastidiously for hornworms. Handpick and feed to chickens.

• Monitor pomegranate bushes for all phases of leaf-footed bugs. If seen, daily vigilance and dropping them proper right into a bucket of soapy water are environment friendly choices to this troublesome pest.
• Totally different widespread pests embrace katydids, crickets, and grasshoppers. Birds and spiders are pure predators.
• Milkweed and completely different seed bugs are widespread on seed pods and best left untreated; they usually don’t set off hurt.

Wildlife and Helpful Bugs:

• All through July, the hum of cicadas often fills the air. They emerge from the soil and love warmth, humid temperatures. Cicadas are Important pollinators and a meals provide for various animals.
• Lovebirds and lesser goldfinch are typically seen on sunflowers this time of yr. They love the seeds, and the lesser goldfinch moreover benefit from consuming the leaves.
• Bees, hoverflies, wasps, lacewings, praying mantids, syrphid flies, parasitic wasps, assassin bugs, and completely different useful bugs are energetic now.
• Totally different wildlife may embrace lizards, hummingbirds, butterflies, and moths.
• Protect your chickens cool by providing water for them to face in. Take into consideration together with a misting stand. Sustaining them hydrated with additional cucumbers and watermelon could help. 

Low Desert Arizona in July: Container Gardening Solutions

• If potential, put small containers away until the autumn. Use the soil from the containers as mulch or add to compost.
• Switch containers to areas of your yard that receive afternoon shade naturally.
• Group containers and develop baggage shut collectively for an insulating influence.

Container Watering Ideas:

• As temperatures heat up, monitoring containers fastidiously and watering often is crucial. You could possibly should water day-after-day. For many who’re not sure, use a moisture meter to look at soil moisture ranges.
• If containers dry out an extreme quantity of, the soil may become hydrophobic. When watering, study the soil to verify water is absorbed and by no means repelled by hydrophobic soil.
• All through July, I usually water my containers every completely different day and refill the ollas each time I water. Together with ollas to containers helps with watering in the midst of the summer time season. I make the most of ollas from Growoya. For a discount, use code GROWING.

Flower Gardening throughout the Low Desert Arizona Yard in July

Arizona gardening in July wouldn’t be the equivalent with out sunflowers! I like this branching choice. They’re all over the place in my yard, and I like them. There are quite a few causes to plant sunflowers: they provide shade, will be utilized as a trellis, attraction to wildlife and pollinators, and are straightforward to develop from seed in nearly any spot in your yard.

• Rudbeckia attracts pollinators, grows successfully from seed, and makes a beautiful cut back flower.
• Tithonia is a heat-loving favorite that moreover makes a beautiful cowl crop.
• Globe Amaranth thrives throughout the heat with fixed watering. I prefer to reap the flowers for cut back flowers. I’ve planted them in my flower beds and all by way of my yard beds to attract pollinators.
• Cut back spent hollyhocks and save the seeds this month. Go away the roots in place.
• Zinnias are a champion of Arizona gardening in July. Give them fixed moisture, and profit from the beautiful blooms! They’re moreover great cut back flowers.

Flower Watering Ideas:

As temperatures heat up, annual flowers will need additional frequent watering. Water to a depth of about 8-12 inches every 2-4 days; allow the best of the soil to dry out sooner than watering as soon as extra.

Fruit & Fruit Bushes throughout the Low Desert Arizona Yard in July

• Fertilize blackberries with a balanced fertilizer. 
• For many who haven’t already, mulch your bushes successfully. Together with worm castings, compost, and mulch 3 occasions a yr will put collectively and help your bushes from extreme summer time season temperatures. Be taught additional on this weblog submit. Valentine’s Day, Memorial Day, and Labor Day are the best events to do this. Nonetheless, it is useful at any time of yr and will not burn vegetation.
• Protect fruit picked up to discourage bugs and pests.
• Pomegranates may drop some fruit this month. Be taught this textual content for additional particulars about learn to develop pomegranates.
• Anna’s apple harvests find yourself this month. Fruit left too prolonged on the plant may prepare dinner dinner! Harvest and convey indoors. Listed below are our favorite recipes to utilize Anna apples.
• Monitor grapes and blackberries for harvest readiness. Cowl to protect from birds if very important.
• Shade newly planted fruit bushes to help them survive their first summer time season. Monitor watering fastidiously.

Citrus:

• Citrus is rising on the entire citrus bushes all by way of the yard. Closing month, the bushes self-thinned, and the fruit that is left on the tree is rising successfully. Citrus bushes respect the monsoon rains and higher humidity this month.
• Paint or wrap any trunks uncovered to sunlight to protect them from hurt. Any water-based paint works to paint citrus. I need using tree wraps over paint. It’s like sporting sunscreen versus a swim shirt. The wrap affords increased security.

Fruit Watering Ideas: ¹, ²

Monitor your fruit bushes for indicators of water stress. Leaf curling is generally the first noticeable sign. Moist the soil from the tree trunk to solely earlier the tree’s drip line.

• Established citrus bushes must be watered as quickly as every 7-14 days to a 2-3 toes depth.
• Water annual fruit and extreme water use vines every 2-5 days to a depth of 8-12″.
• Water established fruit bushes every 7-10 days to a depth of 18-24″.
• Grape vines need deep watering every 5 days. 
• Water annual fruit and extreme water use vines every 2-5 days to a depth of 8-12″.

Herb Gardening throughout the Low Desert Arizona Yard in July

• Lemongrass grows shortly throughout the heat.
• Calmly harvest perennial Herbs like rosemary, thyme, sage, and oregano. Decreasing once more an extreme quantity of could also be annoying.
• Mint doesn’t look good over the summer time season. When temperatures common throughout the fall it ought to rebound.
• Basil is the champion herb of summer time season. The additional you harvest, the additional it ought to develop. Use it and defend it by freezing or freeze-drying.
• Harvest seeds from bolting parsley, fennel, and dill.

Herb Watering Ideas:

• As temperatures heat up, annual herbs will need additional frequent watering. Water to a depth of about 8-12 inches every 2-4 days; allow the best of the soil to dry out sooner than watering as soon as extra.
• Water desert-adapted panorama perennial herbs (like rosemary) every 7-21 days (water to a depth of 18-24″).
• Many Mediterranean herbs, akin to sage, rosemary, lavender, oregano, and thyme, often are likely to die from overwatering and root rot within the summertime than from underwatering. Take care to not overwater them.
• Arizona Herb Planting Data helps you research when to plant over 30 fully completely different herbs in Arizona and whether or not or to not plant seeds or transplants.

Panorama Crops throughout the Low Desert Arizona Yard in July

• Put collectively for monsoon winds by staking any small bushes requiring additional help and accurately pruning bushes and shrubs. If limbs or branches break, prune once more to the first trunk if potential. Be taught additional about preparing for monsoons on this weblog submit.
• Tecoma is in full bloom and doesn’t ideas the heat. Hummingbirds and pollinators adore it.
• Yellow Dot is a vigorous flooring cowl that grows shortly in well-drained soil and may develop in full photo voltaic or shady areas.
• Ornamental Sweet Potato Vine is a fast grower accessible in a lot of colors. . Be taught additional about learn to develop sweet potato vine on this text.
• July simply is not the month to prune or fertilize panorama vegetation, bushes, and shrubs. Pruning and fertilizing encourage new progress and expose new areas to damaging daylight, which is annoying for vegetation when temperatures are above 100°F (38°C).
• If vegetation die, don’t substitute them. As an alternative, search around at completely different vegetation in your neighborhood rising successfully for substitute ideas. For desert-adapted vegetation that require a lot much less water, study this info, Panorama Crops for the Arizona Desert. Wait to plant until the autumn.
• If stinknet sprouts in your yard, pull it and eradicate it so the seeds do not unfold.

• Palms are an exception to planting. They develop and get established best in warmth soils, and July is an environment friendly month to plant them.
• In case you might be considering eradicating Bermuda grass, July is a superb time. Be taught additional in this weblog submit.
• Current shade for model new plantings (decrease than 1 yr outdated) within the occasion that they current indicators of stress, and monitor the inspiration ball to verify it would not dry out. This weblog submit discusses other ways to provide shade.

Panorama Watering Ideas: ¹

• Water twice as prolonged not lower than as quickly as. Plan one extra-long watering this month to flush the accrued salt buildup deeper into the soil.
• Desert-adapted bushes, shrubs & vines every 7-21 days (water to a depth of 24-36″ bushes / 18-24″ shrubs / 8-12″ vines).
• Extreme water use bushes every 7-10 days (water to a depth of 18-24″).
• Extreme water use shrubs every 5-7 days (water to a depth of 8-12″).
• Extreme water use vines every 2-5 days (water to a depth of 8-12″).

Sources:

1 – For added information on watering practices, go to: “Affiliation of Municipal Water Clients Authority. (2023). Landscaping with Kind throughout the Arizona Desert.” https://www.amwua.org/landscaping-with-style.

2 – https://extension.arizona.edu/web sites/extension.arizona.edu/info/pubs/az1151-2021percent20percent282percent29.pdf

If this submit about low desert Arizona gardening all through July was helpful, please share it: