ArizonaLandscaping

July 7 2026

Euphorbias are Everywhere!

Robbie Blog ArizonaLandscaping, AZ Landscape, Landscape Management

In Sonoran Desert landscaping, you can find many interesting-looking plants. Some of the most interesting-looking plants are from the genus Euphorbia. Some look like succulents, some look like shrubs, some are weeds, and some are Christmas decorations. One thing is certain: Euphorbias are strange, and Euphorbias are everywhere.

As a genus, Euphorbia is actually one of the most common types of plants in the entire world. In fact, there are over 2,000 species of Euphorbia worldwide. They can be wildly different in their physical forms, bloom in a range of different colors, grow to extremely different sizes, and serve different roles in various ecosystems. One factor that unites them is their white, latex-like sap that pours out when a stem is injured. This sap is almost always poisonous and can irritate skin for those with sensitivity to Latex and similar compounds. For this reason, many people avoid keeping Euphorbias in spaces where curious pets and children may contact them. That being said, Euphorbias are extremely resilient, and many of the species native to Arizona and imported to Arizona are perfect for handling our brutal summers with ease.

The “Firesticks” or “Pencil Cactus,” Euphorbia tirucalli is one of the largest used in Arizona landscaping. While native to eastern and southern Africa, the Firesticks grows rapidly in Arizona, and can turn into a large shrub or small tree if given the space. It’s notable for its bright orange tips that develop during cold weather.

Another common Euphorbia used in Arizona landscaping is the Gopher Spurge, Euphorbia rigida. This is a low-medium shrub that grows bracts of blue leaves and huge clusters of yellow-green flowers. Often after it completes a bloom cycle the old stalks die off and new ones grow in from the root ball.

Others you may find include the Candelabra (Euphorbia candelabrum), Royleana (Euphorbia royleana), Lucky Cactus (Euphorbia trigona), Hedge Euphorbia (Euphorbia neriifolia), Crown of Thorns (Euphorbia milii), Candelilla (Euphorbia antisyphilitica), and many others.

None of the aforementioned species are Arizona-native plants; however, there are Euphorbias native to Arizona. Unfortunately, most of Arizona’s Euphorbias are considered weeds that get removed upon sight. Most of these are known as the Sandmats, in landscaping contexts simply called “Spurge” (especially Euphorbia prostrata). These are mostly low-growing ground cover that rarely exceed 3 inches in height. They bloom with tiny white or pink flowers and have leaves that range from dark green to deep red. They’re very difficult to remove from turf and from the bases of shrubs, as their entire rootball needs to be removed to kill the plant. However, an intentionally-planted and cared-for Sandmat could make for a unique, out-of-the-box floral design.

Lastly, the Poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) is famous worldwide for being a common Christmas decoration. They grow with large leaves and beautiful clusters of white, pink, or red flowers, making them perfect for the holiday season. In Arizona, they usually die off by the time the temperature exceeds 90 degrees, but some people are able to keep them alive for years with the right care!

At ELS Maintenance & Construction, we grow wide varieties of plants at our in-house Wholesale Nursery, including multiple Euphorbia species. If you know of a community or commercial center that needs new landscapers, email robbie@evergreenaz.com and we can get started!

May 5 2026

Best Plants for Native Pollinators

Robbie Blog Arizona Landscape, ArizonaLandscaping, AZ Landscape, HOA Landscaping

Many people talk about supporting “the bees” when designing gardens and landscapes. What most may not know, though, is that the “Honey Bee” that we associate with “the bees” are not native to the Americas. European Honey Bees (and their “Africanized” counterparts) are, as their name suggests, from Europe. They were first spotted in the Americas shortly after the beginning of European colonization of the New World. They pollinate numerous flowers throughout the Americas today, though in many ways they harm the environment by outcompeting native pollinators and spreading insect diseases.

Arizona alone is home to over 1,300 species of native bees, almost all of which have been ecologically challenged by European Honey Bees. Additionally, there are 300 species of butterflies, 28 species of bats, dozens of birds, and even many flies and other small insects that cooperate with the native plants of our state to create stable ecosystems. Honey bees pollinate some of the plants in the desert, but not all of them. Some plants rely entirely on specific native animals to reproduce. Therefore, if you can install any plants that support native pollinators, you’ll be contributing to their survival in our urban areas. And guess what? Most native pollinators don’t even sting.

Some plants that bring native pollinators to your home include: Desert Milkweed (Asclepias subulata), Vining Milkweed (Funastrum cynanchoides), Desert Marigold (Baileya multiradiata), Desert Willow (Chilopsis linearis), Ocotillo (Fourquieria splendens), Desert Lavender (Hyptis emoryi), Chuparosa (Justicia californica), Creosote (Larrea tridentata), Blackfoot Daisy (Melampodium leucanthum), Deergrass (Muhlenbergia rigens), Ironwood Tree (Olneya tesota), Blue Palo Verde (Parkinsonia florida), Hedgehog Cactus (Echinocereus engelmanii), Parry’s Penstemon (Penstemon parryi), Globe Mallow (Sphaeralcaea ambigua), Velvet Mesquite (Prosopis velutina), Arizona Rosewood (Vauquelinia californica), and many, many more. European Honey Bees will still take pollen from many of these, but the benefits of providing space for native pollinators will be greatly appreciated by Arizona wildlife of all types.

Assuming you already have established trees in your yard, the top three picks for shrubs that support native pollinators would probably be the Desert Milkweed (Asclepias subulata), Desert Lavender (Hyptis emoryi), and Arizona Rosewood (Vauquelinia californica). The Desert Milkweed in particular is special for its role as the main food source for Monarch Butterflies during their yearly migration through Arizona. Please feel free to include as much native plant biodiversity as possible in your yard if you are able! Doing so increases the number of native animal species that can have a safe, survivable haven amidst the sprawl of the Phoenix metro area.

At ELS Maintenance & Construction, we grow and install native plants that we are happy to install in landscapes throughout the valley. If you know of a community or commercial center that needs new landscapers, email robbie@evergreenaz.com and we can get started!

February 27 2026

Why Do Arizona Turfs Need Gypsum and Sulfur?

Robbie Blog Arizona Arbor Care, Arizona Landscape, ArizonaLandscaping, CommercialLandscaping, HOA Landscaping

If you’ve lived in the Phoenix area for a while you know that it can be difficult to keep plants happy. The summers are hot, sure, but the big problem can be found in the soil itself. The soil in the Sonoran Desert is very alkaline. Essentially, that means it’s salty. As salt builds up in our clay-rich soil, it can become impermeable, hardening and preventing air and water from easily soaking in. This is bad for the roots of plants, especially if they are not native to the desert or otherwise accustomed to salty soils. There’s probably no plant where this challenge is more obvious than grass.

Turf in Arizona faces several challenges, but one of the worst is the alkaline buildup in the soil, or more specifically, the consequences of this buildup. Plants have difficulty absorbing important nutrients when the soil gets too salty. Nitrogen and Iron are especially likely to be chemically trapped in salty clay buildup. Both of these nutrients are vital to a plant that gets regularly cut down like grass, and there is very little Nitrogen found naturally in desert soil. The lack of available Nitrogen, Iron, and most other nutrients, makes grass turn pale or yellow. It can also slow its growth, change its shape, or kill the grass altogether in especially impermeable spots. How do you solve this problem?

In addition to proper turf care like aeration and dethatching, substances can be added to turf spaces to break up built-up clay and drastically improve the health of grass. Soil Sulfur is a powder or granular supplement that does wonders on this front. Sulfur is acidic, and when allowed to dissolve with water, it chemically reacts with the salts in the ground and breaks them up. This opens up the previously impermeable soil, lowers the pH level around the roots of grass, and makes Nitrogen, Iron, and the other important nutrients available to be consumed by the roots. Gypsum is also a great option. It acts in a similar manner, reacting with salts and breaking them apart, allowing water, air, and nutrients to reach the roots of turf grass. The only difference is that it is chemically much tamer and has minimal impact on the pH level of the soil as a whole. There are many other products that can be used for similar purposes, called Soil Acidifiers. These are usually liquids that can either be sprayed on turf or injected directly into built-up soil to make it healthier for growth.

While these practices are relatively well-known for keeping grass happy, many do not know that the vast majority of landscaping plants in the desert can benefit from practices like this as well. While native plants like mesquites and cacti are accustomed to our soil type, non-native species of all sizes will likely perform better if the soil around them is amended with Gypsum, Sulfur, or other Soil Acidifiers at regular intervals. Try it on trees and shrubs that are underperforming! Consult a Certified Arborist if you are unsure whether your plants will benefit from these practices.

At ELS Maintenance & Construction, we always recommend soil amendments to turf areas at regular intervals that are best for keeping healthy grass. If you know of a community or commercial center that needs new landscapers, email contactus@evergreenaz.com and we can get started!

December 2 2025

What To Plant If You Want Winter Blooms

Robbie Blog ArizonaLandscaping, AZ Landscape

In many other regions in the United States, there is no expectation for flowers to be blooming during the coldest months of the year. The Sonoran Desert, however, has a fall growing season that leads to certain plants flowering even during the winter!

As for flowers, there are many options that you can plant right now which will continue blooming through the winter if you keep them healthy. Petunias, Snapdragons, Pansies, Violas, Alyssum, Calendulas, and even some varieties of Geraniums can keep flowering through the coldest times of the year in the Sonoran Desert. Most of these can even handle mild frosts without issue, though it may still be smart to cover them during freezing nights.

If you’re looking for larger, more permanent plants in your yard’s landscaping that offer some color during the cold of the winter, there are a few choices for you as well. The Valentine Emu (Eremophila maculata) is a super strong Australian shrub that gets covered in reddish-pink flowers in the winter, most notably around Valentine’s Day. Lantanas (Lantana), Yellow Bells (Tecoma), Roses (Rosa), and Cape Honeysuckles (Tecomaria) all have the capacity to bloom in waves throughout the winter, though they are much more liable to be damaged during cold snaps. If the winter is warmer than average, some Penstemons and Desert Marigolds (Baileya multiradiata) can bloom as early as January. Aloes such as the Aloe Vera (Aloe vera), Blue Elf Aloe (Aloe ‘Blue Elf’), and Tiger Aloe (Gonialoe variegata) are very cold-hardy and bloom between December and March.

It’s harder to find trees that bloom in the winter, but there are still a few good examples. The Sweet Acacia (Vachellia farnesiana) bursts forth with huge quantities of yellow puffball-shaped flowers from January through March. The Hong Kong Orchid Tree (Bauhinia x blakeana) flowers from the late fall through the early winter. Finally, the Mexican Redbud (Cercis canadensis var. mexicana) is dormant for much of the winter, but becomes absolutely covered in red-pink flowers in late February or early March, before leaves grow in for the spring.

Now is the best time to install plants if you want showy growth for the fall and stable blooms for the winter!

At ELS Maintenance & Construction, we install vibrant palettes of smart landscaping plants in communities throughout the Phoenix metro area. If you know of a community or commercial center that needs new landscapers, email contactus@evergreenaz.com and we can get started!

Pink,Bauhinia,Flower,Blooming,,Closeup,Purple,Orchid,Tree,Or,Purple

January 31 2025

Invasive Plants Should Be Removed Before They Bloom

robbie@evergreen Blog Arizona Arbor Care, Arizona Landscape, ArizonaLandscaping, AZ Landscape, CommercialLandscaping, HOA Landscaping, HOAMaintenance, Landscape Management

Since the population boom in the Phoenix area in the past several decades numerous invasive weeds have been introduced to the environment which cause severe damage to the ecosystem and make wildfires more potent and frequent. The worst offenders include Buffel Grass, Brome, and, most recently, the notorious Globe Chamomile (“Stinknet”). Removing or killing these noxious weeds whenever possible is beneficial, but, for several reasons, it is much better to remove them while they are young.

First of all, it’s important to remember that blooming means reproduction. Allowing the pollen of invasive species to spread not only makes local allergies worse, but also causes these weeds to produce seeds that are prepared to sprout the following spring. It’s vital to remove invasive weeds while they are young, so that, at least in your area, there will be less of them to worry about next year. If you remove them too late, there’s also a good chance that you are spreading the unwanted seeds while pulling the mature plant material.

Secondly, invasive weeds that are allowed to grow to maturity will proceed to die and dry up. This dry plant material is fuel for fires. In fact, the species listed earlier are likely nearly entirely responsible for the increase in the size of wildfires in the Southwest in the past several years. If you can keep your property clear of invasive species, you lessen the likelihood that your home will be damaged in the case of a wildfire. It’s much easier to remove these weeds while the plants are alive and young and the weather is cool.

Additionally, it’s important to remember that invasive plants steal resources from native plants. If you allow invasive weeds to grow unimpeded, they will steal root space, water, and nutrients from the soil and weaken native plants leading into the summer. This especially applies to cacti, which rely almost entirely on shallow-depth capillary roots for their water. Invasive plants steal that water individually in small volumes, but collectively enough to put an established cactus into a state of drought.

A final note: Study the appearances of invasive weeds before you pull them, or contact a landscaping professional to do the work for you. It would be very unfortunate to accidentally remove a native plant!

At ELS Maintenance & Construction, we do whatever we can to minimize the growth and spread of invasive and noxious weeds! If you know of a community or commercial center that needs new landscapers, email contactus@evergreenaz.com and we can get started!

August 30 2024

Preventing Wind Damage in Desert Trees

robbie@evergreen Blog Arbor, Arizona Arbor Care, Arizona Landscape, ArizonaLandscaping, AZ Landscape, Commercial Landscaping, CommercialLandscaping, HOA Landscaping, HOAMaintenance, Landscape Management

The summers in Arizona are characterized by the storms brought on by the monsoons. Whether or not those storms bring rain, they will certainly bring strong winds. Those winds often yield great amounts of broken branches or even entire uprooted trees. While there’s no way to completely prevent wind damage and nobody’s perfect, here are some of the best practices to minimize it.

Structural Pruning. When pruning trees, especially young trees that are establishing their main trunks and arterial branches, a long-term look at the healthiest structure for the tree is necessary. Branches that cross over one another prime candidates for pruning, as they will rub against one another and grow until one or both break from the prolonged friction damage. If two branches or trunks are co-dominant (equally large and splitting off from the same point), whichever one ends up carrying the most weight will be the one most likely to break off during a particularly severe storm with the wind positioned just right. Single-trunk trees are generally better at surviving the wind than multi-trunk ones, but even multi-trunk trees can be structurally pruned to live as long as possible.
Air Flow Pruning. While structural pruning is about the long-term structure of tree branches and the overall canopy, pruning for airflow is a short-term solution for trees that grow thick canopies very quickly, such as Mesquites and Palo Verdes. Essentially the goal here is to lessen the overall friction in the air by allowing more space for wind to flow between branches. Typically, this involves cutting smaller branches (though with the long-term structural implications in mind) to reduce the thickness of canopy foliage in trees that are deemed vulnerable to strong gusts.
Proper Irrigation. When young trees are planted, they typically have their irrigation drips relatively close to the trunk to make sure that they can properly establish themselves after the shock of planting. However, the drip should not be left near the trunk for long. Beginning about 6 months after the young trees’ first growth cycles, the drips should be incrementally moved further away from the base of the tree, usually proportionally to the diameter of the trees’ canopies. If drips are not pulled away, the root systems will remain small, despite the growth in canopy size, and they won’t be able to support the weight for very long. This causes LOTS of trees to fall over every summer. You can tell if this was the cause of a tree’s collapse if there are barely any roots connecting to the trunk. Often, improper care at their original nurseries can cause root girdling early on and doom trees right from the start, as well, so it’s important to check the quality of the root flare even for trees in pots at nurseries before you buy. While trees that were girdled in their original containers have little chance of surviving multiple decades, healthy young trees can be given the best chance of long-term survival if the drips are carefully and gradually moved further from the trunk as the canopy expands.

At ELS Maintenance & Construction, we have our own Wholesale Nursery where we grow quality stock with healthy roots, and our Arbor Division ensures that trees in your community have the best shot at surviving the summer winds for years to come. If you know of a community or commercial center that needs new landscapers, email contactus@evergreenaz.com and we can get started!

June 3 2024

Dead or Drought-Deciduous?

robbie@evergreen Blog Arizona Landscape, ArizonaLandscaping, AZ Landscape, Landscape Management

As spring turns to summer, the Sonoran Desert goes from its lush springtime conditions to a state that many would refer to as “dead.” While there are lots of wildflowers and invasive species that truly go through their entire life cycles in a single springtime, the truth for much of the larger plants in the desert is much more interesting. Many, if not most, of the native bushes live a lifestyle known as “drought-deciduous,” and this applies to many of the plants used in landscaping in the Phoenix area.

April through early July is a notoriously rainless period of the year in the Sonoran Desert, and this pattern is recognized by the plants that have adapted here. When the moisture of the winter and early spring rain dries up and the temperature begins to reach that 100-degree range, many desert shrubs will purposefully shed their leaves and close off most of their pores to conserve sugars and stored water. This leaves bushes like Triangle Bursage, Brittlebush, Creosote, Desert Lavender, Chuparosa, and many others looking “dead.” You don’t see it with the naked eye, but cacti also hunker down and essentially pause their biological functions during the day, only opening their stomata to “breathe” at night when the temperature is below 90 degrees. This, too, is a strategy to mitigate water loss during the hottest and driest parts of the year.

If you have these plants in your yard, be sure not to remove them just for looking this way! There are two things you can do for your drought-deciduous shrubs. The first move is to cut them back to just a few main stems close to the ground as they naturally go dormant. This way, they can stay dormant and wait for the water to return without putting too much of a blight on the aesthetics of your yard.

Pink Fairy Duster (Calliandra eriophylla)

The second strategy is to irrigate them. If drought-deciduous plants are given water on a regular basis, most species will keep their leaves, potentially all year round. Keep in mind, these are still desert plants, so don’t give them a lot of water. Just a regular trickle at a good distance from the core of the plant will do. This strategy doesn’t work for every plant, though. Many cacti do not respond well to manual watering after establishment, and Creosote bushes actively dislike being given any water that doesn’t come from the sky. So, make sure you’re not harmfully swamping plants before using this method. Consult a local nursery or certified professional if you have doubts about watering native plants.

Keep in mind that most of the non-native plants used in Arizona landscaping are almost always on irrigation, and if they suddenly start shedding leaves, those ones might actually be dying. Lantanas shed leaves with frost in the winter, but if they lose leaves in the summer, it’s likely due to a lack of water or an increase in reflected light. If a Coral Fountain Grass starts to crisp up, it most likely is dying of dehydration. If a Texas Sage starts shedding leaves in the summer, it could be a sign of Texas Root Rot, especially if it happens quickly.

Most trees are NOT drought-deciduous, with some of the only exceptions being Foothills Palo Verdes and Ironwood Trees, but even they only shed in the summer during particularly hot and dry occasions. If a Mesquite Tree sheds its leaves during the summer, something is definitely wrong. If an Indian Laurel Ficus loses leaves in the summer, it’s typically a defensive reaction to high nighttime temperatures and a lack of sufficient water. If a Chinese Elm, Olive Tree, or Chinese Pistache sheds its leaves in the summer, it could be a sign of verticillium or another fungal disease in the roots.

At ELS Maintenance & Construction, we promote the use of low-water and native plant species whenever possible to save communities money and help the local ecosystem. If you know of a community or commercial center that needs new landscapers, email contactus@evergreenaz.com and we can get started!

April 15 2024

How Far Should a Drip Be from a Tree Trunk?

robbie@evergreen Blog, Uncategorized Arbor, Arizona Arbor Care, ArizonaLandscaping, Landscape Management

It may not seem like a big deal, but the space between a tree’s trunk and its water source can be a lifesaver or a killer in Arizona landscaping. Our soil texture, the nature of root development, and species of tree affect where to place drip lines most optimally for your trees. This applies to bushes and flowers to a lesser extent as well, but the effects of watering too close to the main root flare of a plant are only truly life-altering to plants as they grow larger.

The first thing to know is that our SOIL in the Phoenix area is high in clay and is very alkaline, meaning it contains salts and has a pH higher than 7 – often over 8 in some areas of the Valley. This means that air and water flow is often poor, and it takes much longer for water to creep downwards below the topsoil. This is why professionals recommend infrequent but deep waterings to fully satiate plants in the desert. This also means that if you water a tree with a drip that is placed directly next to its main trunk, that water is likely to sit in the first several inches of soil directly around the base of the trunk for hours. This is bad for two reasons. First: watering only at the base of a tree tells the tree only to grow fine roots close to the base of the tree, which can cause root girdling (tangling and constriction) and makes the tree more likely to fall during strong winds due to not being firmly rooted in the ground. Second: standing water at the base of many tree species, especially desert-adapted trees, can lead to rotting and infection of the trunk or root flare. Either way, watering too close to the trunk makes a tree more likely to fall over or die (or both).

It’s also important to keep in mind the SPECIES of the tree and what its development into MATURITY looks like. Measure your tree’s canopy diameter if possible. The diameter of the canopy is a good way to estimate the diameter of the root span beneath the surface. Because of this, the general guideline is to place the drips close to the edge of the canopy in a radius around the tree. This means that as a tree grows and matures, you should change the locations of driplines. Perhaps every three years the placement of drips around a tree should be changed to match the newly expanded canopy diameter. If the tree is native to desert ecosystems, like Palo Verdes, Acacias, Eucalyptus, Mesquites, etc., then the amount of water assistance can remain consistent, if not decrease until the tree is fully self-sufficient and established. If the tree is not native to the desert, it will need more water as it grows. If you had four, 2 GPH drips circling a Ficus tree with a 10-foot diameter, but after three years its canopy is 20 feet, you should move the drips to match the edge of the canopy and increase the number of 2 GPH drips to 10. This way, the tree is well-nourished and stable without ever having its trunk swamped.

Read Water Use It Wisely’s “Landscape Watering By The Numbers” by clicking here for more specific information.

At ELS Maintenance & Construction, we install, maintain, and improve irrigation infrastructure to save water and promote healthy plant growth in communities and commercial properties around the Valley. If you know of a community or commercial center that needs new landscapers, email contactus@evergreenaz.com and we can get started!

January 2 2024

Frost Damage on Arizona Grass – What Can Be Done?

robbie@evergreen Blog Arizona Landscape, ArizonaLandscaping, HOA Landscaping, HOAMaintenance

Although the Phoenix area isn’t associated with the words “cold” or “frost,” in January, February, and even early March, frost damage to plants is still a concern here. You can cover your shrubs and vines overnight, and your trees go dormant if they can’t handle the cold… But what do you do about grass?

Typically, one of several varieties of bermudagrass is used for summer turf, and it fades away to be replaced by Winter Rye for the cool season. You would think that a grass intended for use as winter turf would be immune to frost damage. Well, according to the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, frost damage can certainly happen to Winter Rye grass. This damage is more common at higher elevations in places like Tucson, but it happens here too.

So, what can you do to prevent this damage? The biggest thing U of A’s Cooperative Extensions suggests is to NEVER step on grass while it’s frozen. Grass blades are small and thin, and if you step on it while it’s frozen, it will suffer huge damage. By noon, the Rye you stepped on will have large, wilted spots in the shape of your footsteps.

You can strengthen your Rye by fertilizing with high-nitrogen fertilizers such as ammonium nitrate or potassium nitrate once in December and once in January. Grass uses up nitrogen quickly, and Arizona soil notably contains barely any nitrogen. Additionally, supplementing with iron can help the integrity of plant cells when it gets cold.

Keep in mind, cold snaps like these don’t happen very often in the Valley. In a typical winter, there are two or three severe cold snaps per year, typically toward the latter half of the season. Keep up to date with weather forecasts and be prepared to stay on the pavement on frosty mornings.

At ELS Maintenance & Construction, we pay close attention to turf conditions to make sure your grass is looking good and going through its natural seasonal cycles as intended. If you know of a community or commercial center that needs new landscapers, contact contactus@evergreenaz.com and we can get started!

December 19 2023

Why Saguaros Struggled in 2023

robbie@evergreen Blog Arbor, Arizona Arbor Care, Arizona Landscape, ArizonaLandscaping, Landscape Management

January through April 2023 were some of the rainiest months in the past 30 years for the Sonoran Desert, and you could tell the plants enjoyed the extra water. Flowers bloomed massively, creosotes sprouted strongly, and cacti were engorged more than they had been in a long time. Then, we experienced the hottest, driest summer on record, and things began to die.

For cacti like saguaros, which are built to store massive amounts of rainwater specifically to survive drought periods, you would think that a dry summer would be taxing, but not fatal. But if you look around the Phoenix area lately, saguaros that are hundreds of years old are dropping like flies, usually after dripping a nasty black goop.

What’s happening, and why?

That black goop dripping from the sides of saguaros is the main symptom of a plant disease called “Bacterial Necrosis.” There’s a very brief window where it can be cured by having an arborist carefully cut out the infected section and sanitize it before it reaches the core of the saguaro’s vascular system. Once the necrosis has spread, it’s nearly always fatal. It can take months or even years to fall over, but an untreated, infected saguaro will most likely die.

Bacterial Necrosis occurs when a plant’s immune system is weakened enough that bacteria is able to enter and colonize it from within. The bacteria eats plant materials and the carbohydrates stored within and gradually degrades its stability until it falls over.

In the case of the saguaro, several factors led to the mass dying we are currently seeing.

Firstly, we experienced over a month where the nighttime temperature didn’t descend below 95 degrees in some areas. Most desert plants are attuned to the temperature and strategically close their stomata and pause cellular respiration when the temperature is above 90 degrees, to preserve water. But just like animals, plants can’t hold their breath forever. If more than a week goes by without being able to engage in cellular respiration, any plant will begin to suffer. This stress can be enough to weaken the immune system and allow bacteria to get in.

Secondly, bad landscaping practices can lead to extra stress on saguaros. Even though they are known for being the icon of the harsh ecosystem we live in, they are not invincible. A saguaro planted in the median of a busy street goes through much more stress than a saguaro in nature, since it’s stuck in a spot where the ground is always hot from asphalt and there is little horizontal room for roots to grow.

A saguaro moved from its original location and planted somewhere else is also more likely to experience more stress than a saguaro in nature. If the saguaro was planted multiple feet deeper in the ground than where it was born, its rootball will have little to no access to oxygen and there will be multiple feet of trunk buried under the ground experiencing constant tissue damage as it grows and shrinks with the seasons. It may take several years, even up to two decades after being planted badly, before bacterial necrosis sets in. If a saguaro’s trunk doesn’t taper in width at its bottom foot or two, it was likely planted too deep and will likely die prematurely.

Additionally, the cardinal direction of the saguaro’s planting is vital to its long-term health. Growers often keep track of which part of a cactus is facing north. If this knowledge is lost through repotting or transit, a saguaro can be planted facing the wrong direction. This will lead to sun damage and a higher likelihood of dying prematurely to necrosis or other diseases.

Other human actions can lead to a saguaro’s untimely demise as well.

Installing a saguaro in a spot with no other plant life and covered in gravel? Cutting off the saguaro’s root space permanently to install a pool? Covering an area near a saguaro with fake turf? Overwatering a saguaro or putting a plant with high water requirements too close to a saguaro?

All of these actions can build up stress for a saguaro in the long term. Then, one bad summer, and next thing you know your prized plant is falling over.

With all this in mind, it’s important to note that saguaros are very low-maintenance plants. They are icons of the Sonoran Desert, vital to the ecosystem, and can increase property value by tens of thousands of dollars. The tricky part comes in the installation. You need to make sure your saguaro is being planted in the correct spot, with the correct cardinal orientation, at the healthiest depth for the rootball, and near other low-water plants.

ELS Maintenance & Construction does installation jobs for communities across the Valley, utilizing Arizona’s best practices to keep every tree, shrub, and cactus as healthy as possible. If you’re interested in submitting a Proposal Request, email us at contactus@evergreenaz.com or call 602-243-1106.

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What’s happening, and why?

In the case of the saguaro, several factors led to the mass dying we are currently seeing.

Other human actions can lead to a saguaro’s untimely demise as well.

All of these actions can build up stress for a saguaro in the long term. Then, one bad summer, and next thing you know your prized plant is falling over.