As of May 31, 2023, we have updated our Code of Conduct.

Questions tagged [desert]

Area of very low precipitation - typically less than 10in/year.

Filter by
Sorted by
Tagged with
1 vote
1 answer
32 views

What sort of tamarisk tree is this?

Is this a tamarisk (≟salt-cedar) tree? It's about 50 feet tall. If so, what subspecies of Tamarix is this tree, found in the Sonora Desert in the U.S. southwest?
Geremia's user avatar
  • 740
1 vote
1 answer
50 views

Pima Club Wheat Expectations

I'm growing Pima Club wheat from seeds and will plant in the last week of October (central Arizona desert). What can I expect to see in terms of growth and yield from this wheat? I'm planning to ...
acpilot's user avatar
  • 357
1 vote
0 answers
16 views

Desert rock landscaping thinning out

Front yard rock is thinning out, see photos. What is the best way to make this look good again. I was planning on just getting a few tons of desert rock and adding that.
calkdist's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
160 views

Levantine Melon

What is the binomial name of this plant/fruit? I know for certain it grows in the Levant where it is called jaboor (جعبور). The fruit is commonly sold in markets alongside snake cucumber. The fruit is ...
Pamela's user avatar
  • 193
3 votes
1 answer
83 views

Do you know the ecological consequences of the removing of all grass from the soil in the urban area?

I understood that the stack-exchange has no site about ecology so I decided to post here. I am sure that in the childhood you all have read a lot of fairy tails and fiction about imaginable countries ...
Aleksey's user avatar
  • 31
1 vote
1 answer
40 views

Looking for irrigation solution for a big orchard with clay soil and salty spring water

Some facts about the property Area: 4 hectares Altitude: 1600m from sea level Zone 6: Winter lows down to -20 celisius. Full sun more than 95% of year Yearly Rainfall/Snow 50- 200ml Access to a ...
ben's user avatar
  • 11
1 vote
0 answers
20 views

Desert bush identification

These bushes are growing in my yard in Phoenix. They used to flower beautifully in red or dark orange but lately the leaves have gone brown. What is the name of this plant?
Green333's user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
328 views

Cheapest and easier way to turn lawn landscape to desert landscape

I'd like to convert my front yard from lawn landscape to desert landscape to consume less water and less maintenance, and I'd like it to be done in cheapest way possible without using any pesticide. ...
Dude from SF's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
117 views

Desert plant looking like a stone / chunk of dried wood

I have seen both in a market and in a botanic garden a desert (?) plant which looks like a ball (20 cm diameter) of dried wood, with a lot of cracks/grooves, from the middle of which a small trunk (...
m137's user avatar
  • 121
1 vote
0 answers
14 views

Fast Growing Shade Tree

We're buying a house in the desert southwest (US) and want to plant a shade tree to cast shade over the western aspect of the home. I like oak trees but want to get the house shaded sooner rather ...
acpilot's user avatar
  • 357
1 vote
0 answers
33 views

Mulch + raised garden for a desert water saving Vegetable Garden?

I am planning a raised bed vegetable garden in dry Southern California. I wish to produce food in my dry climate, and am concerned for possible future water restrictions. Besides the water savings ...
Jon Galt's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
372 views

Is there a flower which can handle temperatures up to 40 Celsius?

The temperature in my country can go around 40 degrees Celsius in summer. So I wanted to know what are the flowers I could plant that can handle temperatures such as this?
Humaid Alali's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
581 views

Does over-watering drown grubs?

I've been having a white grub (< 1 cm in size) issue with the root system of a fruit tree. Is it possible, in an arid climate, to drown the grubs by watering the tree more?
Geremia's user avatar
  • 740
4 votes
2 answers
3k views

Is mulch in the desert a good idea?

I am getting wildly conflicting information on mulch. Some sources say that it starves plants, keeps rainfall from reaching the soil, grows mold, rots tree trunks, and feeds termites. Other sources ...
iLikeDirt's user avatar
  • 1,545
5 votes
2 answers
16k views

Is it possible to overwater tomatoes growing in a dry climate?

Is it possible to overwater potted tomatoes growing in a dry climate? What are the signs that they are overwatered? Are these tomato plants over-watered? Does it have blight? Is something else wrong, ...
Geremia's user avatar
  • 740
5 votes
2 answers
3k views

What is the most efficient drip system setup for irrigating a tree in the desert?

What is the most efficient (i.e., least water lost due to evaporation) drip system setup for irrigating a tree in the desert? I've seen some elaborate setups, like this: But having it above-ground ...
Geremia's user avatar
  • 740
4 votes
0 answers
72 views

Is this an offshoot of a tree or a separate plant?

Plants native to the Sonoran Desert require watering every 6 months. The following plant, which I am not sure is native to the Sonoran Desert or not, was found to thrive in the Sonoran Desert solely ...
Geremia's user avatar
  • 740
4 votes
1 answer
287 views

What is this yellow flower which survives in the Sonoran Desert naturally?

Plants native to the Sonoran Desert require watering every 6 months. The following plant, which I am not sure is native to the Sonoran Desert or not, was found to thrive in the Sonoran Desert solely ...
Geremia's user avatar
  • 740
4 votes
1 answer
311 views

What is this ground-cover flower which survives in the Sonoran Desert naturally?

Plants native to the Sonoran Desert require watering every 6 months. The following plant, which I am not sure is native to the Sonoran Desert or not, was found to thrive in the Sonoran Desert solely ...
Geremia's user avatar
  • 740
4 votes
0 answers
77 views

What is this shrub which survives in the Sonoran Desert naturally?

Plants native to the Sonoran Desert require watering every 6 months. The following plant, which I am not sure is native to the Sonoran Desert or not, was found to thrive in the Sonoran Desert solely ...
Geremia's user avatar
  • 740
3 votes
1 answer
91 views

What is this perennial plant which survives in the Sonoran Desert naturally?

Plants native to the Sonoran Desert require watering every 6 months. The following perennial plant, which I am not sure is native to the Sonoran Desert, was found to thrive in the Sonoran Desert ...
Geremia's user avatar
  • 740
3 votes
1 answer
182 views

What is this red flower which survives in the Sonoran Desert naturally?

Plants native to the Sonoran Desert require watering every 6 months. The following plant, which I am not sure is native to the Sonoran Desert or not, was found to thrive in the Sonoran Desert solely ...
Geremia's user avatar
  • 740
6 votes
1 answer
450 views

Growing Strawberries in Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia (Winter season)

I sowed strawberry seeds and they germinated just now after the passage of a long heavy rainstorm. I am living in Al Khubar, Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia which is a desert region. It is currently ...
Taimur's user avatar
  • 227
10 votes
3 answers
957 views

Garden in Desert Soil

We are in a position to move onto a large city lot of about 0.75 acre. I like the idea of having a large lot for economic and quality of life reasons but I see an opportunity to set up a sizable ...
acpilot's user avatar
  • 357
2 votes
2 answers
158 views

What is this large bushy plant, found in Somaliland?

Please help me to identify this shrub. It's commonly found here in Somaliland.
amaj's user avatar
  • 183
8 votes
1 answer
277 views

Edible Desert Plant

I came across this very interesting looking plant while browsing the Internet. Apparently, it is edible (seeds, plants, and maybe the pod), but I just can't find the name of it. It grows in the desert,...
Pamela's user avatar
  • 193
6 votes
3 answers
7k views

Desert Fruit - What are good varieties to grow in the desert?

I live in the desert and want to grow fruit in my garden but am concerned about the heat. I'm wondering what varieties the community would recommend I take a stab at when it begins to warm up?
Ppoggio's user avatar
  • 208
4 votes
3 answers
198 views

How do I perk up a Gray Oak I just planted whose leaves are turning yellow and brown?

I planted a container-grown Gray Oak tree in my yard last weekend, and it isn't looking very happy so far. Its leaves are turning yellow and then brown around the edges. The Gray Oak is supposed to be ...
iLikeDirt's user avatar
  • 1,545
4 votes
3 answers
459 views

What type of plant is this in the Arizona desert?

I want to identify this plant. It's located in Phoenix and appears to be a shrub.
user11829's user avatar
6 votes
3 answers
2k views

Is there any merit to my wacky idea to grow a Purslane lawn?

I have this wacky idea to plant Purslane instead of grass in my desert yard (zone 7a, 9 inches of rain annually). I'm not keen on having high-maintenance turf; the only grass in the running against ...
iLikeDirt's user avatar
  • 1,545
4 votes
1 answer
997 views

Should I rototill compost into existing barren soil before planting drought-hardy grass?

I've had 2" of composted manure added to my desert front yard (New Mexico, zone 7a) to serve as new topsoil after having someone with a bobcat and a dump truck to haul off the gravel and plastic ...
iLikeDirt's user avatar
  • 1,545
6 votes
1 answer
162 views

What is this grass that is growing in my desert yard?

I live in New Mexico (zone 7a) and my yard is basically a desert. However, I was surprised to discover some grass growing near the edge of my patio slab today. I didn't plant it and I certainly haven'...
iLikeDirt's user avatar
  • 1,545
3 votes
2 answers
575 views

Which high-desert-friendly tree should I plant beside my driveway?

My property (New Mexico, climate zone 7a) has a patch of ground between my driveway and a fence that's begging for a tree to be there. It's about 11 feet wide. Apparently a tree was there before, as ...
iLikeDirt's user avatar
  • 1,545
6 votes
1 answer
148 views

What can I replace my garden with?

I'm in a situation where its a waste of time, effort and money to take care of our many little gardens (Different separate gardens ranging between 20-90 meters square). Briefly, we rarely visit them ...
Muhammad Gelbana's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
764 views

What edible plants grow well in alkaline clay soils?

I live in the middle of the chihuahuan desert, where we have clay soils in the Ph range of 8.5. I don't mind fertilizing and turning the soil, but I want to take advantage of the natural soils around ...
Paul's user avatar
  • 243
11 votes
1 answer
171 views

How to take care of an avocado plant in the chihuahuan desert?

A friend of mine gave me an avocado plant that she grew from seed. She kept it primarily in a well-shaded patio. I don't have such a patio... in fact, I have a non-shaded house with frequent strong ...
Paul's user avatar
  • 243
11 votes
2 answers
228 views

How are peppers and mulch used in a desert environment?

I have a couple of pepper plants that I've recently procured. Since I do not want these to go the way every other plant that has been gifted to me (i.e. death), I transplanted them into some large ...
russjman's user avatar
  • 211
11 votes
1 answer
2k views

How can I grow air plants in an arid climate?

I inherited several air plants (bromeliads probably in the genus Tillandsia) from a friend. I know they are tropical in origin and lived in a greenhouse previously, but I live in a very arid climate. ...
kmm's user avatar
  • 1,605
27 votes
10 answers
75k views

What food crops grow well in a hot/dry desert climate?

I live in Las Vegas, where year-round rainfall is very low, and summer temperatures can be very high. The humidity is very low, the sky is nearly always sunny, and spring and fall temperatures can ...
Bryson's user avatar
  • 381
52 votes
3 answers
5k views

How do you know if you are watering a plant too much vs. too little?

I live in Arizona, and I can never tell if I am watering my plants too little or too much. Plants are very touchy here - and you have to be able to read the signs correctly. I can't. What signs are ...
johnnietheblack's user avatar