What's Monsoon Weather & How Do I Prepare For It?

Protecting Your Lush Green Garden & Trees From AZ Monsoons

If you've lived in Arizona for a full year, odds are you've seen a monsoon. According to VisitChandler.com's A Guide To Arizona's Monsoon Season "The term 'monsoon' comes from the Arabic 'mausim' meaning 'season'. Simply put, the monsoon is the time of the year, or the season, when winds shift, bringing an increase in moisture to the Southwest. The resulting storms can range from minor blowing dust to severe thunderstorms." Odds are, you are more familiar with haboobs - the towering walls of dust that stretch hundreds of feet high.

All of the wind, dust, and driving rain that accompanies monsoon season can wreak havoc on our gardens trees, lawns.. well really anything outside! So we here at Rosie on the House turn to the experts for advice on what steps to take to protect the lovely yard/garden you've worked so hard to maintain. Check out the podcast below for more detailed information on #MonsoonPreparedness

Protect Your Gardens 

• Make sure your garden has good drainage. Allowing your garden to flood can not only increase the amount of topsoil that gets washed away, but it could also overwater your plants. Yes - even in the desert, you can overwater things! 
• Help your plants stay standing. Sometimes winds get so strong they can knock a person off their feet; think about what that wind could do to a tomato plant for example - especially if you find your garden subjected to a microburst. So give them a little extra support by securing them to something a little more sturdy. 
• Give your plants some TLC before the storms are planned to hit. Pruning your plants and adding mulch to the soil will help your plants take advantage of the extra water and help stimulate growth. The mulch will help with nutrients in the soil.
• Get rid of weeds. Just like the plants you want around, the ones you don't want (aka the weeds) love the extra water and will grow very quickly. Don't let them use up all the soil nutrients and pluck them right away.
• Take cover! Well, help your plants take cover that is. Sometimes those raindrops get pretty big and heavy, other times it's hail which is much more damaging. Give your delicate plants a little extra protection and cover them to protect from the physical damage of getting hit by rain, hail, blowing debris, etc.

PODCAST

Our garden expert Jay Harper has some tips as monsoon season can bring some garden challenges besides much needed rain. Consider being proactive on planning your fall garden to plant what you like to eat. We discuss some low water plants that are and are not heat tolerant. Plus garden preparation with gradual introduction of compost.

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John Eisenhower of Integrity Tree Service talks about our Tree Of The Month, Canary Date Palm, unique root system of palm trees, preparing trees for monsoon season and a disease that can affect saguaro cactus'.  Plus listener questions on their tree issues.

Home Maintenance Calendar To-Do | #MonsoonPrep | #MonsoonPreparedness

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