Was Your Ocotillo Alive When You Bought It?

Q. I have tried to grow an ocotillo several times with
little to no success. Please give me your input on watering and other care.

From the Sonoran Desert and very low water use (xeric), can easily handle rock mulch, but can take up to two years to see any results.

A. Buy and plant in the spring from February through
April or in the fall from late September through mid-November. Make sure the
Ocotillo is alive when you buy it from the nursery. The wood just below the
surface should be green when scratched with your thumbnail even though there
may be no leaves. The smaller canes should not snap when bent but be pliable.

Normally I dont care for information from vendors but this aint bad on Ocotillo from Miracle Gro!

            Contrary
to some popular ideas, mix about 10% compost in the planting hole about 2 feet
wide. The whole doesn’t have to be dug deep just deep enough to accommodate the
roots. The compost mixed in the soil keeps the soil open, adds plant nutrients
and beneficial microorganisms.

            Plant it
the same depth it was growing in the container or in the wild. Use lots of
water to settle the soil around the roots. The soil around it should be muddy
when you’re finished. Construct a basin 2 to 3 inches deep around the plant. Immediately
stake the plant to keep it from moving while the roots are growing. Staking may
take one to two growing seasons.

            Water no
more than once a week during the heat of the summer during its establishment by
filling the basin with water. Water once a month in the winter. After it has
been established for two or three growing seasons use four drip emitters placed
about 12 inches from the plant. Fertilize it once a year in the early spring
just before growth.