Xtremehorticulture

Hedge Needed for Dog Area

Q. I need a hedge to block the dog area from view. Are there any drought tolerant, full sun bushes that can handle extra nitrogen in the soil from the dog urine, or something I can add to the soil to balance that kind of nitrogen? I saw additives that claim to increase the beneficial microbes or bacteria or something like that to help the nitrogen cycle. A. All plants are damaged if the urine from a dog (male or female) is in contact with any part of the plant. Water to dilute the urine or urea is what is normally recommended. You just have to catch it in time which means following the dog with a hose.  Roots are the most tender parts of plants Generally, plant roots are more tender than the stems. Usually leaves of plants are about as tender as the roots. The plant grows back from damaged stems if dog urine is sprayed directly on the leaves or roots. Having soil around the roots makes them less susceptible when in direct contact with dog urine. How much less susceptible depends on the plants. But nearly all leaves are damaged. Stems will grow new leaves when damaged. Roots will grow new roots when damaged. Differences in Varieties of Texas Rangers Any of the Texas Rangers will work (aka, Texas Sage). ‘Green Cloud’ or ‘Grey Cloud’ varieties of Texas Rangers get about 10 feet tall and should be planted no closer than 8 feet apart or 8 feet from a solid wall. There are shorter varieties of Texas Rangers, like ‘Compacta’ (5’x5’ and 4 to 5 feet from a solid wall) and ‘Cimmaron’ (3’x3’ and 2 to 3 feet from a solid wall) that use less water because of their size and have a height more appropriate for some sites. They are still Texas Rangers so how often they are irrigated is the same just give them less water each time they are irrigated. All plants use water. Big plants use more water than little plants. The more plants you have, the more water is needed. But there are two caveats. Remember ALL plants use water and the more plants of a larger size you have in your landscape, means it can cost more (in water or pumping costs) to irrigate them. The second caveat is that “people schedule when to water plants, plants don’t.” It begs the question, “Are plants responsible for water use or are people?” You can give low water use plants more water than they need, and they won’t care. Marketing? Be careful of marketing claims of products. Sometimes they are correct and sometimes they stretch the truth. In your case, I think you are talking about rejuvenating or renewing the soil rather than the plant. Soil renewal is a totally different issue than plant renewal. Protecting the soil won’t protect the plant from urine damage.

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Holly and Caroline Cherry Burning Up as a Screen in Full Sun

Q. I planted hollies and Carolina cherry as an evergreen visual screen between our house and our neighbor’s house. The hollies burnt to a crisp and the Carolina cherries look bad. I need evergreens that can withstand full sun all day and give me privacy. Does something like this exist? Carolina cherry laurel with yellowing leaves when planted in full sun and in our desert soils A. Both of these plants will grow in our climate but not in the locations and perform in our desert the way you want or for that purpose. They are not desert plants. They can handle our desert soils and climate but they must be planted in protected locations with relief from afternoon sun to thrive. That’s why they are burning up. Carolina cherry laurel planted in rock mulch starting to yellow. If it is planted well it will take about five years before this happens in our soils and extremes.             A privacy hedge should be evergreen and retain leaves through the winter. If it’s a warm winter, they may stay evergreen. Some evergreen plants drop their leaves in the winter and become deciduous if it gets too cold. Colder temperatures than this, they will freeze back. Accepting this should get you through most winters here without being too upset.             Do your homework on these and shop around because not all of these will be available from local nurseries. Non-desert plants should be watered more often than true desert plants. This means they should be on the same valve as other non-desert plants.             Some of the best reviews of these plants are from Arizona State University in the Phoenix area but Phoenix has warmer temperatures than we do. So be careful of winter freezing temperatures. In the Las Vegas Valley, aim for winter temperatures in the low 20s for long-term sustainability and expect that they may not be evergreen or may have some dieback during very cold winters.             Here are some true desert plants you might consider for that purpose. They can handle full sun in harsh locations. They are true desert plants originating from our Southwestern deserts and include hopseed bush, Arizona rosewood, creosote bush, jojoba, yellow bells, and little leaf cordia. Even though they are desert plants, I would still amend the soil with a decent compost at the time of planting and plant them wet. Just because they are desert plants doesn’t mean they don’t like a little TLC.             Don’t forget standard oleander. It’s not a desert plant but can handle extreme desert conditions like ours. This means they should be on the same irrigation valve with other non-desert plants.

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