by Sue Hakala, Master Gardener for 20 years, a grower of cactus and succulents for 45 years and a freelancer writer
1. Know your micro environments in your yard: where is it coldest/hottest so you can plant appropriately.
2. Know where your plant has evolved. Different deserts of the world get their rain at different times of the year. If you water at the wrong time, your plant can die pretty quickly.
3. When planting in blazing afternoon sun, use Sonoran Desert plants for success.
4. Growing in the Sonoran Desert is like growing plants nowhere else. No matter how great a gardener you might have been in some other part of the country, it’s different here. Ask for help before you buy and plant.
5. Learn to water slowly and deep and not often for cactus – say once a month for 40 minutes in the summer, if you don’t get rain. This is to help the roots grow deep away from the hot upper regions of the soil.
6. Most importantly: plant the right plant in the right place and everyone will be happy.
