Plants in the desert southwest - fertilizer

[GoLowDrew]

I'm been living in AZ for a year now and also have my landscape done for the same amount of time. Yes. It's set, but it looks like it's on the 10 year plan. What fertilizer do you add to make them grow faster? Nothing seems to be happening. They are alive and doing well. Just not growing. I understand desert plants don't grow fast like plants in CA (for example). There's got to be some type of fertilizer to make them grow faster (better). I've asked an "expert" in Home Depot. He said "nothing, just water will do." I can't imagine that to be true. The nurseries must be out of business if they wait that long for thier plant inventory to grow. Websearch did not provide any luck. I know plants are specific in their fertilizer needs. But in general, there must be something rather "universal." I had a green thumb in CA. Not in AZ. What do you use? Any suggestions?

[kevera]

How is the soil out there.Is there lots of sand,clay.

[engineertwin2]

Soil is typical sand and caliche so yeah sand and clay.My experience has been that the Home Depot guy is right - just extra water will make it grow...if it is a flowing plant, you can go and pull off any wilted or dead flowers to trick it into blooming again (be gentle though).Plants like mesquite grow pretty slow. Oleander grows really fast, but not good to have with pets around (specifically dogs). Hibiscus actually grow well if potted and given enough water.Cactii take a while to grow as well, but because of the environment they thrive in, they grow best with excess water (not drowning it though).

[drunkenmaxx]

i know how you feel, my boxwood evergreens are taking forever! some plants are just supposed to take a while. you don't expect to be able to make a tree hurry up do you?

[TJinPgh]

with all due respect to those who work at Home Depot, there are "experts" and there are "associates." What you get depends greatly on when you are there, and when they are scheduled. Most stores only have one trained garden employee in the store. The rest are just cashiers who happen to be working there that day.In general, though, there are a couple of things to take into consideration.The plants you used to grow in California MAY not be appropriate for Arizona. Totally different ecology.Unfortunately, the big box stores get many of the same plants in, no matter where you live. Don't assume that because the Home Depot, Lowes, Wal Mart or whatever sells them where you live that they are necessarily designed to grow there.Make sure that the plants are appropriate for your zone in both temperature and the amount of sun they require. If so, make sure your existing soil meets the type and pH requirements of that particular type of plant. You will also need to take into consideration what type of planting you are doing. Many plants have different needs depending on whether you are planting them in the ground, raised beds, or containers.All are different, of course. But, in general, a soil make exclusively of sand and clay won't be sufficient. Sand is usually added to loamy soil to make it heavier. It can be added to clay to break it up some, but it's probably too dense. You'll probably need to amend it with something lighter. Vermiculite is often a good choice. You may need to amend it with some peat moss and some compost, as well.Beyond that, you will need to figure out what the food needs are for that particular plant. Most green plants require nitrogen. A typical Miracle Grow solution will work for most of them.On the other hand, SOME plants PRODUCE nitrogen, so they don't require as much.A little tip when it comes to feeding. I tend to avoid the granulated sprinkle on types of fertilizers for in the ground/raised bed types of situations. I prefer the liquids.Also, it's becoming increasingly popular in garden circles to take however much fertilizer it says to use on the fertilizer container, cut that amount in half, but fertilize twice as often.Again, these are just general tips. I am not a horticulturist, and don't claim to be. I've done a lot of reading on the subject for my own needs as of late, though.A couple of places to try for information:Since you obviously don't mind digging around forums, try gardenweb.com. The forums there are great, and they have different forums for different regions and plants. Chance are you can find help there.Also, one thing the box stores like Home Depot often DO have are books that are aimed at various zones around the country. You may want to invest in a landscaping book for your particular region of the country. They will usually tell you not only what plants grow best where you are, but how to get them to do it.If you find a good book, you may want to buy it elsewhere, though. Books at those stores can be pricey. We have a chain of used book stores called Half Price Books in this area. Not sure if it's a national chain as well. If so, check that out. They get a lot of books from the area that particular store is located in. So, there's a good chance they'll have books on local gardening and landscaping in there.If all else fails, there's always Amazon.