We live in Las Vegas and have a question in reguards to watering our outside plants.?

Question

We have Golden Euonymus and Gulf Green Indiana Hawthorn and more. We have drips and would like to know when is the best time to water them? Do I need to water them twice a day and how long each time? It is really hot in Vegas so we don't want them to die.

Thank You.

Answer 1

I've been told to water only once a day or once every other day  for 20-30 minutes, but it really depends on how much water is coming out of your drips.  The staff at Plant World have always seemed very helpful and knowledgeable.  You can check them out at http://www.plantworldnursery.com/

Answer 2

It's really hard to say ~ it all depends on the drainage rate of your soil, if you have mulch, the capacity of your drip line and so on.

I also live in the desert where we see temps of 100 + in the summer and use drip lines in my shrub beds. These beds are well established with plants that are over 20 years old. The ground has excellent soil and is covered with a 2 inch layer of mulch. I set the drip lines to run once a week (overnight) for 6 hours; twice a week if the temps are over 110.

If your shrubs/bushes are relatively new, I would suggest covering the roots with mulch, and setting your drip lines to run every other day for 2-4 hours. Once they are established, you can probably cut back to watering once or twice a week for longer periods. Established xeriscape perennial beds can get by with the same degree of water ~ if you have plants that aren't drought tolerant, you may have to set your drip lines to run every morning for a couple of hours. Always water in the morning ~ less water will evaporate due to the heat and the plants will need it to get them through the hot day.