Growing in Phoenix

Gardening information specific to Phoenix Arizona

Syntropic Agriculture

Also called Syntropic Agroforestry

Prune branches and top eucalyptus at 5.5 meters every winter. Topping allows light in and causes the trunk to grow straight grained so it won’t bend or split wen milled.[1]

Grasses should be cut before they flower to prevent senescence. Mulch rows and inter rows with the cut grass.

If sudan grass is let flower it causes the soil to become hdrophobic. Cutting the plant cleanly near the soil causes the soil to become hydroscopic again.

Weed suppression in tree rows is accomplished best (in Mediterranean climates?) by low strata bushy plants close to the ground.[1]

Plant bean into corn after corn has about 4 leaves (needs experiment). Beans will climb corn for support and provide nitrogen to beans. Then after harvested broad cast wheat of three heights with a larger proportion being the shortest. Cover with corn and bean plant residue and plant peas.R

Planting density

If the end goal is 1 tree of a particular species with 10ft x 10ft spacing, the plant 100 seeds of that species per 100ft2. The trees will be thinned out as they grow and the strongest ones will be selected.

For Phoenix

https://www.drylandsfarmingcompany.com/

Opportunistic Weedy Native Sonoran Desert Plants in Arizona

https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection/3698?utm_source=digitalcollections.sit.edu%2Fisp_collection%2F3698&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PDFCoverPages

U of A invasive plant list

Using Native Succession Plants for Restoration Projects

AZDA R3-4-245. Noxious Weeds see Table C: wispecies for tucson azde spread noxious weeds

Placenta 1

annual species. They normally grow after disturbance.

  • Palmer Amaranth
  • London Rocket (Sisymbrium irio)
  • Russian Thistle (Salsola tragus)
  • Bittercress (Cardamine hirsuta)
  • Vigna aconitifolia
  • Lamb’s Quarters (Chenopodium album)
  • Devil’s Claw (Proboscidea parviflora)
  • Puncturevine (Tribulus terrestris)
  • Barnyard Grass (Echinochloa crus-galli)
  • Yellow Foxtail (Setaria pumila)
  • Hairy Fleabane (Conyza bonariensis)
  • Cheeseweed / Little Mallow (Malva parviflora)
  • Spiderling (Boerhavia spp.)
  • Common Sowthistle (Sonchus oleraceus)
  • Southwest Cupgrass (Eriochloa acuminata)
  • Desert Thorn-Apple (Datura spp.)
  • Liverseed Grass (Urochloa panicoides)
  • Prickly Lettuce (Lactuca serriola)

Placenta 2

perennial grasses and “woody weeds”

  • silverleaf nightshade (Solanum elaeagnifolium)
  • lavender
  • thyme
  • andropogon grasses
  • yellow-flowered devil’s claw (Proboscidea althaeifolia)
  • Castor Bean (Ricinus communis)
  • Tree Tobacco (Nicotiana glauca)
  • Globemallow (Sphaeralcea ambigua)
  • Goldeneye (Viguiera spp.)

Early Secondary

noticeable transition into more woody short lived trees, with growth
cycles typical of 5-10 years. These are hardy, fast growing species which create a low canopy with an understory.

  • Desert Senna (Senna covesii)
  • rosemary
  • Desert Broom (Baccharis sarothroides)

Mid Secondary

Here is where we are really starting to move into abundance – the system is moving from short lived smaller trees towards longer lifecycle trees.

  • broadleaf hopbush (Dodonaea viscosa)
  • Emu Bush (Eremophila spp.)
  • Shrubby Desert-Privet (Forestiera shrevei)
  • Butterfly Bush / Chaste Tree (Vitex agnus-castus)

Late Secondary

  • Mexican Palo Verde (Parkinsonia aculeata)

Primary

  • Velvet Mesquite (Prosopis velutina)
  • Whitethorn Acacia (Acacia constricta)

Unknown succession

Not sure exactly which successional phase these fit in.

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