Hi Roots,

Gardening/landscaping here in the low desert is different than anywhere else in the country. Our soils are salty and our water is salty so plants that like acidic or neutral soils are very unhappy here.

The plants on your list look like they are pretty well adapted to this region. The key to watering will be to water deeply but infrequently (except your potted plants). It is always better to apply a large volume of water and then allow the soil to dry a bit before watering again. The objective is to keep the moisture in the soil profile for as long as possible. That's why watering deeply is important. It also pushes accumulated salts down below the root zone where they can't interfere with nutrient uptake and root function.

One rule of watering is to water one foot deep for groundcovers, 2 feet for shrubs and three feet for trees. Watering with a hose if fine, just place the end at the drip line (edge of branches) of the tree/plant. This is where most of the feeder roots are located - the ones that absorb water and nutrients. Let the water trickle overnight so the water doesn't get too hot while running through the hose. If the plant is large, move the hose and water another section the next night.

How often you water will depend on the season. Obviously you will need to water more often in the summer. Because most of your plants are fairly new you'll need to water more often the first couple of years. Your palm trees will only need a good soaking once a week in summer (except your Queen Palm which needs water 2x per week due to its tropical nature). In the winter decrease the freqquency to once every two to three weeks.

Here's a link to information on watering. One chart is for established plants and the other is for newly installed plants.

Good luck.

Here is a link that might be useful: Landscape watering guidelines

AZtreelover, thanks for the info.
Any other input would be appreciated.

Nobody else on this entire forum has any watering advice?