phxphun said:Very sad to see so many saguaros in Phoenix are falling right now from the intense heat spell we're under. On our street alone, six in the past week are dead from sun stress and many more nearing demise with no relief in sight.
It seems we'll lose ours soon. Is there anything that can be done once sun stress begins?
skopjecollection said:
Wrap it in shade cloth
mcvansoest said:@phxphun Welcome! You might have been better off starting a new thread for this, because the previous issues was probably not due to extreme summer heat...
It has been brutal. I have had plants get burned to a crisp through shade cloth. I think it might have helped if you had done that right from the start but no one really expected it to be this bad. I have many plants on life support. I have upped my watering frequency but it has been so hot that I think many plants are just in absolute heat shock and the water is helping very little. If you drive around the Phoenix area you'd think desert cacti came only in yellow brown or crisp... except of course chollas...
They say it is supposed to cool down a bit soon, but I will believe it when I see it.
Since it has not just been hot but also so dry (I am not sure how much of the few storms that have come through you have seen), my rain gauge is at 1.2" for the last 3 months, so not nothing, but it all came in two big storms which is not enough to help, you could try giving it a few very deep waterings, just set the hose near it to a slow but steady flow and really let the water soak in, leave it on for a good while (find a flow rate that does not lead to lots of water run off), maybe give it a break to let excess water flow away and then give it some more.
It may not immediately improve its looks, but it will help it get through the summer and then in the Fall it could have a decent recovery - I have seen some ragged looking plants with incredible good looking new growth, so they can take a lot, but I think just about anything in the greater Phoenix heat island needs lots of extra irrigation this summer.
Good luck!
erosanova1 said:If the tops are still green or yellow, but bottoms are brown and soggy, cut the tops off and replant. They will regrow.