Q: I just purchased a retirement home in Joshua Tree and LOVE the ocotillo plant. Iβm reading about the care and cultivation of them, but one thing perplexes me: which side is the south side and which side is the north side? All the articles state that the plant needs to be oriented in the direction it was growing originally so as not to burn/injure the plant when replanting. I cannot see any pictures of what the two different sides should look like. Can you help me with this?
A:Β The sides donβt necessarily look any different so itβs best to mark which side faces the south or west when digging up the plant. If you are purchasing the plant, some nurseries will mark the container to show which direction to use when planting. Otherwise you must guess. In some cases, young plants grown from seeds or cuttings have spent their whole lives inside greenhouses or under protective shaded areas and have never been out in the landscape. In this situation, it doesnβt matter because any side will need to be oriented to its new surroundings. You can orient your plant to the new surroundings by covering it with shade cloth for the first few months to limit the damage it might receive from the sun until it is accustomed to the situation. Hardening a plant to its new location can be accomplished by increasing the sun exposure a little bit at a time by removing the shade cloth for increasingly longer amounts of time during the day. You will know if you are moving too fast by observation. Sunburn will appear as discoloration. The best time of year to transplant this plant is March through May. Transplanting larger specimens is not as likely to succeed as smaller plants.
Peter L. Warren is the forest health program coordinator for the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management. Questions, photos and videos may be emailed toΒ tucsongardensage@gmail.com
