At 20 feet tall, reader’s ocotillo is about as big as they get. An ocotillo only lives about 60 years under ideal conditions.
Q: I have an ocotillo in my yard that is about 20-feet tall. When it leafs out it does not leaf in the tallest two or three feet. It has not bloomed in several years. What can I do?
A: Your ocotillo is quite large and they don’t grow much taller than that. They also only live about 60 years under ideal conditions. It’s possible that the tallest parts are not receiving nutrients as readily as the lower parts due to age and because it’s a long way to the top.
These are tough desert plants that don’t require much care. Watering is only done sparingly in years when we receive less rain than average and excess water can damage these plants.
In nature, ocotillos do just fine without fertilizer in soils that have very little organic matter. If you want to try giving it a little slow-release fertilizer in early summer in the form of compost, that wouldn’t do any harm as long as you don’t overdo it. Distributing a half-inch of compost over the root zone and lightly watering it in is the most you would need.
Peter L. Warren is the urban horticulture agent for the Pima County Cooperative Extension and the University of Arizona. Email: plwarren@cals. arizona.edu
