Brush & Bulky pick up starts Monday, January 11, 2021 in Dunbar/Spring and adjacent neighborhoods.
For a city-wide schedule of Brush & Bulky pick ups and more info see:
https://www.tucsonaz.gov/es/brush-and-bulky
So be sure to get your pruning done beforehand and ensure all public pathways have their required minimum 5-foot width and 7-foot height of clearance to make walking and wheeling accessible and enjoyable for all.
See here for pruning tips.
Prune to prepare for high-risk fire threat
Due to the extreme drought and forecast of higher than normal temperatures and less than normal precipitation (see forecasts below) the fire threat is expected to be very high this spring and summer.
So now is a great time to prune out and remove fire fuels such as dead wood and dead brush (see below for how to tell what is living and dead)
See here for a pruning guide video
How do I tell when leafless branches are alive or dead?
If you try to bend the smaller stems and they do bend then it is alive.
If you try to bend the smaller stems and they readily snap in two, then it is dead.
Right and wrong ways to use your prunings for mulch
Pruned stems can be cut-up into 6-inch or smaller pieces to make for a great moisture-conserving, soil-and fertility-building mulch.
But if you leave longer prunings on the ground, this acts as a brush pile, NOT mulch.
Proper mulch conserves moisture and reduces fire risk.
Brush piles are fire fuel and increase fire risk.
Pruning Native grasses
Dormant native grasses can be pruned back to leave 6 to 12 inches of growth above ground.
Removed grass can be cut up into smaller pieces and used as a surface mulch.
Grass plant will re-sprout once we receive rain and the temperature warms.
Remove invasive non-native grasses and weeds
See here for a list which includes links to photos
Water plants through the drought
2020 was the driest year on record in Tucson!
To keep your plants alive and healthy give them one good watering per month to get them though this drought.