Fall is here! Temperatures are lower, and right now is the best season to plant! The combination of cooler days and nights allows the soil to sit at the ideal temperature to promote root growth for all your trees and plants.  

This is why fall is the best time to plant new trees and plants. The roots of your new plants are able to grow and established best during this time of year. Autumn brings many benefits for your landscape as well as opportunities to seed for winter grass and protect against pests.

Here are some tips for your fall yard from Moon Valley Nurseries:

Update Your Watering Schedule for Fall Temperatures

With the cooler evening and nighttime temperatures, now is the best time to check your watering system. The ground will not be drying as quickly as it was during the summer heat, which means your trees and plants will not need as frequent watering. How much should you be watering your plants during the fall then? 

How often you should water your trees and plants during the autumn months will depend on the types of trees and plants that are in your landscape. For many varieties, watering every other or every second day is enough, but the amount of water you use to hydrate your yard will always depend on the specific plant material in your landscape. For watering guides on your specific trees and plants, you can check out Moon Valley Nurseries Care Guide.

Fall is the Best Time of Year to Plant in Arizona

In Arizona, there are many benefits of planting during the fall season that make it the best time to plant. Planting now gives your new trees, plants, or palms the best conditions to establish strong, healthy root systems before the spring and summer growing seasons. Planting citrus and fruit trees during the fall will provide you with the best opportunity for fruit this coming spring.  

Fertilizing for Healthy Growth

Fall is also the best time to fertilize everything in your yard after the summer months. All your trees, palms, shrubs, and other plants will take full advantage of the nutrients and fertilizers you use during the autumn season.  

Tree Care, Pruning, and Trimming

After the summer, some of your trees and plants may be showing signs of stress. Now is the best time to trim off any dead or burnt branches from your landscape. It is important not to trim more than 1/3 of the tree or plant at any one time.

Fall is the perfect time to take care of your landscape and get everything looking healthy and growing strong. Proper fertilization, trimming, and the right watering will go a long way to adding more shade, privacy, year-round interest, and curb appeal to your landscape, as well as making it the perfect place to escape from the day-to-day.

If you’ve been looking for a new home lately, you’ve probably noticed solar panels on many rooftops. Those big, black rectangles harness the sun’s energy to benefit the homeowner. Rooftop solar systems provide homeowners with benefits, including lower energy bills, greater energy self-reliance, potentially higher resale values, and more curb appeal. In recent years, the residential solar market has grown significantly, with over 500,000 projects installed in 2021 alone. If you’re considering buying a home with solar panels, a little due diligence can help you avoid unpleasant surprises. Here are some questions to ask before you buy a home with a solar lease:

What kind of solar panels are on the roof?

A home with solar panels on the roof uses the sun’s energy to capture thermal (heat) or photovoltaic (electric) power. Solar thermal systems are, in general, more efficient. Solar photovoltaic (PV) systems are more common and available at lower up-front costs.

When most Americans think about solar homes, they probably think about photovoltaic power. These systems convert sunlight into electrical energy. The most recognizable parts of the PV system are the solar panels. Most home systems also include mounting structures that stabilize the panels in bad weather and inverters. Inverters convert the direct current (DC) electricity captured by the panels into alternating current (AC) electricity. The AC electricity is then used to power most of the appliances in your home. It can even be sold back to your utility (if you don’t use all the energy your home produces).

You can identify a solar home with a PV system by the wires or cords running out of the panels and an “extra” power box on the side of the house, which measures the energy produced by the system.

How were the solar panels obtained?

Solar photovoltaic (PV) systems usually pay for themselves over the long term. Both can also have pretty high up-front costs. The price for a PV system varies by how much energy you want to produce, but the average five-kilowatt (5 kW) residential system costs around $20,000. A wide array of federal, state, and local incentives can significantly reduce the cost of both systems.

If the seller paid for the system up-front, you don’t need to worry about hidden costs.

If the seller financed the system, the seller is responsible for paying off the solar loan. They may want to add any remaining balance to the home’s sale price. If the seller purchased the system with a secured loan (like a home equity line of credit), they might not be able to close the sale until they pay that debt in full.

If the seller obtained the solar panels under a long-term solar lease or power purchase agreement (PPA), the buyer has to do a little more work.

Is the solar system subject to a solar panel lease or power purchase agreement (PPA)?

If the home seller has a solar lease, they do not own the solar system installed on the home. As with an auto lease, the current homeowners make monthly payments to the system owner.

A power purchase agreement allows a company to install a solar system on the homeowner’s property. The homeowner agrees to purchase the energy produced by the system at a rate that’s usually lower than the utility’s retail rate.

Both arrangements are common since they allow homeowners to take advantage of the benefits of solar power without needing the substantial upfront cash required to purchase a system outright.

The homeowner may want to buy out the remainder of the lease or power purchase agreement. Buying out the deal would allow them to sell the system as part of the home and command a higher selling price. They may instead make a lease transfer a condition of the sale.

Before you buy a home with leased solar panels, ask the homeowner these questions:

• Who manufactured the solar panels?
• What warranties are available?
• How long do warranties cover the parts and equipment?
• Who installed the system?
• Does the installer provide quality warranties?
• What is the size of the solar energy system, and how much electricity can it offset?
• How much have past energy bills cost?

How do you transfer a solar lease or power purchase agreement?

If you want to transfer a solar lease or power purchase agreement, the seller or the seller’s real estate agent should be able to put you in contact with the solar company’s service transfer specialist. After your mortgage is approved, the solar lease transfer representative will send the buyer and the seller a form to fill out and sign. Once the new solar lease is approved, you’ll start making the lease payments (usually separately and outside of escrow or payments to your lender).

Do solar panels increase home value?

Buying solar panels generally helps increase the value of a home because they enable you save on energy bills and provide a feature for the next homebuyer who may also want to have an option to generate their own power. The Berkeley Lab suggests that solar panels can increase the sale value of a home by an average of $15,000.