Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Fan-Tex Ash
Fan-Tex Ash is a seedless selection of Arizona ash with glossy, dark green, leathery leaves. It grows fast into a symmetrical, rounded shade tree about 30 to 45 feet tall. In fall the leaves turn a bright golden yellow before dropping for winter. It is used for yards, parks, streets and parking areas that get regular water.
Best for: fast, even shade over a watered yard or lawn, streets and parking areas, golden fall color, and ash shade without seed litter.
It grows fast into a symmetrical, rounded tree about 30 to 45 feet tall and 20 to 35 feet wide. The glossy, dark green leaves make a full summer canopy.
Fan-Tex is a male, seedless selection, so it does not drop the winged seeds that female Arizona ash trees do. Expect only the fall leaf drop to rake up.
It is planted as a street tree, a park tree and for parking lot shade, as well as in yards with regular water. The leaves turn bright golden yellow in fall.
In lawns with shallow watering it forms surface roots. Water-stressed trees brown in summer and draw borers, and alkaline soil can yellow the leaves.
- Row of shade trees20 ft apart
- Single shade tree20 ft from other trees
Right after planting, soak it every 1 to 2 days in summer, or every 3 to 4 days in the cooler months. By the second month, aim for about once a week in summer, and keep regular deep soaks going for about 3 years. Established trees want a drip-line soak every 7 to 14 days in summer and every 2 to 4 weeks in winter.
The nursery stake comes off at planting, and stakes go in only if the tree cannot hold itself up or wind is a problem. Two stakes outside the root ball, soft ties, and a little sway build a stronger trunk. Remove them in about a year.
Ash trunks sunburn when the canopy gets thin. Raise lower limbs gradually over a few years, and keep each year to no more than a quarter of the canopy.
Yellow leaves with green veins mean the tree cannot get enough iron from alkaline soil. Apply an iron product in spring, and only when the leaves are yellow.
Borers go after stressed ash, especially trees short on water or with sunburned bark. If branches die back year after year, check the watering first. Ash decline has no reliable cure.
Drops its leaves in winter and leafs out again in spring.
Drainage test first. Dig the hole and fill it with water. If water is still sitting in the hole a day later, you likely hit caliche, clay or hard soil, so fix the drainage before planting. If it drains very fast, the soil is sandy. Standing water around roots is a common reason new plants fail.
Weed cloth. Cut it away from the planting hole and where the roots will spread. Remove any plastic sheeting completely, since it keeps water and air out of the soil.
Rock or decomposed granite with no soil underneath. Bring in soil close in texture to your native soil, mix it with the soil below, and build up enough depth for roots before planting.
If you can break through. Use a breaker bar, pick, or jackhammer. Dig through the caliche and break out the solid chunks. Backfill with the soil you dug out, with no compost or manure in the hole. Confirm drainage before planting.
If you cannot break through. Dig narrow holes through the hard layer beside the root ball, not under it, and refill them with the same soil, not gravel. If it still will not drain, plant on a low mound of the same soil.
Root ball. Check the outside edges for any roots circling around. Loosen or cut those so they grow outward. Do not break up the center of the root ball.
Depth. The top of the root ball should sit at or just slightly above the surrounding soil level. Planting too deep can lead to rot and kill the plant.
Drip emitters. At planting, put the emitters on the root ball, on different sides of the plant. After about 2 months, move them to the outer edge of the root ball. Over the first year, add emitters farther out toward the edge of the branches as roots grow. Once a plant is rooted, never water only at the trunk.
Is Fan-Tex the same as Rio Grande ash?
Yes. Fan-Tex and Rio Grande are two names for the same selection of Arizona ash.
Is Fan-Tex Ash seedless?
Yes. It is a male, seedless tree, so it does not drop winged seeds.
How big does Fan-Tex Ash get?
It grows about 30 to 45 feet tall and 20 to 35 feet wide, with a symmetrical, rounded canopy. Give it room away from the house and other trees.
How far apart should I plant Fan-Tex Ash?
Plant shade trees about 20 feet or more apart, center to center. The Spacing tab on this page has the numbers.
How fast does it grow?
It grows fast when it gets regular deep water. Keep up deep soaks for the first few years to get shade sooner.
How much water does Fan-Tex Ash need?
Regular, deep water keeps the canopy full. It is somewhat drought tolerant once rooted, but it is not a low-water desert tree, so soak it deep at the drip line.
Why are there roots on top of my lawn?
In lawns with shallow watering, Fan-Tex can form surface roots. Deep, regular watering pulls roots down.
What color does it turn in fall?
It turns a uniform bright golden yellow before the leaves drop. Rake the leaves once they fall.
Why are the leaves yellow in summer?
Yellow leaves with green veins mean iron shortage in alkaline soil. Give iron chelate in spring, only when the leaves are yellowing.
How should I prune it?
Prune while young for shape and good branch structure. After that keep pruning light, and do not thin the crown, since ash trunks sunburn.
How cold hardy is Fan-Tex Ash?
It is hardy to about 0°F, well below a Valley winter. It needs no frost protection.
Can Fan-Tex get borers or ash decline?
Borers go after water-stressed ash, so deep watering is the best defense. Ash decline is confirmed in Arizona and has no effective treatment.
Fan-Tex Ash for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Fan-Tex Ash, also sold as Rio Grande ash, is a seedless male selection of Arizona ash with glossy leaves and a rounded shape. Below is what to expect in a Valley yard, from size, water and fall color to roots, yellow leaves, pruning, borers and ash decline.
Sourced from trusted Arizona growers and delivered directly to your door, job site, or property. We deliver across the Valley and to nearby towns, and quote delivery anywhere else in Arizona.
Fan-Tex Ash vs Arizona Ash
Fan-Tex is a seedless male selection of Arizona ash with glossy, leathery leaves and a symmetrical, rounded shape. Seed-grown Arizona ash varies and female trees drop winged seeds.
How big does Fan-Tex Ash get?
It grows about 30 to 45 feet tall and 20 to 35 feet wide. It grows fast and is used for streets, parks, parking lots and watered yards.
How to water Fan-Tex Ash in Phoenix
Water deep at the drip line, about every 1 to 2 weeks in the hottest months once rooted. Shallow lawn watering leads to surface roots.
Fan-Tex Ash fall color
The leaves turn a uniform bright golden yellow in fall, then drop for winter.
Fan-Tex Ash yellow leaves
Yellow leaves with green veins mean iron shortage in alkaline soil. Apply iron chelate in spring when the leaves are yellowing.
Fan-Tex Ash vs Bonita Ash
Both are seedless selections of Arizona ash. Fan-Tex has glossy, dark green leaves and golden yellow fall color, while Bonita is broader than tall with more orange fall color.
We deliver across the Valley, from Phoenix, Scottsdale and Mesa out to San Tan Valley, Maricopa and Casa Grande, and up to Prescott, Sedona, Payson and Globe. See delivery areas and rates.