Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Fan-West Ash
Fan-West Ash is a seedless shade tree, a natural cross of Arizona ash and Texas green ash. It grows into an upright, rounded tree about 30 to 40 feet tall with light olive green leaves. Because it sets no seed, it skips the winged seed litter of female ash trees. The leaves turn golden in fall before dropping for winter.
Best for: summer shade over a watered yard or lawn, a shade tree without winged seed litter, and golden fall color in a large yard.
It grows into an upright, rounded tree about 30 to 40 feet tall with a spread close to its height. Give it room away from the house and other trees so the canopy can fill out.
Fan-West is a seedless tree, so it does not drop the winged seeds that female Arizona ash trees do. Expect only the fall leaf drop to rake up.
Ash trees are often planted in lawns and watered yards in the Valley. Give it deep, regular soaks at the drip line, and it pays back with full summer shade and golden fall color.
It is not a low water desert tree. Shallow lawn watering keeps roots at the surface, and a thinned canopy lets the trunk sunburn. Water stressed trees draw borers, and alkaline soil can yellow the leaves.
- Row of shade trees20 ft apart
- Single shade tree20 ft from other trees
Soak the soil at the drip line about 2 to 3 feet deep. Once rooted, that is about every 1 to 2 weeks in the hottest months, and less often in winter. Shallow, frequent watering keeps roots at the surface.
Prune while young for shape and good branch structure. Ash trunks sunburn when the canopy gets thin, so never thin the crown. Raise lower limbs gradually over a few years.
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 is found in Arizona and has no effective treatment.
Leaves that brown in summer, starting on the afternoon sun side, point to heat or water stress. Young trees are hit hardest, so keep deep soaks steady through the summer.
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.
What is Fan-West Ash?
It is a natural cross of Arizona ash and Texas green ash, found as a seedling along the Guadalupe River in Texas.
Is Fan-West Ash seedless?
Yes. It is a seedless tree, so it does not drop the winged seeds that female ash trees do. The only real cleanup is the fall leaves.
How big does Fan-West Ash get?
Plan on about 30 to 40 feet tall with a spread close to its height. It grows upright and rounded, so give it room away from the house and other trees.
How far apart should I plant Fan-West Ash?
Plant shade trees about 20 feet or more apart, center to center. The Spacing tab on this page has the numbers.
How much water does it need?
Ash trees want regular, deep water in the Valley and are not low water desert trees. Once rooted, soak the drip line about 2 to 3 feet deep about every 1 to 2 weeks in the hottest months.
Why are there roots on top of my lawn?
Shallow lawn watering keeps ash roots near the surface, where they can lift walks and curbs. Add deep soaks at the drip line to pull the roots down.
What color does it turn in fall?
The leaves turn golden before they drop for winter. Rake them once they fall.
Why are the leaves yellow in summer?
Yellow leaves with green veins mean the tree is short on iron in alkaline soil. Apply an iron product in spring, and 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, raise low limbs slowly over several years, and never thin the crown, since ash trunks sunburn.
How cold hardy is Fan-West Ash?
It is rated to handle about 10°F before it takes damage. Colder spells below that, held for a long time, can hurt it.
Can it get borers or ash decline?
Borers go after stressed ash trees, especially ones short on water or with sunburned bark, so deep watering is the best defense. Ash decline is found in Arizona and has no effective treatment.
Fan-West, Fan-Tex, Arizona or Bonita Ash?
All four are ash trees, and all but seed grown Arizona ash are seedless. Fan-Tex is a selection of Arizona ash with glossy, dark green leaves. Fan-West is a cross with Texas green ash and has light olive green leaves. Bonita grows broader than tall with more orange fall color.
Fan-West Ash for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Fan-West Ash is a seedless shade tree from a natural cross of Arizona ash and Texas green ash. Below is what to expect in a Valley yard, from size, water and fall color to roots, yellow leaves, pruning, borers and ash decline. It also covers how it compares to Fan-Tex, Arizona and Bonita ash.
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-West Ash vs Fan-Tex Ash
Both are seedless ash trees. Fan-Tex is a selection of Arizona ash with glossy, dark green leaves, while Fan-West is a natural cross with Texas green ash and has light olive green leaves.
How big does Fan-West Ash get?
Plan on about 30 to 40 feet tall with a spread close to its height. It grows upright and rounded, with good branch structure.
Is Fan-West Ash a fruitless ash?
Yes. It is a seedless tree, so it does not drop the winged seeds that female Arizona ash trees do.
How to water Fan-West Ash in Phoenix
Water deep at the drip line, about 2 to 3 feet down, about every 1 to 2 weeks in the hottest months once rooted. Shallow lawn watering leads to surface roots.
Ash tree yellow leaves in Arizona
Yellow leaves with green veins mean iron shortage in alkaline soil. Apply an iron product in spring when the leaves are yellowing.
How to prune an ash tree in the Valley
Prune young trees for good branch structure, then keep pruning light. Never thin the crown, since ash trunks sunburn when the canopy is thin.
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.