Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Jojoba
Jojoba is a tough, long-lived native evergreen with leathery gray-green leaves. It grows slowly into a rounded shrub, takes full sun and reflected heat off walls, and can go a month without water once rooted.
It makes an informal hedge or screen in a desert yard. Plants are male or female, and female plants bear the nuts that wildlife eat.
Best for: informal hedges and screens, hot spots with reflected heat, and native, low-water yards.
It makes an informal hedge or screen of leathery gray-green leaves. Plant it 4 to 6 feet apart along a wall or property line.
It thrives in full sun and handles reflected heat off walls and buildings. Once rooted it can go a month without water, even in summer.
Female plants bear nuts that wildlife eat, and birds use the shrubs. Plant several for a mix of male and female plants.
In part shade it gets leggy. Shearing ruins its natural form, and too much water gives rank growth.
- Informal hedge4 ft apart
- Spaced shrubs6 ft apart
Water every 3 to 4 days for the first two weeks, then every 6 to 7 days, then every 7 to 10 days. By weeks 7 and 8, water about every 10 to 14 days.
Once rooted, it can go a month without water, even in summer. Extra water speeds growth, but too much makes it rank.
Give it an occasional light trim. Never shear it, since sheared plants perform poorly and lose their shape.
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.
How big does jojoba get?
It grows slowly to about 5 to 10 feet tall and wide, and less water keeps it smaller. Plant it 4 to 6 feet apart for a hedge.
How often should I water jojoba?
Water new plants every few days at first, then stretch it out over about two months. Once rooted, it can go a month without water, even in summer.
Can jojoba take reflected heat?
Yes. It thrives in full sun and handles reflected heat off walls and buildings. Avoid shade, which makes it leggy.
Can I shear jojoba?
No. Sheared plants perform poorly and lose their natural form. Give it an occasional light trim instead.
Are there male and female jojoba plants?
Yes. Plants are either male or female, and only female plants bear nuts. You need both nearby for nuts.
Does jojoba flower?
Yes, but the small greenish flowers in winter and spring are not showy. Grow it for its leaves and toughness.
How fast does jojoba grow?
It grows slowly for many years. Occasional extra water speeds it up, but too much gives rank growth.
How cold hardy is jojoba?
It is rated to about 20°F, so it handles a normal Valley winter.
Is jojoba native to Arizona?
Yes. It grows wild on Sonoran Desert hillsides in Arizona, California and Mexico, so it suits a native yard.
Can jojoba bother allergies?
It can. Its pollen can bother people with allergies.
Is jojoba messy?
No. It drops very little litter, so it stays tidy as a hedge or screen.
Jojoba for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Jojoba is a native Sonoran Desert shrub that thrives on heat and little water. This page covers size, spacing, watering, pruning and male and female plants.
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.
Jojoba in the Valley
Jojoba is a tough native evergreen with gray-green leaves. It thrives in full sun and reflected heat on little water.
How far apart to plant jojoba
Plant it 4 feet apart for an informal hedge and 6 feet apart for spaced shrubs.
Watering jojoba
Once rooted, it can go a month without water, even in summer.
Male and female jojoba
Plants are male or female, and only females bear nuts.
Pruning jojoba
Trim lightly now and then, and never shear it.
Jojoba size
It grows slowly to about 5 to 10 feet tall and wide.
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.