Water and Gatorade have generally become our first suggestion if our kids have a health-related complaint. Have a headache? Drink water. Feeling a bit tired in the middle of the afternoon? Drink a Gatorade.Really hungry when you probably shouldnât be? Drink a big bottle of water. Leg cramps at night? Drink more water during the day. I am not quite sure if we are correctly curing all that ails them, but a recent study from the Harvard School of Public Health reported more than half of children in the United States are not getting adequate hydration. Are our plants?
October was the 22nd driest October on record for the state of Illinois. Our temperatures were above average and our rainfall was well below average. This has resulted in drier than average conditions for our plants. While many of the plants in our yards may look like they are completely dormant, root growth can be occurring below ground. Thorough, deep soaking of water will facilitate root growth and assist our plants in surviving the long winter ahead.
All types of plants from groundcover, to perennial flowers, to shrubs and trees need to have adequate moisture going into the winter season. Consider using a hose end sprayer or a series of soaker hoses to thoroughly saturate near the base of your plants. A thorough soaking about once a week from now until the ground freezes should be adequate. If you have an irrigation system, please remember, just because it is turned off doesnât mean that it is time to stop watering your plants.
It is especially imperative that evergreen shrubs and trees have adequate moisture before the ground freezes. Evergreen plants continue to go through a process of transpiration throughout the winter. Transpiration is water loss through the leaves or needles of plants. Once the ground is frozen, evergreen plants can no longer absorb water through their roots. This is why it is so important that evergreen plants are thoroughly watered in the fall.
To minimize water loss through the needles of evergreen shrubs, the needles can be sprayed with an anti-desiccant spray. Wilt-Pruf is an example of the anti-desiccant spray that adds a waxy layer to the needles reducing the amount of water that is lost through the leaves throughout the winter.
Mulch applied in the fall assists in moisture retention in the soil. Generally, mulch should be about 1â thick around perennial flowers and 2â thick around trees and shrubs. Mulch around the base of roses and tender perennials such as butterfly bushes will provide an extra layer of insulation this fall.
Be sure to check out the 6th Annual Holiday House Walk on Thursday, December 3 from 2-6p.m. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the Fountain View Center every Tuesday from now until December 1 from 1-2p.m. at the Prairie Lodge. They are also available on the day of the sale. Six beautiful homes will be featured on the walk this year. Coffee, tea and desserts will be available at the Fountain View Lodge during the house walk also. Proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to several charities.
Kathleen Carr is the owner of The Growing Scene, Inc., a garden center and landscaping company. She can be reached by calling 815-923-7322 or tgsinc12@msn.com
Have a gardening question? Please contact her. She will address it in an upcoming column.
