My daughter, Mary, came over on Sunday. Due to social distancing we were hosting her and her boyfriend, Stephen, on our deck. As she was sitting down, she looked into our backyard and asked “What happened to the lawn?” It looked like we had purposefully tried to create ugly brown stripes and circles in our lawn by spraying herbicide.
It wasn’t us, but a climatological condition that is causing the lawn to go dormant. The lack of rain had resulted in dry brown grass in stripes over our septic lines and a big brown circle over our septic tank.
Unfortunately the lack of rain is also affecting other types of plants besides grass. Perennial flowers, shrubs and even some trees are showing signs of stress. A drier than usual August has followed a record setting wet May. When, how much and how to water outdoor plants can be a bit confusing. In this article I will give you some tips and tricks to use when caring for your plants.
In general plants need about 1” of water per week. Of course that number varies with the temperature. During the times that the temperature soars into the 90s plants may need up to 2” per week. The moisture can be in the form of rain or supplemental water. The question then becomes ‘How do I know if my plants are getting the necessary amount of water?”
You measure it! I would highly recommend that you actively measure how much water your plants are receiving. A traditional rain gauge attached to a heavy duty stake will give you an accurate measurement of how much rain your plants are receiving from Mother Nature. If you have an irrigation system that sprays water into your planting beds, it is imperative that you know how much water your plants are receiving. Placing a low profile rain gauge in amongst your flowers and shrubs will allow you to visually see how much water is being sprayed into an area each time your irrigation system runs. Most irrigation systems are programmed to run every other day. Therefore, ideally, your irrigation system would be furnishing your plants with approximately 1/3 of an inch each time it cycles. Often times there is a discrepancy between how much water plants get even when the plants are within the same planting bed. You may find that you need to move the rain gauge around(over the course of a week) and measure the water that is being emitted in several different spots to find out how much each area or group is truly getting. Changes to your irrigation system may need to be made, depending on the results of your research. Too much water can be more harmful to plants than not enough. You may also find that you need to supplement water some plants. Do not rely solely on an irrigation system to water your plants.
When to water is just as important as how much to water. Ideally, water your plants in the morning. Realistically, though, water your plants whenever you notice they are dry. Watering in the morning allows the roots ample time to absorb the water throughout the day. Watering at night often results in watering sitting on the leaves which can promote plant disease problems. Be sure to pay attention to not only the plants themselves but also the condition of the soil when making the determination when to water. Using either your fingers or a hand shovel, dig down into the soil several inches before watering. If the soil looks and feels damp, then do not water. Simply check that area a few hours later or perhaps even early the next day. If the soil is dry, then a slow thorough soaking may be what your plants need. When plants are dry the leaves often start to flag, turn yellow or even curl. Again, this would be a sign to check the soil and then water if needed.
Watering can be done through several methods. Oscillating sprinklers, soaker hoses, tree gators, watering cans, watering wands or a slow trickle through the end of a hose are all good methods of giving plants the moisture that they require to grow a healthy root system. Soaker hoses are generally the most efficient way to water the root system of plants. Black, porous, soaker hoses can be interlaced between shrubs at ground level to provide the ability for a series of plants to be watered at the same time. Ring soaker hoses are also available and can be placed around the base of trees.
Just as you monitor your own hydration each day, if possible, take a few minutes to check on your plants.
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 emailing her at Kathleen@thegrowingscene.com. Have a gardening question? Please contact her. She may address it in an upcoming column.
