Ready for summer drought season?
Here are some tips to get your yard in shape before the heat and
water rationing begin. 1. Start deep-root feeding
your trees around the drip line now to help your plants develop
strong systems of feeder roots. This will make them more drought
tolerant.
2. In the event of water rationing,
water trees first because they add to the value of your home more
than the other plants. Next water shrubs, then perennials (especially
the pricier ones) and finally annuals. Don't water annuals and container
plants at the expense of trees and shrubs as they are much easier
to replace if lost to a drought.
3. Three to five inches of
mulch in your plant beds can reduce water evaporation by as much
as seventy percent. You can use wood chips, rocks or lawn clippings,
however, if you do use lawn clippings, be sure that they are dry
before you apply them and that they have not been sprayed with any
broadleaf herbicides.
4. Sprinklers are the most
inefficient method of watering. Try to minimize their use and opt
instead for drip and trickle systems where possible. Try watering
beneath the soil line by punching holes in coffee or juice cans,
sinking them six to 12 inches into the soil then filling them with
water.
5. Water your grass mindfully.
Apply only as much water as the grass needs, up to about one inch
of water once or twice per week. You can tell when your grass needs
watering by checking for footprints in the grass that don't spring
back up quickly, looking for a bluish-gray coloring that goes away
with watering or inserting a long screwdriver into the soil. A dry,
thirsty lawn will be much more difficult to penetrate than a moist
one. Avoid light waterings of the grass several times per week as
this will encourage shallow root growth and will decrease your lawn's
tolerance to opportunistic weeds such as crabgrass. If water is
too scarce to water deeply as described above, discontinue completely
and let your grass go dormant until fall. (It will come back!)
6. Water trees at the drip
line, where the feeder roots are, rather than at the base of the
trunk. The drip line is an imaginary line that can be found by pretending
that you are standing under the tree while it's raining. The outer
edge where the majority of the water would be dripping off is the
drip line.
7. Though many green-thumbs
like to relax after work by watering their flowers and lawns, late
afternoon and evening are not the best time of day to water. Plants
left wet or damp overnight become very susceptible to invasive fungi
and other plant diseases. To give your plants the best advantage,
water them between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m. and give them the rest of the
day to dry out.
8. Over-fertilization during
or prior to a drought will not help to protect your plants. While
fertilizing lightly will stimulate feeder root growth, excessive
fertilization will also increase the plant's need for water, leading
to drought stress if sufficient water isn't available.
