Oh, it is dry. Gardeners who have not yet conceded their plants to the drought may still save their favorites. Choices on which plants to save and which ones to just let go is a tough decision, when all our plants are our favorites.
Decide which plants need moisture the most. Perennials are high on the list—trees, shrubs, perennial bloomers, and perennial foundation plants. Fruiting trees that have not received adequate amounts of water may have dropped flowers during bloom; those that had successful fruit set may have dropped immature fruit early in the season; those trees that keep the fruit, the fruit may be smaller and misshapen. It is still edible but smaller than in years when there was adequate moisture.
In last week’s column were some jobs that need to be done during the summer season, and one of those jobs was to apply mulch. Mulching has two actions: lowering temperature at the root zone and reducing soil evaporation.
Mulching reduces evaporation from the soil by slowing the water lost from bare soil. Covering bare soil with a layer of mulch reduces the temperature around the root zone, which slows the amount of water lost from the plant.
Mulches keep in the soil the water that has been applied to the root zone. Mulching with organic material is effective. Straw, pine needles or shredded bark are good and inexpensive sources of mulch. Plastic mulches are effective, but the downside to plastics are disposal issues—what is done with much material at the end of the season. There are some new innovations that may not have yet made it to market; mulches made from cornstarch have had success in research trials. Keep eyes open for new types of mulches, but in the interim, use mulch to reduce soil evaporation.
Water deeply. Roots grow where there is moisture. If irrigation is merely sprinkled, roots remain shallow on the surface, where temperature are higher, and evaporation is high. Deep irrigation provides the moisture necessary for roots to extend deeper into the soil profile, which loses less water. Deep irrigations are more efficient. This may mean, that for lawns that are sprinkle-irrigated, instead of 15 minutes of surface watering, let sprinklers emit water until an inch has been applied. The result is deeper roots, fewer irrigations, and less water over a season.
Next week: Choosing plants for the landscape.
Ellen Peffley Harp, a retired professor of horticulture at Texas Tech University, writes about gardening for several Texas newspapers.
- Log in or Subscribe to post comments.
