In much of the West, no rain falls from May to December in most years. This is the long natural summer drought of the arid states. By summer’s end, there is little soil moisture left where there is no irrigation. Even where irrigated, a deep drink this time of year does wonders for your most important plants. Many will rebloom or produce more edibles in the fall if moisturized now, and the long autumn growing season encourages more extensive root growth for greater drought resistance next year. Here’s how.
HAND WATER
Watering by hand means flooding the root zone of a dry plant with water from the hose. Don’t let it dig a hole with the pressure, let it rain down gently to wash dust off the foliage and saturate to well below the soil surface. Check wetness depth visually with your finger to verify it’s percolating down. Beware of organic mulches that tend to absorb water before it penetrates.
SATURATE ROOT BALLS.
New plants to your garden this year or those planted the previous season have their roots in the nursery potting soil. Often in extended dry heat they can become entirely dehydrated and resist normal water penetration. Your water flows down the edges of the dry mass of potting soil, and its limited flow will show in plant decline. To saturate the entire root ball once, turn on the garden hose to drips or a trickle, then place at the base of the stem or trunk. Let it go a couple of hours or overnight depending on plant size.
LITTLE ROUND SPRINKLER
At every home improvement store are little metal sprinklers for your garden hose that cost about $3. These are exceptional choices for watering trees with big root systems. The head sprays in a circle that you can make larger or smaller to fit the drip line by adjusting the hose flow. These are a great way to simulate rain saturation under a precious shade tree that’s showing stress.
CONTAINERS
August should be called potted flower death month because out west most can’t hold up to the heat and low humidity winds of the summer-fall transition. They die because folks aren’t watering like they did in June so these plants may be operating on below average moisture. They show it loud and clear with small flowers or none at all and sparse growth. Most of all it’s the way these are watered that contributes to the problem. What you apply flows down the gap between potting soil and the inner edge of the pot, then out the bottom. No matter how often you feed or water, most of it is lost unless you can rehydrate the potting soil so it swells up again.
It’s easy to do: Just get a big plastic storage box and fill half as deep as the pot with water. Place your potted plant into the water. Next fill the upper part of the pot with water until it stops draining due to equilibrium. You’ll see bubbles that indicate water is displacing air in the soil. This condition keeps water in that soil at a super high saturation rate so the organic matter can slowly absorb it. Let it sit this way for an hour. Finally, remove the pot and let it drain on gravel or another porous surface before returning to its usual place.
Watering is not about spraying plants or soils with your finger over the hose end. That never works well enough in dry climates. Watering is actually hydrology, which blends soil and hydro engineering to create the most optimal conditions for cultivated plants.
Where weather is extreme and water scarce, these tips can make or break your garden. These methods ensure all the water is 100 percent useful to the plants. Removing the dirt and grime while watering helps you spot problems early and fix them. But most of all you’ll be out in nature helping another organism achieve its optimal health and beauty by keeping all well hydrated in the heat.
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Maureen Gilmer is an author, horticulturist and landscape designer. Learn more at www.MoPlants.com
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