The droning of cicadas, the jumpscares of grasshoppers, and you can nearly feel the sizzle of the sun on your shoulders … It’s definitely summer!
The summer sun takes its toll on your garden and has you lugging that hose reel around just to help plants keep up! Read on for a few tips and tricks to reduce the need for watering in general and how to keep the heat and sun from drying up your garden.
Here’s How To Conserve Water This Summer!
Relentless sun, heat stress, drought, and climate change are making it more and more difficult to keep up with the watering needs of your landscaping! Water restrictions in some states and higher bills are affecting us all.
Turn your summer garden from a chore that constantly needs to be watered into a cooling, calming oasis and help reduce the water bill by knowing a few things about conserving water and stopping it from evaporating in the first place.
When To Water
Timing is everything! When to water is a crucial part of helping reduce how much water you are using in the garden. There’s no point watering during the heat of the day when the sun is just going to evaporate it immediately. Water needs a chance to soak in and plants need time to soak water up!
The best times to water your plants are during the early morning before the heat and sun have a chance to hinder you, or in the late evening as things cool off and the sun begins to sink towards the horizon. Morning is the very best as the sun can dry the leaves of dew and reduce instances of foliar issues from excess moisture (in addition to the ever-present humidity in the air) getting onto the leaves.
Another crucial thing about timing is to get your plants in the ground in the early spring or late fall, that way once summer rolls around and the heat is on, your plants will have a larger root system and more feeder roots to seek out moisture on their own - reducing your need to water them through the summer months.
How To Water
There’s actually a right way and a wrong way to water! Don’t just go willy-nilly watering here and there, hitting everything with the hose for the count of 10, or spraying your yard broadcast-style like it’s raining.
- Water only what needs to be watered by using the Finger Test
- Water at the roots of the plant - avoiding excess water on the leaves of plants
- Infrequent waterings that saturate the entirety of the root zone is better than frequent shallow waterings
- Avoid washing out soil when watering and keep the hose nozzle setting a gentle, steady shower or remove the nozzle entirely and let it run wide open in a ground soaking stream
- Don’t let your plants get past the permanent wilt stage - water well before this happens to prevent your plants from ever becoming this stressed. Saturating the area as needed prevents your landscaping from going into heat-induced dormancy, prevents flower and fruit drop, and keeps plants from dying back.
Where To Water
Water isn’t very effective unless it’s being delivered directly to the root zone of your plants! Use mulch or create a depression around your plant (without exposing the surface roots or digging down) to give water a place to pool - eliminating runoff and allowing the water a chance to soak in. It’s kind of the opposite of a moat.
Water the entire root zone thoroughly, moving the hose around on all sides of your plant to soak it thoroughly.
Watering under your mulch and directly into the ground will also eliminate moisture loss through evaporation and runoff.
Soaker hoses and drip irrigation are fantastic ways to water large areas and delivering water directly where it is needed - in the ground and gradually enough to fully soak in before the moisture can runoff.
Mulch It Up!
Adding a 3-4 inch deep layer of bark chips, arborist mulch, or even plant cover crop plants/groundcover plants to act as living mulch significantly reduces how much you ultimately need to water!
By planting living mulch or chipped bark helps eliminate runoff and moisture loss through evaporation.
Go Native!
In addition to choosing plants suitable for your region and growing zone, choosing native options is another way to ensure your plants will survive the highs and lows of your area! Check out Native Plants for your region or contact your local County Extension Office.
Go Xeric
Xeriscaping and planting drought-tolerant landscaping are ideal in any growing zone but especially important in locations where water is scarce, the soil is more sand and hardpan, and temperatures can soar or sink over the span of 12 hours each day. You need hardy plants that won’t need much moisture once established and also won’t break the bank when the water bill arrives.
These plants are made for conserving their own moisture, limiting moisture loss from their leaves, and have deep, expansive roots that seek out water deep in the ground.
Improve Your Soil
Do you see cracks or furrows developing in your soil when it gets dry? You need to improve your soil health. Add a good mulch layer, plant a cover crop, and including more organic matter that holds moisture!
In the spring or fall (don’t do this in summer), mix in or top-dress your area with compost and good rich topsoil. Then plant groundcover plants or top with a 3-4 inch deep layer of mulch, which further breaks down gradually to improve your soil quality too!
Break up hardpan and compacted soil where water simply flows over the top and won’t allow your earthworms or water to work the earth.
Managing Container Plants In The Heat
- Avoid unglazed ceramic pots and pots in dark colors that heat up faster
- Keep containers away from where heat and sun reflects and can cause leaf burn
- Use moisture-retaining potting medium
- Mulch your containers to reduce evaporation and keep the roots cooler
- During prolonged drought or excessive heat spells, it may be best to move container plants into partial shade or more protected areas during these bouts
Helping Your Lawn Along
Watering your lawn is important to support the more shallow root systems and still not break the bank. Plant grass that is best for your growing zone and is improved for drought tolerance.
Water turfgrass deeply and thoroughly but less frequently when establishing your lawn. This will ensure the roots grow down deep. This is a very important method for training your plants to find water on their own and be able to handle occasional drought and heat.
Light and frequent watering keep the plant roots close to the surface where they can dry out quickly and stress the plants sooner.
Other No-No’s When The Going Gets Hot
Some other things to avoid doing out in the garden this time of year include:
- Avoid pruning your plants. Besides a bit of deadheading, avoid large pruning jobs during extreme heat and drought conditions.
- Avoid fertilizing plants during extreme weather conditions, most plants are slowing their metabolism during this trying time and fertilizer will stimulate growth, creating stress.
- Try not to spray large areas with pesticides or other chemicals which can increase the effects of heat and sun on your plants, causing them to over heat, lose moisture through their foliage, and even cause leaf burn.
- Create windbreaks to protect plants that suffer from constant wind that can dry plants out, especially evergreens. Avoid any tall windbreaks that will block sun, causing more stress for full sun plants.
No More Lugging Around The Hose!
Schlepping water and fighting tangled hoses are not how we want to spend our summer months! By employing these simple water conservation tactics this year!
Get your landscape ready to beat the heat beautifully with the help of NatureHills.com!
Happy Planting!
