June
19, 2002
The
Summer Watering Issue |
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Water,
Water, Everyone...
Kevin has been out of town for the last six days so I have been
running around the house like a chicken with my head cut off.
I have to laugh sometimes when I think about how great it would
be to have a few acres to plant. Ha! I have
three small gardens and can barely tend to them myself.
Between weeding, dead heading and watering I feel as if I spend
most of the day doing gardening chores. Although I make it
sound arduous I found myself in the garden so many times this
week relieving the stress of daily activities. The garden
is such a place of peace for me. To say that it is
therapeutic is an understatement! I get so caught up in the
beauty of things that it actually takes my mind off of other
things that have been busily running around in my brain all day.
The garden is a place for me to totally relax and think of
nothing but what my hands are doing. It's nice to know that
to get away I don't have far to go.
With the
official start of summer this week we are dedicating this issue to watering - the single most
important and least understood aspect of successful summer
gardening. Even though we
have had some good rains this month we must continue watering to
make sure the summer heat does not destroy our gardens. All
of our advice this week relates to water - too much, too little,
and just right. I think you will find these tips very
beneficial.
Don't
forget! We're making a day trip to Moncrief's
Greenhouse on Saturday June 29th. While we're in the
area we also plan to drop in on some of the fine gardens featured
on the Pittsburg
Garden Tour. Let
us know if you'd like to join us!
~
Shelly
Veggies
Need More...
We've stated in the past that most gardens require one inch
of water per week. As the weather heats up however water
consumption for a vegetable garden will gradually increase up to
two inches of water per week and then taper off again as the
weather cools. Remember that it is imperative for you to water deeply once or twice a week. Watering a little bit
every day is just not good for the plants.
Other
watering tips for your veggies:
- Concentrate
your watering in the root zone. Soaker hoses and drip
irrigation systems are great methods.
- Related
to the above, try to minimize watering of leaves. This
will help prevent disease.
- Water in
the morning between 6:00 and 9:00 AM. Midday watering
wastes water. Evening watering may lead to plant
disease.
- Keep the
garden well weeded to eliminate competition for water.
- Use
mulches to aid water retention in the garden soil.
Coping
With Containers...
Container plants (those in pots, window boxes, hanging baskets,
etc...) are the first to be affected by lack of water.
Since the container itself is exposed on all sides the sun and
heat cause the limited amount of soil to dry up much quicker than
in a garden. As a general rule you should water containers until
the water drains out the holes
in the bottom. During the summer it is not unusual to do
this two or three times a day.
Competitive
Nature...
Don't let grass or weeds grow beneath your trees and
shrubs. They compete fiercely for available water and will
slow the growth of trees, especially newly planted ones. Worse yet,
the longer turfgrass grows under trees and shrubs the greater the
reduction of new growth. Left alone a cumulative effect may
decrease tree growth for several years. For instance, if
the growth of a tree is reduced by 20 percent for one year
because of grass competition, the growth automatically is 20
percent less during the second year's growth. Grass
competition alone reduces tree and shrub growth by as much as 50
percent.
Source
In support of
the local gardening community Savvygardener.com is pleased
to offer
special rates on web sites for your garden club
or other non-profit organization!
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Here For Details!
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Flowers
- Blooming Not Burning...
Different flowers have different watering needs. The
one inch of water per week rule is a good start but it's always
best to keep an eye them. Look for the telltale signs of
drought stress including wilt, droopiness, and the premature
loss of foliage and/or blooms. Like vegetables your flowers
will benefit from deep and infrequent waterings. Also, a couple
of inches of mulch will do wonders to help retain soil moisture
during the hot sunny weather.
Another good
long-term strategy would include greater use of drought tolerant
flowers. Savvygardeners can find a list of these water
efficient marvels (suitable for the Kansas City area of course) here...
A Hose
By Any Other Name...
Hoses are easily the most common means of getting water to your
gardens and containers. Most gardeners give little thought
to their hoses until it's time to replace them. If you are
replacing a hose or just interested in a new one take a little
time and choose one that's best for you. Like most tools,
hoses are available in varying quality levels with prices that
usually follow. Hoses come in different diameters but
5/8-inch is the most popular. Different diameters deliver
different flow rates and this may be an important factor in your
choice. Use this table to assist in sizing.
Flow
Rates from Different Hose Sizes and Water Pressures |
Pressure |
1/2 inch |
5/8 inch |
3/4 inch |
1 inch |
20 psi |
4 gpm |
8 gpm |
12 gpm |
26 gpm |
30 psi |
5 gpm |
9 gpm |
15 gpm |
32 gpm |
40 psi |
6 gpm |
11 gpm |
18 gpm |
38 gpm |
50 psi |
7 gpm |
12 gpm |
20 gpm |
43 gpm |
60 psi |
8 gpm |
14 gpm |
22 gpm |
47 gpm |
Flow
rates are in gallons per minute (gpm). 40 psi is
typical water pressure for most homes. |
Source
Grass Guzzlers...
For many of us our lawns are the single biggest users of
"gardening water". Unfortunately excessive
watering is wasteful and can actually be harmful to your
lawn. If waterings are too light or too
frequent the lawn can become weak and shallow-rooted, which in
turn makes it more susceptible to stress injury. To make
sure you get it right use the
following steps to determine the amount of water your sprinkler
or sprinkler system puts out and check its distribution pattern
at the same time.
- Determine
the rate at which your sprinkler applies water to the
lawn.
- Set
out three to five empty cans in a straight line going away
from the sprinkler. Set the last can near the edge of the
sprinkler's coverage.
- Run
the sprinkler for a set time such as 1/2 hour.
- Measure
the amount of water in each can.
- Each
can will contain a different amount of water. Usually, the
can closest to the sprinkle will have the most water.
The
sprinkler pattern must overlap to get an even wetness of
the soil. Use this information to find out how long it
takes your sprinkler to apply 1 inch of water. For
example, if you find that most cans contain about 1/4 inch
of water after the sprinkler runs 1/2 hour, it would take
4 x 1/2 or 2 hours to apply 1 inch.
- Run
the sprinkler long enough to apply at
least 1 inch of water or until runoff occurs. If runoff occurs
first:
- Stop
sprinkler and note running time.
- Allow
water to soak in for 1/2 hour.
- Start
sprinkler.
- If
runoff occurs, repeat above steps until at least 1 inch of
water has been applied and allowed to soak into the
soil.
- Do not
water again until the lawn has completely dried out. (This
usually takes 5 or 6 days.)
- Apply
enough water to wet the soil to a depth of 4 to 6
inches.
- Avoid
frequent light applications of water.
- Water
in early daylight hours.
- Select
a turfgrass with a low water requirement.
- Avoid
using soluble nitrogen fertilizers. (They promote high
growth rates which, in turn, increase water requirements
of the plant.)
Source
Finally... "Successful
gardening consists of
One part soil,
Two parts water,
Three parts prayer." ~
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