There are several things you can do to ease your plants through a dry summer and improve your landscape at the same time. You can install a drip system or replace your old sprinkler heads with low water usage heads, which is ideal, however there are other steps you can take to conserve. Here’s how to make every drop of water count.
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First of all, irrigate slowly, deeply and less frequently. Slow soaking limits runoff and encourages plants to develop deep root systems that are better able to tolerate drought. To minimize evaporation, irrigate in the early morning or evening. If you have to use a hose for watering, build soil berms around young trees and shrubs such as roses to concentrate water on the root zones. Fill the basin so the water soaks in.
It’s also important to check the soil moisture occasionally between watering to make sure the plants actually need to be watered as frequently as they are. Dig down one foot and feel a handful of soil. Another way to test moisture is to use a soil probe to read the soil. Simply push it into the ground and twist it out. It will pull a 10- to 12-inch cross section of soil, showing how wet or dry the soil actually is. If the top two inches of the soil sample are dry, it’s time to water.
If you don’t have a drip irrigation system, consider using soaker hoses or root irrigators to concentrate water in specific areas. You can also be water-wise with pots by using glazed, foam or plastic pots, which are less porous and hold moisture better. Nesting smaller pots inside of larger ones will also create extra insulation.
If you have a grass lawn, raise your mower height. Taller grass shades the soil and will help reduce evaporation. Instead of high-nitrogen lawn food, apply a low-nitrogen iron product to help prevent excessive growth and improve the lawn’s tolerance to heat stress.
Be sure to use mulch in your garden. It helps reduce evaporation, insulates the roots from hot temperatures, helps prevent weeds, improves the soil and just plain makes a garden look better. Apply a two-inch layer of Bark Mulch for best results.
If you face a real pinch in water availability, survey your landscape and give the highest priority to established trees and foundation shrubs, because they would be the hardest to replace. If your garden is just too water needy, you should consider enlisting the aid of a Landscape Designer or Master Gardener to re-vamp your plant materials.
Julie Molinare is a Certified Landscape Designer living in Santa Clarita for more than 12 years. Julie teaches the Introduction to Landscape Design Class at CSUN, Tseng College of Extended Learning and is Owner/Designer of The Grass Is Always Greener Designs.
For more information, please call 661-917-3521 or visit www.thegrassisalwaysgreener.net