Withering Plants in Need of Water?

"Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it." - Russel Baker

Managing your Landscape during Dry Weather

Follow basic landscape maintanence principles.

• Regularly weed hardscaped areas as weeds can soak up valuable soil moisture that could otherwise be used by landscape plants.
• Do not sheer prune shrubs. This can cause them to be less water efficient and open up their canopies to sunburn.
  
• Apply organic mulch (shreaded bark or compost) around the base of plants to help maintain soil moisture and reduce temperature.

Prioritize landscape water requirements by assigning monetary and functional values to your living landscape.

• Give trees a higher watering priority than grass or flowerbeds. Most grass areas can tolerate long periods of drought and if damaged can be replanted and will rejuvenate in a matter of months. Trees, however, are more difficult to replace. They take much longer to grow and can be costly to remove.
  
• Give functional grass areas a priority. Grass in the back yard nearest the patio should be given first priority. Grass in the front or side yards should be the first to lose water. Consider replacing grass with desert-adapted groundcovers, such as trailing rosemary or acacia.

Trees are the single most important living element in a landscape. They require consistent care regardless of conditions, and therefore the highest priority should be on their maintenance and watering:

• Check frequently for drought stress including wilting, yellowing, and browning of leaf edges, defoliation, and branch-die-back. In a continued drought, leaves may be smaller than normal and drop prematurely. Although drought stress may not kill a tree outright, it could set it up for more serious diseases or insect infestations in following years.
  
• Water deeply and slowly. Apply water so it moistens the soil in the root zone to a depth of at least 12 inches (the recommended watering depth is 24 to 36 inches.)
  
• Do not fertilize a tree that is under drought stress. Fertilizers can stimulate growth, which results in additional foliage for the root system to maintain.
  
• Be careful when pruning. Pruning can open up canopies and cause sun scald on branches. Remove broken, dead or crossing branches because leaving these weakened branches could set the tree up for secondary infections.

How should I manage our grass during a drought?

• Water as infrequently as possible without causing undue stress. If you walk across the grass and leave foot prints, it is time to water.
  
• Make sure to still water to a depth of at least six inches.
  
• Avoid fertilizing which will increase the growth rate.
  
• Be willing to accept a less-than-perfect turf and tolerate a few brown or yellow spots.
  
• Set your mower to remove only 1/3 of the blade of grass at a time and make sure your mower blade is sharp.

Best Time of Day to Water

Water early in the morning, when less water is lost to evaporation and wind drift. In early morning, the air is cooler and there is less wind.

How to Water

Water established plants deeply and less frequently. Deep watering improves drought resistance in established plants by promoting deeper and more extensive root systems. Newly installed plants need just the opposite: light frequent applications. Many new plants need daily water to thrive.

How Long Should I Run the Sprinkler?

To determine how long to run your sprinklers for deep watering of your lawn, place empty cans throughout the spray pattern of your sprinkler. Keep track of the amount of time it takes for 1 inch of water to accumulate in the cans. (Check all the cans because some areas of spray pattern may not receive as much water as other areas.)

Now you know how long to run the sprinkler to give your landscape a deep watering without wasting water. Keeping that amount of time in mind, read these general guidelines:

· In sandy soil, 1 inch of watering soaks soil to a depth of about 12 inches.

· For grass and bedding plants, apply ½ inch to 1 inch of watering (soaks soil to a depth of 6 to 12 inches).

· For perennials, shrubs and trees, apply 1 inch of water (soaks soil to depth of 12 inches).

Watering Frequency

Extend the number of days or weeks between water applications to the longest possible interval. Water lawns only after 30% of the lawn starts to wilt (grass blades curl when wilting). Water trees, shrubs, perennials and annuals after they start to wilt. Some trees do not wilt; they simply drop interior leaves in drought.

Fertilizing

Don't fertilize during drought--fertilizer promotes plant growth, which increases the need for water.

We hope this helps to keep your lawn and landscape as healthy and happy as it can be in dry times so that when the rain comes, it will grow in full bloom with little or no loss. As always, we welcome your questions and comments!