Learn how to keep your garden happy through a drought
As we face another year of dry conditions, but not to worry, here are a few tips for how to water more effectively & efficiently, so that you can protect your plants while saving water.
A Mediterranean climate is defined climatically by experiencing a dry summer season, relying on the winter rains to hydrate the soil and refill the waterways. Here in California, we are the driest of the Mediterranean climates. California relies on ample winter snowpack in the Sierras to provide water to our watersheds throughout the spring and summer months. I just learned that 40% of California's water comes from the snowpack and when there is not enough snow, then California suffers a very dry year ahead. This water deficit is directly related sadly to our rapidly changing climate. This lack of water has massive impacts beyond what we can notably see. As extreme drought becomes the norm in California, we need to learn ways to get the most out of every drop of precious water. So what can we do to protect our gardens, making them resilient to times of drought?
When it comes to watering our gardens, we want the water to infiltrate into the soil, not run off of it. We achieve this by adding organic matter (compost) to the soil, then protecting the soil, preventing it from becoming hydrophobic, with a nice layer of mulch, such as wood chips (avoid rocks, crushed shells, and non-organic materials like rubber ships as they hold too much heat among other unfavorable reasons). We then want the water to stay in the soil - this is another reason why we spread a layer of wood chips over the soil, as it reduces the water evaporation rate significantly. Thirdly, we want our plants to be able to access the water. We achieve this by adding compost & watering deeply.
I'll start by having a look at how you are currently watering our gardens. First I will ask:
Are you watering with a drip irrigation system that you schedule from a controller? This is the most efficient way to water because you can direct the water specifically to target the root zone and water deeply. (but remember, this is not a set it and forget it system. The watering schedule will change according to the plant's needs)
Or is the irrigation system pop-up sprinklers that spray water over the garden? Pop-ups loss a lot of water due to wind & evaporation, plus can over spray the water which wastes the water. Look to see if your municipality has an irrigation conversion rebate to switch out pop-up for drip.
Are you hand watering? This can be very efficient, however be sure to water the roots, avoid watering the crown and the leaves, since this can cause disease.
Are you able to recycle any water? Have you installed a rain catchment system? This is a great way to water the garden with free water. Do you fill a bucket with water from a sink indoors as you are waiting for the temperature to reach 'hot' and then use that captured water in the garden. Have you installed a Laundry to Landscape greywater system. This is my favorite way to water my trees & shrubs in the garden. Every little bit helps and the plants love recycled water.
Whichever way you irrigate your plants, you'll need to make sure you are getting that water deep. We want to grow deep root systems and we do this by watering deeply. Your goal is to get that water down 5"-12" depending on the plant. For my perennials and veggies, I am shooting for a good 5"-7". Then we wait until the top few inches of the soil is dry before we water again. This may take a number of days. Larger shrubs and trees, I will go deeper and water even less often, perhaps providing a deep soak just once a month or longer. Now when we lay out a nice thick layer of mulch, such as wood chips, we are reducing that water evaporation tremendously. The top will look dry due to sun exposure & wind, but when you feel down a couple of inches, the soil will be nice and moist. Then when we have times of extreme heat & drought stress, our plants are happy as can be because they have water to access around their deeper root zone. When we water shallowly, that water evaporates quickly, needing to water more frequently.When this goes unnoticed over time, our plants become stressed from losing water so often. Drought stressed plants become weak and are prone to pests, including diseases.
How do we know if we are watering enough? We have to check the soil. We need to feel the soil with our fingers, or dig down a bit with a trowel to see, or use a moisture meter. Any tool that will help, but you need to know. As a someone who has worked professionally in the garden industry for 25+ years, what I do know is that no one can tell you how much or how little to water your plants. Only you can. Why? The reason is because it depends. It depends on your soil's texture & the structure, the plant material, the water needs of the plants, is there a nice layer of mulch protecting the soil, how the sun moves across your garden, if there are heat pockets in your garden, is there a wind tunnel that whip through in the afternoon, is your garden primarily potted plants on a concrete patio? There is so much to take into consideration. This is why it is important for you to learn how much you effectively watered by feeling the soil, dig down a bit to see.
After you feel that you have provided enough water to that area, go around to check how well it permeated the soil. I will share that there have been many times when I thought I watered really well and then, when I have checked to see, I am shocked to see that my watering efforts only reached a half of an inch down. I invite you to get curious and see how well the water is getting down into the soil. From there, before you water again, feel the soil down a few inches, has it dried out yet? The surface will always look dry, so this is why we need to dig down a bit to check. Once the soil has dried out, then it's time to water again. Even if a plant looks wilted, feel the soil. Plants can wilt when they are overwatered as well as if they are too hot. It's strange but true. So check the soil before you water.
Lastly, the best time of the day to water is in the early morning when the soil and air is still cool. Avoid watering during the heat of the day when you can, as this will be less effective.
If you'd like to learn more about how to protect your garden through a drought, I have a few free webinars coming up on this topic: 'Drought-Proofing Your Garden'. You will be able to register for this class at 3 differents dates. This coming Wednesday June 2nd at 5pm PST. Register here for that webinar. Then again on June 9th at 4pm & June 12th at 10am. You can register for those on my website. Note that my 6/9/21 at 4pm PST 'June in the Garden' program subject has been shifted to cover protecting our gardens through drought.
I hope to see you at one of them🙂
Thanks for taking such care to save water. I certainly appreciate it. Stay cool and have fun in your garden!
~Suzanne