Wednesday's Internet Edition, August 27, 2008.
during hot, dry growing conditions
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| WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SHOW- Olivia Lasater of Hamilton brought home several awards from the 61st World Championship Appaloosa Youth Show in Jackson, Mississippi held June 23-28. Lasater and her Appaloosa gelding Long Tall Texan (Tex) complete in the 10 and under age division. She placed fourth in Hunter Under Saddle, sixth in Trail, seventh in Western Horsemanship, ninth in the Keyhole Race, ninth in the Figure Eight Stake Race and 10th in the Camas Prairie Stump Race. Pictured with Lasater and Tex is Dorinda Burks of Flying Bella Rosa Farm in Rio Vista, TX. |
First, check your methods of application. There is no use in applying water any faster than the soil will soak it up. If applied faster than this, the surplus will either run down the curb into the street or else flood out your neighbor. Sandy-type soils will usually take water almost as fast as it can be applied but tight, clay soils will take it up very slowly. Select the method of application that best fits your soil. Drip irrigation systems for shrubs make the most efficient use of water for beds.
Secondly, use a mulch wherever possible. A good mulch conserves moisture, prevents compaction, keeps soil temperature lower, reduces weed population and in case weeds do get a start, they are much easier to pull if a mulch has been used. Also, check the depth of the mulch material once in a while. Organic mulches tend to decompose or sometimes wash away, so frequent checks and replacement where necessary will help conserve moisture.
While night-time watering is conducive to development of plant diseases in some environmental conditions, one does get more efficient use of the water when evaporation rates are lowest. Also, as hot as it is during the night in the summer months, watering at night will not be a significant factor in disease development.
The best time to water in the summer is after 8 p.m. and before 10 a.m. If you don't have an automatic watering system, invest in water timers (the Gilmour Mechanical Timer sells in the $10-$12 range) that you can activate when you go to bed and allow the sprinklers to water an area for two hours per setting. Be careful to adjust the spray pattern so it doesn't water the street! Since we are not functioning under severe water restrictions, you can do this every night, depending on how many hoses and sprinklers you have, until the entire yard is watered.
Last, but by no means least, is the practice of doing a thorough job of watering each time it becomes necessary to irrigate. A thorough watering at 7- to 10-day intervals encourages deep root penetration and full utilization of the available soil moisture. Just because plants happen to wilt during the heat of the day doesn't mean the soil is dry. If the plants are still wilted the following morning, water that area the next night.