Beautiful but Dry

October 8th, 2013

   I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen our weather stay so pleasant for such a long stretch.

Unusual… hydrangeas wilting in October.

   We’ve had weeks of blue skies, 70-degree days, comfortably cool nights and scarcely any of our usual stifling humidity.

   I can’t complain. Well, I could, but I’ll take this pleasantry in exchange for the parched soil. At least we and our hoses and sprinklers were able to do something about that. Monday’s rain was just what we needed because the ground was getting dry enough to threaten plant health.

   Don’t be too quick to put away the hose in case we go back to dry.

   Especially pay attention to watering any new evergreens you planted this season. Spruce, junipers, arborvitae and such are very drought-tough once they’re established, but young roots need water to keep the plant from shutting down.

   Unlike flowers and deciduous shrubs that give us warning signs such as wilting and browning leaf margins, evergreens can be root-dead for weeks before the foliage finally turns brown – seemingly overnight.

   Really, though, any first-year plant needs more regular soakings than established plants. Keep the soil damp until  things go dormant. The most obvious signs of that are when leaves drop from the trees, and frost kills perennial foliage. 

   Early fall is usually a good time for transplanting because of cooler temperatures and more regular rain. But that hasn’t been the case this year. Hopefully you’ve been good about watering in the past few weeks and stay vigilant for another few weeks.

   When you water, soak the ground well. Most people under-do it, wetting only the mulch and the soil surface.

   Even when we soak well, it’s hard to do the job of a good, day-long rain event. That wets everything and soaks in.

   When we water around plants, the surrounding dry soil wicks away some of that moisture. And within days, we’re back to dust in the root zone.

   The other key area is new lawns. Early fall is usually the year’s best window for planting new grass or for overseeding thin lawns. Again, it’s because of cool temperatures, more regular rain and warm soil.

   Grass seed needs to be kept consistently damp. If it doesn’t rain, you might need to sprinkle a newly seeded area once or even twice a day until the grass is up. Then you can cut back to every 2 or 3 days.

   If you haven’t been watering, that likely explains why your grass seed doesn’t seem to be “working.”

   Just as bad is new seed that comes up but then gets no water. A few days of dust can kill off those young roots, wasting your effort and seed dollars.

   So don’t ignore even sprouted grass if it’s sunny and dry in the coming few weeks. 

   Hey, I’m not complaining. I’m just saying…