Watering in the Garden

Officially, we are not in a drought but it sure is getting dry out there. For it to be official, Governor Tom Corbett would have to make a proclamation based upon surface water, groundwater, precipitation and soil moisture indicators, the status of public water supplies, recommendations of the Commonwealth Drought Task Force and input from county officials within affected counties.

Pennsylvania is not in a drought yet but areas have been designated

 as abnormally dry (one step below drought status).  The U.S.

Drought  Monitor is a joint effort of the USDA, the National Oceanic

 and Atmospheric Administration, and

other agencies.  http://www.drought.unl.edu/dm/monitor.html

Official or not, plants need water and lots of it. The United States Geological Survey estimates that an acre of corn gives off about 3,000-4,000 gallons of water each day, and a large oak tree can move 40,000 gallons per year through its leaves.

I expected my annuals to suffer through this prolonged dry spell but was surprised to see my perennials and shrubs suffering, even though they have been in the ground for a couple of years. As a result, I have had to irrigate my garden and portions of the landscape. There are some things to consider if you add water to your landscape and garden to counteract the hot, dry weather.

Equipment seems pretty basic; get a hose and water. If that is all you have on hand, it will work, but there are some downsides to a simple hose. Typically, water comes out of a hose end rather quickly and more water will run-off the application site than sink into the soil. This method of watering requires the individual to stand there and move the hose around in order to distribute water evenly. A spray wand can be attached to the hose end but it still requires constant human action to spread the water around.

A piece of equipment many homeowners utilize is the sprinkler. This attaches to the hose end and allows for a more uniform distribution over a wider area with little labor (you can walk away after set-up). Water is also applied slowly, over a longer period of time which results in less run-off (more goes into the soil profile).

sprinkler

The downside to sprinklers is that leaves get wet. This is especially problematic in vegetable gardens as this provides the ultimate micro-climate for diseases. Many foliar diseases, such as early blight on tomato and bacterial leaf spot on pepper need water on the leaf to start the infection process. Without water, the organism has trouble taking down your plant.

The best piece of equipment to use is a soaker hose; a porous tube that allows water to seep from it. This applies a slow, steady trickle of water with hardly any water run-off (almost all goes directly into the soil) and no water touches the leaves.

For those that are trying to do some type of gardening in this brutal weather, stay hydrated and go jump in a pool to cool off.