Watering Garden during Summer !!

The Green Thumb

Watering Garden during Summer !!

Arun Pratap Singh

Summers usually have an extended period of drought, although in most parts of Uttarakhand, it does rain sometimes even before the monsoon sets in. This year it has been a relatively cool summer so far. But the coming weeks are going to bring more heat. Come Summer and it is common to see garden enthusiasts tensed up. For a careful gardener, there is no need to worry. There are a lot of simple, practical ways to keep the garden and the potted plants green and healthy even during the dry season. Usually while the water requirement for the garden goes up, the supply goes down significantly during summer months. It is therefore a wise thing to be water-wise in the garden too and one can save lot of water. It is not impossible to manage with lesser water even in summer months!

As a general rule, 1 sq metres of vegetation requires the equivalent of about 25mm of rainfall every week, from the soil, rainfall or watering. During the hot summer months, there are serious problems seen with the garden plants. Over 75% of these problems are the result of improper watering. One should pay attention to proper watering techniques during the first summer of the plants in the garden or the plants will fail to thrive and possibly even perish! Unfortunately, just like us the plants also need more water in summer and it is the time when water becomes a scarce commodity.

MULCHING: Mulching the soil is an effective measure to conserve water and keep the greenery intact. Mulching refers to covering the soil with matter organic or inorganic in order to retain soil moisture by preventing evaporation. Mulching keeps a garden and landscape healthy. Mulching occurs regularly in nature with fallen leaves, twigs, spent flowers, and other materials. These natural mulches provide a protective covering for the soil. They, along with inorganic mulches, can do the same in a home garden too. They also control growth of weed in the garden. Use of organic matter like dried leaves, bark, or cattle dung manure is preferable to other material as they also contribute towards better aeration and soil conditioning besides adding nutrition to the soil. Mulching also adds nutrition to soil. Cattle-dung manure, dried or green leaves can be used for mulching the soil. Weeds derive moisture from shallow rooting plants thus depriving other plants and trees of vital moisture. This unwanted vegetation should be removed and used as mulch.

Weeds derive moisture from shallow rooting plants and this unwanted vegetation could be removed and used as mulch. Coarse sand can be spread around shallow rooting plants to retain moisture. Mulch can be spread between rows of annuals and vegetables to a depth of 10 cm, and if it is available in plenty it can be used up to a depth of 20 cm.

WHEN AND HOW TO WATER?

Water whenever the soil seems dry. Inspecting the soil at a depth of 6" can provide clues. If the soil feels damp there is unlikely to be any need to water, but if it is dry, then watering is required.  But remember that Clay feels damp even when all available water has been used and sand can feel dry even if some water is available. Watering should be done in the night or early morning to avoid evaporation.

Don't just lightly "sprinkle" the plants and the surface of the soil each morning or evening after coming home from work. Applying too little water will only wet the upper layers of the soil where there are few roots and may actually encourage the plants to keep their roots in these areas which are especially prone to drying out and resulting in less drought resistance. Instead, water deeply so that the water penetrates down into the root zone, at least 6" or more.

If possible, instead of flooding the shrubs, climbers and trees, use drip irrigation to water them.  The house plants need to be watered daily during this month. Sprinkle some water on their leaves to during the evening hours. Do not feed the plants with chemical fertilizers this month. If the plants are in pots, keep moist Moss on the top soil of the pots, this will provide the plants some aerial humidity as the air gets dry in May and June.

Shrubs, vegetable and annual flowering plants can be cultivated around trees to conserve moisture. If water is scarce, preference can be given to flower and vegetable crops instead of lawns and trees. Sprinkler system can be used to water plants. Micro-irrigation systems like Drip irrigation system use up to 40% less water than conventional sprinklers or hand-hosing because they water the root ball of the plant, not the whole garden. Drip irrigation is very useful micro irrigation system. In a smaller garden, a rose-can can be used to conserve water instead of using a hose-pipe. Shrubs can be watered once or twice a week, and annuals and vegetables every alternate day if planted in the soil. In case of shallow rooted plants, regular light irrigation prevents damage to shallow rooting plants and also retains the moisture content in the soil. In the dry months, fertilisation should be avoided.

Using Waste Water: In the summer months, you can use drain water from your kitchen to water your garden. You can construct an underground water tank where water from the kitchen can be inlet. This stored water can be used for irrigating your garden beds and pots.

Lawns: Don't water too heavily at first if your lawn is dry. The water will run off before getting soaked. Instead, water lightly and allow the water to percolate deep into the soil.

Trees and Shrubs: Trees and shrubs also suffer from the lack of rain and excessive heat. That's especially true of young or newly-planted trees and shrubs. Use a slow-trickle watering method for trees and shrubs. Allow the water to slowly seep into the soil over a period of an hour or more.

Mist your plants: This technique can save both plants and water during periods of drought and heat. Misting is intended to add moisture to the air rather than the soil; it can work wonders on heat-stressed shrubs, climbers and other perennials.

WATERING THE POTTED PLANTS

Watering the potted plants is a different story altogether. In summer months, the earthen pots dry out very quickly and may be needed to be watered everyday. There are some weeks in May and June when one may need to water the potted plants even twice daily depending on the weather and the soil condition. Remember that certain house plants need constantly moist soil while some prefer the soil to be dry between watering. Moist soil also does not mean wet soil.

It is useful to cover the top soil of the pots with wet moss to increase aerial moisture and to conserve soil moisture. If possible, move the pots to shade to prevent direct sunlight reaching them at least during afternoon hours.