Tag Archives: Watering Basics

Week 29 Tips for the Zone 9 Garden

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Last week my wife and I left blogging and gardening behind and headed to New England for a little R&R.  It was so cool and lush and beautiful.  I saw lots of beautiful landscapes and vegetable gardens.  I have to admit, everything up there was so pretty I had serious “garden envy”.

If you are a gardener then you know that July is the best time to leave your gardening chores behind for a while.  The temperatures right now are so hot that even the bugs and the weeds have decided to take a break.  Even though it is hot and dry there is still a lot that can be done in the July Texas Garden.

Sally and I spent a week in the Berkshires. It was so lovely and so cool!

Sally and I spent a week in the Berkshires. It was so lovely and so cool!

Vegetables

  • Water correctly– It doesn’t matter how much rain we got in the spring, our gardens need watering now. Water deeply and more frequently.  Use drip or soaker hoses if possible.  Soaker hoses typically put out about an inch of water per hour.  In this heat you may need to apply an inch of water every second or third day
  • Stay Cool-This morning at my house it was 84 degrees at 8;00 am. If you are going to work outside take care to avoid heat exhaustion or dehydration.  Patty Leander wrote a great post a while back about keeping cool in the Texas heat.  Click on the link to read all of her tips:  No Rest for the Weary-Summer Gardening Chores by Patty Leander
  • Harvest okra, Southern peas, Malabar spinach and other heat loving veggies often– Some of these heat loving veggies are still producing. Pick often
  • Prepare beds for fall – This weekend I will pull out all of my spring cucumber vines. Once they are gone if will begin preparing the row for fall planting.  I remove all remaining weeds.  I also remove my old hay mulch and take it to the burn pile.  The old hay is full of bugs and their eggs.  Next I cover the entire row with about three inches of compost and then I cover everything with fresh hay.  Come planting time I will push back my hay mulch, give the row a light till and then plant
I have never been to New England. I was impressed with all of the quaint cottages and lush landscapes.

I have never been to New England. I was impressed with all of the quaint cottages and lush landscapes.

Ornamentals

  • Water correctly and water frequently – If you see yellow or brown leaves, curled leaves, spotted leaves, etc. on your ornamentals, there is a good chance they have some water stress. The general rule of thumb in Texas is water deeply every five days.  During July and August you may need to up your frequency to every second or third day
  • Mulch, mulch, mulch!- I generally mulch my beds with finished compost. This gives me a two in one benefit.  Mulch conserves water and by using compost you feed your plants at the same time.
  • Control aphids and white flies – Use a strong blast of water to the underside of leaves or apply a mild horticultural oil like neem
We visited the FDR house, museum and library. This is his horse stable. Wish I could have been one of his horses!

We visited the FDR house, museum and library. This is his horse stable. Wish I could have been one of his horses!

Trees and Lawns

  • Water, water, water! – An inch of water every five days may not be enough for St. Augustine and Bermuda. Walk on your lawn.  If your grass does not bounce back and fill your footsteps quickly you need to water.  Trees and woody shrubs need frequent, deep waterings; especially ones that were planted in the last two years.  Check out this article on tree watering from Denton County Extension Agent Janet Laminack – Tree Watering Basics by Janet Laminack
  • Lift up the height of your mower deck – If you have been mowing at 3” raise it to 3 ½”. Taller grass will keep it and the soil cool
It is believed that these orange day lilies are the descendants of the first day lilies brought to the Americas. They grow, and spread, with abandon which has led to their common name of "ditch lilies".

It is believed that these orange day lilies are the descendants of the first day lilies brought to the Americas. They grow, and spread, with abandon which has led to their common name of “ditch lilies”.

I share these posts on Our SimpleHomestead Blog Hop.  Be sure to stop by.  The “hop” has tons of great information from gardeners and homesteaders all over the world!

 

Tree Watering Basics by Janet Laminack

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Jay recently contacted me about a question he received on his blog from Gabriel Saldivar.

“I am worried about our Burr oak tree. We planted a 95 gallon burr oak in February of this year in Comal County.  Its leaves turned yellow then brown. We got a heavy wind and rain this summer and most of the leaves fell off. I’m worried that it may be in shock and do not know what I can do to help it along the way. I’ve watered it twice a week since we have had it. I do see some new life with some newer leaves coming out. If anyone has any suggestions or know when I should really worry, please let me know.”

As a county agent, I hear questions like Mr. Saldivar’s fairly regularly.  Since it is August and many of you are experiencing similar issues, I thought this would be a great time to review the proper way to water your trees.

trees Trees can be the most valuable asset in the home landscape. They add resale value to the home and they can reduce heating and cooling expenses. Since trees add so much to your landscape (and they are expensive to replace) it is important to learn how to water them correctly. Trees in Texas definitely need supplemental irrigation and they definitely need to be watered differently than the way you water your lawn.

Tree roots are opportunistic and the largest number of roots will be in the location that is most likely to receive rain or irrigation. In most situations, this means roots will be at the drip line, which is out at the edge of where the tree canopy or branches end.  Think about where most of the rain will fall when the tree is covered with leaves.  Watering right next to the trunk or spraying the leaves of the tree is not as beneficial as watering where natural rainfall would be, a few inches inside and beyond the drip line.

Water tree a few inches inside and outside of their natural drip line

Water trees a few inches inside and outside of their natural drip line

An efficient way to water is by using a soaker hose or drip irrigation. These methods lose very little water to evaporation. Sprinklers work as well, but will need to be adjusted to sufficiently water a tree deeply as compared to watering a lawn. Also, laying down a water hose and letting it slowly run works great, but you will need to move it around the tree periodically to ensure that all areas get sufficient moisture.

Soaker hoses are a great way to deeply water your trees

Soaker hoses are a great way to deeply water your trees

In order to create a healthy root system, trees should be watered deeply and infrequently.  When watering, put down an inch of water at a time or ensure that you have watered to a depth of between 6 to 10 inches.  This may sound difficult, but it’s actually very simple to make sure you are getting enough water to your trees. After watering, stick a screwdriver or a shovel into the ground. In most of our soils, it will only go easily in when the soil is moist. If you are using a sprinkler, put out rain gauges or catch cans (use tuna cans) and measure one inch of water being applied.

sprinkler How often should you water? If we are not receiving adequate rainfall, established trees need a deep watering at least twice a month.  Check the soil with your screwdriver.  If your twice a month waterings are not doing the trick, increase the frequency.

One more note.  The tips listed above are most effective for established trees. Newly planted trees need to be watered more frequently for the first three years of their life. Use your screwdriver to check newly planted trees every week.  If the soil around them dries out completely between waterings it can send them into a shock that they may never recover from.

Here is a great video from The Texas A&M Forest Service that highlights the proper tree watering techniques discussed above.

I share these posts on Our SimpleHomestead Blog Hop.  Be sure to stop by.  The “hop” has tons of great information from gardeners and homesteaders all over the world!