How Does Your Garden Grow?

Louise Grabell

Summer is here, folks. It’s hot out there! The soil is drying out very quickly. If you haven’t done so, you should have changed your irrigation system to the summer schedule. If you do not know how to go about doing this, it might be a good idea find a company that specializes in irrigation Greensboro to help you out with your struggles. The more valves you have in your system, the easier it is for you to control the irrigation of your estate. The demands of trees, shrubs and garden beds are all different. Tree roots are deeper and need a longer watering period every seven to ten days. Watering at night is better because there is less evaporation when the sun is down. The number of drippers you have per tree will affect watering needs. A medium size tree should have five or six drippers located around the edge of the tree’s canopy. Native trees don’t need irrigation, so two year old mesquites and Palo Verdes should be off your system. Citrus like deep watering, followed by a period of drying out. If you feel you will struggle to provide that environment for citrus then it might be smart to talk to someone similar to tree trimming lafayette la to keep your trees tidy so they might require less water because of less growth. If your shrubs and trees are on the same valve, then you have to run your system to ensure that the shrubs get sufficient water. Shrub roots go down about one foot, so they are prone to faster drying out and may need watering every fourth or fifth night for as much as two hours. A check of the moisture content of the soil will help you determine your water needs. If you have set your irrigation timer and everything looks great, try stretching your schedule for one more day and see if that will still provide sufficient water. The less we water, the smaller our water bills and the more water we conserve!

Flower and vegetable beds need daily irrigation during the heat of the summer. Their roots extend only four inches down and the soil will be parched by the end of a typical June day. Watering once a day may not be enough. Watch for wilting and increase your irrigation to twice daily if it occurs. Adding organic matter helps the soil retain water, so think about using a soil amendment. Fertilization is another issue for veggies and flowers because whatever enrichment you add decomposes very rapidly in our summer heat. And when monsoon rains hit, the fertilizers are quickly leached away. Fertilize at least once a month for flowers, vegetables and container plantings. Even if the fertilizer packaging says it is time-released and long-lasting, don’t believe it! Not in our climate.

If you are going away for vacation, do not turn off your irrigation system even during monsoon season. Heavy downpours do not get absorbed into our clayey soil. Most of the rain simply runs off into the street. If you are staying home during monsoon season, and we have several days of good rain, then you can shut your system for a few days. Just post reminders all over the house to turn it back on! If you don’t already have an irrigation system installed, as you can tell from reading this article I would definitely recommend you get one installed from somewhere similar to these irrigation supplies sunshine coast, to make sure you can guarantee your garden and plants are irrigated!

Remember, nothing brings more tranquility to the heart than a beautiful garden.