Watering tips for dry seasons
One of the worst things that can happen to gardeners is to have a dry season or even near drought conditions. When there are dry seasons or drought conditions gardeners are faced with tough choices in regards to watering their gardens. It may not always be an easy choice of what to water but it is a necessary choice. There are many watering tips for the dry seasons to help gardeners make their choices. The following are some of those tips for the dry seasons.
For gardeners they should begin by looking at the short term and long term plants they have. Trees and shrubs are more of a long term investment then the vegetable garden or the annual flowers they have planted. When deciding what to water it would be more beneficial to water the trees and shrubs that occupy a gardener's yard. The mature trees and shrubs are harder and more costly to replace then tomato plants or pansies.
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Along those same lines a gardener will then want to water perennial flowers because they will last longer. Perennial flowers may be easier to replace but because of their longevity they should be high on the list of watering to preserve them. This can however be left to the discretion of the gardener. If they are willing to let these plants die in order to let other plants flourish then it is not a problem. The gardener however needs to make that choice.
Your annuals and vegetable gardens should be the last to be watered on your list. There are exceptions to this. For an example- if you rely on your garden for the food you should put watering it higher on your list. Once again it is up to the gardener. During dry seasons the gardener does need to make these choices so that there is plenty of water for everything and everyone.
You can keep a green lawn even in a dry season. The best way to keep your lawn green during these dry seasons is to start preparing your lawn 30-45 days in advance. This gives your lawn time to be as strong and healthy as it needs to make it through the dry season. Start by adding potassium fertilizer to your lawn, this helps give your lawn the nutrients it will need to stay strong and healthy. Water your lawn late at night or very early morning to help the water soak in and have less water evaporate. Mow often, never cutting off more then the top third of the grass. Leave the lawn clippings on the lawn as a type of mulch. Finally, don't use herbicides or pesticides if you know the dry season is coming.
When the dry season is upon you then you will also want to keep lawn traffic to a minimum and only water spots that are most important to you. If the dry season or drought conditions continue for a length of time then you will just have to resign yourself to having parts of your lawn go brown or die.
Other tips for gardeners to survive a dry season are:
1. Irrigate your plants and lawn slowly. This gives the soil time to soak up all the water you are giving it. Slow irrigation is the best when watering on any type of slope. You will have less run off and more on your lawn or plants.
2. Water where the roots are. If flower or vegetable garden roots are not spread out in the full garden then just water where your plants are. It can be more practical in dry seasons to water the row of plants instead of a sprinkler aimed at the full garden.
3. For your trees you should water at the drip-line, or the outermost branches. This is where the roots are for the tree and not around the tree trunk. For more mature trees you should water about 3 feet off the drip-line.
Gardeners can survive a dry season or more. They just need to take precautions for their lawn, vegetables and flowers. Early preparation and information will help them to keep most of their lawns and gardens happy and healthy.
