Water is one of the most precious commodities on Earth and one of the keys to growing plants successfully, whether they are planted in the landscape or in a container. Recently, the lack of precipitation in some geographical areas of the country has created water restrictions, impacting the quality and performance of our plants. If you are affected by lack of rain and water restrictions, or if you are concerned with water conservation, here are a number of practices to help conserve the amount of water needed to have a beautiful yard or productive vegetable garden.

Selection - Do Your Homework
Whether starting a new planting area or refurbishing an existing area, choose your plants carefully. With the availability of the Internet, it is easy to research plants that are low water need plants. Also, there are many new plants available to you; however, sometimes the best plants to choose are those that are native to your area. These native plants have grown in the area for a number of years and tolerate the natural conditions. Another group of plants that are making all kinds of waves (no pun intended) are succulents. These diverse groups of plants are extremely drought tolerant once established and add color and texture to the landscape or containers. Choosing the right plants is critical. Placing the wrong plant in the wrong situation will never yield the results you want and in the end may create more work than you want or need.

Competition - Crowding Is A No-No
Proper spacing of plants is paramount to water conservation and growth of healthy plants. When plants are overcrowded, the leaf canopy deflects natural rainfall or irrigation water targeted for your plants so water never reaches its intended destination. Root competition for available water is another issue caused by overcrowding and usually results in poor quality plants that need excessive amounts of water just to survive. Properly spaced plants do not have to fight for water. The ground absorbs the water and makes it easier for the root system of the plants to perform.

Weeds can create another crowding problem that robs the desired plants of water and nutrients. Suffice it to say, it is essential to keep your planting areas weed free to lessen the competition for water by using a pre-emergent or post-emergence weed control. But, make sure you read the label to see if there are precautions that need to be taken. Good old-fashioned manual labor is another way to eliminate weeds and is the best solution if growing organically. And, don’t forget to mulch! Mulching is another way to eliminate weed growth. No matter how you achieve weed free planting areas, tremendous benefits to your plants will follow.

Mulch - More Than Just A Pretty Face
Probably the best advice we can give you to conserve moisture is to use some type of soil covering, or mulch. The most common type of mulch is made up of various types of bark, such as Hardwood, Pine, and Cypress. Bark mulch is very popular depending on where you live and the availability of each type in your area. Sphagnum peat moss can also be used for mulching but it is very lightweight and should not be used in windy areas where it could easily blow away. Compost, another very effective mulch, may need to be refreshed from time to time because of its accelerated decomposition. Organic mulches need to be approximately 3 inches deep to be effective. Depths greater than four inches may suffocate plants by not allowing the exchange of air to reach the plant’s roots.

Regardless of what you use the benefits are three fold:

1. A layer of mulch prevents weed seeds from reaching the soil and germinating. Additionally, weed seeds already on the ground will be impeded from growing through the 3-4" thick layer of mulch, further decreasing the amount of weeds competing with your plants for water and nutrients.
2. The 3-4" layer of mulch will help keep the soil cool and help prevent moisture loss through evaporation. Further, mulch will help to evenly distribute waterfall, helping the plant grow without stress and requiring you to water less.
3. The beauty of mulch is how it compliments your plants with its dark background that makes your plants pop with color. Mulching your bed gives it the finished touch.

Watering - How Much and When: Does It Matter?
Timing is everything. You hear this statement over and over again and it rings true with watering also. How you water and when you water makes a difference in the amount of water you use and the amount the plant receives. It is important to train your plants to become higher quality plants that use less water.

Choose your weapon wisely. Different plants need varying amounts of water. There are numerous types of water delivering sprinklers, soakers, low volume drippers, nozzles, and irrigating equipment. The easiest way to water is to take the sprinkler, hook it up to the hose, and throw water on the largest area we can cover. This method delivers a large quantity of water over the entire surface but may cause runoff or a waste of water. Also, depending on the type plants you are watering, it could provide too much water for some plants and not enough for others. Using a large area sprinkler system increases the amount of evaporation and robs the plants of water. Soaker hoses and low volume drippers use less water. In the case of low volume drippers, water can be placed exactly where the plants will maximize water usage. These low volumes systems are slightly more expensive to purchase and take more time to set up but once they are in place, they are much easier to control and can be automated with inexpensive electronic timers to further impact the water needed. Hand watering with a watering wand and nozzle is very effective at putting water where it is needed but you can easily over water and run off can become an issue. While the broadcast method is great for your lawn, when it comes to landscape beds, flower boxes, and containers, it is best to stick to a method that allows you to control the water amount for each given plant.

Early bird gets the worm. In today’s fast paced world, our schedules are hectic and we jam everything we can into every waking moment. So watering gets done when I have time, right? You should know the timing of when you water impacts the amount of water you use and the amount of water the plants receive. Watering when the sun is shining brightly, with a breeze, and with the temperature at its peak for the day can cause a substantial amount of evaporation to occur. The best time to water is in the early morning when the amount of evaporation is considerably less. Remember the old saying: you should never put your plants to bed wet. Watering in the morning allows the plants to dry off completely before nightfall and lessens the chance of a spread of fungus if it’s present on your plants. If your schedule does not allow you to water in the morning, try to water later in the day but before nightfall to give them a chance to dry off. Soaker hoses and low volume drip systems effectively control where the water is placed at the soil level and lessens the chances of evaporation and fungal problems. Of course, if you have a low volume drip system hooked up to an electronic timer, you plants will be watered at the correct time and you can sleep in!

Train your plants to be water friendly. There are several ways to impact plant development and water usage. When plants are newly transplanted into the ground or a container, the initial amount of water they need is small; however, how you water young plants will determine how the root system develops. Most of us want to make sure the plant does not dry out so we frequently water a little bit, even if the soil is moist. This procedure sets us up to fail or trains the plant to need more frequent watering. Watering less but more frequently trains the plant’s root system to become lazy and not work for its water. The majority of the roots stay in the upper layer of the soil, which dries out easily, and the frequent watering continues. If you miss one watering the plant perishes or is poor quality.

The best way to train your plants to be more drought resistant and to actually use less water and decrease the amount of time you spend watering is to water deeply and infrequently. Watering deeply and infrequently causes the root system to grow deeper seeking water that is not as susceptible to evaporation. Deep and infrequent watering allows the plant to better survive dry periods and causes the plant to perform at a higher level than a plant that has a shallow root system. So, instead of habitually watering your plants every day or two, check the soil to see if it is moist to the touch. Recognize when the plant needs water by observing the leaves. Many plants lose their dark green shine and become dull before the leaves wilt from lack of water. The end result of deep, infrequent watering is that your plants need less watering, giving you more time to enjoy your outdoor living area!

Having enough water in this country to enjoy a green lawn and beautiful flowering plants should not be taken for granted. The growing number of water restrictions and bans in this country is limiting certain areas from having this luxury. When you look at countries like Darfur, where to get enough water for their family to live for just one day, a person must walk four hours to the source and back and do it all over again the next day, we must recognize how truly lucky we are to have easily accessible water. Water is precious and getting more expensive. Practice good water management to have great looking plants and leave more time to enjoy the fruits of all your labors!

Look for our next issue of "The Scoop" where we will give you information on pests that affect your plants. Now get out there and water those flower beds!

Thought for the week!

~ Robert Fulghum ~