Mitigating drought impacts in the garden and watering wisely – Park Rapids Enterprise

Water is a precious resource that we are lacking in these last states.

If you care for a garden or a garden, you can help conserve water resources by being wise about water practices while still achieving your goals, starting in your own backyard.

How often should we water?

Our plants and soil will tell us if we know what to look for. We have to check the soil conditions, remove the mulch or sod, if there is any, and dig in the ground a few centimeters. The top of the soil can be dry, but the soil below should be slightly moist. If the soil is dry two centimeters below the surface, this means that it is time to water.

The best time to water the plants is in the morning or in the evening. Water in the morning is preferable, since the plant has time to dry before the sun. At night, the water tends to stay in the ground, around the roots, and on the leaf, which favors rot, the growth of fungi and insects.

A microclimate is a localized area with a specific set of conditions. For example, one side of a mountain can receive more sunlight than the other, which can increase soil temperature and evaporation, which leads to an increased need for water. The shaded slope can be cooler and often retains its moisture. Areas in the open with more wind can also dry more quickly, and the type of soil can affect the drainage of an area.

Look at the area in which you are gardening, and see how the microclimate affects the water needs of the plant. This is more of an art than a science, and selecting plants for these variable areas can help your plants be successful and productive.

Consider the life cycle of the plant when watering.

For example, recent annual transplants need frequent, light watering to accommodate their low, young roots and to ease the shock of being pulled from their containers.

Once the plants are established, you can water deeply and less frequently.

If you have perennial plants, such as trees, shrubs and lawns that you want to encourage deeper root growth, reduce the frequency and water deeply. The roots of perennial plants can be left and stay at the surface layers of the soil, if the water is always ready.

Soil texture is a major factor affecting water retention, and sandy soils do not hold as much water as other types of soil. We cannot change our sandy soils, but we can implement other practices to mitigate the impacts of drought.

Mulches reduce evaporation by shading the soil and keep it cool during the hot months. The materials used can be natural or synthetic. The most fluffy, natural mulches should be applied two to three centimeters deep, but there are many possibilities for mulches. Grass clippings, straw or hay, leaves, newspapers, landscape fabrics are a few ideas to not only maintain moisture, but reduce weed competition, reduce erosion, keep nutrients in place, etc.

One thing to note about mulches, especially grass clippings, is the risk of herbicide residue. Depending on the product applied to your lawn, herbicide residues may also be present in the grass clippings. Yes, weed and feed has herbicide in it, so please be aware when using your grass clippings as mulch.

Soil organic matter helps us retain water in dry soils and helps with drainage and infiltration in wet soils. You can incorporate compost, manure or other organic material into your soil. In the vegetable garden, the reduction of tillage allows the soil biota and micro-organisms to build up the soil structure undisturbed.

My last tip to conserve water, which is probably the most important, is to monitor it. Monitor soil conditions. Are the first two inches dry? See how moisture is maintained or lost in the microclimates in your landscape.

And finally, monitor the amount of rain with a rain gauge or install moisture sensors in your lawns. How much rain do you get compared to the needs of your plants? If you pay attention to these few things, you are not overwatering.

It is almost impossible to have a successful vegetable garden without watering. The vegetable garden needs an inch of rain per week. By using a simple rain gauge or following weather reports, you can determine if your yard has received an inch of rain in the past week. Water gardens on sandy soil twice a week, providing half an inch of water (31 gallons per 100 square feet) each time.

Drought offers us a vision of plants that may not be right for our landscapes. Look at your garden. Are there plants that are significantly more sloppy than others? Or plants that you water every day to keep them alive? Maybe that particular plant is not well suited to your landscape or that particular location.

Containers can be challenging to maintain constant humidity. Depending on the size and material of the container, you may need to water more than once a day in hot and dry weather. At the very least, you need water at least every day. Avoid letting your containers dry for too long.

If we want to increase the resilience of our lawns during drought, our main focus should be on promoting a strong and deep root system.

Set your mower at 2.5 inches or higher. When you set your mower to a higher cutting height, the grass plant produces a deep and efficient root system that can reduce the need for watering. It also keeps the soil temperature more consistent and reduces evaporation.

Another thing we can do is select lawn grasses that use less water and can tolerate drought. Traditional grass species for Minnesota include Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, fine fescue and tall fescue. Fescue species offer the best drought tolerance. Fine fescues tend to use less water, and tall fescues has a deep root system that is able to access more moisture.

Newly planted trees or shrubs require more frequent watering than established trees and shrubs, and take about one to two years to establish. The amount of water depends on the size of the trunk, and UMN Extension has a table that tells you how much water is needed for the size of your tree at z.umn.edu/waternewtrees.

During periods of consistent rainfall, a well-established tree or shrub will need little supplemental water. But during drought, these trees and shrubs can suffer without timely watering.

The best time to water a tree or shrub is when the top 6 to 9 inches of soil in the root zone are dry. Go to z.umn.edu/waterestablishedtrees for more information.

Tarah Young is a University of Minnesota Hubbard County extension educator in agriculture, food and natural resources. If you have any questions about this topic or any others, contact her at 218-732-3391. If information about agriculture, gardening and natural resources interests you, consider signing up for the Hubbard County UMN Extension Agriculture, Gardening and Natural Resources E-newsletter at z.umn.edu/HCExtensionNewsletter.