Drought conditions can severely affect your landscape, causing stress and potential plant damage. Thus, optimizing your watering practices to conserve water while keeping our lawns and gardens healthy is crucial during drought.
By understanding the effects of drought, you can tailor your watering methods accordingly. In this article, we will explore the best ways to water during a drought, ensuring the longevity and vibrancy of your landscape.
Understand how much water your landscape needs
Plants typically need an inch of water weekly. With appropriate techniques using your irrigation system and water containers, you can ensure even water distribution.
You should also consider rainfall for the week when rationing the water and the soil type. Note that clayey soils hold moisture longer, while sandy soils are the opposite.
Know the best time to water
As drought conditions persist, it becomes essential to adjust your watering schedule. Monitoring soil moisture levels and adapting your watering frequency is essential.
Watering your landscape in the early morning is the best as the water won’t evaporate, allowing moisture to penetrate the soil and get to the roots. While watering in the evening may seem convenient, it can promote the growth of fungi and other diseases.
Prioritize watering
Here are some tips for watering landscape plants in times of drought, in order of priority:
Your first priority is to water new plants, perennials, and shrubs at least once or twice weekly.
Water your vegetables and fruit trees twice weekly.
Water plants in containers daily.
Remember that perennials are more drought-resistant than others and thus require less watering.
You can water established trees once a month. And if less than three years, water weekly.
Adopt smart water-saving tips
Here are some recommendations to help you conserve water in times of drought:
Collecting rainwater allows you to utilize a natural water source and reduce your reliance on municipal water supplies.
Hand watering is an effective way to control the amount of water each plant receives. We will provide tips on efficiently using watering cans or handheld hoses to minimize waste.
Choosing drought-tolerant plant varieties and grouping them according to their water needs can significantly reduce water consumption.
Rather than frequent shallow watering, employ deep watering to encourage plant roots to grow deeper into the soil. This method promotes drought resistance, as deeper roots can access moisture not quickly evaporated by the sun.
Drip irrigation is an efficient and targeted method of watering plants. Delivering water directly to the root zone minimizes water waste and optimizes absorption.
Mulch acts as a protective barrier for the soil, reducing evaporation and regulating temperature. By adding a layer of mulch around your plants, you can conserve moisture and prevent weed growth.
Don’t forget your lawn
You can go easy on watering your lawn, as it often takes as much as a month before the green goes brown. However, this isn’t to say that you shouldn’t water it at all.
Infrequent watering can help your lawn maintain its lush green color throughout the drought. Finally, pause mowing when the grass is dormant until the turf starts growing again.
Maintain a healthy and beautiful landscape in the face of water scarcity
If you are still finding it challenging to maintain your landscape during a drought, we can help.
We understand the importance of sustainable water management and can provide valuable expertise and guidance tailored to your specific needs and the unique requirements of your landscape. Contact us today.