July 2016 Newsletter

“My garden is my favorite teacher.” Betsy Canas Garmon

It’s hot, hot, hot! The average monthly precipitation for June is 3.93” and recorded so far for the entire month has been 1.48”. We spend a lot of our time here at the garden centers watering plants. We consider watering our most important job, so you can assume we know a thing or two about soil moisture!

Summers here in central Mass can be very tough on plant material because of drought and heat conditions. On July 1, 2016 the Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs, Mathew Beaton declared a Drought Watch for Central and Northeast Massachusetts.  The average monthly precipitation for June is 3.93” and recorded so far for the entire month has been 1.48”. Most towns have already begun implementing water use restrictions. The few recent quick summer thunderstorms, even with their heavy (but very brief) rainfalls, don’t provide enough water to soak far enough into the ground to do any good for your plants. Drought stress is damaging for all plant material, but can be deadly for newly installed plants.

Not only is it important to water them, but with drought conditions forecasted moving forward, it’s critical to water correctly! Proper watering will save your plants and help to conserve water by using it wisely!

Here are our rules to proper watering:

Water Deeply. Heavy watering that soaks the soil around your plants is much more effective than light daily watering!  Watering deeply will help your plants to grow strong, healthy root systems which delve deep into the soil in search of water. Light watering keeps all the roots right at the top of the soil and those roots are more easily damaged by high temperatures and dry conditions. By using a regular deep soaking your plants will become more resilient to periods of drought and require less watering in the long run.

Water the soil NOT the foliage. Plants absorb water through their root systems not their leaves. Wet leaves, especially in humid hot conditions provide a breading ground for diseases like powdery mildew and black spot! When hand watering, use a hose-end nozzle with a shower setting and spray in broad strokes to dampen the soil surface first, and then go back and water deeply right in the area around the roots.

Soaker hoses can save you time and water! Use a soaker hose with a timer to save yourself time and conserve water – this is a really great idea if you plan on leaving for vacation! Soaker hoses are ideal for newly planted tress, shrubs and perennials – or any gardens that need a little extra attention.

Water Frequently. Successful plants get a good soaking regularly, either from natural rainfall or from you. The best rule of thumb for watering is to make sure you give your plants at least 1 inch of water per week. That can be very difficult to gauge with spotty rain showers. Some gardeners use rain gauges or moisture meters, but nothing is more accurate than sticking your finger in the soil to check! Cool and damp is good, warm and crumbly means root damage and it’s time to drag over the hose!

…..But don’t water too frequently! Just like you and me, the soil needs to breathe. Let the soil dry out between waterings so that the roots have a chance to breathe. For newly planted shrubs and trees we always recommend every day for the first week, then every other day for the next three weeks then twice a week until the ground freezes solid in Fall.

So you’ve got a sprinkler systems?  I can’t count the times customers have brought me pictures of samples of drought damaged plants. They know they have watered enough because they have a sprinkler system, but they really haven’t watered enough at all. Sprinkler systems are fine for established lawns and flowerbeds, Sprinkler systems are designed to water lightly and often, newly planted shrubs, trees and flowers need deep, thorough watering.  For new plantings done within the last year your sprinkler is really not enough!

Got questions? We’re here to help!  We’d be thrilled to demonstrate our masterful watering techniques first hand here at the garden center (someone is always watering something, somewhere!).