How to Keep Your Plants and Your Well Happy During an Extreme Drought

It goes without saying over these last couple months… it’s dry around here. Very dry. So dry in fact that the latest U.S. Drought Monitor has most of our area in an “Extreme Drought”. After a relatively wet spring, we have seen little to no rain at all since mid-July, and it’s easily been showing for weeks now. Newly planted items can show added stress, and established plants and native trees, shrubs, and perennials even start to become stressed in this severity of drought. With no rain in sight, watering your plants becomes more and more important as we head towards the long winter season.

The challenge in an extreme drought is we all become a bit more hesitant to use too much unnecessary water in hopes that we can prevent our wells from running dry, and this is obviously a very valid concern. Finding that balance between keeping your plants happy and healthy, and keeping your well full can be a challenge, but we’re here to help guide you!

Here are some general tips to follow in order to ensure that your plants are happy, healthy, and ready to head into winter, without putting too much stress on the water levels in your well.

1.) When you water, try to avoid using overhead irrigation methods such as sprinklers, and instead water by hand (ex. with a watering can or directly soaking with the hose). Using sprinklers broadcasts excessive water over an entire area instead of focusing it on the targeted plants, using more water than you would otherwise need to use to get the same soaking effect as if you were to just water your targeted plants by hand. Watering by hand ensures that you get a good deep soaking directly on the root system of your targeted plants instead of just wetting the foliage like sprinklers tend to do.

2.) Try to do your watering first thing in the morning if at all possible. This is beneficial for a few reasons. Watering first thing in the morning before the sun gets too strong ensures that the majority of the water you do put down absorbs into the soil and root system of the plants instead of mostly evaporating away like it does when you water during the middle of the day. When you water, it can be difficult keeping the foliage of the targeted plants completely dry, and wet foliage can lead to more disease issues. Watering first thing in the morning allows the foliage to dry up through the daylight hours, whereas if you water in the evening that plant foliage stays wet all night long, leading to an increased risk of long-term disease issues.

3.) Mulch and compost are your best friends! When you plant new items, be sure to mix in some compost with the native soil in the area you’re planting. This will not only give the plants a little nutrient boost, but it will also add some organic matter to the soil which will help hold moisture around those roots for a longer duration each time you water. Be sure to also put down a few inches of mulch around your plants, as a thick layer of mulch will help keep weed competition down (weeds compete with your plants for water) and will also help lock moisture in place around your plants. Mulching also helps keep your soil temperatures down. A lower soil temperature means less evaporation, and a happier root system.

4.) Make sure that you even need to water in the first place before pulling out the hose. Even though we are in a bad drought, the growing season is winding down, and your plants will begin to use less and less water as they begin to slow down and head towards dormancy. Keep soil around your plants evenly moist, allowing to dry down a bit at the top couple inches between waterings, but be careful not to overwater, which is very easy to do as we head into Autumn. Don’t be afraid to poke your finger down into the soil to see how moisture levels are. When you water, deep soakings a couple times a week (on average) is much more effective than light waterings on a daily basis. If you soaked your plants yesterday, there’s a good chance they may not need another deep soaking for a day or two. Of course, this fact will depend more on if the plants are newly planted, are well-established, or are ground planted versus container planted. The most important thing will be to keep a close eye on your plants, and at any sign of stress due to drying out, give the plants a good deep soaking.

These are just a few tips for making sure your plants are still getting the water they need to thrive without draining out your well in the process. Your plants need your watering support during droughts like this, but being mindful of your water usage is equally as important. Following these tips will help your plants thrive for many years to come and will ensure you’re being the most efficient waterer in your neighborhood!

As always if you have any questions about watering or any other plant questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at Longfellow’s Greenhouses! We are here to help you and your gardens be successful year after year.

Written by Matt Bilodeau

Longfellow’s Greenhouses Nursery