May 5, 2000
Drought
Awareness
Welcome to our first Weekly Garden Tips column. It is our hope that this column will be of great benefit to you, our gardening friends. In our column we intend to address characteristics of certain plants as well as give general cultural tips.
Summer is upon us, so let's review the extreme weather conditions of the last two years. The Fredericksburg area, as well as the mid Atlantic region, experienced torrential rainfall in Spring of 1998 (El Nino') followed by 18 months of drought (La Nina'). The negative effect of these conditions resulted in some roots of plants being damaged by too much water, especially in areas with poor drainage, as well as roots being damaged because of lack of water during the drought. In many cases, the extreme weather conditions have left some established plants with the same amount of top growth as before while possessing a diminished root system. When high temperatures and dry periods arise problems may be encountered which could result in decline or death of the affected plants. One should monitor such plants as though they have been recently planted and are establishing a new root system, as may well be the case. One must check the soil two to three times weekly (or as needed) in order to ensure proper moisture levels. Watering should be done deeply and infrequently, usually once or twice a week. Daily watering will drown a plant - remember El Nino'!
Proper pruning practices may also help. By thinning a plant rather than shearing a plant, one can reduce the workload of the root system allowing the roots to better supply the remaining plant top growth. Lastly, some plants have smaller root systems than others. Plants with slower or more compact growth patterns generally have a smaller root system than those plants which grow rapidly. The plants with smaller root systems need to be monitored more closely than their deeper rooted cousins in order to avoid accidental damage or death from drought.
Andy Lynn