Drought And Water Restrictions

As we all know, plants like humans need water to maintain health. There are thousands of plant species around the world that have different water requirements.

One of the most important aspects of any man made or natural landscapes, is to know the plant specimens that surround your area.

When you plan for your landscape project, take into account the possibility of drought and water restrictions.

Be in tune whether you live in a four season climate or a warmer environment. Many areas go through periods of no natural rainfall.

There are other areas around the world that have water restrictions. This can be frustrating, and learning about what to do in both of these situations can help your trees, shrubs and flowers survive through those tough times. Let's talk about three the three different situations for plants in drought or having water restrictions.

Container plants actually have to be watered more than ground plants. The soil in pots does dry out quicker. One of the main advantages of a container garden, is the containers are movable. If there is a lack of water or restrictions in your area, plan on moving the containers out of the sun during the hottest part of the day.

If you are on water restrictions, the days you can water, water early in the morning and again after dusk. This will allow the roots to be soaked twice on the day you can water.

If you have a lack of rain in your area, check first thing in the morning to see how dry the soil is in each container. Give your plants a good soaking in the early morning hours. Some plants such as vegetables and flowers, may have to be watered more often. Make plans to have a good watering schedule in any environmental situation.

New trees and shrubs require more watering than existing specimens. This is where planning for the right plants in your outside investment is so important. Plan to put in landscape or gardens in the spring or fall.

Your main goal is to get the new roots established in each specimen. The same rule applies for lack of natural rain or water restriction. Your trees or shrubs should be watered by hand the first few weeks.

Water early in the morning and after dusk if you are on water restrictions. Hand watering means you take your hose and turn it on low, and water the entire base of each plant. This allows the root systems to become soaked. If your area is in drought, you should be watering every other day for the first two weeks.

Once the roots are established you can back off watering to two to three times a week. If you are on a water restriction of once a week, you can water early in the morning and again after dusk. Give your new plants the best possible watering schedule so they can grow and mature properly.

Mature and existing trees and shrubs also will need to be checked and watered. Professionals measure the depth of the soil underneath the ground to see what the water line is for existing trees. Our depth of dryness is well over a foot now here in the south. What this means is the soil is dry all the way down over a foot. This tells us that even though trees and shrubs that have been around for years, they still need water!

It is a good idea if you have existing shrubs or trees and are in these conditions, to find out what the dry line is in your area. I recommend to my clients to water existing trees in shrubs in cycles. This is for a drought situation. Plan on watering a section of your existing landscape one day, and another on the next day. You can do this once a week or once every two weeks, depending on the maturity of the specimen.

In a water restricted area, plan on watering your entire gardens or landscape once a week. Your plants should be also hand watered with a hose to ensure the entire root system is receiving the proper moisture. A sign of lack of water is leaves wilting or possibly turning yellow or brown. Remember, all plants need some sort of moisture over a period of time.

Each of these simple tips can help you in planning and maintaining healthy containers, new and existing trees, shrubs, and also flowers, vegetables and herbs.

Many of us love nature and plants, and unfortunately sometimes lack of rain or other environmental issues prevent plants from staying healthy. If we take the time to plan and maintain even in drought and water restrictions, our outside investment or the natural landscapes will continue to be there for our enjoyment.