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As I write this, I have a fan going, trying to cool down the house a little. I’ve lived in the desert and know that folks in Las Vegas or Phoenix would consider me a wimp—complaining about the heat when it is only the mid-eighties.
The heat is causing lots of problems gardens. Many plants were already suffering moisture stress because of our dry winter. This heat is acting like the straw that broke the camel’s back. Plants that looked fine a couple of weeks ago are now showing leaf scorch.
We are seeing lots of plants coming into the WSU Master Gardeners for diagnosis that have no insects or disease, just dead or dying foliage. Often it is a tree or shrub planted within the last couple of years, but not always. You have surely seen big native trees along the freeway that have suddenly died for no apparent cause.
We get lots of rain in the Puget Sound basin, but, unfortunately for our gardens, not much of it falls during the growing season. This means that it is up to you to water your established landscape well at least 2-3 times during the summer. Newly planted things will, of course, require more frequent irrigation.
Remember to water deeply; that is, wet the entire root zone. Frequent light sprinkling will make your plants more susceptible to drought injury. You want to put at least an inch of water on that established drought-tolerant landscape. Dig down an hour after irrigating to make sure the water has completely wet the root zone.
If you grow a vegetable garden, flowerbeds or other plants that aren’t drought tolerant, apply an inch of water each week. Don’t count on rain; we rarely get more than in inch in the whole month of August.
Sometimes people will ask how long they should let their sprinkler run to get an inch. That depends on the type of sprinkler and the water pressure. You can answer the question for your sprinkler and water pressure by simply placing straight-sided cans randomly within the sprinkler’s pattern.
Irrigate until the water level in the cans averages one inch. If your soil is very dry or on a slope, run the sprinkler for about 10 minutes. Then give the water time to penetrate, before continuing to soak the soil.
Some soils get hydrophobic when dry; that is, water just puddles on the surface. You will have to be patient and put the water on a little at a time. One teaspoonful of dishwashing detergent mixed into a full gallon watering can may help break the surface tension and allow better absorption. Add compost mulch once you get things wet to hold the moisture and improve the soil.
So much for the garden, now how about the gardener? Remember that you need 8 glasses of water a day. I do better at drinking the recommended amount, since the development of fruit-flavored bottled water. Heat exhaustion is much less likely to overtake you, if you keep hydrated.
Skip this paragraph, if you are offended by toilet talk. A WSU nutrition educator warned me to be aware of my bladder when I’m gardening in the summer heat. If you don’t feel the need to go to the bathroom for a long period or you go and the urine is abnormally dark, you need to drink more heavily.
Did you know that skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the US and each year about 10,000 die form it? Unfortunately, the number is growing as we deplete the Earth’s protective ozone layer.
The best way to lower your risk is to:
Enjoy the sunshine!
Hortsense: Managing plant problems with Integrated Pest Management
