June has blessed us with ample rain for our lawns, gardens and crops. However it is easy to remember that sometimes it get very dry and hot here and we will need to water if plants are to survive. This week I will cover watering plants.
Plants are designed with roots which absorb water and nutrients from the soil. Xylem is a specialized tube system which transports the water and nutrients from the roots, up the stem and to the leaves. The leaves have a waxy covering on their surface called the cuticle which prevents water loss. The leaves also have tiny pores in the leaf surface surrounded by specialized cells called stomata. These stomata pores let carbon dioxide in when it can be used, and close the pores when losing too much water would damage the plant. When the sun is out, the leaf is photosynthesizing, the stomata is open, and letting carbon dioxide in and water out. As water is evaporated from the pores in the leaf, it transports water from the stem into the leaf, which in turn takes water out of the root, and the root removes water out of the soil.
Roots are responsible for replacing water, which is why when we water plants, we should water the roots. The leaves and stems do not need watering. A good general rule of how much water a plant needs is about and inch a week. However, it is more advantageous for a plant if it gets that inch all at one time, because then the water will soak in and go deep into the ground and the roots will continue to grow down as long as they find moisture. Roots can not grow in dry soil. Therefore, if they receive a quarter of an inch of water four times a week, a lot of this moisture evaporates before the plant can use it. The water does not soak deep into the soil and the roots do not grow down, but stay on the surface. These shallow roots do not anchor the plant well, nor do they have the ability to absorb water farther underground.
Oscillating overhead sprinklers will water a garden, however, all the foliage is also watered and a lot of water evaporates in the process. Overhead watering should be done in the early morning so that the plants have the rest of the day to dry off their foliage. Evening watering leads to wet foliage all night and opportunity for fungal pathogens to grow and infect the plant. To check how much water is put out with an overhead system, use a rain gauge or an empty cat food or tuna can which are usually about 1 inch high.
Drip irrigation is the best type of irrigation because it works at a lower water pressure using thin plastic tubes with slits. Soaker hoses work on high water pressure coming out of the faucet. Both of these systems are better for watering because they lay on the ground and the base of the plant and not the foliage is watered. Less water is lost to evaporation and plants are healthier because the foliage stays dry resulting in less plant disease.
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If you have container gardens, remember they use a lot of water. Start with a potting mixture of two parts peat moss, one part perlite and one part potting soil. This is a mixture which will absorb water when you water the plant, and will not get hard or compacted when it stands in the container. Since this mixture does not get hard, the roots of the plants can easily grow down and out and anchor the plant well. The best time to water plants is in the morning before 11 a.m. because this is when plants are taking up the most water, they shut down about noon when the sun gets hot. When you water containers, lift up the foliage so you are watering the base of the plant. Pour water on so it stands on the surface, stop and let it soak in, than pour some more on, let it soak in, and repeat three or four times. Watering each plant takes some time if you do it correctly. Container gardens are not like plants in soil, they will have to be watered whenever the surface of the soil feels dry. This may be every day or if it is hot and windy they may need water a couple times a day. If you want those plants to really thrive, use 1/2 strength fertilizer on them once a week, and in July for those plants which are blooming, you may want to switch to a bloom booster fertilizer until the first week in August. Than you can stop fertilizing for the season because there will be enough fertilizer to carry the plants through for the rest of the season.
I have mentioned this before but I hope you are picking those flowers and enjoying them in your home. A good water mixture for flowers is 2 tablespoons white vinegar, 2 teaspoons sugar, ½ teaspoon chlorine bleach, to 1 quart of water (do not use soft water, it contains salt). Remember to remove all foliage below the water line in the vase. This mixture seems to make the flowers last longer, there is less spoilage in the water, and the vases also stay cleaner.
Kyle Schulz is a Wadena County Master Gardener from Sebeka, and the regular gardening columnist for the Wadena Pioneer Journal.
