NOT A DROP TO DRINK

WATER, WATER

EVERYWHERE and not... a drop to drink

We have experienced several pretty severe periods of drought in the garden this year and as of writing this, there is no end in sight. It’s well before any of our collective memories that we can remember it being this dry, especially this dry late into fall. I’m sure you’ve noticed by now that grass is brown, plants are drooping and trees are turning brown and losing leaves without getting their fall color. These are warning signs that trouble is brewing and if we ignore it, there will be sad consequences. In a normal growing season in suburban Chicagoland, we get cool, wet weather in April and May, followed by sort of dry weather in June, really dry in July and August, then nice again for September through November. But it seems the past few years that Mother Nature has been putting Chicagoland to the test. We’ve had longer winters with heavy snowfall, followed by extremely cold temperatures that swell up to normal then drop again, dumping snow on us in APRIL! This year it snowed at the end of April and early May was just gross, followed by real spring. But then it stopped. And we didn’t see good rainfall for over a month or so. We got some rain in June, but it just wasn’t enough and the sporadic storms that followed in July were few and far between. August and September have been just brutal and it seems like we can’t water enough! I don’t know about you, but I feel like the hose is an extension of my arm and the city is doing quite well profiting from my water bill. But it’s a price I will pay to have a healthy garden. So, what can you do? It’s not too late to give your plants a much-needed drink. Here are some tips on what to do this fall and into early winter to help your plantings get through this rough patch and come out on the good side next spring. It’s important to water until at least midNovember — if not later — if we don’t get moisture and/or cooler temps.  ESTABLISHED/OLDER TREES: While it may seem like these old guys don’t need water, it’s important to not forget about them when it’s been this dry. You can place a sprinkler about 8-10 feet away from the trunk and run it for about an hour or so (moving it as necessary to encompass the whole dripline). An easy way to test to make sure you water enough is to put a rain gauge or a small dish under the sprinkler. When it reaches 1 inch deep, you can move the sprinkler. If you do any watering at all, hit your big trees first as they need it to go into fall without suffering. Evergreens benefit from fall and early winter waterings, also.  YOUNG TREES (PLANTED LESS THAN FIVE

YEARS):

The same rules apply as the big guys, but you can put a hose at the base of the tree trunk and let it run at a slow trickle for about 30-45 minutes maybe once every week to 10 days. DO NOT WATER EVERY DAY!

 SMALLER SHRUBS/TREES: Established plants (more than five years old) would need a soak at their base for about 10-15 minutes each, maybe once per week to 10 days. Younger plants would need it twice per week.  PERENNIALS/GRASSES/

GROUNDCOVERS:

You can either water with the hose or you can use a similar method as the established trees and put a sprinkler out if you have larger landscape beds. They still need an inch of water, so watch your gauge. If you have time to water by hand, then soak each plant for a few minutes with the garden hose wand and move onto the next. I usually circle back around to the beginning and give them one last drink. Depending on your soil and age of plants, you may do this two to three times per week if your soil is very well drained (mine is as we live near the river; soil is sandy and doesn’t contain much clay). If you have a heavier soil, you could water maybe once or twice per week. Sometimes I use a plant or two in the garden as my warning system. Hydrangeas are pretty quick to wilt so they are a good tool to help judge. If your hydrangea are wilting and don’t perk up by the next morning, there’s a good chance the other shrubs would need a drink. For trees, we always recommend checking the soil because different species will show different signs of stress and wilting isn’t always a sign. Poke a sturdy stick in the soil (use a paint stick, dowel or even a screwdriver) and check the soil around your trees like a cake. If you can push the probe in deep and it comes out with mud on it, plenty wet, wait a few more days to water. If you can’t break the surface or have a hard time pushing it in, then it’s time for a good soak. Watering is a delicate dance. We struggle with it daily. But just know that if you listen to your plants, they will let you know. Don’t assume that each plant has the same needs. Sometimes even groups of plants of the same type can struggle independently because soil can be very different from spot to spot. But help is out there — we are always ready to help you figure out a plant’s water needs. We watch the weather more than most humans do, and we are always digging in the dirt and know the conditions. When in doubt — give us a call!

Meagan is the Senior Landscape Designer at Wasco Nursery in St. Charles. She can be reached at 630-584-4424 or design@wasconursery.com. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!