Help Your Plants Recover For Spring DANE KIETZMAN offers tips to promote a healthy revival from root systems damaged by last year’s record spring rain.
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t this point in the year some businesses are still frantically finishing up their 2019 financial documentation, and most of us are organizing our own paperwork at home preparing for April 15. Over a month into 2020, 2019 is well in the rearview mirror. As we prepare to head into spring next month, last spring’s weather is probably the last thing on our mind. It can be easy to forget that trees and shrubs are biological organisms that don’t segment their life into convenient periods of time. Just like people, last year’s injuries can persist for some time. Last year’s torrential rains in the spring left soils unconducive to root growth during the time of the year when plants typically do most of their recovery. Damage done to a perennial plant’s root system can cause stress, dam-
age and even die-back for several years. This year there are several things we can do to help stressed plants recover more effectively. Monitor Moisture Plants develop roots best when soils are near saturation and sub-
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sequently dry out before repeating the process. As such, too much time on either end of this spectrum can inhibit root growth. Although we have no control over the weather, we can try to monitor and regulate ground moisture as best as we can. I’ve lost count of the times throughout the year when I’ve driven by a home in the middle of a thunderstorm and their irrigation system was running full throttle. A new rain sensor on an older system, or even a new smart controller, can help eliminate this waste and avoid over-saturating soils this spring. Although the technology isn’t perfect, a new smart controller accesses local weather data and
can help plan your water schedule accordingly. Although it’s usually not a problem, we do run into drought conditions in spring from time to time. Most homeowners are under the impression that their in-ground irrigation system is sufficient for keeping their woody plants watered. While some systems have separate drip lines for landscape beds, their watering schedule is oftentimes inadequately set up on a turf-type watering cycle. Most irrigation systems are run for 10-15 minutes every other day which means the amount of water that makes it to the root system is insignificant. Generally, trees consume about 10 gallons of water per inch of trunk caliper per week. Factoring in the water absorbed by the much shallower grass roots which often surround them, many trees rarely receive adequate moisture for optimal growth and recovery. If, like me, you find yourself without an automated irrigation system or a fancy way to monitor it, you’re in luck! If you are ever in doubt about whether your plants need additional water—or perhaps have too much—you can use this old standby. Take a long
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February 2020 | kcgmag.com