Your gardening questions answered in this regular column
Conscientious Gardening and Water Conservation
by Jack Russell, Russell’ s Garden Center, Wayland, MA via the plant’ s roots. Water retention by the soil becomes imperative as the time between rain events gets stretched farther apart. Adding compost to the garden soil and mixing it well into all layers prior to planting will greatly improve the soil’ s water holding capabilities. This, in turn enhances additional water conservation efforts that encourage plants to establish deeper root systems, particularly by watering plants deeply but less frequently.
Drought used to be thought of as an issue for growers in other regions of the country rather than for those in New England. We used to average 50 inches of rain in this region annually; irrigation used to be an option – not a necessity. Regardless of the reasons, the last 3 years of little rain has now taught growers in the Boston area that we need to start gardening more conscientiously.
So what can we do to conserve? Go back to the basics: put the right plant in the right place, use more native plant species, and plant drought resistant varieties. And the common thread for all of these planting strategies is to improve the soil and decrease our water usage.
The first step should be testing the soil’ s pH. If the pH in the soil does not match the needs of your plants, absorption of soil nutrients by the plant is greatly hampered or doesn’ t happen. For example, if the current soil conditions are acidic( less than 7 on the pH scale), then an acid-loving plant will thrive in that location, but an alkaline-soil loving plant will not.
There are simple and inexpensive soil test kits available at most garden centers. If you are looking for more in-depth data, you can send a soil sample to your local Extension service, instructions can be found on their website. Once you have the results of your soil test in hand, you can adjust the pH or nutrient levels of the soil with natural additives found at your local garden center.
Soil pH is important for the absorption of nutrients by plants, but water is the life“ blood” to transport those nutrients
What types of additional conservation efforts are we talking about? Primarily the method of watering plants, once installed. Sprayed water, as from sprinklers, increases evaporation as well as water lost to wind drift. Water sitting on the plant’ s foliage can also increase the risk of fungal infection to the plants. Water sprayed on the soil surface between plants may provide moisture for weed germination or insect infestation.
So, the last suggested ingredient to this recipe for conscientious gardening and to follow community water restriction guidelines is to get the water down low into the soil efficiently, without overhead spraying. My advice is to hand water individual plants and containers; it’ s a great way to relax and enjoy your outdoor planters. Use soaker hoses or drip irrigation for larger garden areas. Soaker hoses, properly placed, provide water between the plants while saving as much as 70 % of the water usage compared to sprinklers. Using a drip irrigation system, this water savings can be as high as 90 %- a savings not only for the environment but for your wallet as well. Again, your local garden shop’ s staff will be able to advise you on equipment and best practices.
Grow on, rain or shine!
6 GROW! BOSTON