Water, water. Sometimes it’s not everywhere. Sometimes there is no rain to be found, not for days and weeks. This is scary for farmers and deeply frustrating for gardeners. In a drought, plants die, and if you rely on these plants for food and shade, this can be very difficult.
How can you weather drought and plan for future dry times as well?
Let some of your plants go dormant. Lawns and moss will go brown. This is fine. Keep your lawn a little longer before the dry season begins so that it will make as much shade and conserve as much moisture as possible. Let it go brown, and don’t be tempted to water it to make it green again. Watering sporadically during the summer when you’re panicked about your lawn just causes the lawn to use energy reserves to try and grow again, breaking its healthy dormancy.
Plan your watering well. Set up a drip irrigation system, or hand water in a way that gets water to the plant’s roots rather than the leaves. In times of scarce water, you need to make sure that your plant’s roots get every drop they can.
Water in the morning. This allows the plant to use the water during the day. When you water in the early morning before the soil really heats up, you’ll find that less water evaporates and more is available for the plant to use.
Water less frequently. This seems to be counterintuitive, but by watering deeply but less frequently, the water will move deep into the soil, nourishing the plant when you are not watering and encouraging the plant to grow deeper roots. A trickle of water over a few hours is more effective than a blast over a few minutes.
Save water in storage containers. You may have a rain barrel or even an underground cistern for water storage. Use this water to water your plants in a drought. This will avoid taxing precious drinking water resources to water what may be ornamental lawns and gardens.
Use grey water. This will help you avoid using potable water for your plants. Use water from a bucket used to wash your dishes, or place a bucket in your shower to collect water. Make sure that any soaps you use are totally biodegradable.
Save water in your landscape. Over the course of the fall and spring, re-engineer your garden to create hollows where you want water to pool or flow. Add mulch to your garden to help it store water in the soil, and make sure that your garden soil is rich in organic matter. Storing water in soil is the ultimate in sensible, low-maintenance water storage.
What tips do you have for watering your plants during a drought?