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DAN WEST GARDEN CENTER JULY 2006 NEWSLETTER Did you know... that a single oat plant harvested 75 days after planting has over 55 miles of roots and feeder roots? Did you know... that if you laid all the microscopic feeder roots from a mature oak tree end to end that they would circle the earth...25 times? (About 625,000 miles of feeder roots.) One more. Did you know... the same mature oak tree on the hottest summer day is absorbing nearly 400 gallons of water from the soil? Is it becoming clearer why grass struggles under and near trees? It's not only the lack of sunlight, but the extreme competition for water and nutrients. I'll take questions now. You, in the red shirt. How much should I water? It depends somewhat on what's under the tree. For turf, about 2 inches of water per week is sufficient. That translates into running your sprinkler in one location for 1.5 to 2 hours, twice a week. Your shrubs, annuals and some trees may need more. One of the problems with sprinkler systems is that they spit out water very well but don't take into consideration the needs of individual plants. The type and age of the plant, how much sun and wind it gets, the day and night temperatures and the differences in soils between your turf and flower beds are all factors in how much and how often to water. Your sprinkler system should be set to satisfy the needs of the most drought tolerant plant. If it's set to satisfy the highest water demand plants, then everything else may be over watered. Next. What about watering everyday? With the exception of new plantings, daily waterings are not a good idea. To encourage deep root growth, it's important to water thoroughly when you water to saturate the soil down several inches. Shallow waterings cause roots to stay near the surface which makes the plant less tolerant of drought and more likely to sustain winter damage. Yes ma'am! In the pink. When should I water? If you're overhead watering and have plants that are susceptible to leave diseases, like crape myrtles, phlox, bee balm and zinnia, then morning is best. Your foliage will dry quickly and you are less likely to have disease problems. If water conservation is your primary concern, then you get less evaporation and more water to the plants by watering in the evening or night. You sir! I'm watering, but the plant is wilting anyway, what's wrong? You may be over watering! If the feeder roots rot off, the plant can't take in water, so it wilts even though it may be sitting in water. What are you likely to do to a wilted plant? Water it! You just filled the air space needed for feeder roots to grow with water. Check you plants about knuckle deep. If it feels moist, don't water. If it feels dry, water. If you're not sure, probably best to wait. Plants will usually survive longer under watered than over watered. If you rule out too much water, then at some point you may have to ask yourself is this the wrong plant for this place or the wrong place for this plant? O.K. That's watering 101 for today. Next class is fertilizer. DAN WEST GARDEN CENTER 4763 POPLAR AVE 767-6743 12061 HWY 64 867-2283 OPEN MONDAY - SATURDAY 8 - 5:30 SUNDAY 11 - 5 CLOSED JULY 4TH |