The debate about climate change has been raging for quite a few years now. Not only about what may or may not be causing it but also as to whether it actually exists. I suppose as a gardener one of the things that you do tend to observe on a regular basis is the weather and in particular rainfall.
Now without getting too deeply into this debate the one thing that I've noticed over the last ten years where I live in Melbourne, Australia is that we are now getting less and less rain. In fact it's now at the stage where our water storage's are at an all time low.
So having said that there has never been more reason to plant drought tolerant plants in your garden. I've been growing them for over ten years but I also realize that not all gardeners are into drought tolerant plants. So whether you are or aren't here are some tips so that your plants can survive on less water.
1. Apply mulch around your plants. This would have to be the obvious one as all the gardening "gurus" are always going on about mulch. The important thing here though, is to use a mulch that is not porous. Porous mulches like bark chips and compost might be great if you live in an area where you might get 20 or 30mm of rain in one downpour but if you live in a area like myself where it is quite common to get just 5mm at a time you'll find that this small amount of rain will get absorbed by the mulch and it won't get anywhere near the soil. Now I realize that lots of gardeners like the idea of having organic matter rotting into the soil, as it conditions the soil and is very beneficial. I cannot argue with this but there is an alternative. I use a natural soil conditioner made from seaweed extract. There are lots on the market and this gives my plants everything they need. I used 20mm Tuscan stones that look great and the water just runs straight off them and into the soil below. So if you're using an organic mulch, next time you get a light rain go and check the soil below and I'll bet that it's dry. Your plants are getting robbed.
2. This next one is pretty common knowledge amongst gardeners as well. When watering, water more but less frequently. By this I mean water around where the roots are plus give the area around where you want them to grow a good water as well. This encourages the roots to grow to find more water. The amount that you water of course is dependent on the type of soil that you have. If you have a sandy or well draining soil it's best to give the plant a really good soaking. If the soil is heavy, clayey or not very well draining, it's better not to give them too much water as you have to remember that most plants don't like their roots to be too wet. The thing to remember with badly draining soils is to mound your garden beds so excess water drains away or to just plant plants that tolerate lots of water around the roots.
3. Don't fertilise your garden plants or if you have to fertilize, place it away from the plant so the roots search for the fertilizer. This is especially true if they're the drought tolerant variety. Most drought tolerant plants have evolved growing in very poor soils and have roots that are adapted to search for the nutrients the plant needs to survive. So it only makes common sense that the more the roots search, the more substantial the root system and as a result the more drought tolerant the plant.
4. Don't plant your plants too close together. I have a small garden and as a consequence I plant fairly close together as I like to cram as many plants in as possible. Because of this though the roots do have to compete a lot more for moisture under the ground and I have noticed that as some of the plants have grown into each other the rate of growth has decreased. So if you've got the space, have a think about how big your plants will eventually grow and plant accordingly.
5. I cultivated my soil before planting so as to break up the soil and make it more friable. This allows the roots to grow quicker and the plants to become established quicker.
6. Group plants with similar water needs together. I've got some plants that aren't very drought tolerant. If you've got a plant that needs a little bit of water to survive don't plant it amongst drought tolerant plants, for obvious reasons.
7. As I said before I use a seaweed extract, plant tonic. Not only does it condition the soil but it also gets absorbed into the plants cells and not only helps with drought tolerance but also frost tolerance. The other thing I use is a plant starter. This assists with root development which obviously increases drought tolerance as well.
Whether you have a drought tolerant garden or one that relies on some extra water, saving water can only be a good thing. These are just a few things that you can do to make your plants even more drought tolerant.
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Tag: How to Make Your Garden Plants More Drought Tolerant, garden plants drought management, plants drought
Source: Ezine
