Prioritize Your Watering
If you only have a few minutes to devote to hose dragging each day, then focus on the most drought susceptible spots and let the rest go. The must-water list includes the following:- The vegetable garden- Sure, they can survive with little water, but you will be sacrificing food.
- Annuals- Ever seen floppy impatiens?
- Container plants- Container plants tend to dry out faster -- especially terra cotta pots.
- Newly planted trees, shrubs, and perennials- Their root systems aren't developed enough to make it through a drought.
- New or recently repaired lawns- You spent too much money on that sod to let it croak!
Conserve Water
There are also a few things you can do to get the most out of your watering:- Water in the morning to prevent loss to evaporation.
- Decrease fertilizers.
- Don't prune your shrubs.
- Water deeply and less often.
- Mulch your plants.
Plan for the Next Drought
Consider installing a rain barrel to help you conserve water for the inevitable next drought. Did you know that up to 623 gallons of water can be collected off of a 1,000 square foot roof from a one-inch rain? That is a LOT of water! You could be saving some of that water to use on your plants. There are many ready-made barrels for sale at stores, or you can make your own. Tennessee Yards and Neighborhoods has an excellent article on rain barrels with instructions. I have a small 35 gallon rain barrel at my house, and I love it. It even collects condensation from the air conditioning unit, so it refills very quickly whether it rains or not. I use it to water all my annuals, containers, and newly planted perennials.In the meantime, keep praying for rain!
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