Home Gardening

Hot, dry weather is early this year
The Coast Gardener Newspaper and Web Column - May 11, 2002

Whatever happened to springtime? It seems as though we skipped the spring season and jumped straight into the summertime heat and humidity that is so common here in the Gulf South. I have even noticed area lawns beginning to show signs of drought stress, as rainfall has been very sparse as of late. Continuous windy conditions only enhance the dry conditions.

Hostas growing in shade, above, and in the sun, below.

Many plants do require specific growing requirements. They need to be planted in areas that are conducive for them to grow so they can live up to their potential in your landscape. For example, hostas won't perform very well in direct sunlight. Keep them in the shade, however, and they will do just fine.

Another good example to use is the flowering dogwood. This native tree thrives in shady woodlands, but it can suffer when planted in full sun. Dogwoods have shallow root systems and sometimes suffer extensively during hot, dry weather.

On the other hand, dogwoods will suffer when planted in soils that drain poorly or have high water tables. Root rot can be a problem in this scenario or when gardeners overwater their trees. When taken out of their natural environment, dogwoods can certainly be "fussy."

A question that constantly arises goes something like this: "What's causing the leaves on my tree to turn brown along the edges before they fall off?" The most probable answer is leaf scorch. This condition affects popular landscape trees such as maples, Bradford pears and dogwoods. Leaf scorch begins after any extended period of hot, dry weather. It is sometimes worse when the high temperatures are combined with a steady wind. This condition occurs when water is lost from the leaves faster than the roots can replace it. Quite simply, tree roots cannot supply the foliage with an adequate water supply.

Your turfgrass needs about an inch of water a week. If you are unsure as to how much is an inch, try using a rain gauge or a cat food or tuna can to "catch" the water. (A cat food or tuna can is about an inch deep). Simply run the sprinkler system with the rain gauge or can in place and see how long it takes to fill up. During extremely dry times, it may be best to water several times a week to deliver the inch of water rather than just once.

Always remember that it is better to water deeply and infrequently rather than watering only a tiny bit every day. It is important to force the roots to grow deeper and grow toward the moist soil. This helps the grass to be less stressed under dry conditions.

In home landscapes, drought stressed trees and shrubs should receive water with a soaker hose or sprinkler system. The water must be applied in an area from the trunk out to the extent of the drip line. Large trees may require as much as eight hours of continuous watering to add any appreciable amount of water to the root system. Water trees once or twice a week until normal rainfall returns.

Mulching will help to conserve soil moisture around young trees. It will also help to prevent lawn mowers and string trimmers from injuring the trunk.

It is starting off hot and dry to say the least. It looks like a long, hot summer is ahead for Coast gardeners.

These archived gardening columns were written by Chance McDavid, former Harrison County Extension Agent.