Garden Tips Newsletter
Dealing with Too Much Rain
September 21, 2009
Excessive rainfall in our state has created some problems for home gardens and landscapes. Below are some tips for dealing with too much of a good thing!
• Cut off or cut back on automatic irrigation systems during periods of heavy rain
• Keep gutters, downspouts, ditches, drainage grates and culverts clear of debris so water can move
• Channel flooded waters away from garden beds and plants in the landscape by digging temporary small trenches so standing water will run away from the roots of plants that are not tolerant of “wet feet.”
• Make sure all drainage holes in containers are clear and water can move through the pots
• Empty pot saucers regularly or remove during times of excessive rain to prevent containerized plant roots “standing in water.”
• Consider installing a rain barrel to catch and recycle this natural resource. Our grandparents did this regularly and there are many home “rain barrel” kits and instructions on the internet. One such source is the University of Florida Extension Service
• Consider installing a rain garden in those areas of the yard that tend to hold water during heavy rainfall.
• Resource the information pertaining to bog gardens, rain gardens, water quality and other sustainable landscape practices on the Mississippi State University Extension Service Web site
The following fungicide tips are provided by Clarissa Balbalian, Diagnostician/Lab Manager, Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, MSU.
Protect plants during rainy weather by applying systemic fungicides that will not wash off. Bayer Advanced Disease Control (tebuconazole) and Spectracide Immunox (myclobutanil) provide control of black spot of roses and most other foliar diseases of woody ornamentals, bedding plants and ground covers. Downy mildew of roses and root diseases of bedding plants and woody ornamentals can be prevented with Aliette (Aluminum tris). Always follow label directions when applying fungicides.
Lelia Scott Kelly, Ph.D., writes Garden Tips weekly and is a Horticulture Specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. Her office is in the North Mississippi Research & Extension Center, Verona.