Parched: Proper watering methods are critical during current drought conditions

By Paul Schnare

It is dry, dry, dry outside. If you don't believe it, talk to a gardener. I have heard a lot of the following stories.

"I seeded my lawn last week. Then I watered it really good, but nothing is coming up."

"I seeded my lawn last week and I am watering it every other day. It is not coming up very well."

"I planted a tree last spring, and it did well for a while, but now the leaves are all turning brown."

These are but a few of the comments I have been hearing over the last few weeks. After hearing these comments, and after looking at the weather forecast for the next few weeks, I would like to make some suggestions.

If you have seeded your lawn this fall, I suggest the following:

When seeding, make sure that the lawn seed has been planted into the ground during the process. Don't just spread it over the ground and expect the seed to burrow into the soil on its own.

After seeding, water the seeded area every day until the seed starts to come up. Water early in the morning, not in the evening. Once all of the seed emerges, back off on the watering to every other day and every third day. You want to keep the soil moist several inches deep.

Be sure to continue watering the newly seeded lawn in the early morning. If you water in the evening, you may create environmental conditions for lawn diseases. You can reduce that problem by watering in the morning and allowing the new grass blades to dry before nightfall.

In addition to watering your lawn, whether it has been recently seeded or if it has been established for years, it is important to apply a winterizer fertilizer to cool-season grasses (bluegrass, fescue and rye) at this time. This application will encourage root growth during the cold months and result in a lush lawn next spring.

If you have planted trees or shrubs this spring, summer, or recently this fall, be sure to water them thoroughly at least once or twice a week before the onset of cold weather. Let water drip or slowly pour on the soil around the newly planted shrub. Do this for as long as it takes to get water at 1 to 2 feet below the soil surface around the newly planted plant. Again do this in the early morning. You don't want to create conditions for disease development.

If you have an established lawn, trees and shrubs that have been in your landscape for more than one year, I would also suggest you take the time to water thoroughly. Do this watering for a long enough period so that the soil gets wet at least 1 to 2 feet below the soil surface.

If you have recently planted new shrubs, trees, or lawn, be sure you have applied a high phosphorous fertilizer to the new plants. This will encourage good root development quickly and help the development of active roots that will absorb needed water during this dry spell.

Again, I suggest that you water in the early morning. You want to make sure that foliage is dry before nightfall. This is to reduce the potential of plant disease development.

I hope these notes will help your landscape plants make it through not only the current drought, but also through the upcoming winter. A little effort now can make all the difference in the look of your landscape next spring.