Irriagtion and Mulch
Trying to keep cool during our Summer months can be a challenge, especially for our landscape plants. All year we want plants that can take full sun and are excited for their blooms to come out, but preparing a garden bed that can actually withstand all day sun is crucial for our Central Texas area. Some things that can help one take on the intensity of all-day sun are drip irrigation and mulch!
Drip Irrigation
Drip irrigation is one of the best methods to get water to our landscaped plants without wasting water to evaporation, runoff, or wind. Having the water slowly penetrate the soil to go straight to the root zone which will allow for a hardy rootstock which means a plant that can take crazy environmental stresses (high heat, cold, drought, or other factors).
Mulch
Mulch can be any material that covers the soil surface, from living mulch (live plants like thick groundcovers) to natural material like hardwood mulch or pinestraw. Mulch helps with temperature regulation (better root growth), helps retain moisture keeping evaporation down, helps keeps soil from compacting, keeps weeds and pathogens suppressed, while also keeping our fruits clean by keeping them off the soil. By mulching a newly installed plant you can help in become established faster then with any other factor besides watering.
What else can I do?
Make sure you are staying on top of watering, especially with our potted plants which will need it daily. Make sure there are no bare spots on your garden to help keep water retention up. Feed your vegetable garden beds with compost and get them ready for fall planting. Be on the lookout for pests and pathogens! We have seen lots of pest and fungal issues this year already, using products like neem oil which is a miticide, fungicide, and insecticides can help keep most problems away. Keep up with deadheading to keep blooms going through the summer. For those who are still active in the gardens, this is my favorite time of year to apply Microlife Humate Plus to most of my landscape. If you have some pesky areas that just seem to always be dry or a potted plant that won't retain moisture try giving it some Humates Plus or worm-compost to help with the water retention in that area.
Written by: Calvin King HCWG Horticulturist and Co-Owner Glass Root Garden
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