How Much Water Does My Landscape Need in Winter / Summer?

Horticulture Hotline 01/29/18

By Bill Lamson-Scribner

We (Super Garden Hero and I) had a call on “The Garden Clinic” (WTMA noon to 1 pm Saturdays) last week about watering during the winter months (this answer applies to the summer months as well). The quick answer is one inch of water per week, including rainfall.  I look at one inch per week as a starting point, and then adjust for other factors. The soil should be moist (not wet) to a depth of six inches.  These other factors include soil type, wind exposure, slope in the yard, berms, heat, cloud cover and humidity and exposure to the sun.

A clay soil is going to hold more water for a longer period of time than a sandy soil.  When watering a clay soil, if you put out too much water at once, it will begin to run off instead of penetrating the soil.  Wetting agents (Possum’s Wetting Agent with Biostimulants) and organic matter (Cotton Burr Compost) will help water penetrate clay better. Using a soil conditioner like Turface will also help.

Water tends to pass through sandy soils quickly.  If they receive too much water at once, the water tends to leach through the soil past where the plant roots can access it.  Wetting agents (Possum’s Wetting Agent with Biostimulants) and organic matter (Cotton Burr Compost) will give sandy soils better water holding capacity. Using a soil conditioner like Turface will also help.

Wind exposure can also play a big part in how much to water.  An ocean front or lake front lot with a constant breeze will require more water than a land-locked, fenced-in yard in the suburbs that is protected from wind.  Position of trees, fences, houses or other wind breaks can also affect wind exposure.  If your yard is very windy, you will have to water more than a yard that is more protected from the wind.  Wetting agents (Possum’s Wetting Agent with Biostimulants) and organic matter (Cotton Burr Compost) will give windy areas better water holding capacity. Using a soil conditioner like Turface will also help.

Depending on the elevation change in your yard, you could require more water.  Some houses sit up on hills that slope down toward the road.  These sloping yards require more water.  In the Lowcountry, this is less of a problem than an area in the mountains or hills.  Wetting agents (Possum’s Wetting Agent with Biostimulants) and organic matter (Cotton Burr Compost) will give hilly areas better water holding capacity and allow the water to penetrate the ground instead of running off into the road. Using a soil conditioner like Turface will also help.

If you have a lot of landscape berms, be sure these areas are getting enough water.  Many berms are made with landscape grade fill dirt (i.e. sand) that dry out quickly.  Being up on a hill, they have more exposure as well as slope, therefore they require more water. Wetting agents (Possum’s Wetting Agent with Biostimulants) and organic matter (Cotton Burr Compost) will give these areas better water holding capacity. Using a soil conditioner like Turface will also help.

Just as we need to drink plenty of water, so do the plants and grass.  Some areas near sidewalks and streets are getting cooked!  The soil surface temperature is often well over 100 degrees.  Give your trees, flowers and turf a drink!  Wetting agents (Possum’s Wetting Agent with Biostimulants) and organic matter (Cotton Burr Compost) will give hot soils better water holding capacity. Using a soil conditioner like Turface will also help.

In the winter, we have cool cloud covered days that are foggy and real high humidity, and other days that are cool, windy (chap your lips weather), low humidity and few clouds (blue bird – high sky) days. On those dry windy days dormant grass, shrubs, and trees can desiccate by losing moisture through the runners, bark and leaves. Depending on rainfall (snowfall), we still need to water in the winter months.

Exposure to the sun also affects the amount of water needed by a yard.  If your yard is shaded by a neighbor’s house or trees, it will require less water than if it is in the wide-open sun.  Different areas of the same yard will require different amounts of water based on the exposure to the sun. Wetting agents (Possum’s Wetting Agent with Biostimulants) and organic matter (Cotton Burr Compost) will give exposed soils better water holding capacity.  Using a soil conditioner like Turface will also help.

Always try to water early in the morning so your landscape does not stay wet too long and encourage fungus. Turf gets wet at night through guttation and dew. By watering early in the morning (3-7 am) you are not extending that wet period. If you water at 9 am and the grass has been wet all night, you could be giving disease the opportunity (moisture) it needs to flourish. Wetting agents (Possum’s Wetting Agent with Biostimulants) and organic matter (Cotton Burr Compost) will give your soils better water holding capacity and you will be able to reduce your watering and your water bill (and usually your fungicide bill as well). Using a soil conditioner like Turface will also help.

If you have any doubt, just try one quart of wetting agent and or one bag of cotton burr compost and see for yourself the difference these products can make in your landscape.

Using a soil conditioner like Turface will also help.

Always read, understand and follow product label. The product label is a Federal Law.

Bill Lamson-Scribner can be reached during the week at Possum’s Landscape and Pest Control Supply. Possum’s has three locations 481 Long Point Rd in Mt. Pleasant (971-9601), 3325 Business Circle in North Charleston (760-2600), or 606 Dupont Rd, in Charleston (766-1511). Bring your questions to a Possum’s location, or visit us at http://www.possumsupply.com. You can also call in your questions to “ The Garden Clinic”, Saturdays from noon to 1:00, on 1250 WTMA  (The Big Talker). The Horticulture Hotline is available 24 / 7 at possumsupply.com. 

Spring is Coming Fast! Are you Ready?

Horticulture Hotline 01/22/18

By Bill Lamson-Scribner

Are you ready for the 2018 season in your yard?

Here are a few things to do on the nice winter days (you know Charleston, one day nice next day not so nice).

·         Get soil tested – how do you know what to apply if you don’t know what you have in the soil already. Do you have a well that could be adding salt to the landscape? Have you been flooded with salt water? If yes, be sure to test for sodium.

·         Kill winter weeds now while they are young and your grass is dormant.

·         Get ready to preemerge in February. Kill small seeded summer annual weeds before they take over your landscape.

·         Do you have Sweetgum Trees? Would you like to reduce those nasty spiny gumballs? Now is the time to use Snipper. Snipper will greatly reduce the number of balls your tree produces. Timing is crucial and the time is now

·         Take mower in to have serviced to beat the Spring rush. With the new ethanol gas lawn mower engines and other engines have had issues. No one likes their mechanic to tell them, “pick it up in 4 weeks.”

·         Keep leaves off lawn areas. Keeps moisture from being trapped and if you or your lawn service are applying products, you will have a more uniform coverage without the leaves.

·         Move any shrub or tree now before it is too late. Root prune now, move before they start putting on new growth. Try DieHard Transplant to help survival.

·          Spray trees and shrubs with paraffinic oil (ultra-fine, Omni Supreme oil) as opposed to petroleum oils (Volck) to control over-wintering insects. Watch temperatures. If you have ongoing issues with scale, aphids, white flies, or other sucking bugs, try Safari or Dominion for long term control. I like Neem oil because it works on diseases as well as insects.

·         Have you tried Lime / Sulfur spray around the ground of deciduous plants that get diseased (do not spray foliage – just the ground)? Roses and blueberries or any plant that gets leaf spot disease are good examples of plants that benefit from this sanitation practice.

·         Sharpen pruning tools or purchase new ones.

·         If you haven’t already, get your bulbs in the ground.

·         Apply SeaHume to turf, trees, flowers, and shrubs. Adding organics now will help in the spring. Cotton Burr Compost?

·         Re-do bed lines to reflect maturing landscape.

·         Get bird house ready for nesting birds.

·         Have moles, get Mole Patrol – it really works. After you use Mole Patrol, use a repellent like Repellex monthly to keep them out.

·         Have deer, get Deer Stopper – it really works.

·         Check irrigation or get on professional’s list to check. Be sure the heads are pointed the right way. Can you eliminate (turn off) the zone watering the shrubs and trees? Have you tried wetting agents to lower your water bill (we hear between 30 and 60 percent)? Less water equals less disease.

·         Prune Crepe Myrtles – don’t butcher them. Remove crossing (rubbing) limbs, inward growing limbs and diseased limbs. Topping or reducing their height is not considered proper pruning.

·         Hold off on pruning plants damaged by the cold – we could still have freezing temperatures.

·         Test well for salt, if you own a well.

·         Attend meetings of the Rose, Camellia, Horticultural Societies and other like horticultural societies.

·         Get out and enjoy our County, State and City parks as well as our local plantations.

Always read, understand and follow product label. The product label is a Federal Law.

Resolutions For The Gardener

Horticulture Hotline  1/15/18

  Bill Lamson-Scribner

The snow event kind of threw me off a week. Here are a few New Year’s Resolutions for the Gardener:

Go through all of the old products you have in your garage and identify why you purchased them to begin with and if they are products that still can be used.  This will save you money and make room for new and improved products.

In an effort to conserve water, it is time to get that hose that leaks at the faucet, a new gasket. Check your irrigation. Are all the zones necessary or can you turn some off? Are the heads spraying the way they were intended to spray?  Also use wetting agents this year.  Wetting agents have been shown to save approximately 30-60% of water consumption for a yard.  This would be a huge savings on your water bill.  By watering less, you will have less fungus problems and save money by not having to buy as much fungicides or water. 

In 2018 try to remove fertilizer and other control products from hard surfaces like driveways, sidewalks, pool decks, and streets before these products are washed into the storm water.  This will help protect the beautiful area in which we live.  Since a lot of storm water ends up in our marshes and waterways, this will also help protect our natural resources that we use for recreation, food, and jobs. 

Buy a 100 pack of disposable nitrile gloves.  These things are great!  You can use them when handling control products and fertilizers, when changing the oil in your lawn mower, while taking down your Christmas tree to keep sap off of your hands, while painting or taking out the trash, cleaning and yard work….  These gloves are very inexpensive and can save you lots of hot water while trying to remove things from your hands.  These gloves are also good at keeping the human scent away from mole, mice and rat bait.

In 2018, add organic matter to your lawn and beds.  Organic matter will also help you lower your water bill while adding many other benefits to your soil.  Cotton Burr compost has been improving Lowcountry soils with great results for the past 15 years. 

In order to combat weeds, plan to put out preemergents in your lawns and beds according to product label.  This will make your life a lot less stressful and your yard will be looking a lot better without weeds.  If time is a big issue, consider buying a years supply of product now, so you will have the product handy when it is time to apply. 

In 2018, always apply product according to the label’s directions.  No more “If one ounce is good….two ounces will be real good”.  This will also save you money and get you better results from the products - not to mention the product label is a Federal Law. 

For those pet owners out there whose animals have a history of flea problems, be proactive by applying growth regulators.  Ultracide, Nylar, or Precor applied every three months, should keep your pet free of fleas. 

Always mow the grass with a sharp mower blade and prune the bushes with sharp pruning blades.  You will have cleaner cuts and less chance of disease. With all the cold damage there will be a lot of pruning.

Read a good book about gardening.  Reading is how we learn and it will motivate you as a bonus. 

Happy New Year!

Always read, understand and follow product label. The product label is a Federal Law.