We will be closed Saturday (1/24) - Monday (1/26) due to inclement weather.
Just about every summer, Northwest Arkansas experiences drought. From sunburned leaves to crispy grass, most gardeners know the signs impacting their plants - but those symptoms are often indicative of a greater problem that lurks just below the surface: the moisture - or lack thereof - in their soil.
The problem with drought isn’t just a lack of water for your plants when you have clay-heavy soil (as many of us do). Clay-based soil is highly expansive, meaning it changes shape based on how much moisture it contains. As water evaporates out of the soil during a high drought, the clay particles in the earth pull tightly together. This constricting effect can cause damage to fragile root systems, leaving your already-struggling plants less capable of absorbing the water and nutrients from the soil they desperately need to survive the heat.
Here’s a practical guide on how and when to water, plus mulch recommendations that will help your soil retain every precious drop of water throughout our hottest season.
Soil that is clay-heavy isn’t all bad. It’s great at holding nutrients compared to sandy soil, and it can bind water tightly. The problem is that when dry, this porous soil compacts, snapping whatever is trying to grow through it.
You might think that short, frequent watering will help keep the soil hydrated through the heat, but you’d be wrong. With water only penetrating a few inches at best, this type of watering keeps roots searching for moisture at the most temperature-reactive layer of soil - AKA the layer of dirt that is most likely to dehydrate as it bakes under the sun’s toasty rays.
Letting Mother Nature take the wheel proves to be equally futile. Despite their capacity to produce quite a bit of rain, NWA’s summer storms can prove problematic: the quick influx of water can’t absorb into the tightly-compacted, brick-hard dirt fast enough to provide relief to your plants, leading to more runoff than retention.
The best way to water your plants during a drought is deeply. It’ll take time, so we recommend a soaker hose or drip irrigation set at a slow-flow rate near the base of the plant. Once a day for 10-20 minutes should be enough, but double-check - you’ll want to feel moisture in your soil 6 to 8 inches below the surface. Start this early in the morning, before the sun’s rays start baking the ground. If you’re seeing runoff or rapidly-pooling water, stop, wait 30 minutes for the runoff to soak in, and resume watering.
If you are hand watering (bless you), it’s best to slow your water flow to about half and take multiple passes at the base of your plants. This allows the water to soak in through more than just the top layer.
For trees, you want to crack open a hose until there’s a steady drip and leave your hose for ~1hr at least once a week.
When it comes to droughts, watering early in the day is best, because the cooler temps and calmer winds mean less evaporation. Anytime before 9:00 a.m. is best, but after that, you (and your water) will be fighting the sun.
Want to make sure your watering lasts all week? Invest in some mulch. Besides adding a unified background to your flowerbeds, mulch acts like a layer of insulation in the walls of your home. A layer 2-3” thick will keep soil cool, preventing moisture loss by reducing direct exposure to sun and wind. Shredded hardwood or large wood chips are the least hydrophobic, and will retain some of that moisture from your watering, which will help the soil stay cooler and hydrated longer.
Don’t forget the donut rule - keep a mulch-free circle a few inches wide around the base of your plant (with your plant in the center of the “donut”) to prevent pests and rot from breeding right up against your plants.
This may feel like a lot of work to set up, especially in the heat, but the benefits are undeniable. Not only will your plants outlast the drought and look great doing it with their fresh mulch backdrop, but you’ll actually get more time back in your day after adjusting your watering method to a deep soak - which means more time to enjoy the fruits (and flowers) of your labor.
