Farmers Weekly Review

A thin layer of mulch can help inside container plants as well.

I have thousands of column ideas swimming around in my head, and usually I try to stay seasonal, providing you with information you need now. But this week, as we are in the second week of no rain and summer-like temperatures, I hope by the time you read this, you won’t need this advice on how to deal with drought conditions.
But the long-range forecast doesn’t look promising right now, and even the king of weather prognosticators, Tom Skilling, has been talking about our past dry winter and one of the driest Mays on record.
The home gardener has a great arsenal of strategies for dry (and the accompanying warmer than usual) conditions especially when dry turns into dangerous drought. The first one seems obvious, if it is hot and dry, choose plants that are tolerant of hot and dry conditions. These plants are called xeric; gardening for those conditions is called xeriscaping. Xeric plants for our area would include perennials such as sedum, Russian sage, and yarrow. As for annuals that can take the heat, choose moss roses, sunflowers, and cockscomb.
Ah, but what if our fickle Midwest Mother Nature decides to give us a colder and wetter than usual year? Our plants have to be able to take a 22-degree May and a 90-degree October some years. So, a better approach is to use water-wise strategies.
I am sure you know my first suggestion; I mention it in almost every article — mulching. But think about mulching more than just your in-ground plants. Did you ever think about mulching your containers? Just using a single layer of wood chips (and I do mean single layer!), can help to reduce your watering by half. And no one will see those chips as your plants fill out.
Mulching pots not only help with water conservation, by not allowing the water to evaporate as quickly, but mulching pots also helps to keep the soil temperature constant which helps plants to reduce stress. Just like with us, when we are stressed, we have a harder time being productive.
So, every time you see your containers doing the downward dog yoga position when they should be standing at attention, they are stressed. Even though it may seem like some type of miracle, when your withered plants spring to life after you rescue water them, it still is stress.
Some gardeners will even put a saturated layer of wet newspaper under the mulch in their pots for added insulation. Think of it as those weighted blankets that are all the rage today. I can just hear those containerized plants going, “ahhhh.”
Mulching applies to raised beds, too. When we fill those perfect planting boxes with the best soil/compost combination we can afford, remember we are trying to create the ideal, well-drained planting medium. That is great in wet years, but in dry years, a thin layer of mulch can really reduce the need to water.
The flip side of water saving strategies is not only preventing water loss from evaporation, but also looking to other sources of water that you are literally letting go down the drain. And better yet, it is free water.
Rain barrels are the predominant way to capture lots of Mother Nature’s bounty from our gutters and downspouts. But a warning comes with the rain barrel. And this is a hotly debated topic in all things rain barrel. Would you intentionally put petroleum products and animal ‘end product’ on something you are planning to eat?
But that is what we do if we use collected rainwater from our roofs and water our edible gardens with it. The solution is simple, use that collected rain barrel water for your ornamental crops, or if you are a ‘lawn ranger’ your turf.
There is another source of water that we do literally pour down the drain all the time. It isn’t like the gush of rainwater into a barrel, it is the use of grey water. Grey water is water that has been used but is still safe to use on plants. (To clarify, the term blackwater refers to water that has dangerous contaminants, such as sewage.)
Grey water in the states that have severe drought as a constant problem is a large undertaking funneling water from tubs, showers and washing machines into irrigation systems. For us, we are fortunate not to have to go to that level…yet. But think about the smaller ways you can repurpose some of the water you use in a day. Why not? It only takes a little upcycling mindfulness.
Water used to boil pasta; vegetables (anything non-oily) can be used to water plants. No, not when it is still scalding hot, but after it cools down. And if you keep a dishpan in the sink, you can use soapy water to water plants as well. Again, you may choose not to use the water that has dish soap in it on your edibles, but on any ornamentals and your lawn. This water saving strategy also slows water as it goes to the sewer system. Remember, every drop counts!

Water with dish soap is considered “grey water” and is safe to use to water plants.