With very little rain this winter; the water reserves in our soil is almost depleted. Gardeners in past years relied on soil moisture and did not have to irrigate trees and shrubs until June. Not so this year and many of our plants are showing stress. Common symptoms of drought stressed trees and shrubs are curled leaves, yellow or brown leaves, jagged, torn leaf margins and the leaves or fruits which drop prematurely. Lace leaf varieties such as Acer dissectum are particularly vulnerable. All these trees and shrubs will die unless they receive extra care.
When you have valuable and important trees on your property, they will require that extra care to avoid losing them. A ten-year-old Japanese Maple or a Crab Apple will be difficult and expensive to replace if it should die.
Trees and Shrubs
Among the steps that can be taken to help your trees and shrubs survive are the following:
Roses
Many of the treatments described for Trees and Shrubs will apply to the Rose garden. Do not expect your Roses to flower and grow as they would under more normal conditions.
Set low angle sprinklers or drippers to irrigate a 4 to 6 foot diameter area for each Rose bush. Water Roses for 1/2 hour; once a week; at dawn. Apply 1/4 the normal amount of fertilizer on July 4 and Labor Day or give no fertilizer at all. Be sure to water it in.
Do not plant anything between or around the rose bushes. If you have a rose bush of questionable value, get rid of it. Mulch 2" to 4" deep over the entire rose bed.
Prune away 1/3 of each Rose bush to reduce evaporation from the leaves and decrease water absorption by the roots.
Root prune each bush at its drip line using a sharp spade.
If you have one floribunda to remind yourself of how Roses should be, plant it in a 15 gallon container with top grade potting soil such as Master Nursery Garden’s Gold. Our selection was “French Lace”(see Photo). We have a saucer under the pot to hold 1” of water and we irrigate twice or three times a week. The container is fertilized monthly with Master Nursery Rose and Flower Food. “French Lace” blooms almost continuously and we look forward to better times.
Numerous rebate offers are available to encourage water conservation:
For more information and house calls:
Redwood City area: Water Resources Management Program
650-780-7436
redwoodcity.org/conservation
Santa Clara Valley Water District
Water Wise House Call Program at (408) 265-2600 ext.2554 or (888) 439-6624
valleywater.org
If and when the droughts ends, keep these tips in mind and have them become part of your normal gardening practices. Water conservation should become part of our everyday gardening.
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