Drought Conditions--watering how much/often?

Sunsi · July 15, 2011

We're having some "heated" discussions here at my home about how much to water when there hasn't been a good rain in weeks. I say more often especially when I see leaves looking wilted but someone else (won't mention names to protect the guilty

) says that the signs for over-watering are the same. I feel that during drought conditions wilting leaves can hardly be a sign of over-watering. We've had to order a couple loads of water for our well in the last couple weeks which I don't mind if it saves our vegetable garden. Although, it has been pointed out to me that the whole idea of growing a garden is to save money, blah, blah, blah

Our tomatoes are mulched with black plastic and seem to be doing fine but the squash is experiencing yellowing and wilted leaves (not all the leaves but some) and the peppers have blossom drop. The corn is getting yellow leaves at the bottom.

We have a more clay type soil which requires longer drip time to reach down further and this is where I think we need to improve. Short drip times does not supply the needed water and can cause more watering times.

Please, tell me how you handle the watering of your gardens during sparse rainfall and drought conditions. Thanks.

Sandra

delltraveller · July 15, 2011

If the leaves wilt in the heat of the day, then perk back up when the sun goes down, they're probably doing pretty good for water. If they perk back up 10 or 20 minutes after you give them water, they're probably thirsty.

I use soaker hoses for some of my stuff planted in the ground. I run the water slow over a longer period of time. And I water at night so I don't lose as much water to evaporation.

Have you thought about applying a "softer" mulch over top of the black plastic around the plants? Straw, grass clippings, shredded paper, cocoa hulls, bark, shredded wood, etc? Since black absorbs all the colors of light in the spectrum, it can build up a lot of heat, which is great for the spring, but for summer, particularly hot, dry summer, that can be an added stress for the plants.

Suze · July 15, 2011

How often are you watering? IMO, deeply and infrequently is almost always better - especially in a drought.

If this helps any, I only water about 2x a week even during the worst heat and drought here in Texas. (and if I lived in a cooler climate, it would need to be less frequently than that.) I've been using Netafim drip tubing for the last couple of years, which means I really have to let it run a long time when I do water.

This took some getting used to at first because I used soaker hoses for years, and did not have to run those nearly as long.

I've found that a good test for if I've watered deeply enough is a long metal probe of some sort. I use an old tree root feeder (or did until I figured out how long to water using the Netafim.)

Basically you're looking for something that you can push into the soil and see how far down you can go until you encounter significant resistance. If your beds are fairly well dug or tilled, even with the clay soil, if you can't easily push a probe into the soil at least a foot down after watering, you're probably not watering deeply enough.

Sunsi · July 15, 2011

delltraveller

Quote:

If the leaves wilt in the heat of the day, then perk back up when the sun goes down, they're probably doing pretty good for water. If they perk back up 10 or 20 minutes after you give them water, they're probably thirsty.

Excellent rule of thumb--my hubby does most of the day-to-day watering and I think because gardening is new to him it's hard to tell the difference--this will help him decide if it's just more water they need.

Quote:

I use soaker hoses for some of my stuff planted in the ground. I run the water slow over a longer period of time. And I water at night so I don't lose as much water to evaporation.

I agree letting the soakers stay longer so the water goes deeper--I never considered watering at night fearing disease but because we have the black plastic on the tomatoes to protect from disease should be ok plus today we removed the very bottom leaves for air circulation.

Quote:

Have you thought about applying a "softer" mulch over top of the black plastic around the plants? Straw, grass clippings, shredded paper, cocoa hulls, bark, shredded wood, etc? Since black absorbs all the colors of light in the spectrum, it can build up a lot of heat, which is great for the spring, but for summer, particularly hot, dry summer, that can be an added stress for the plants.

Those poor tomatoes I've been baking their roots with the black mulch! eeek! Yeah, we have plenty of grass clippings to put around the tomatoes--here I was killing them with kindness.

Suze

Quote:

How often are you watering? IMO, deeply and infrequently is almost always better - especially in a drought.

About 2-3 times a week (every 2 days my hubby says

) with a soaker hose for about an hour or so on each area or bed.

Quote:

If this helps any, I only water about 2x a week even during the worst heat and drought here in Texas. (and if I lived in a cooler climate, it would need to be less frequently than that.) I've been using Netafim drip tubing for the last couple of years, which means I really have to let it run a long time when I do water.

This took some getting used to at first because I used soaker hoses for years, and did not have to run those nearly as long.

I've found that a good test for if I've watered deeply enough is a long metal probe of some sort. I use an old tree root feeder (or did until I figured out how long to water using the Netafim.)

Basically you're looking for something that you can push into the soil and see how far down you can go until you encounter significant resistance. If your beds are fairly well dug or tilled, even with the clay soil, if you can't easily push a probe into the soil at least a foot down after watering, you're probably not watering deeply enough.

Yes, thank you Suze this has help a lot--I really think we have to leave the soaker on longer for each bed so that the water goes deeper going by the information you've given. I'll be interested to try the metal rod next time and test the difference between watering.

I've just looked up this "Netafim drip tubing" and want to read more about it. Are you satisfied with it over the regular soaker hose performance?

Again, thank you Suze and delltraveller.

oc tony · July 16, 2011

I have no experience with this. I read about a guy in Australia who uses pvc pipe buried about a foot deep and drip irrigates in to the pipe only, to save water.

Sunsi · July 16, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by oc tony

I have no experience with this. I read about a guy in Australia who uses pvc pipe buried about a foot deep and drip irrigates in to the pipe only, to save water.

That would be my dream setup even if there wasn't drought conditions--it sure would get the water deep where it's needed. Thanks, tony.

spacegolfer · July 17, 2011

A couple of my tomato plants were looking a little starved for water. I ended up leaving my soaker hose on 10 hrs. by accident. Now I have several plants showing water stress. I hope they do not become too stressed from it and pull thru quickly. Fortunately we have not had any rain here since I watered last week. They are a little over 6' tall right now and have plenty of fruit going. Nothing red yet, but it won't be long.

Suze · July 17, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sunsi

I've just looked up this "Netafim drip tubing" and want to read more about it. Are you satisfied with it over the regular soaker hose performance?

Sandra, I am extremely satisfied with the Netafim. I switched to Netafim because it's lower maintenance and less trouble than soaker hoses, at least for my particular configuration and the amount of plants I grow. YMMV. I have the tubing for each bed connected to a ball valve. Each ball valve for a bed connects to an individual section of pvc pipe. Those bed pipes then connect to a long length of pvc pipe for each zone (I have three zones) and those go to/pull from my well. There is also a sprinkler controller in place that I've set to automatically run those three zones to water how long and whenever I want.

The ball valves are not essential, but were added so water supply could be cut off to certain beds if not needed for whatever reason. Like if I'm not using a bed, am growing things I don't want to water 2x a week (like alliums close to harvest for example), and so on.

In short, Netafim in beds - > Ball valves - > pvc pipe -> more pvc pipe going to well for each zone + sprinkler controller unit. We also added an EZ-Flo fertigation tank and a backflow preventer. A pressure regulator might also be a good idea depending on the situation, but we already had one in place for the well anyway.

I made a photo album a couple of years ago that shows how the bed irrigation system was installed. It's not super detailed, but shows some of the highlights.

http://www.feldoncentral.com/garden/...en/irrigation/

Certainly, there are less complex or "fancy" ways to make use of Netafim or other drip tubing in the garden (and especially if you don't have a bunch of individual raised beds to hook up to a water supply like I do), but I really wanted something that would cut down on the time and guesswork spent watering for my particular situation. I've got solid sugar sand here, so the raised beds are a necessity.

Pre-Netafim, I was using quick connects and moving a hose to each individual bed to run my soaker hoses. Got old. Plus, the water is extremely hard where I live and the hoses would only last for a couple of years, so I was always having to replace them.

Another benefit of Netafim is water pressure /application is consistent to the end of the tubing even if you run a rather long length - not so with soaker hoses. I use loops of Netafim in the vegetable beds so this really doesn't matter there, but we also use it to water ornamentals in the front yard and it does a much better job evenly and efficiently watering long stretches than soaker hoses can.

biscgolf · July 17, 2011

i agree with Suze- I installed about 2000 feet of Netafim this year and it is a huge improvement over soaker hoses- cheaper in the long term, less work on a daily basis, more consistent in result. mine i laid out primarily in 150 foot rows with ball joints at the source end. part of it is running off of plain old 3/4 inch garden hose, part off of pvc- both work fine. my greenhouse supplier has 3000 foot rolls of netafim for around $180.

Elizabeth · July 17, 2011

Here in So Cal we don't get rain for months at a time (we get less than 12" a year), so irrigation is the norm. Your best bet is to invest in a moisture meter - they are cheap - maybe $7 in any garden center. Stick that puppy in the ground 4-6" deep and it will tell you if the ground is dry, moist or wet. I water when I'm at the low end of moist - I water every 2-6 days in the summer depending on what the meter says.

I also use the meter for my young citrus trees - they are much more moisture sensitive (for both too much and too little) than most trees.

organichris · July 19, 2011

I have been watering deep and really only about once a week for tomatoes. My okra, melons, and cucumbers are getting watered probably four times a week. The peppers are lucky if they get watered once every week and a half.

luke · July 19, 2011

I was watering every three days when we were in the most serious portion of the drought here. The three day interval was easier for me to remember, and I was watering deeply to encourage the roots to grow down instead of spreading out.

rsg2001 · July 19, 2011

I find that I can water my in-the-ground tomatoes and peppers deeply a couple of times a week. However, in this heat stretch we've had, I've had to water the self-watering containers pretty much daily. The plants are all very large and fruiting and dry out relatively quickly once the water has been absorbed and/or evaporated. I'm sure a contributing reason is the soil -less mix - you can't use regular potting mix in these types of containers.

Tracydr · July 20, 2011

I'm watering every three days but only fifteen minutes at a time. My soil drains really fast. I have a thick mulch of pine straw with soaker hoses under the straw. When the temperature is over 110, I increase to 10 minutes every other day.
We had no rain from the time I planted until about two weeks ago.

July 15, 2011	#1
Sunsi Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: New York Outback 5b Posts: 107	Drought Conditions--watering how much/often? We're having some "heated" discussions here at my home about how much to water when there hasn't been a good rain in weeks. I say more often especially when I see leaves looking wilted but someone else (won't mention names to protect the guilty ) says that the signs for over-watering are the same. I feel that during drought conditions wilting leaves can hardly be a sign of over-watering. We've had to order a couple loads of water for our well in the last couple weeks which I don't mind if it saves our vegetable garden. Although, it has been pointed out to me that the whole idea of growing a garden is to save money, blah, blah, blah Our tomatoes are mulched with black plastic and seem to be doing fine but the squash is experiencing yellowing and wilted leaves (not all the leaves but some) and the peppers have blossom drop. The corn is getting yellow leaves at the bottom. We have a more clay type soil which requires longer drip time to reach down further and this is where I think we need to improve. Short drip times does not supply the needed water and can cause more watering times. Please, tell me how you handle the watering of your gardens during sparse rainfall and drought conditions. Thanks. Sandra

July 17, 2011	#10
Elizabeth Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: San Diego Coastal - Zone 10b Posts: 204	Here in So Cal we don't get rain for months at a time (we get less than 12" a year), so irrigation is the norm. Your best bet is to invest in a moisture meter - they are cheap - maybe $7 in any garden center. Stick that puppy in the ground 4-6" deep and it will tell you if the ground is dry, moist or wet. I water when I'm at the low end of moist - I water every 2-6 days in the summer depending on what the meter says. I also use the meter for my young citrus trees - they are much more moisture sensitive (for both too much and too little) than most trees. __________________ Elizabeth If I'm going to water and care for a plant it had better give me food, flowers or shade.

July 15, 2011	#2
delltraveller Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Iowa Posts: 481	If the leaves wilt in the heat of the day, then perk back up when the sun goes down, they're probably doing pretty good for water. If they perk back up 10 or 20 minutes after you give them water, they're probably thirsty. I use soaker hoses for some of my stuff planted in the ground. I run the water slow over a longer period of time. And I water at night so I don't lose as much water to evaporation. Have you thought about applying a "softer" mulch over top of the black plastic around the plants? Straw, grass clippings, shredded paper, cocoa hulls, bark, shredded wood, etc? Since black absorbs all the colors of light in the spectrum, it can build up a lot of heat, which is great for the spring, but for summer, particularly hot, dry summer, that can be an added stress for the plants.

July 15, 2011	#3
Suze Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Texas Posts: 3,027	How often are you watering? IMO, deeply and infrequently is almost always better - especially in a drought. If this helps any, I only water about 2x a week even during the worst heat and drought here in Texas. (and if I lived in a cooler climate, it would need to be less frequently than that.) I've been using Netafim drip tubing for the last couple of years, which means I really have to let it run a long time when I do water. This took some getting used to at first because I used soaker hoses for years, and did not have to run those nearly as long. I've found that a good test for if I've watered deeply enough is a long metal probe of some sort. I use an old tree root feeder (or did until I figured out how long to water using the Netafim.) Basically you're looking for something that you can push into the soil and see how far down you can go until you encounter significant resistance. If your beds are fairly well dug or tilled, even with the clay soil, if you can't easily push a probe into the soil at least a foot down after watering, you're probably not watering deeply enough.

July 16, 2011	#5
oc tony Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: oc ca. Posts: 173	I have no experience with this. I read about a guy in Australia who uses pvc pipe buried about a foot deep and drip irrigates in to the pipe only, to save water.

July 17, 2011	#7
spacegolfer Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2011 Location: Lafayette, IN Posts: 3	A couple of my tomato plants were looking a little starved for water. I ended up leaving my soaker hose on 10 hrs. by accident. Now I have several plants showing water stress. I hope they do not become too stressed from it and pull thru quickly. Fortunately we have not had any rain here since I watered last week. They are a little over 6' tall right now and have plenty of fruit going. Nothing red yet, but it won't be long.

July 17, 2011	#9
biscgolf Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Virginia Posts: 353	i agree with Suze- I installed about 2000 feet of Netafim this year and it is a huge improvement over soaker hoses- cheaper in the long term, less work on a daily basis, more consistent in result. mine i laid out primarily in 150 foot rows with ball joints at the source end. part of it is running off of plain old 3/4 inch garden hose, part off of pvc- both work fine. my greenhouse supplier has 3000 foot rolls of netafim for around $180.

July 19, 2011	#11
organichris Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Tulsa, OK Posts: 630	I have been watering deep and really only about once a week for tomatoes. My okra, melons, and cucumbers are getting watered probably four times a week. The peppers are lucky if they get watered once every week and a half.

July 19, 2011	#12
luke Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2011 Location: Mississippi Posts: 177	I was watering every three days when we were in the most serious portion of the drought here. The three day interval was easier for me to remember, and I was watering deeply to encourage the roots to grow down instead of spreading out.

July 19, 2011	#13
rsg2001 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: New York Zone 6 Posts: 479	I find that I can water my in-the-ground tomatoes and peppers deeply a couple of times a week. However, in this heat stretch we've had, I've had to water the self-watering containers pretty much daily. The plants are all very large and fruiting and dry out relatively quickly once the water has been absorbed and/or evaporated. I'm sure a contributing reason is the soil -less mix - you can't use regular potting mix in these types of containers.

July 20, 2011	#14
Tracydr Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2011 Location: Laurinburg, North Carolina, zone 7 Posts: 3,207	I'm watering every three days but only fifteen minutes at a time. My soil drains really fast. I have a thick mulch of pine straw with soaker hoses under the straw. When the temperature is over 110, I increase to 10 minutes every other day. We had no rain from the time I planted until about two weeks ago.