Watering and mulch - and a visual.

 

Wilted? I think not.

 

This photo was taken around 1pm, hot cloudless summer day. The soil looks dry, the plants are droopy, the leaves and stems have no stiffness to them, 'oh no! I need to water, they look so thirsty!' Hold it right there. Put the hose down and step away from the plants nice and easy.

I mentioned previously about the vascular system of plants and how in hot weather they will look thirsty. "3'o'clock wilt" is the term I used. This is it and I suspect they look even worse now that it's an hour or so later. Yes the ground looks absolutely parched dry and it's hot but I will wait until they are shaded by the building at least an hour before going back out there to check on them. 

This isn't to say they may well need watering, but resist the urge to water in the middle of the day for a couple of reasons.

1. It's hot. Water evaporates when it's hot and it's not going to help any putting water on them right now. Even if you ran it on the ground only, the soil is warm. It won't cool them down. They'll survive. 

2. Water actually on the plant when the sun is beating down can damage the leaves. Yep, boiled spinach anyone? Many times well meaning plant parents/gardeners have the hose handy right near the garden, in the sun. They see this happening and pick up the hose, spraying hot water on them.

 

Many times during the last three summers I was at work, all the pipes are run along the framing of the shadecloth. In the sun. Even an hour or two of sun jacks the temperature of the water to scalding. I would have to stand there and spray the water into the air above the plants, letting it cool down first before actually watering. i had to make sure anyone else watering knew about that and instead of just wasting water washing the cement, put it on spray and aim it up high above the plants. The droplets cool down sufficiently before hitting the leaves and it cools the air as well.

So, if you know it's going to be hot and sunny, water in the evening really well. Next up, a word on mulching, what and why. 

 

Perfect timing to talk about mulch. 

Definition of mulch first:

noun: mulch

material (such as decaying leaves, bark, or compost) spread around or over a plant to enrich or insulate the soil.

 

The term mulch has been tossed around (heheh) sometimes used interchangeably with compost as the same thing. Almost but not quite the same. One can be both but not the other way around.

Mulch specifically is used as the definition says, to enrich or insulate the soil. Yes, some mulch can be used in the soil but not usually. Compost can be used in the soil and sometimes as a mulch. 

Mulch has consisted of many things over the millennia that farmers and gardeners have needed to enrich the soil. Composted manure, shredded bark, wood chips, pine needles, leaves, and recently rubber. 

What you use and where is a biig topic. Some plants don't want mulch around their roots and others have a dire need of it.

The primary purpose for mulch is to keep the soil evenly moist and to moderate the temperature around the roots. It is also for aesthetic reasons but that's a side point from it's actual purpose. If you put a two inch layer of mulch around your plants that can save you from watering for at least a week.

A week, minimum. Imagine the water savings you would have!

Mulching is the best thing to do for areas with large spaces between plants to conserve moisture and cool down the garden. 

Depending on where you live, there are a variety of types available. At your typical garden center (actual nursery) there are three or four size grades of redwood bark. Large chunks 2-3 inches (called 'ankle breakers') all the way down to 'mini' you could use in a container.

Obviously the larger the chunks the more you have to use to get good coverage so typically medium to small is good in the average garden. 

(I remember the larger ankle breaker chunks being used in playgrounds when I was a kid.)

Also keep in mind the proportional look of the yard. Small plants, small spaces, don't use the larger size mulch, go for medium or small (this is an aesthetic aside as well as being practical). 

Two inches minimum is needed for adequate moisture retention and coverage. Be sure you have a good border of some sort to keep it from shifting into other areas.

Another product called 'shredded redwood' or 'Gorilla Hair' is used in some cases and it looks just like it sounds. Shredded fibers from redwood stripping that lays down like hairs and eventually turns into a mat. This is good and bad. Bad in that you can't water over it, the water will shed right off much like the pine needles (usually only available back east unless you have a pine forest in your back yard. Not my favorite. ) The good side for shredded redwood is it does form a mat and if you are doing drip irrigation or point watering it's fine. 

All the natural redwood products eventually lose their color and turn a dusty grey brown. If you don't like that, there are alternatives. 

Now what about that stuff you see in the Big Box stores? The colored stuff that holds it's color, looks pretty for a long time and, it's a mulch right? Yes it's a mulch but it is horridly inconsistent in the pieces. Mostly chipped wood, shreds, slivers, all colored in either a reddish, brown or black. 

Do not use this in a vegetable garden! Not that it's toxic but the coloring does come off over time.

Great for commercial and ornamental areas where you want a pretty looking garden for curb appeal.

One other mulch that had a poor start but is actually really nice is cocoa mulch.

It uses the cocoa bean hulls from processing the beans for the cocoa industry they are shell like and has a few benefits and cautions.

Benefits are that it is an even color, doesn't break down, small scale and smells great in the hot sun. 

In the process of it breaking down a fungus will grow, covering areas with a white network of filaments. Don't panic, this is natural and actually helpful. All byproducts break down and is rarely noticed, this one is more so. It also has another benefit as being a minor deterrent to cats using your garden as a litter box. The shells are small enough to get in between the pads of their feet and make it uncomfortable. 

Wait, isn't cocoa and chocolate bad for pets?

Yes, yes it is and when the product first came on the market customers were cautioned to not let their dogs eat the shells as they still had some residual theobromine and caffeine which is the harmful stuff in chocolate. As of the latest articles (the most informative from the AMVA in 2006) said that if you have a dog with indiscriminate eating habits, use something else. They would have to ingest a lot in order for toxicity symptoms to show up. Dogs can also have issues with the small bits choking on them just like any other bark.

So anyway.

Mulching, very good. Do it, do it now! Best time to do it is in the spring or early summer before it gets hot. Water down the area well, put on your mulch, don't pack it but kind of get it firmed into the bed then water again to moisten the mulch or it will absorb the water from the soil.

Mulches eventually break down and composting into the soil, which is good. If you have to add mulch, rake the old mulch around a bit, getting the larger bits spread out and a little more into the soil then add the new stuff on.

Later on, a word on what you might find under that mulch and the hard working 'garbage crew' that helps your garden and your soil.