We are getting some heat here in the Interior of Alaska. So, it’s probably wise for us to talk about how we deal with it and our general watering strategies!
You might see your plants get a bit dramatic during periods of heat. We showed an example of this happening indoors earlier this season, but it’s just as common to see outdoors during heat waves. Remember, plants are incredibly dramatic! And just because they’re looking like they got hit by a train, that doesn’t mean they’re done for! They will bounce back once they get access to water! It can take a few hours, so be patient!
It’s obviously really important during heat waves to make sure your plants are well watered. This is especially true in the early season, since our plants haven’t yet established complex and deep root systems that allow them to draw in water. Over the season, our plants will drop some serious roots that allow them to be more resilient, but we really have to help them along before that happens!
You’ve probably heard that it’s wise to “water deeply, but less frequently.” But, you might not know why! The deal is that we want to encourage our plants to root deeply. If you just provide frequent surface watering, the plant has zero incentive to root deeply. We want the plant to burrow those roots deep as this is what will provide that significant resiliency later in the season! The deeper those roots go, the more overall access to water your plants have!
There are folks that measure the amount of water applied to their gardens, typically in inches or centimeters. We don’t find that level of precision necessary or helpful to teach, since it’s difficult for a lot of folks to visualize. Overall, what we say is that you should probably apply what you think is the right amount of water and then roughly double it. Imagine a good, significant rainfall that goes on for an hour or so and try to replicate that. That doesn’t mean “water for an hour” but rather try to replicate that amount of water on your plants! A hose sprayer provides a ton more water than a moderate rainfall.
Later in the season, our plants can definitely weather some droughts and sometimes can even go days in between watering. But, we need those deep roots to develop first! It’s really important to encourage that growth early in the season, like we’re in currently.
As for those perennials, these are a lot more resilient, especially once they’ve survive a season. It’s important to regularly water freshly planted perennials, but less so those fully established ones. If a heat wave and drought goes on for over a week, though, it’s wise to consider offering even those well established perennials a drink. While they’re built to survive it, we can definitely give them the upper hand!
We are in the thick of growing here, so we have more to talk about than we have posts for! We’re hoping to get to all the topics, and soon. But as always, if you have any questions across the spectrum of growing, we’re happy to answer them on any one of our posts whether they’re relevant or not! (We also have lots of knowledgeable growers that follow us and might chip in, too!)
Happy growing, everyone!
