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Gardening
Galore
On my travels I
see many different watering systems; from fancy and costly
computerised automatic sytems to a hosepipe just flooding the ground
and all in between. The important thing is to give a good soaking to
the soil, so the water can penetrate deep into the soil. The roots
will follow the water down to the sub-soil layers utilising the
nutrients that have been leached out of the fertile top soil. Once
the roots have penetrated deeply, plants are able to withstand
water shortages better than with a shallow root system. A little
after-watering is fine for seedbeds and newly planted plants but
these will need to be hardened off and forced to root widely and
forage for the water and nutrients. Generally, the plants will be
healthier and not suffer from pest and disease problems as would
shallow rooted plants. If the plants flag or flop over during this
hardening off period, don’t worry : a good soaking will have them up
and turgid in no time at all.
Improving your
soil is an ongoing process. Compost and manure absorb and hold a lot
more water than humus deficient soils. Keep adding decayed plant
matter to your soil; it acts as a sponge and soaks up and holds
water in the root zone of the plants.
Mulching the
soil helps to protect it from the sun and wind. Any waste products
from newspaper, pebbles, lawnmowings, sunflower husks, rice husks,
coffee pulp, leaves etc can be used as a mulch. Mulches also absorb
water, so after mulching, give it a good soaking to truly wet the
mulch and soil below.
Where water is
in short supply, planting drought resistant plants and succulents
can be successful. Water given to the root zone via a pipe or bottle
buried in the soil (with the bottle cut off like a big funnel) puts
the water deep into the soil, reducing evaporation from the soil
surface and encouraging the roots to go down. Using a combination of
these suggestions can be very rewarding to the gardener. If using
liquid manure in the buried bottle, the nutrients are put where the
plants need it and can utilize it most.
At this time of
the year, the winter flowering aloes are in full bloom; full of
nectar for the birds and bees at a time when there is little nectar
around. Remember birds and bees are beneficial to your garden. |
July 2004