By Ken Spencer DEC 18, 2021 AT 8:15 AM
Source: Pilot Online
Photo / Image Source: Unsplash, Markus Spiske
As with these new plantings, trees and shrubs will require supplemental water during a potentially dry winter. (Ken Spencer)
Listen up: Plants need water, even in the cooler months. If you thought you were getting a deserved break from summer’s watering chores, you’re not completely. It’s still an important job to do — perhaps not as intensive, but nevertheless necessary. Add to that the fact that we’ve had a very dry fall — and year in total.
The day before I wrote this column, Dec. 8, was a chilly, drizzly reminder to me of that fact. Until that day’s 0.41 inch, it had been nada all the way back to Nov. 26, when we scored a measly 0.09 inch. And further back to Nov. 12, when we had last recorded anything significant — a quarter inch. That’s more than three weeks. All three months of the fall were deficient in precipitation, and in a big way: For the period, -5.72 inches as of this writing, according to the National Weather Service in Norfolk. That’s 6.63 inches observed versus 12.36, the normal. Eight days had a quarter inch or more, with some long stretches in between without.
This past summer and spring, we were down 3.09 and 3.92, respectively. Add that up and we are down 12.73 inches for March through November. Fortunately, last December through February, we were 5.05 inches above normal, and thus we began the growing season in the plus column. It will take a repeat of that, and then some, to get where we need to be.
The weather service has now issued a moderate to severe drought statement for Southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina. To put that into perspective, moderate drought can be thought of as a five- to 10-year occurrence, with a 10% to 20% probability of annual occurrence. And severe drought can be thought of as a 10- to 20-year occurrence, with a 5% to 10% probability of annual occurrence. Again, some of the plants in your landscape or garden still need water. Plants with leaves continue to transpire (lose water through their leaves), a process that can be intensified by winter’s drying winds, which makes them vulnerable to desiccation. Mature trees, shrubs and well-established herbaceous plants are less vulnerable to water deficits. Those that have not developed more extensive root systems, such as the newly planted, can be at greater risk. Other site-related factors such as south or west exposure, proximity to building materials that reflect heat, and wind exposure may predispose plants to desiccation.
Newly planted trees and shrubs have specific needs for watering. A bulletin from University of Minnesota Extension (at tinyurl.com/WaterNew) offers some timely tips.
Stay attuned to precipitation totals, inspect your plant periodically, and get your water hose out as needed. Let’s hope the weather folks are wrong and winter delivers for us as it did last time.
And one more thing (or three) M. Kincaid in Virginia Beach recommends the Stratus Precision Rain Gauge. This is a high quality gauge made to National Weather Service specifications. I can vouch for this recommendation: I received one of these last Christmas. It is the real deal.
As I write, at 6:30 a.m. Dec. 9, it is 39 degrees, with clear skies and the season’s first frost on my car in Chic’s Beach. Not on the collards.
It’s also time to be thinking about New Year’s resolutions. Here I’ll start with mine — and the reasons for it. In the Nov. 27 column, the caption for a photo of a Thanksgiving cactus incorrectly identified it as a Christmas cactus. I promptly received an email that morning from a former student, pointing out my error. I quickly contacted my editor, asking to print a correction the following week. That next week, I was dismayed to see that I had boogered it up again.
So, one final clarification. The picture indeed was Thanksgiving cactus, or Schlumbergera truncata. But it, not the Christmas cactus, is also known as the “crab claw” cactus — because of its pointy, crablike phylloclades (leaves). The Christmas cactus, S. bridgesii, has leaves with more or less rounded margins. I’ve found that the Thanksgiving cactus is often mislabeled by retailers — and by gardening writers who are in a rush.
My New Year’s resolution is to slow down and smell the holiday cactus. Get it right the first time.
Start thinking about your New Year’s gardening resolutions and share them and your gardening and landscaping experiences with me!
How do you maintain your plants outdoors in the winter? Why? Which garden zone are you in?
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