Proper casting at high temperatures
The sun burns relentlessly. A steady warm wind is blowing. It has not rained for weeks. The garden looks like Trockensavanne. A tragedy? No! Most say to themselves: "Serengeti must not die? and reach out for watering can and garden hose. So that you do not do more harm than good and keep the water bill as low as possible, I have put together some basic tips for beds, lawns and potted plants in the garden.
The time is important
According to the Federal Association of Retail Gardeners, ambitious gardeners set the alarm clock at three o'clock in the morning and then stagger drowsily to the faucet. Anyone who finds this a little exaggerated and can not afford an automatic irrigation system with a timer should be told: In the morning, the best time to water. At noon in the heat most of the water evaporates before it reaches the roots. Water droplets on the leaves act like a burning glass, causing burns and damaging the foliage. In the evening, even with great drought, there is a risk that the pleasant humidity will also lure our friends, the snails. In addition, moist leaves, which may not dry overnight, favors fungal diseases. Especially rose owners and tomato lovers need to be careful here.
Can one pour wrong?
Yes, you can. Well targeted is half poured, as my grandmother has said. Never the plant? no matter which ? from the top with the sprinkler wet extensively, even if you have the feeling that she would enjoy a shower. Dear water directly at the root area properly. It helps, for example, when you already plant a kind of "crater"? or? dam? around the plant base. The water that is poured into this crater can not escape even in extremely dry soils. Or you make do with a sprue: Just dig a small flowerpot (with a hole!) Next to the plant and fill it with water. Who does not look at the optics: an upturned plastic bottle, whose bottom has been removed, goes too. Alternatively, you pour on two times, at first little to moisten the soil, then after some time the remaining amount.
Casting is ideally done with stale, tepid water. Happy, who has a rain barrel or cistern. Who is dependent on the evil, cold water from the pipe: first carefully watering (even plants can scare), only after a short time of getting used to the rest.
How much is too much? The right amount of water.
That is very different. Thank you very much, nobody wanted to know that exactly. But there are several clues that help. First of all, where does the plant come from? For example, Mediterranean herbs usually need water only in extreme drought, we do not need to talk about desert plants like agaves or cacti. Second: bed or pot? Potted plants need more water because they have less soil around them that can store water. Third, is the location sunny or shady? Fourth: What do the leaves look like? The larger these are, the higher the water consumption. Thick, fleshy leaves (as in agaves) are designed to save water. The fifth: The longer a bedding plant has already been planted, the better its root system is formed and it can bring more moisture out of the soil. Conversely, young plants need more water! The reassuring news last: Most plants show through flabby leaves that they need water? but then fast!
Can you raise plants to save water?
As a rule, far too much is poured in our latitudes. Only freshly planted and extremely thirsty like the hydrangea (whose Latin name Hydrangea means Wasserschlürferin) need a daily Wassergabe. Otherwise, you should only hurry with the pot when the leaves quietly start to go limp. This stimulates the plants to form deep roots, with which they are always well cared for. That this works well is shown, for example, by grape vines, whose roots can reach 10 to 20 meters deep. The "tomato pope"? Erich Stekovics on Lake Neusiedl in Austria does not pour his tomatoes.
Keep the water in the earth
You can also help his flowers to save water. Mulching is a proven way to reduce the evaporation of the earth. To do this, you virtually cover the bare earth. The most popular mulch material is bark mulch. But beware! Not every plant likes the bark, which causes a slightly acidic soil climate. Wonderful for hydrangeas, rhododendrons, heather, berry shrubs and flowering plants, not so nice for example for tomatoes. Also grass clippings are not great. It is best to mulch with comfrey, which has nice big leaves, or with (put on gloves!) Stinging nettles. They also prevent diseases. Straw is also possible. It is always important that the mulch material dries and spread thinly on the ground to prevent rot.
A memory of green: the lawn in summer
The best prevention against savannas in the garden: Do not mow in the summer too often, not too short and above all without mowing. Now comes the heat wave, then applies to the lawn also: water early in the morning with the lawn sprinkler. How long? The Royal Garden Academy Berlin-Dahlem has a clever trick: Just put a jam jar on the lawn and blow up until about 1.5 cm of water in the glass stand. Even the lawn can be raised to thrift. Watering at most once or twice a week is usually sufficient. And: A well-tended lawn that is scarred and fertilized in spring and autumn, which has been mowed twice a week during the growth phase, is sufficiently nourished, will also recover from a dry phase. After all, one thing dies last: hope.
