Lack of water and water at the wrong time stress gardens and gardeners alike. Everyone knows what water stress is, but very few seem to do anything about it. Even in a perfect environment, stress can affect plants, and they can be damaged or die.
For the past several years, unsteady water supplies have caused stress in many backyard gardens.
Plants prefer steady growth. Plants do not like to grow in spurts. Hollies, for instance, would much prefer a nice, steady growth pattern rather than jumps, stops and stops throughout the year.
Water makes up 70 to 80 percent of holly lants and 98 percent of lettuce. Irish potatoes are almost 75 percent water. When plants experience a deficit in their water supply, all other growth elements tend to go awry.
Unlike landscape plants, there are no vegetables that don't require some water throughout their growing season. Vegetables are shallow-rooted and just do not handle drought very well.
All plant processes, including fertility use, movement of growth materials and plant structure, depend on water. The reason plants wilt is the reduction of water in the cells causes the cell walls to collapes.
Nothing happens in the plant until water needs are met. All nutrients are dissolved in water. All uptake of nutrients comes through water. All movement of materials in plants is carried out by water. And in our hot, Southern summers, water is a key cooling agent of the plant.
When it's not raining and if you are able to water, here are few tips which will help:
1. Water at the proper time. Don't wait until the plants wilt and then give them a drink. Water early in the day so the plants won't go into stress.
2. As a general rule, one inch of water per week will support most plants.
3. For proper watering, apply an inch of water all at one time. Deep infrequent water is best.
The best way to water is drip or trickle irrigation. The average lawn sprinkler uses 350 gallons of water per hour, much of which is lost to evaporation if applied during the afternoon hours.
Drip irrigation or the use of soaker hoses puts the water at the root zone where it will do the most good for the plant. Also, by applying water at the soil surface and keeping the foliage dry, you lessen the chance of foliar diseases setting in.
Billy Skaggs
Agricultural Agent
Hall County Extension Coordinator
734 East Crescent Drive
Gainesville, GA 30501
Phone:(770)531-6988
Fax: (770)531-3994
Email: [email protected]
Thursday
August 7th, 2025
11:34AM
