Ask Master Gardener Tom Ingram
It seems like in Oklahoma we either have too much water or too little. We know that we generally get too much rain in the spring, but once summer really hits, water becomes harder to come by. Let me tell you about some of the water problems we face every year.
We all know that life without water is impossible. And when it doesn't rain for a while, we start to get a little anxious. This is likely due to the cultural memory of the Dust Bowl that hit our area many years ago. However, it seems that the rains will come eventually. However, for many of us gardeners, right now it feels like monsoon season. Is anyone thinking about growing rice?
I know every year is different, but to give you a little perspective, here are some stats from Mesonet (Mesonet is a joint OSU/OU project that collects weather data across the state): As of this writing, about 47 inches of rain has fallen in the last 365 days, and about 11 inches in the last 30 days. If you're good with percentages, that means about 25% of the normal annual rainfall has fallen in the last 30 days. This accumulation of water can pose a challenge for gardeners.
Anyone else reading this…
Tulsa Master Gardeners members not only have home gardens, but also own a three-acre farm where we teach Master Gardeners how to grow vegetables, so we understand your pain. The fruits of our labor are donated to local food pantries. At this point in the growing season, we've donated up to about 350 pounds of produce, including turnips, beets, collards, Swiss chard and onions. But our gardening efforts have been hampered by the high rainfall.
I was talking to a Master Gardener on our farm the other day, and he was relaying a conversation he had with a friend about how their garden was struggling this spring. When this Master Gardener told them that we were struggling too, they seemed to feel a bit more at ease about their seemingly failed efforts. So here's the deal. Full disclosure.
The potatoes on the farm are pretty much a no go this year. I planted about 400 rows of potatoes, but I think only about 50 feet of them survived the flood. I planted about 400 rows of beans a while ago, and they died. The tomatoes are also struggling. The cause of this is too much water. If the roots and seeds are submerged in water, not only will they not germinate, but anything with roots is likely to rot.
Due to standing water on the farm, we are also a little late in planting seeds for other plants. In fact, we just finished planting all of our summer crop seeds last week, about a month later than normal for this time of year. Are you feeling better? You're welcome.
But this is what happens when we decide to be gardeners. We try to control it as best we can, but Mother Nature tends to win these skirmishes. And, of course, next year we will be implementing drainage strategies on our farm, but for now, this is the status quo.
One of the difficulties in determining whether a plant needs watering strictly by eye is that the symptoms of underwatering and overwatering are similar: the plant's leaves begin to wilt and the plant begins to weaken. Many plants succumb to overwatering because gardeners see shriveled leaves and assume the plant needs more water when in fact it is suffering from too much water.
The best way to check soil moisture accurately is to put your finger in the soil. Put your finger a few inches into the soil to see if your plant is really dry or wet. Moisture meters are inexpensive and a good investment if you want to get a little more technical with your methodology.
Potted plants are especially susceptible to overwatering because the small drainage holes in the bottom can get clogged. If they are, you'll need to fix the drainage problem. You can try using a screwdriver or coat hanger to pop the drainage holes from the bottom of the container. If that doesn't work, you'll probably need to remove the plant and clean it.
With raised beds or in-ground gardens, it's not so simple: raised beds are a little better because they drain pretty well, but with an in-ground garden, you'll either have to wait for a few days without rain to let the soil dry out, or you'll need to install some sort of drainage system to help this unwanted rain flow away from your garden space.
The excess water we've received this year is a problem for all of us. We may need to repot or replant. But if that were easy, we wouldn't be gardeners. For more information on rainfall, soil temperatures, and other weather-related issues, visit mesonet.org. See you in the garden! That's me in the waterproof boots…
To get answers to all your gardening questions, call the Tulsa Master Gardeners Helpline at 918-746-3701, visit the Diagnostic Center at 4116 E. 15th St., or email us at mg@tulsamastergardeners.org.
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