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Water the
Holiday Way
Choose one holiday during the winter to give all trees, shrubs and perennials a deep, thorough soaking.
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Last week, we discussed how to identify and properly prune prematurely dead and diseased branches on trees, shrubs, and perennials. This week's topic: preventing dead plants and branches.
This past spring and summer, there was an abundance of dead woody plants. They fell into three main categories: broadleaf evergreens (including magnolia, photinia, dwarf youpon and boxwood), heavily pruned plants, and a combination of the two.
Rarely do plants die from a single cause. Almost always it's a combination of factors, such as severe drought and frequent shearing of foliage.
Shrubs that are not adapted or native to South Texas typically only do well in rainy years, and excessive trimming – especially during the peak of summer – forces woody plants to reach deep into their food reserves to conduct daily life processes. Without additional food from photosynthesis, plants cannot complete basic life processes or create new roots to obtain water. Consequently, they die.
What can a prudent gardener do to prevent future plant death? First, always select plants that are native to South Texas or known to withstand drought and floods (consider Texas Superstar Plants). Second, apply 1 inch of compost and 2 inches of mulch over the entire root zone to encourage moisture retention and root growth. Finally, give your evergreen woody plants a deep, thorough soaking once during the winter months.
Mark A. Peterson is a conservation project coordinator for San Antonio Water System.
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