Strong
El Niño conditions in the Pacific.
Plenty of rain and snow in Northern California and the Sierras. But here in Southern California – and
particularly in western Los Angeles County – gardeners are wondering ‘where’s our El Niño?’ Instead of record rains, we seem to be
entering our 5th year of drought very early this year. And a dry winter means you’ve just got to water your
native plants.
Many
Southern California native plants are really drought tolerant. You can read
about why at: http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2015/10/how-things-work-plant-drought-tolerance.html But plants from western Los Angeles and
Orange Counties need at least 10 inches of winter rain (or irrigation) to
survive. Winter rains are what make our
local plants both water-wise and lovely.
The rains allow them to cope with
our long, hot, dry summer and fall.
Southern
California homeowners are struggling to meet their targeted 25% reduction in
water use this winter. Local water
companies recently bemoaned our 17% reduction compared to 2013. Which leads us to wonder: ‘Have they looked
out the window?’ It’s dry this winter;
and most of us don’t want to lose the mature trees and shrubs that shade and
cool our neighborhoods. And so we water.
Plants
from Mediterranean climates are the best-suited water-wise plants for our
region. They should dominate our home and commercial landscapes. Many are very water-wise in the summer/fall,
when we most need to conserve water.
They can result in significant yearly
water savings when used to replace summer-thirsty tropical plants and
wet-climate grasses. In fact, they
are more water-wise than the semi-tropical succulents many people are now
planting to conserve water. So water
agencies, state officials and teachers should be encouraging gardeners to plant
water-wise Mediterranean climate plants, and most importantly, California
natives.
But
local water companies don’t yet seem to understand that Mediterranean climate plants,
including Mediterranean herbs and citrus trees, must be watered in dry winters.
And some dry winters are to be expected
in in Southern California. Ideally,
water budgets should take year-to-year variability into account; computerized
data allow water agencies to do so.
A
‘one size fits all’ approach to water conservation doesn’t make sense in times
of rapid climate change. Our current
water targets are based on 2013 monthly water use levels. And the 2012/2013 season, while dry
over-all, started with a fairly normal winter (in which little supplemental
water was needed). We were gardening along with the rest of you
in 2013. So we know: our soils were
moist well into spring that year without supplemental water.
Some
of us have been given ‘water budgets’ that specify the number of CCFs we can
use each month (based on a 25% reduction from 2013 levels). A CCF is hundred cubic feet of water (the first ‘C’ is the
Roman numeral for 100); one CCF is equivalent to 748 gallons. Five CCFs per month is about the lowest
feasible level if you have any sort of a garden at all. A small family can get down to 3-4 CCFs per
month with vigilant indoor water saving and almost no outside water use. But it’s not easy to keep a garden going on 5
CCFs per month during a significant winter drought.
Fortunately, some water companies allow customers to
‘bank’ CCFs not used. If your garden
features native/mediterranean plants, and if you follow our suggestions for
surviving the drought (see http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2015/07/surviving-drought.html),
you can actually save excess CCFs for winter drought watering. But even if you don’t have saved credits, you
can keep your winter water use reasonable, while still maintaining healthy
plants. Here are a few suggestions:
- Save as much water
indoors as possible. Many of us still take sponge baths most
days, wear our outer clothes longer between washings and use rinse water
to fill our toilet tanks and water our plants. Water
saved indoors can be used to water your garden plants.
- Prioritize your
watering. Don’t
waste water on plants that need replacing.
Be sure that trees, large
shrubs and other plants that provide shade, food or other important
services get first priority.
- Check the long-range weather forecast. If no rain is predicted for the next 10
days – and if your soil is dry – you need to consider watering.
- Check your soil
moisture. Dig
down to a depth of 3-4 inches. If
the soil is dry –and there’s no rain in sight - it’s time to water. Don’t rely on plants to tell you when to
water; you need to check the soil.
At this time of year, the soil should be moist; if not, you need to
water. There is no substitute for checking your soil moisture.
- Check soil moisture
in several places; water accordingly. Shadier, sheltered parts of the garden
remain moist longer than sunny areas.
Be sure to water only parts
of the garden that really need it.
- Water on days that
are cool (or at least relatively so). We’ve had a spate of summery, hot weather this
winter. Check the weather forecast
for days with on-shore breezes and a chance of fog; those are the days to
water. Watering on cooler days
benefits the garden in at least two ways:
- Water is more
likely to percolate into the soil, rather than evaporate;
- Water and warm temperatures encourage fungal and
other plant pathogens. By watering during a cool period you
stand the best chance of avoiding
disease problems associated with warm, moist conditions.
- Water at cool times
of the day. We’ve done well with winter watering
late in the day. The water has time
to percolate into the ground overnight.
- Use watering
methods that decrease evaporation.
Trickle-water with a hose, use soaker hoses or old-fashioned ‘whirligig’
sprinklers that produce larger drops.
Sprinklers that produce a lot of mist waste water.
- Remember that large,
water-wise plants have extensive root systems. Be sure to water out to the
drip-line and beyond. If you’re
using drip irrigation to establish plants, move the emitters out as the
plants grow.
- Install permeable
paving for patios, walkways, etc.
These allow all the water that falls on your garden to percolate in. For more on permeable paving options
see: http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2013/06/harvesting-rain-permeable-paths-patios.html
Have
faith – we’ll get through the drought, although our gardens will likely evolve
to accommodate our changing climate.
Look at the drought as a challenge and an opportunity; a chance to make
your garden even more alive and interesting than it is today. Consider ways to incorporate more native
plants in your garden. And for now, if
your Mediterranean climate plants need water, you’ll just have to water.
We
welcome your comments (below). You can
also send your questions to: mothernaturesbackyard10@gmail.com
