This spring was marked by deluges of rain to the point where farmers had difficulty planting their crops. But in the last couple weeks, summer decided to show up in full force. Heat, humidity, and long days when the sun doesn’t set until close to 10 PM in our time zone have made me resort to watering my flowers and herbs.
This is what I’ve learned about water. Deluges don’t store in the ground, so if it gets sunny you can’t count on April’s monsoon to feed your plants in July. Additionally, things in pots dry out more quickly than things in the ground.
You can tell when your plants need water, as they shrivel. It’s a great clue, because if you don’t water then the shriveling turns to drooping which turns to gasping and then dying. Given all the work it takes to plant a garden, it’s not a good idea to let dying occur.
Where we live, sprinkling lawns and flowerbeds is supposed to occur automatically twice a week. That’s down from what it used to be, and I suspect it’s because of the costs involved. Still, as an avid gardener, I’m not willing to allow drooping and gasping because my homeowners’ association wants to save money.
The sprinkler system is on a well, so the costs involved are related to the pump that pumps the water, which – in itself – is free. My hand watering uses city water attached to our inside faucets. The thing is the association pays the city water bill for the entire complex. So I’m running up the cost by watering on those days the sprinkler system doesn’t go on. Something is wrong with this picture.
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