July and August can be hot and dry in South Dakota and plants may need extra water during these months. Erik Helland of Landscape Garden Center of Sioux Falls has a few tips for keeping your plants green and healthy during the dog days of summer. He says newly planted plants need extra attention.
“The main reason for watering is to make sure that the plant has enough water to survive,” Helland said. “Newly planted plants need extra additional water because they have not developed a root system yet to be able to search out water. With a newly planted plant that's come out of a nursery pot, what you're going to find out is that that pot or that hole that you've dug for that plant is going to be very, very small. And the root system around it has been used to being watered every single day in a nursery. So, you have to remember that the roots have not developed yet out into its home. What I would suggest doing is making sure you water continuously and basically you can wean the water off the plant. What I mean by that is, you start watering heavily at the beginning and gradually, gradually reduce and make sure that you are watering not just right on that plant but around the perimeter of the plant. And keep on extending that out.”
Helland says vegetables and containers will need even more frequent watering.
“Make sure to consistently water your vegetables. Don't let them dry out over long periods of time. Vegetables can stress more quickly so the best thing to do is water the vegetables on a consistent basis. And once again, it's not one big, full blast of water. It's going to be a nice trickle. Some of those sprinklers that kind of go on and make it appear like its fake rain, those work well because it gradually soaks into the ground and usually, there's never a drop of that water that goes wasted. So vegetables are one thing to consistently water. Same with your flowering pots - your containers. Make sure that those are being watered. Sometimes they can go on for a couple of days without being watered, but for the most part, don't let those go too far in between waterings. Plants get stressed out.”
If you have questions for Erik Helland, send them to: [email protected]. He may answer your question on-the-air during the South Dakota Home Garden segment, Wednesdays on SDPB Radio's "In the Moment."