Water water everywhere
The good news for gardeners about extremely hot weather is chiggers hide deeper underground. That is the end of the good news about extremely hot weather.
Tomato leaves, for example, basking in the very hot sun lose moisture. However, plants are smart enough to create a capillary system through which water flows to keep leaves and body parts hydrated. Plants know to do this. Maybe it’s just me, but I’m impressed.
The moisture flowing through the system comes mostly from the soil. Have you watered lately? Roots absorb water underground, and tissues in a plant transport it through the plant. That’s why we water soil. You did water, right?
In its journey through the plant, water molecules gather in cells and push the cell walls to their max. That’s why plants can stand up straight. The cells get plumper than a plum, and it’s called turgidity. Trust me, you want turgid cells. Plants are mostly water, and when the well runs dry, cells lose strength and parts wilt, leaves get yellow and nobody goes to the movies anymore.
Roots appreciate regular deep watering rather than frequent light sprinklings. Summer days make gardeners dream of water delivery systems already in place that never get clogged and are already paid for. Times like this also point out how the mulch is holding up. The first spring dose of grass clippings has dwindled by now which means the top inch or so of soil will lose moisture more easily.
Okay, here’s another thing to get excited about – water deep down in the soil is everybody’s best friend. All the soil organisms which comprise the soil economy depend on enough moisture to survive, so it’s Mardi Gras parades and block parties everywhere in the soil when the gardener waters well. Worms do a wiggle, centipedes tap dance– it’s good to be moist.
Water in the soil not only evaporates from the surface but drains downward because gravity is the law and takes its job seriously. Agronomists in straw hats and overalls measure how easy it is for roots to extract water. When the soil is saturated, roots don’t have to go far to absorb water, and agronomists will scribble happy notes on smudged papers about the volumetric water content. However, different soils interact differently in their abilities to hold onto moisture, and for that reason regular applications of organic matter matters.
As we agronomists know, there is life in the soil no one pays attention to. Somebody counted and speculated there might be more than 50,000 pounds of microbial biomass in the soil per acre. Included in the soil’s economy are fungi, algae, bacteria, spiders, chiggers, nematodes, archaea, roly polies, earthworms and insects, and they all need water as much as we do.
Above ground, water enables plant parts to photosynthesize, which is a magic trick. Your pepper plants mix carbon dioxide from air and sunshine with water from the soil to create food to live on. Impressive. For plants to survive, it’s water, water everywhere, and the gardener ought not wait for rain.
The forecast called for rain overnight, but none fell on my place on earth. Next chance might be a rainy spell for a few days starting later in the week, but in the meantime, temperatures will reach the 90s and bean vines will need their RDA of moisture regardless of the prediction, and the rain, if it falls, might not amount to much. Plants do not survive on forecasts alone.
And if it rains, collect some of it in buckets. Might as well. It’s free. Place buckets and receptacles in the garden, and when the rain stops, your zucchini plants will appreciate your forward thinking.
Watering the plants in your garden is also a chance to quietly nurture your best intentions for what you want to see in the world. Have you watered lately?