Check drip system is working when plant shows sign of dehydration
This poor Oklahoma hybrid tea rose bush needs some water, and stat! Photo courtesy reader Brent T.
Brent sent a photo for diagnosis. His rose issues stemmed from what could not be seen – and serves as a reminder: Don’t assume a plant is getting enough water just because it’s on drip irrigation. Emitters can become clogged or fail. Roots can interrupt drip lines. (So can critters!)
When a rose or other plant shows signs of dehydration and distress, check the soil. If it’s dry and cracked on top, it definitely has irrigation issues. If you can’t plunge a 6-inch screwdriver into the dirt, it’s time to deep water.
“Give this poor bush some water quick!” I advised Brent after seeing the bush’s photo. “It's sunburned and badly dehydrated. It may also be suffering from foliage burn (which is different from sunburn).
“It also looks like it's infested with spider mites, another sign of dry and dusty conditions.”
Brent confirmed that the bush was on drip irrigation and that likely was the root of the problem.
But how do you return the plant to health?
Start by washing the bush off with a hose; spray it all over to clean off the dust and knock off the little webs of the spider mites.
Then, give the bush a deep and thorough soaking. Saturate its bed, then let the water soak into the ground.
Next, cover the ground with wood chips, bark, dried leaves or other organic mulch (not rocks). That will help keep the soil and roots cooler while retaining moisture.
Sunburn usually happens when bushes are exposed to too much blasting heat – that’s common in Sacramento and especially affects plants growing near concrete driveway, walls or sidewalks. That hardscape reflects more heat. A sunburned bush will shed damaged leaves and recover, as long as it has enough water.
Foliage burn happens when time-release or other fertilizer is introduced to the soil and there's not enough water for the roots to process it. The plant pulls moisture out of its foliage and sends it to the roots so it can pick up those nutrients. But in the process, the foliage looks burned – it's crispy and brown. If you use time-release fertilizer, soil needs to stay evenly moist. (Mulch helps with that, too.) Always deep water BEFORE adding fertilizer and feeding plants.
With a little TLC, water and mulch, Brent’s Oklahoma should be good as new.
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Garden Checklist for week of Nov. 3
November still offers good weather for fall planting:
* If you haven't already, it's time to clean up the remains of summer. Pull faded annuals and vegetables. Prune dead or broken branches from trees.
* Now is the best time to plant most trees and shrubs. This gives them plenty of time for root development before spring growth. They also benefit from fall and winter rains.
* Set out cool-weather annuals such as pansies and snapdragons.
* Lettuce, cabbage and broccoli also can be planted now.
* Plant garlic and onions.
* Keep planting bulbs to spread out your spring bloom. Some possible suggestions: daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths, tulips, anemones and scillas.
* This is also a good time to seed wildflowers and plant such spring bloomers as sweet pea, sweet alyssum and bachelor buttons.
* Rake and compost leaves, but dispose of any diseased plant material. For example, if peach and nectarine trees showed signs of leaf curl this year, clean up under trees and dispose of those leaves instead of composting.
* Save dry stalks and seedpods from poppies and coneflowers for fall bouquets and holiday decorating.
* For holiday blooms indoors, plant paperwhite narcissus bulbs now. Fill a shallow bowl or dish with 2 inches of rocks or pebbles. Place bulbs in the dish with the root end nestled in the rocks. Add water until it just touches the bottom of the bulbs. Place the dish in a sunny window. Add water as needed.
* Give your azaleas, gardenias and camellias a boost with chelated iron.
* For larger blooms, pinch off some camellia buds.
* Prune non-flowering trees and shrubs while dormant.
* To help prevent leaf curl, apply a copper fungicide spray to peach and nectarine trees after they lose their leaves this month. Leaf curl, which shows up in the spring, is caused by a fungus that winters as spores on the limbs and around the tree in fallen leaves. Sprays are most effective now.
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