How Do We Stay Green in the Drought?
As the Florida drought enters its 3rd blistering year, water restrictions continue to tighten, leaving many folks in fear of seeing all their beautiful plants die and putting lush-lawn aficionados in a positive tizzy. There are things we can do to stay green, however. On Saturday, March 1, 2008, Florida Gulf Coast University held its Southwest Florida Garden and Landscape Conference. I caught up with one of the speakers and he gave me some very helpful advice.
Stephen Brown is a Lee County Horticulture Agent and holds a Masters Degree in Soil Fertility and Plant Nutrition. He also coordinates the Master Gardener program and teaches classes in plant identification, landscape maintenance, landscape best management practices and pesticide applicator certifications. His weekly garden column that he writes for the News-Press is widely read.
“First off, even though we’re in a drought, we here in Florida still receive a lot of water. This isn’t a desert climate, even when we’re dry. So it is possible to grow things here even with the water restrictions,” Stephen explained. “The trick is get healthy soil.”
Stephen told me that a good deal of the soil in our area is compacted so tight that roots cannot get very far. Also, since it’s so compacted, it doesn’t drain very freely. This causes water to settle around plants’ roots instead of draining off which is deadly because the roots then rot in the water. “Roots should be able to grow 2-3 feet down in the ground,” said Stephen. “We want the roots to get as deep as they can because there’s more water down there. That’s why you need looser soil.” Stephen suggested using a garden fork or good roto-tiller to break up the compacted earth.
“Another thing you can do is to choose the right plants,” Stephen said. “Some people think that native plants are the best for droughts but, actually, natives are no more drought-resistant than non-natives. Bougainvillea, a native of Brazil, is highly drought tolerant.” Native plants are better, however, because they are adapted to Florida’s climate and require less maintenance. Stephen directs me to the website www.regionalconservation.org, where, after clicking on ‘natives for your neighborhood’, you can type in your zip code and the site will give you a list of the plants native to that zip-code. You can then click on each plant’s name for detailed information. Some species that the site gave us when we typed in ‘33931’ included the Seaside Goldenrod – whose leaves can be used to make tea and the beautiful Firebush. You can also call FGCU’s office for a list. Dial (239) 461-7504 and ask for Peggy.
Another web site I went to, put up by the Southwest Florida Water Management District, listed drought-resistant plants (both native and non-native) and suggested eliminating some areas of lawn in favor of mulch, ground covers and flowering perennials. Some of the plants on the drought-resistant list were the same ones on the native list at the other site, such as Saw Palmetto, Cabbage Palm and Butterfly Pea. Go to www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/wateres/drought/articles/tough-plants.htm for the list.
I asked Stephen if there were anything people could do to save their lawns and still comply with the restrictions.
“Some grasses are much more tolerant than others, such as Bahiagrass. However, Bahiagrass isn’t popular because it’s hard to keep weed-free. But even St. Augustine Grass – the most popular lawn grass in Florida – can survive being watered once a week,” Stephen told me. “The biggest misconception people have about plants concerns how hardy they are or aren’t. We think that because we need to eat three times a day that we need to water our plants three times a week or they’ll die. That’s just not true. Watering should be a supplementary form of irrigation, not primary. The primary water source should be rainfall, even in a drought. If you water your lawn once a week you should give it ¾ inch of water over the surface. This will probably take half an hour depending on your system. Then there will be enough water to trickle down.”
Stephen also wanted to make sure I understood the importance of landscaping and aerating our soil so plants need less watering.
“It’s the most significant way we can conserve water because much of our household water goes to the landscape. By just doing some simple things we can all enjoy our yards more and save water doing it.”
Keri Hendry
