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Parker County, Texas
County Seat: Weatherford, Texas
32.77N -97.74W (Elev 941 ft)
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from the real dirt: A Gardening Handbook for
Parker County Irrigation  Water
is becoming a scarce and expensive natural resource. About 25 percent of
all water used in Texas metropolitan areas is applied to urban landscapes.
In summer, this increases to as much as 60 percent. Much of this is
ineffective, since the soil and plants can't absorb the excess. The
greatest waste of water is applying too much to your landscape too often,
especially in homes with irrigation systems. Not only is this wasting a
precious resource and costing homeowners money, too much water creates
problems with your landscape, ranging from poor plant growth to plant
diseases like mildew and fungus.Most plants and lawns need no more than I inch of water a week from all sources, including rain. Parker County receives about 32 inches of rainfall annually. Supplemental watering should be done only when rainfall does not produce the required I inch per week. Many of the drought tolerant plants recommended in the real dirt can thrive on I inch of water per month, so never water unless your plant shows it needs it. Frequent, light applications of water are actually harmful to plants, since it only wets the surface of the soil to a depth of less than I inch. Most plant roots go much deeper. Light sprinkling only settles the dust and does little to alleviate drought stress to plants growing in hot, dry soil. Instead, give plants a weekly soaking until the soil is wet to a depth of 5 or 6 inches. This type of watering allows moisture to penetrate into the soil area where roots can readily absorb it. A soil watered deeply retains moisture for several days, while one wet only an inch or so is dry within a day. In contrast, there are those who water so often and heavily that they drown plants. Symptoms of too much water are the same as for too little. Leaves turn brown at the tips and edges, then brown all over and drop from the plant. These symptoms should be the same, since they result from insufficient water in the plant tissue. Too much water in a soil causes oxygen deficiency, resulting in damage to the root system. Plant roots need oxygen to live. When a soil remains soggy, little oxygen is present in the soil. When this condition exists roots die and no longer absorb water. Then leaves begin to show signs of insufficient water. Often gardeners think these signs signal lack of water, so they add more. This further aggravates the situation and the plant usually dies quickly. Thoroughly moisten the soil at each watering, and then allow plants to extract most of the available water from the soil before watering again Hose-end Sprinkling Sprinkler irrigation, or "hose-end overhead sprinkling" as it is sometimes called, is the most popular and most common watering method. Sprinkler units can be set up and moved about quickly and easily. They are inexpensive to buy, but if used incorrectly they can be extremely wasteful of water. Sprinkler equipment varies in cost from a few dollars for a small stationary unit to $50 or more for units that move themselves. A solid-set sprinkler system for a small garden could cost more than $100, although it is not necessary to spend that much. The best investment is an impact-driving sprinkler than can be set to water either a full or partial circle. Sprinkler irrigation has its advantages. The system can be used on sloping as well as level areas. Salt does not accumulate because water percolates downward from the surface carrying salts with it. Different amounts of water can be applied to separate plantings to match plant requirements. However, there are some drawbacks. Use sprinkler irrigation early in the day to allow time for the soil surface to dry before nightfall. Irrigation in a wind of more than 5 miles per hour distributes the water unevenly. If you have poor quality water, the mist, which dries on leaves, may deposit enough salt to injure them. Strong winds may carry the water away to neighbors' yards. Attempting to cover a square or rectangular area with a circular pattern also wastes some water. Move the sprinkler unit at regular intervals if the garden is larger than the sprinkler pattern. With caged tomatoes or trellised crops, set the sprinkler on a stand to allow the spray to arch up and over the top of the leaf canopy. Improper timing and operating in wind or at night can damage plants and waste water. Furrow Irrigation Furrow irrigation is a popular method of applying water, primarily to vegetable gardens. Successful furrow irrigation requires soil with enough clay so that water flows along shallow ditches between the rows and sinks in slowly. The water must reach the low end of the rows before much has soaked in at the high end. Many sandy or open soils are so porous that water seeps in too quickly, never reaching the end of the row. To solve this problem, use short rows in gardens with sandy soil. Most gardens can be irrigated easily with the furrow method by using a hoe or shovel to make shallow ditches. To test furrow irrigation, make one shallow ditch from end to end and run water down it. If the water runs 20 to 30 feet in a few minutes, that's fine. If the water sinks in too fast at the high end, divide the garden lengthwise into two or more runs and irrigate each run separately. Make a serpentine ditch to guide the water up and down short rows in small gardens on level ground. The number of rows that can be irrigated at the same time depends on the volume of water available and your ingenuity. Leaves and fruit of erect plants such as beans and peppers will stay dry during furrow irrigation. New seedlings can be watered by running water as often as needed to keep the seedbed moist. The surface soil of a raised bed does not pack as with sprinkler irrigation, so there is less crusting. Only a hoe or shovel and a length of hose are needed to get the water from the house faucet to the garden.  Drip IrrigationOne of the best ways to water a garden and other landscape beds is with a drip irrigation system. Drip irrigation allows precise application of water near the roots of the plants where they can readily absorb it. There is very little waste due to wind, evaporation and runoff, so the total water usage is reduced from 40 to 60 percent, depending on soil conditions, rainfall, and temperature. Drip systems consist of flexible tubing laid directly on the ground, or buried slightly below ground level. They utilize devices called emitters, which apply a very low volume of water over a prolonged period of time. This allows the water to soak deeply into the soil without over-saturating it and causing run-off. Emitters vary from 0.5 gallons per hour to as much as 3 gallons or more. The type of soil, grade level, types of plants, and other factors determine which type of emitters you should use. The goal is to apply enough water to wet the soil to a depth of 6 inches without creating runoff. Normally, this would take about 3 hours. The cycle would then be repeated when the top 2 inches of soil has dried out. Drip irrigation simplifies irrigation procedures and reduces labor requirements. Drip systems can be easily activated from a single faucet. Once drip hose is installed around shrubs, vegetables and flowers, it never "forgets" to water. Drip systems are relatively easy to install and are available at most local nurseries and home improvement centers. Using Water around Trees and Shrubs Grass and/or weeds growing under and around trees and shrubs compete for nutrients and water. When summer rainfall is low and less than adequate water is available, competition imposed by weeds or grass substantially reduces tree growth, bud development and fruit size. When competition is eliminated, roots are more evenly distributed; root numbers increase and they utilize a larger volume of soil. Effective soil utilization by a large root system means that fertilizer and moisture will be used more efficiently. Remove grass and/or weeds from beneath newly planted trees and shrubs as soon as possible and apply mulch. The longer turf grass grows under trees and shrubs, the greater the reduction of new growth. There is also a cumulative effect, which may decrease tree growth for several years. For instance, if the growth of a tree is reduced by 20 percent for one year because of grass competition, the growth automatically is 20 percent less during the second year's growth. Grass competition reduces growth by as much as 50 percent. Trees need a deep, thorough soaking once a week in the growing season, either from natural rainfall or supplemental irrigation. When irrigating, be thorough and allow the water to penetrate deeply. To water large trees let water flow slowly onto an area under the drip line of the tree for several hours. Large trees require deeper watering than home owners can imagine. Remember that watering which is adequate for lawn grasses growing under trees is not adequate for actively growing trees. More information about the proper use of water can be found at: http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/extension/homelandscape/water/water.html When to Water Soil moisture level is the best test for watering. If soil moisture is adequate, don't water, even if a plant is wilted. To test for soil moisture, probe around plants with your finger. If the soil is moist several inches deep, i.e., will form a ball when squeezed, adequate moisture is present. | ||
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