After two wet springs in a row, gardeners are unhappy, no matter
how pleased the hydrologists are.
”
The gardens are a mess, no doubt about it,
”
says Nancy Carman Schramm, owner of Carman’s Nursery in
Gilroy.
”
And the lingering effects of that rain will be seen in the
garden long after the last raindrop falls.
”
After two wet springs in a row, gardeners are unhappy, no matter how pleased the hydrologists are.
“The gardens are a mess, no doubt about it,” says Nancy Carman Schramm, owner of Carman’s Nursery in Gilroy. “And the lingering effects of that rain will be seen in the garden long after the last raindrop falls.”
Such as:
– A bumper crop of fireblight on pyracantha, quince and hawthorns. More disease, fungus and infestation on everything, but especially roses.
– A small fruit harvest on all trees. When it is raining, the bees won’t leave their hives. Without bee action, blossoms are not pollinated and fruit does not develop.
– As long as cold wet weather persists, gardeners will be unable to work cold, soggy soil. That means harvest time will be a month later than normal.
Oh, my! Before you throw in your hoe and give up before the growing season begins, there are some ways to fight back. Here are some questions about the worse problems, and some answers on how to wring out your garden.
Q. How can I dry out my soil to plant flowers and vegetables?
A. This is Mother Nature’s job, and you can’t do much about it. It will take at least a week, if not more, of dry, sunny weather to dry the soil and warm it up. If you have weeds, don’t chop them out yet. A natural groundcover or weeds will help evaporate water from the soil. Mulch definitely won’t help. Mulch is used to keep in moisture. If you have mulch, pull it aside and let the soil remain exposed until it dries out.
The same goes for plastic cover. Plastic is used to keep the moisture in the soil. The name of the game at this point is to dry out the soil as quickly as possible.
Q. How can I tell when the soil is dry enough to work?
A. This is a standard garden test. Turn over a shovelful of soil and pick up a handful. Squeeze it. Then let it drop from about waist high onto a hard surface. If it breaks apart the soil is dry enough to work. I once talked to a gardener who explained his method was to squeeze a handful of soil and then throw it against the wall. If it sticks to the wall, it’s too wet. I can picture folks all around South Valley with muddy splashes on their walls.
Q. What about long term disease and infestations. Is there anything to do about that?
A. Even gardeners who practice organic gardening are probably going to reach for sprays this year. Because of the rain, dormant sprays were washed off trees and shrubs, so their protection is chancy at best. Roses will be especially susceptible to fungus, mildew and aphids. The recommended treatment is Bayer All-In-One or a similar product on roses and other flowering plants every six weeks to prevent diseases and insects.
Grubs will be a big problem because the warmer soil temperatures this year and the moisture has kept them chose to the surface. A season-long grub control for lawns, or beneficial nematodes for vegetables and flower gardens would handle this problem, according to nursery personnel.
Preventative insect control for ornamentals will help since there was not enough of a freeze to knock out whitefly or Eugenia psyllid. Plus what will be a sudden warmth somewhere down the line will trigger an aphid population boom. Controls for this are Bayer Tree and Shrub, or Orthonex, or a similar product for insect infestation.
Q. What about damage to flowers from the rain?
A. Iris blooms rotted in the rain, camellias turned brown, and lilacs look pretty sad, too. Many, many flowering plants – even those with supposedly good drainage – suffered from too much rain and root rot is a common complaint. There is little to do to save those flowers at this point. Let the soil dry out and see what survives.
So, what’s the prognosis for the garden? It’s all a guess whether the rain will linger through April or the sun will shine every single day.
Schramm is optimistic. “Given that all plants are amazingly predisposed to live and grow and thrive, despite some of our best efforts, I expect a decent gardening season ahead,” she says. “Isn’t the gardener the most optimistic of people? Who else would think of putting some little round or oval or odd-shaped thing in the ground and expect it to grow a tomato or a redwood or a maple tree?”
So, keep the hoe handy. The gardening season will, indeed, be coming up sooner or later.
