OH NO !
You come back from vacation…. and you find your garden wilted and dry !
Wilted dry wall of Magnolia soulangeana
Panic ensues. What to do? What happened. My garden !
Relax… what ever happened already happened – but you now need to act quickly to save as much of the garden as possible.
STEP 1
Find the hose, turn it on, and water everything thoroughly. If the water pours out of the containers it means the soil is so dry it has shrunk and detached from the walls of the container. This first watering is very important. Your goal is to drench and soak the soil. It may take several tries. A good rule of thumb is to water a planter for 2 minutes, stop, then move on to the next one and the repeat this cycle several times.
Garden hose
Think of a dry sponge. Pour water over it and droplets form which are not absorbed quickly. Same here – takes a bit of time.
water will not absorb easy into dry soil
Water slowly and evenly across the top of the planters, then move on to the next one. You need to let the soil absorb the first watering and expand back to place. You can also gently push the wet soil on the edges back towards the pot itself to stop the water from pouring out the side.
You will have to repeat this watering several times until you are sure the soil is soaked. Do not be afraid to dig into the center of the planter to be sure the soil is wet all the way down. Worry not about overwatering or rotting the roots – it does not matter how much water you use this first time as long as it is draining.
Once this is accomplished, you can go back to your previous watering schedule.
STEP 2
Check the automatic irrigation to see why it’s not working. Call your irrigation service provider if you have one and tell them to please come and check it out.
basic irrigation Timer
Things that can cause the garden to not get water:
irrigation system malfunction
the timer is broken
the magnetic water valves are broken
the building turned the water off for repairs
extreme low pressure in the water line on a top floor of a tall building
static or an electric storm or lighting triggered the GFI and it shut the power off to the timer
street repairs to the water line inserted soil or mud into the pipes and the irrigation system filter got clogged
BIGGEST MISTAKE OF THEM ALL – the main waterline was turned off – someone used the water for something ( cleaning ac filter, filling kiddy pool, etc) and turned the water off at the main valve shutting water to the irrigation system
a main valve (green) feeds both the hose (teal) AND the irrigation system (black) – NEVER turn it off
STEP 3
Now you wait. From a few days to a few weeks.
Those plants that have weathered the trauma will respond in kind and in accordance to their tolerance to this event. Some like small herbaceous annuals may have dried to the point of no return. Large trees and shrubs may defoliate and recover to some extent or another.
Time will tell.
sad wilted Tomato
During this waiting time – DO NOT FERTILIZE. You will simply add to the stress the plants are going through. Many roots have died and have to re grow, many leaves have also died and new ones need to be pushed out.
After a week or so. Remove the dead leaves and stems on small herbaceous plants. For trees and shrubs you should wait a full 3 weeks to determine your response. Those that have not re sprouted or come back after 3 weeks are probably damaged beyond repair.
leaves that dried out suddenly stay attached
STEP 4
After the garden has settled back in and the plants are re leafing you can begin to fertilize. Use a mild concentration at first.
WHAT TO EXPECT LONG TERM
Annuals
In my experience, things like Coleus or Basil will perish from the event and not recover. Wax Begonias, impatiens and herbs like mint and sage need to be pruned back and may flush out new growth.
wilted pansies
Perennials
Most perennials like Hosta, will simply shrivel up and depending on the time of year may or may not re sprout. If the event took place in late summer or early fall they most likely will go directly into dormancy. If in Spring or early Summer – they may re sprout quickly. But probably not fully as you would expect.
Hosta emerging
Broadleaf Evergreen Shrubs and Trees
Any leaf that did not fall off is probably permanently damaged. This process is called plasmolysis where the inner cellular membrane has detached itself from the cell wall. The leaf may still be green and look ok but its photosynthetic capacity is affected. This is most common with broad leaf evergreens.
Any permanently damaged leaf is singled out by the plant to be dropped and replaced with a newer one – usually at the growing tip.
Needle Evergreens
Many needle leaf evergreens have come from environments of wet dry cycles and have evolved to adapt to this condition. They are mostly going to recover without any further issues.
Deciduous Shrubs and Trees
This group is usually unable to drop off the dead, dry or affected leaves – as the process for normal leaf abscission was interrupted. They simply stay put – frozen in time. If you find it unsightly – you may have to physically remove them – otherwise they will remain attached for a very long time.
Dry attached leaves
Most trees will not recover fully until the following season.
The First Winter
That first winter after the drying out is the most crucial. Plants that recovered spent a lot of their stored sugars flushing out new growth. They may also not have had enough time to make and save the proper amount of new sugar. Those with affected cells like the broadleaf evergreens also may not have saved enough sugar.
Sugar is used by temperate plants as a anti freeze. Its collected inside the cells and disrupts the formation of ice crystals which can kill a cell. If the plants don’t have enough they wont be able to protect their cells. Many will be further damaged in the cold weather.
sugar in the cell makes ice crystal round !
Proactively – you can protect some of the broadleaf evergreens by wrapping them in burlap in late Fall.
Pests
Both insects and diseases – like Bacteria and fungi – zero in on weak plants. They target the weaker ones because it is easier for them to get through the cell walls. These plants will be a target for them until they recover fully.
Proactively – you can monitor and immediately treat any pest you discover.
Our Garden Care Team can get your garden back to where it was!
Call us – we can help !
PLANT SPECIALISTS
GREENING NEW YORK FOR OVER 53 YEARS !
Article written by our Staff Horticulturist, Peter B Morris, BSc, MSc, MBA
All photographs used with permission @SHUTTERSTOCK
