Summer has finally arrived, and with it the high temperatures and humidity that not only effects us, but also your lawns and landscapes. Even though we had record breaking rainfall this spring, we still need to ensure that the plants on your property receive an adequate amount of water throughout the summer months.
Lawn sprinkler systems are set up to water your lawn and should not be depended upon for your plants irrigation needs. I would recommend installing either a drip irrigation system in the beds, or at the very least putting soaker hoses around the base of the plants. These irrigation systems for your beds will deliver the water to the plants root zones without causing compaction problems or wasting water through evaporation.
There are ways of cutting down on the amount of water that your landscape needs through the summer. A good fertilization program that includes mychorrizae and either a soil wetting agent or hydro cells. Hydro cells are a new product that help to trap water and hold on to it for up to 2 weeks, this makes the water more available to the root systems and the mychorrizae that have formed a symbiotic relationship with them.
There has also been a lot of work done on growth regulators for trees. The most recent product is called Cambistat 2C. This material slows down the growth of the treated trees by blocking the growth hormone that causes shoot elongation. What this means is that the trees are not putting the majority of their energy into upward growth, so it reallocates the energy into expanded root growth and enhancing their natural defensive systems.
The benefits of Cambistat will be seen as improved drought tolerance, Improved heat tolerance, higher tolerances to disease and insect activity and smaller, thicker and greener leaves. By causing the leaves to stay small and thicken up, the trees will lose less water through transpiration, which conserves water in the tree.
Cambistat shouldn't be used on every tree, however. The treatment should be done on newly planted trees (to help with faster rooting), trees injured during construction or have a history of insect or disease problems, older and declining trees, trees stressed from drought and trees that are planted in an area where they have a limited growing area. Cambistat will last in the tree for up to three years at which time it should be reapplied.
If you want more information on this product or have questions, fee free to call me at 631-691-2381or email at aplantdoctor@hotmail.com or check the Rainbow Science website at www.rainbowscivance.com.
