IN THE GARDEN: Watering in August

Dogs are digging deeper and deeper in the dirt in search of cool layers. You look at your plants and then up at the scorching ball of fire in the sky. It’s time to pamper your plants. You find and read instructions for your plants.
The instructions say, “to water,” which could mean several different things.
[image  id="23316" title="Luedecke"] Bill Luedecke and daughter Martelle offer advice to Highland Lakes gardeners.Let’s start with our lawns. Lawns need to be watered, of course. They need to be watered slowly so the water can be absorbed into the ground to the roots. How do we know we have watered enough? A good rule of thumb is to place an empty tuna can, which is about an inch deep, on the lawn while you’re watering. When the can is full, the lawn has reached its fill for the day. A portable rain gauge staked in the ground is also an option. 
Check with your municipality to see if you any watering restrictions are in place. These restrictions trump all. If possible, water every three days. If you have a large lawn, you can water in sections.
You’ve heard us say that trees need 3-4 inches of rain a month. This is Central Texas in August, so it is no surprise we haven’t received 3-4 inches of rain. We don’t want to drown the trees by giving them all 4 inches at once; it’s best to give them 1 inch at a time. Gently and slowly. If you just water the base of the tree in this heat, the tree won’t get all the benefits. The surrounding soil will steal the majority of the water. So grab your empty tuna can and use a sprinkler. This way, you can cover a larger portion of the drip line. (Drip lines ought to be called drink lines.) The best times to water are in early dawn or the cooler evening.
Plants are trickier than lawns because of the diversity. Some plants like a lot of water, some a regular amount, and some hardly any. Read the instructions you received when you bought your plant or do a web search. 
When you’re looking up directions for individual plant watering, here’s a few clues. 
First, make sure you put Zone 8. 
Second, if you are searching for anything in Central Texas, enter your question, a comma, and then AgriLife. For instance, “watering fall perennials, AgriLife.” When you enter your queries into a search engine as such, you get to tap into the Aggie solutions for our area. To help with vegetable crops, here is a wonderful link for a watering calculator. It is a total geek-nerd fun tool.
When we haven’t watered, leaves wilt and you’ll lose turgid pressure. Unfortunately, in this heat, a lot of plants do that in the afternoon when it’s 106 outside. So make sure to check your plants in the morning to get an accurate idea of how they’re faring. We don’t want to inadvertently over or under water.
Have you heard of the new game in town. It’s similar to leap frog. The animals love their new game of leap shade. Shade of this tree — run really fast — to the shade of the next tree.
Keep your souls and soles in your garden!
Remember the True Master Gardener: Jesus said, “I am the vine; my Father is the Gardener.” John 15:1    
Contact Bill Luedecke at The Luedecke Group Realtors at 512-577-1463 or email him bill@texasland.net.  Contact daughter Martelle Luedecke at 512-769-3179 or luedeckephotography@gmail.com.