Re: Deep, infrequent watering

Thanks for the feedback Joe (and Sylvia and Nan),

I'm going to continue watering most areas of the garden once a week; in time as the garden matures I might be able to reduce that to once a fortnight.  I doubt I could grow the garden I have with no irrigation at all, except for my small native plant garden which I now water by hand when I think it needs it.

I just notice that many southern California gardens with "regular", meaning light, frequent irrigation have mediterranean plants that do fine for years, and tend to look better than my less watered ones.  Cistus purpurea, Rosemary, most Lavenders, Alyogyne, Anigozanthos, Myrtus, Callistemon, Arbutus, Stachys, and many more all seem to do just fine with frequent light water.  Many semi-arid subtropicals and desert plants also look good on this regime: Bougainvillea, Lantana, Tabebuia, Jacaranda, Acacias, Chilopsis, Parkinsonia, Calliandra, etc.
All of these can be grown alongside Roses, Camellias, Liquidambars, Ash and Planes without complaint.

It may be because southern California gets so hot.  (By the way, Joe, this past summer was on the cool side for Simi Valley).
As for water conservation, I'm increasingly interested in recycling water at the municipal level.  This is already done cost-effectively in Orange County.  Sewage water is treated until it's clean enough to drink; it is then pumped underground into the local aquifer.  It's left there long enough for people to pretend they forgot where it came from, it's then pumped back up, re-treated, and re-used in homes and gardens.  This is probably the best solution for water conservation, and over time enough recycled water could be stored underground that water imports could be permanently reduced, and we could still all have lawns, pools, and fountains.

That said, I've never met an irrigation system I like. 
 
A garden that really didn't need an irrigation system at all would be a blessing, so a dry garden is still a worthwhile pursuit.  Also, the wonderful aromas of a dry garden are intensified with less water.

On the subject, I'm building a photo collection of dry gardens, still a work in progress:

www.flickr.com/photos/27474976@N07/sets/72157622031401148/

Another photo set that might be of interest shows natural vegetation in southern California, highlighting the importance of sun exposure in southern mountains.  Incidentally, I think I'm better at photographing mountain scenery than I am at capturing gardens:

www.flickr.com/photos/27474976@N07/sets/72157622518317848/  

Hope you enjoy them,
-Ben Armentrout-Wiswall
Simi Valley, inland southern California





From: Joseph Seals <thegardenguru@yahoo.com>
To: medit plants forum <medit-plants@ucdavis.edu>; benwiswall@pacbell.net
Sent: Sunday, October 4, 2009 8:38:56 PM
Subject: Re: Deep, infrequent watering

First, I prefer the word "effective" to the word "efficient".
 
To me "efficient" implies an engineered use of water.
 
"Effective" implies a result.
 
The "result" we want from applying water the best way we can is a drought-tolerant plant, a drought-tolerant garden.
 
Second, deep, infrequent watering does, indeed, train roots to go deeply.  Contrary to the myth that "plant roots find water", we gardeners have the power either to create shallow root growth that becomes dependent on frequent watering or to create deep, extensive root growth that eventually becomes independent of all artifical systems (assuming good Mediterranean plants).
 
Third, gardens that are watered deeply and infrequently have significantly less weed growth than those watered frequently.
 
Fourth, a monthly good foliar spray during the driest months will give you the "fresh" look you're after.
 
Fifth, I can't imagine a garden of truly "Mediterranean" plants surviving watering three times a week during summer.
 
Sixth, Simi Valley was HOT this summer.  My fiance -- now wife -- lived in Simi Valley up until July of this year.  She lives with me here in Pismo Beach now but I visited SV enough over the last many months to know that it's going to take some special plants -- and some special water system "training" -- to get your garden to a state of "no-water-summers".
 
Joe

Joe Seals
Horticultural Consultant
Pismo Beach, California
Home/Office: 805-295-6039

--- On Sun, 10/4/09, Ben Wiswall <benwiswall@pacbell.net> wrote:

From: Ben Wiswall <benwiswall@pacbell.net>
Subject: Deep, infrequent watering
To: "medit plants forum" <medit-plants@ucdavis.edu>
Date: Sunday, October 4, 2009, 11:35 PM

Hi all,
The conventional wisdom among waterwise gardeners is that deep, infrequent watering is the most efficient use of water, and that plants will grow deeper roots and become more drought-tolerant as a result.
Is this true?  
I water most sections of our garden once a week for about 30 minutes (in delayed intervals to avoid runoff).  I look around, though, and see other gardens with mediterranean-climate plants that are watered 10 minutes three times a week, presumably using the same amount of water.  I have to confess these gardens often look fresher than mine, especially now at the end of the dry season.
Any thoughts?
-Ben Armentrout-Wiswall
Simi Valley, inland southern California

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