The heat of summer

It is now officially summer and as of June 21 the days are getting shorter. It has felt like summer since May this year and our record breaking hot and dry days are a worry.

It is important that we all conserve water. I have read statistics from water studies done in Central Texas that claim that 70% of the water used in residences in the summer is for outside irrigation. Hence I will focus on water conservation in the yard. Collecting rainwater from our roofs and using it to water plants during dry spells instead of from a tap, conserves water from our aquifers.

Our tap water, whether from the City of Wimberley, Aqua Texas or from wells, comes from groundwater.

It is always amazing to me how quickly the 60 gallon rain barrels fill up even with a tenth of an inch of rain. And for the past 6 months we have only been getting small amounts of water when it does rain.

The other important way to reduce the water used for irrigation is to plant native plants.

If the plant is native it can survive on the natural rain once it is established. When you first plant natives, or any other kind of plant for that matter, you will need to water the new plant more frequently until it becomes established. And as a side note, now is NOT the time to introduce new plants as it is too hot and dry. Fall, when we do get rain and it cools off, is the best time to landscape.

Plants grown in pots with a saucer use less water than the same plant in the ground as the water in the pot cannot dissipate into the surrounding soil. It is also important that you do not leave standing uncovered water for more than five days as mosquitoes will breed. Empty all open water containers or use mosquito dunks. Finally, let us all hope for rain because plants love natural rainwater best of all.

Written by Jackie Mattice, Hays County Master Naturalist