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Dealing with Drought

Dealing with Drought

Dealing with Drought

Justin Evertson, Nebraska Statewide Arboretum

Drought—“a prolonged period of dry weather” ( Webster's New World College

Dictionary)

In Nebraska , drought is not at all unusual. Historical records and tree ring studies clearly show that drought is a normal part of the Great Plains environment. Most of Nebraska suffers from drought conditions once every seven years. What is most frustrating for everyone choosing to live on the plains is that droughts are unpredictable. As dry as it is, however, I actually am impressed at the appearance of Nebraska 's community landscapes. A closer look reveals trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants that are suffering and dying. But for as dry as it has

been, the decline is not nearly as pronounced as one might expect. It's understandable to see green plants on irrigated sites, but where are non-irrigated plants finding the moisture to keep photosynthesis going?

To me, the plants that look the best this year are either native to the region or are native to similar climates elsewhere in the world. A few of the woody plants that

continue to thrive include bur oak, hackberry, boxelder maple, coffeetree, American plum, chokecherry, coralberry, mountain

mahogany, ponderosa pine, blue spruce and juniper. Our prairie forbs and grasses may not be growing robustly or flowering profusely, but they are surviving and will no

doubt thrill us again when the rains return. In a year with little or no rain, maintaining landscapes in a lush condition can seem like an impossible challenge—and rightly so. The need to conserve water and wisely budget maintenance time should be paramount in any caregiver's decision- making process. And yet as daunting as the task may seem, it should not be impossible to at least keep the most important components of a landscape alive so that they are ready to thrive when the rains return.

Perhaps the most important task to be accomplished when managing for drought is to prioritize both landscape components and maintenance needs. I don't hesitate to

proclaim that trees are the most valuable part of the landscape, followed by shrubs,

perennial flowers and grasses, annual plantings and finally turf grass. This

assessment is based purely on the reality that in the long run trees and shrubs provide the biggest benefit to a community. In addition to the shade and wind protection that woody plants provide, estimates show that trees already save over $1 billion in utility costs each year in Nebraska . Where would we be without our woody friends?

Unfortunately in this society, turfgrass development and care seems to remain the most important landscape activity. Precious water is dumped on the lawn in a futile effort to keep it green in the heat of summer. For a typical suburban residence with automatic lawn irrigation, it is not uncommon to see water use increase nearly five-fold during the summer. Although turfgrass does provide many important benefits to the community (reduced erosion, cooling effect, places for play, pleasing look, etc.), I'm not convinced the tangible benefits of keeping it green during dry times exceed the costs. We should not mourn for the browning of turfgrass during a drought. The reality is that turfgrass is easily reestablished when the temperature cools and the rains return. A tree, on the

other hand, takes several years to be securely established in the landscape and to begin providing its amazing benefits. For such plants, a drought can quickly wreck an amazing investment for the future. With all that in mind, here's a few maintenance tips to consider for periods of drought:

1. Prioritize the landscape to insure the most important plants are kept alive. 2. Prepare during wetter periods for the dry times to come.

3. Let turfgrasses go dormant in the heat of the summer.

4. Trees, shrubs and herbaceous plantings should be watered deeply and infrequently. Trees and shrubs planted in the spring will need approximately one inch of water per week during the summer. Plants established in previous years may need only one or two waterings per month to get through a severe drought. Water trees at the drip line if possible.

5. Recognize the needs of individual plant species. An established bur oak requires much less moisture, for example, than a red maple or tuliptree.

6. Reduce watering in late summer. Most woody plants naturally begin shutting down their growth processes at that time and will require less moisture to survive.

Regardless of maintenance

capabilities and priorities, the best thing to do to help manage for drought is to plan and develop landscapes from the outset that are able to tolerate the climatic conditions that will come. Species selection and proper placement in the landscape are vital to this effort. For years, ecologists and

environmentally conscious designers have been promoting the benefits of native and well-adapted plants that will naturally thrive in the environments they are placed in. If nothing else, a drought year like this helps prove how wise such proclamations are.