Water is in the news in our province, specifically too much of it to stay within river banks.  Here in the Okanagan our flood worries are considerably less, thankfully.  We were the recipients of a good rainfall on June 3 and 4 but so far the water hasn’t risen above the banks anywhere in our valley.

My inspiration for this column came during an evening walk on June 4 with my wife in our neighbourhood.  It rained heavily on Sunday afternoon and then again on Monday.  I don’t have the official totals, but we received close to an inch of rain I’m sure.

We were enjoying our stroll immensely until I saw an irrigation system running on someone’s lawn.  It had only stopped raining an hour ago, and yet as we walked by the sprinkler heads popped up and started applying water to the lawn.  My blood pressure began to rise and my poor wife had to listen to my ranting about the silliness of irrigating after such a heavy rain and the lack of intelligence of homeowners who don’t know what the off button on an irrigation timer is for.

Water is a constant topic of discussion in the Okanagan Valley.  Is there going to be enough this year, next year, in the next twenty to fifty years?  We might think that running the irrigation system on the lawn after a heavy rain won’t make any difference, and in a year like this when the snowpack was robust, the lake is at full pool and the concern is too much water in some locations, it might not.

But, proper watering techniques are vital for several reasons.  In the long term residents of our valley are going to have to adapt to a drier climate unless conditions change radically.  As gardeners we need to start changing our attitudes and practices now.  We need to be responsible and smart when we irrigate this growing season, not ten years from now.

Every time we overwater our lawns, irrigate during a rainstorm, leave the automatic system to come on whether the plants needs water or not and sprinkle the driveway instead of the flower beds we’re helping to create a worrisome future for everyone who lives here.

Plus, improper watering is bad for the plants that we work so hard to buy, install and hopefully enjoy the benefits of in our gardens.  Too much water drowns the root system of plants, whether they’re trees, shrubs or individual blades of turf grass, and makes them more susceptible to attack by insects and diseases.

Infrequent, but deep, thorough watering encourages a deep root system in established plants and a healthier plant in the long run; once a week in heavy clay soils, twice a week in sandy soils.  If you’re planting new trees and shrubs water thoroughly every day for the first week and then twice a week for the next four to six weeks.  Use two to three inches of mulch over the plant’s roots to conserve moisture.
Don’t water your lawn an hour after two days of heavy rain finally ends; it’s not good for my blood pressure and my wife may not want to walk with me anymore!