Rainy Season Gardening

Well, it’s here. The rainy season is finally here; and once again you have to contend with heavy and prolonged periods of rain.  You can expect between 200 and 250 mm of rainfall every month for the next few months.  That’s a lot of water, and you have to make sure your garden can cope with it.

 DRAINAGE

The surface water must flow freely out of the garden.  All drains, including those adjacent to your property, must be kept clear.

Make sure the guttering around your house is not clogged with leaves and other debris because if it is, the water from the roof will overflow into the garden rather than go through the down pipe to a drain.

Look for sinks or depressions on the lawn where water collects.  These are breeding areas for mole crickets.  By placing sifted soil or builder’s sand into the depressions, the lawn will become level as the grass grows through the fill.

To improve the drainage through the soil, use a garden fork or poker to percolate it.  This allows the water to soak into the ground more rapidly.

EROSION

To minimize soil erosion from the garden beds, use ground covers and border plants.

Ground covers reduce the impact of rain falling on the soil and, along with border or edging plants, hold the soil in place by their fibrous roots.

Ground covers also inhibit the growth of weeds.

WEEDING

Weeding is very important in the rainy season.

Weeds are hardy, invasive, vigorous growing plants that can take over your garden easily. The only way to get rid of them, without the risk of killing adjacent plants with a weedicide, is to remove them manually pulling them out with all their roots attached.

PRUNING AND FERTILIZING

The rainy season is a period of rapid, lush foliar growth, so pruning must be done to prevent the garden from getting overgrown. 

This is when I reduce and reshape the plants to stimulate new, compact growth.  When pruning, always make sure that the cut is slanted and on the underside of the branch.  This is to protect the wound from water and fungi.

Always remember to fertilize after pruning.  Any all purpose fertilizer will do.  I generally use blaukorn, a 12-12-17-2  granular fertilizer.  The lawn must also be fertilized at the start of the rainy season.  Scatter some urea salt directly on it, but use a hose to wash the salt off into the soil right after so it will not burn the grass.

By following these basic suggestions, your garden should be better able to withstand any adverse conditions during the rainy season, including pests and diseases, which I will discuss in a subsequent column.

If you have any gardening news or tips you would like to share, or if you are having a problem in your garden, e-mail me at thehappygardner@tstt.net.tt

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