Southern Indiana is experiencing a severe drought, as defined by the National Drought Mitigation Center.
This basically means we may experience major crop/pasture losses, as well as shortages of water in reservoirs, streams and wells.
According to the National Weather Service, Evansville has received only 8.26 inches of rain since June 1, which is nearly 9 inches below normal.
What this means to us is that most of Southern Indiana is under a burn ban (Please don't burn your leaves this fall); the levels of lakes and streams are lower than normal; and unless you've been irrigating properly, your landscape plants are under severe stress.
Short-term effects of a lack of water include temporary wilting of plants. In addition to wilting, leaves may curl or warp, become crinkly, turn brown along the edges (scorch), turn completely yellow or brown and/or fall from the tree.
Stressed trees are more prone to attack by borers and bark beetles. Trees can experience dieback from the tips of the branches, general decline and, finally, death.
Even if our plants survive, growth for the upcoming year will be affected. Plants store food reserves and prepare for the next growing season during the current growing season. For instance, buds for next year's growth were set earlier, during the summer.
A lack of water caused poor growth and defoliation this year, which means the plants produced less carbohydrates (sugars). Fewer carbohydrates mean fewer flower buds were produced this summer and fall, so we may expect a reduced bloom this spring.
Evergreen conifers, such as pine and spruce, have been especially hard hit. They don't do well in heavy, poorly drained soils with high clay content, which is pretty much the norm for most Southwestern Indiana landscapes. This poor soil forces the evergreens and other species to develop shallow root systems, to get water and air.
When drought comes, these trees don't have the deep roots necessary to reach the water found in deeper layers.
Additionally, evergreen foliage continues to lose moisture during the winter. Without adequate soil moisture to replace this, expect to see severe browning and loss of needles.
The only thing we can do now is water our plants. No sprays or fertilizers are going to make a lick of difference. Because roots spread out way beyond the ends of the branches, plan on watering the entire yard.
Apply 1 inch of water per week, preferably all in one day. You may need to apply this a quarter-inch at a time to penetrate the rock-hard soil. Continue watering until the ground freezes.
For more information on the drought and its effects on garden plants, contact the Purdue Extension Service at (812) 435-5287.
One more thing: This Saturday, there will be a free tree care workshop, sponsored by Keep Evansville Beautiful.
City Arborist Shawn Dickerson and I will be the speakers, and we will cover why trees are important in the city, selecting the right species and how to plant and care for them.
The free workshop will be held at the Line Street Church of Christ, 756 Line St. in Evansville, from 9 to 11 a.m.
Larry Caplan is an extension educator-horticulture with the Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service, Vanderburgh County/Southwest Indiana. You can send e-mail to him at LCaplan@purdue.edu.
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