Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Recent storms and heavy rain
Many of us have been hit with storms and heavy rain. Effects can be dramatic or subtle. The first step is check your gardens. Large storm damage can be pretty easy to spot but there can be subtle damage you might not see unless you’re looking.
Check for small branch and leaf damage too and remove them. Stake or support newer plants and trees that need it. If the soil’s been saturated (like the 3 and 4 inch rains and more we’ve had) some plants will need a little help in keeping their footing!
Don’t walk on, compress or compact your soil. Walking on or working in wet soil can actually compact it even more. As I’ve said before on previous garden bites, you’ll wind up with dirt clods.
Watch for areas where the water is eroding your garden. I have had a few spots. One is from a neighbor that’s got all they can do to take care of their kids and their business. So, I just moved some plants and have made a sort of drainage way.
For lawn issues check out the University of Minnesota Extension. This link will take you to the best information.
Most perennial plants can withstand standing water for a few days but any more than that, the root structure will suffer. Never walk through the area while it’s saturated. Again, you’ll compact the soil, taking out any oxygen that the soil needs and turn it into dirt clods.
