I STILL encounter this persistent belief that we live in a
rainforest on the North Shore. This libelous charge could do
irreparable harm to our tourist trade as well as our lettuce,

lawns and rhododendrons.

it is obvious to all that the
spread of this outrageous lie could
scare away those tourist bucks, but
how many of you knew that there
are insufficient rains in the sum-
mer to keep most of our gardens
healthy?

Many times I have heard a
disgruntled gardener mumble some-
thing about how wonderful this or
that plant was in the past and how
currently it looks like a refugee
from a death camp.

When I ask them if they ever
water I usually hear, ‘‘Well we get
so much rain here you know and
we like to spend our summers out
on the boat (or what have you).””
And I think of the line from The
Ancient Mariner which goes some-
thing like, ‘‘water, water
everywhere and not a drop to
drink.”

And this is precisely the problem
in the summer months when the
weather gets better (not that it was
ever bad) and the plants get more
thirsty.

People will use any kind of ra-
tionalization to get out of dragging
out the hose and sprinkler to save
their investment. Like the old

standby,

“The more I water the
lawn, the more I have to cut it’’ or
“This isn’t our watering day’? or
“It’s going to rain tomorrow”’
(liart!).

The point is, if you want your
garden to perform at its best, you
must spend at least enough time to
water it. What follows are a few
tips that will make the task a little
more efficient and, hopefully, easy
enough to increase the likelihood
of its being done.

First question; how often? Look
to your soil for the answer here. In
general, if it is coarse-grained
(sandy) soil it will dry out faster,
while a fine-grained (clay) soil can
go further,

Also, check the soil depth and
the consistency of the subsoil
below. If the topsoil layer is thin
or the subsoil layer is porous, the
watering frequency must be in-
creased.

Next, consider the requirements
of your plants — junipers and
broom require far less water than
rhododendrons and hemlocks. Use
a good garden book to gain famil-
jarity with your plants’ watering
needs.

Just across the street
to the Burger King Plaza

Second question, how much?
Running around with the hose and
a nozzle spraying some dampness
onto the soil will not cut it. In
general, it takes 14% hours to
thoroughly soak 12 inches of an

19 - Friday, June 26, 1987 - North Shore News

Simply put, you should water
your garden for at least 14% hours
twice per week throughout the
growing season and every other
day when the weather has been re-
ally hot for more than three or

over the

garden gate
by Geoff Tobiasson

average North Shore soil.

Another aspect of this is root
depth; shallow-rooted plants such
as rhododendrons will tolerate
frequent, shallow watering while
deep-rooted plants such as fruit
trees require sufficient water to
penetrate to the lowest feeder
roots.

An unfortunate but common

occurrence is the lumpy, bumpy.

Jawn; a possible reason for this
condition could be a too frequent
and shallow sprinkling of the lawn
which will encourage the roots to
the surface.:

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including prints, posters, framed, unframed, stock frames and:

four days.

The most efficient method of
applying water is with a sprinkler
of some sort, although you could
go cheap and use a watering can;
you may even get enough time to
eat occasionally.

There are a huge number of

good, portable sprinklers
available, any one of which will do
the job; but remember that if you
go too cheap you may have to
quickly resort to the watering can.
Permanently-installed systems
are becoming ever. more popular
now as the Young Up-
wardly-mobile Professionals real-
ize that their investment will turn
into a dust bowl without the pro-
per watering which their busy

schedules do not permit (shopping,

doing lunch, and going to fitness
classes),

For more information on the .
various methods of getting it wet,
go to the library, garden centre,
and, preferably, an establishment
which specializes in irrigation such
as Vancouver Irrigation Supply.

And remember to follow the
rules. If your address is even-
numbered, you water on even-
numbered days and odd days if
you have an odd-numbered ad-
dress. Break this. rule and bylaw
enforcement can come and take
your lawn,

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