Garden expert gives tips for bringing plants through drought - 13 WTHR Indianapolis

Marion County's mandatory watering ban takes effect Friday. Watering the lawn is out, but you can water plants and flowers by hand, either with a hose or using buckets.

But is it worth continuing the battle to keep your garden growing and at least partly green?

Absolutely, according to Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp, the Hoosier Gardener.

"The worst thing to do is give up," Sharp said. "Because plants need to get through the season and into fall and bulk up to survive winter."

She said it's especially important as we're already coming off two particularly dry years.

Sharp, though, said don't waste time on plants that are obviously beyond help, such as burnt up day lilies or Hostas. Instead, make a list of priorities. For her, fruit and vegetable plants top the list, followed by potted plants, annuals, perennials, trees and shrubs.

She said the rule of thumb is that most plants need an inch of water per week. How do you measure that? Sharp said it's equal to three five-gallon buckets.

While you could fill up the buckets and haul them to the garden, here's a much easier way to ensure your plants are getting enough water: Get one five-gallon bucket and time how long it takes to fill it. Multiply that by three and that's long you should run the hose on each plant.

So, if it takes roughly a minute to fill one bucket with your hose, that means you'll need to water each plant three minutes per week.

If you have a lot of plants, that's a lot of work. But Sharp adds, "You could water each plant one-and-a-half minutes and move on and a few days later, do another minute-and-a-half to get your three minutes."

You could also water your garden in segments.

She said to be sure to water in the center of the plant "so the water spreads naturally" and prefers a shower head nozzle, as "it's more gentle like rain."

Remember that new plantings need extra TLC. The same is often true for plants next to trees.

"The tree wins when it comes to sucking up nutrients, including water," Sharp said.

While sprinklers are best used in the early morning or late evening to avoid evaporation, Sharp said, "If you're putting water down close to the soil, you can do it any time."

She adds that putting mulch around the plants helps seal in moisture.

As for the grass, let it be and try not to step on it, which will further damage it.

Also, if you have new plants which have fallen prey to the heat and dry conditions, you might be able to return them. Some stores and nurseries guarantee plants for up to a year as long as you have a receipt, though store policies do vary.