The weather here has been with no rain and 90 plus temps for days now. my lawn is brown and literally crunchy. I am talkin step on it and it literally crunches. I water at night when the shade fromt he house has covered the back yard for at least an hour and a half. I soak that down, just my gardens not the lawn. by morning everything is ok, not perky but just ok. by evening it is so wilted. omg, been a long time since I have had to deal with this.
So I ask, would getting some straw be the right thing to do? I do not want the roots staying close to the top but at the same time. I have lost an easy third of the annuals all ready. Even at the river the boat is in serious trouble.
so if I put the straw down and seriously soak it good, that should save it right without ruining the new kids I have just planted......
Thanks guys ahead of time.
Elfie

Hi Elfie,I too am wishing for some rain.I use lots of traw in my gardens,soak first and than put it out.for new transplants I put pots,buckets or whatever comes in handy over them it helps a lot.Wish you luck and rain

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Even winters coldest day can't keep the hope of spring away

Still no rain in Indiana a week after your posts. Same problem here. I'm using a soaker hose - drip type. Yesterday I put straw down in my veggie garden.

My tomato, green and wax been plants are ok, but my pepper plants seem to be stunted.

Pray for rain! If we're having these problems, think how the farmers feel!!!

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Stormy

We haven't had a lot of rain here either. We use grass clippings around our vegatable plants and it seems to be working.

Lovegreenery

OK, here's what I do in west TX as a matter of course. THe soaker hose is good. However you water, remember to do it deeply and less often rather than sprinkling the tops more often. This promotes deep roots. Next: mulch. Got to have it. Use whatever is cheap and available in your area. I like a mixture of shredded and medium bark. It makes a good cover. Grass clippings can be used, but I find they mold and pack. Straw works pretty well but you'll end up with sprouted wheat or oats or whatever kind of straw it is. Even shredded newspaper works. Water low and slow, early morning and/or early evening. If you have something valuable, make a quickie PVC frame and use electrical quick ties to afix shade cloth. Or you can take your left over black pots, flank your plant(s) with them (up-side-down), spread the shade cloth on top, and hold it down with a rock. Keep it on until the temp drops to something normal. Good luck to us all.