Here are tips to set up your yard and garden for success as Kansas’ drought continues
The majority of Kansas continues to experience drought conditions this spring, and it could lead to some concern for hopeful gardeners and landscapers wanting to make their yards ready for summer.
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, much of Kansas is experiencing some level of drought or unusual dryness. A large stretch of south and southwest Kansas is in the “exceptional drought” category, the most severe level, as of April 4. The majority of Sedgwick County is seeing “extreme drought,” the second most severe level.
Due to the drought, Kansas farmers have reported low water levels in aquifers, and the dry conditions can also lead to greater fire risk across the state.
Whether you started gardening this year or a decade ago, it never hurts to refresh yourself on best practices while in the midst of a drought. The Eagle spoke to Matthew McKernan, an ornamental horticulture agent, and Rebecca McMahon, a horticultural food crops agent, both with the Sedgwick County Extension Office.
How to prepare your plants for ongoing drought
McKernan and McMahon said the best way to make your plants drought-resistant is to prepare them ahead of time.
For landscapes, McKernan said this means to not over water your plants, which would set them up for failure.
“A lot of people have a tendency to turn on their irrigation systems and let it run like clockwork, and so people oftentimes over water in the spring months when it’s cool,” McKernan said. “But we want to be trying to water somewhat infrequently and for longer periods of time when we water, so that we really get the soil wet ... but then we allow it to dry down before we water again.”
McKernan said this trains the plants’ roots to grow further down, and when that happens, plants are able to last longer in drier conditions.
One way McKernan recommends gardeners achieve this is to soak the ground 6 to 12 inches deep once a month. He said to continue doing this however long dry conditions last.
For gardens, McMahon said the best way to prepare is to keep the soil moist. You can do this by adding organic matter to your garden routinely, like mulch, which will help your garden take in water and preserve it.
“Usually in my vegetable garden, I try to keep the soil covered all the time, you know, using leaves or straw, and what I find is that we haven’t had hardly any moisture this winter, but when I pull back that mulch, the soil underneath is still moist. So it’s not using water, it’s conserving water that way,” McMahon said.
McMahon said especially in dry conditions, it’s important to provide gardens with ways to keep whatever water it gets.
“If you have to irrigate, it’s going to help your soil hold that water better,” McMahon said. “That water is not running off or evaporating.”
Drought-resistant plants for your Kansas garden
Having plants that can survive drier conditions can be vital in weather like Kansas has been having, but choosing drought-resistant plants for landscaping is harder than it looks, McKernan said.
“You can definitely pick drought-tolerant plants to add to your landscape, but it’s going to take them a couple of years to .... [get] acclimated to your landscape before we could consider them drought-tolerant,” he said.
As for what kinds of plants can accomplish that, the list is long, but includes:
Lamb’s ear
Rush sage
Daylilies
Catmint
Solomon’s seal
Lantana
Vinca
Irea shrubs
Crepe myrtle
Beauty berry
Osage orange
Ball cyprus
Eastern redbud
For a full list of options, you can browse a list from the extension.
As for grass, McKernan said it’s common in the area to plant tall fescue. However, because the plant is actually meant to be a cool season plant, it requires a lot of watering to keep it green during the summer.
For grass that requires less watering, McKernan recommends zoysia grass, buffalo grass or bermuda grass. These grasses are made for the hotter, drier season and require less resources in the summer than the common tall fescue, especially under drought conditions.
For gardening, McMahon said while there are no specific plants she recommends people avoid during a drought, there are plants that do worse than others. If you want to plant tomatoes, McMahon said to be prepared.
“Tomatoes do take up quite a bit of water to be really productive,” she said. “And so, you know, maybe plant a few tomato plants, but consider throwing in some others, as well.”
McMahon said three plants that do really well under dry conditions are eggplants, ocra and sweet potatoes.
If you’re new to gardening, McMahon said to start small, especially in a drought. She also said to make sure you have a way to water it.
“Don’t plant more than you can manage with the water resources that you have available,” McMahon said.
You can also build a water barrel to water your plants and preserve any rain if it falls. The extension office has guidelines and directions on how to build one available online.
Extra resources to help you garden in Kansas
If you’re interested in gardening, you might want to check out the newly expanded Kansas Garden Guide from Kansas State Research and Extension, which includes an expanded section on starting a garden.
“There’s a lot more parts and diagrams that help you learn about crop rotation and planting a garden using your space and things like that,” McMahon said.
The garden guide is available via a free download online in PDF form.
If you’re interested in learning more about drought-tolerant plants, K-State Research and Extension is putting on a free online webinar May 3 on the topic, which can be viewed on YouTube after the event.
