UF/IFAS
Okeechobee County Extension Service
458
Highway 98 North
Okeechobee,
FL 34972-2578
Phone:
(863) 763-6469
E-
mail: dfculbert@ifas.ufl.edu
April
5, 2007
| Quick
Links: Drought
Dangers Drought Tips
References |
Feature
Article - for release the week of April 8, 2007
Dan
Culbert - Extension Horticulture Agent
Dealing
with Drought
This
week we expect to hear from the South Florida Water
Management District that our area will be placed under
even more challenging water restrictions. Since our
office has already begun to field questions on how to cope
with limited water supplies, it is appropriate to offer
some suggestion on how to deal with drought in local
Florida Yards.
Some
of the best ways to deal with reduced landscape water
supplies involve preparing well before the spigots are
turned off. These tips include choosing drought
tolerant plants, how to conditioning your landscape to survive on
less water and making adjustments to irrigation equipment
to deliver water more efficiently. Today’s column
will focus on things that can be done for the here and
now.
Dangers
of Drought
How
dry are we? A popular measure of drought is
the Keetch-Byram Drought Index
(KBDI). This is the
index that runs from 0 (flood stage) to 800 (desert
conditions). Last week (when this article was
written) the average KBDI drought index for Okeechobee was
674; unless a flood has happened since then, expect the
number to have increased.
Drought
in the landscape means plant stress from a lack of water.
The signs of turf grass turning from gray green to brown
are well known to many people, but folding leaves and
drooping branches of trees and shrubs will also be seen in
our Florida Yards. Those problem areas in
irrigation systems are now quite evident, and it looks
like we are in the middle of summer. With continued
wilting, the ability of a plant to fend off pests becomes
reduced, and our Florida Yards will be in for some
challenges.
This
is a close-up of the KBDI map for the Okeechobee
region on April 4, 2007. Notice that much of
Glades county and a lot of Okeechobee
county has index values of more than 700 (pink
colors). This means it is extremely dry.
Graphic courtesy FDACS/Division
of Forestry.
|
With
drought comes the danger of wildfires.
Please be very careful with fire, sparks, and equipment
that can come in contact with dried plant
materials.
|
|
Lake Okeechobee
is our source of water. With little rainfall
in the past year, It is now at historically low
levels. Photo taken 4/4/07 by Pat
Miller, UF/IFAS |
Folded grass leaves indicate a need for
water. Turf will first look blue green,, and
you can see footprints in the grass if you walk
across wilted lawns. Photo:
UF/IFAS EH Departament.
|
Another
serious issue with drought is the danger of wildfire.
Our natural areas and landscapes are suffering from this
past winter’s frost damage, as well as a lack of
moisture needed for recovery and normal seasonal growth.
That’s why there is a burn ban in most of South Florida,
including our area.
The
SFWMD is expected to approve water use restrictions this
coming week, and our area will be required to move to a 45
percent reduction in their overall water consumption. This
is being done to preserve our limited water supplies
needed for basic human health and safety. And
despite what die-hard gardeners may believe, landscape
irrigation is not considered to be necessary for basic
human health and safety.
Under
the current Phase II
restrictions, landscape watering is
allowed twice a week. If Phase III
restrictions are imposed (as expected later this week),
watering would be allowed only once
a week. It is time to take inventory of
landscape watering practices, and adjust them to meet our
current drought emergency.
Tips
for droughty landscapes 
*
Choose
your battles. Concentrate your watering
efforts on parts of the landscape that REALLY need water.
Certain plants will ultimately recover from drought, (like
Bahia grass lawns). Other plants will not survive
without irrigation. Consider giving up on those
water-hog plants or those that are not going to make it
anyway. These can be replaced with drought tolerant
species. Recently planted ornamentals and fruit
trees with young developing fruit would be a bit more
important on the list of pants that must have their drink
of water. And, if there are plants that have
sentimental value, keep them alive by providing them with
your valuable watering allotments.
*
Place
your potted plants close together in shady areas.
Plants that are close together will help keep an envelope
of moisture around their neighboring plants, reducing the
need for irrigation.
*
Calibrate
your sprinkler – apply only enough water on
your designated watering day to fill a can with ½ to ¾
inch of water. The amount of time to do this will
depend on how you water your landscape. For hose
watering, use the same number of turns of the water valve
any time you water. If you have a time clock, it
should be set for the time needed to deliver this ½ of
water.
*
Restrict
the use of fertilizers. Fertilizers
encourage new succulent growth that can not be supported
unless extra water is available. Most fertilizers
will need to be watered into the root zone and if
insufficient water is used, root damage can result.
*
Use
pesticides carefully. While some pest
problems are reduced in dry conditions (e.g. fungal rots
and aquatic weeds), others can become multiplied by
drought (e.g. nematode damage and spider mites).
Check with our office to be sure that any pesticides used
will be appropriate for dry conditions.
*
Delay
planting new plants. New plants will
require additional water to become properly established in
the landscape. Due to the drought, one local church
has chosen to remove damaged shrubs and mulch the bed for
now; they will replant once our summer rains resume.
Use the time to visit your favorite nursery and order
those replacement plants for some time in near future.
*
Prune
or remove fire-sensitive plants near rural
homes and buildings. For example, plants like Brazilian
pepper and wax myrtle have lots of oils in their leaves
burn quickly- they should be kept away from buildings. The
FDACS Division of Forestry has detailed information on
making a defensible fire-proof space around your home.
They also can make presentations to help your community
become Fire-Wise. http://www.fl-dof.com/wildfire/firewise_index.html
*
Be
careful with sparks and fire. Besides the
drought, we are under a burn ban. But many wildfires
are a result of carelessness or accidents that create
sparks and lead to raging infernos. For example, if
your vehicle must be stopped on a roadside, be sure that
the muffler or underside does not come in contact with dry
underbrush. Smokers need to use the ashtrays and avoid
tossing their butts on the ground or out the car window.
There
are several sources of additional information on keeping
up to date with the drought situation. Besides our
office, drought information is available from the South
Florida Water Management District and the FDACS Division
of Forestry. Theses agencies are the sources of our
drought regulations, and also offer advice on dealing with
drought. Many of these tips are available on their
websites.
I’ve
placed more information on our Okeechobee web page, http://okeechobee.ifas.ufl.edu.
If you need additional information on dealing with
drought, please email us at okeechobee@ifas.ufl.edu
or call us at 863-763-6469. Local residents can stop
by our office at 458 Hwy 98 North in Okeechobee, and visit
our Okeechobee County Master Gardeners from 1 to 3 PM on
Tuesday afternoons. GO
GATORS!
-30-
Trade
names, where used, are given for the purpose of providing
specific information. They do not constitute an
endorsement or guarantee of products named, nor does it
imply criticism of products not named. The Florida
Cooperative Extension Service - Institute of
Food and Agricultural Sciences is an equal
opportunity/affirmative action employer authorized to
provide research, educational information, and other
services to individuals and institutions that function
without regard to race, color, sex, age, handicap, or
national origin. Florida
Cooperative
Extension Service / IFAS /
University
of
Florida.
Larry
A. Arrington, Dean Last
update: 04/09/2007
. This page is maintained by Dan
Culbert
references
Elsken, Katrina. "Drought
raises wildfire risk". Okeechobee News,
4/9/07, p.1. http://www.newszap.com/articles/2007/04/09/fl/lake_okeechobee/aok01.prt
"Hold Your Water -
Coping with Watering Restrictions"
(SolutionsForYourLife webpage). Gainesville:
UF/IFAS Extension Service, 4/5/07. http://solutionsforyourlife.ufl.edu/hot_topics/lawn_and_garden/drought.html
"Lake Okeechobee
Service Area (LOSA) Water Shortage Management"
(webpage). West Palm Beach: SFWMD, 4/5/07. http://www.sfwmd.gov/site/index.php?id=868
"Sensible
Sprinkling"
West Palm Beach: SFWMD, 4/5/07. http://www.sfwmd.gov/images/pdfs/splash/splsensprnk.pdf
"Wildland Fire"
(webpage). Tallahassee: FDACS Division of Forestry,
4/5/07. http://www.fl-dof.com/wildfire/index.html