I know that gardeners in other areas of the country have been blessed with proper, sustained downpours, but no such luck here.
I know that gardeners in other areas of the country have been blessed with proper, sustained downpours, but no such luck here. My only experience of rain in recent weeks was during a (very enjoyable) visit to Garden Show Ireland at Hillsborough Castle, near Belfast.
The early courgette fruit that I boasted about in a recent blog has fallen victim to the combination of dry weather and strong winds – I found it lying, dehydrated and dishevelled, on the ground this morning.
Moisture is lost from plant foliage via the minute pores, or stomata, on the leaf surface (most commonly on the underside). This process is known as transpiration. The moisture expelled from the plant tends to accumulate in ‘shells’ close to the leaf, helping to mitigate the loss of water vapour from the plant itself. But, when plants are bombarded by strong gusts of wind, these pockets of moisture are blown away. This in turn causes further moisture loss from the stomata. A vicious circle…
I have been watering plants wherever and whenever I can. Also, I’ve enriched my heavy soil with moisture retentive manure and compost, and applied a mulch. My thirstier crops are situated in slight dips, to increase their chances of receiving whatever surface water is available. But I can only do so much. I’m increasingly desperate for some serious rain, so will have to resort to a rain dance if it doesn’t come soon…
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