Your soil after the deluge

Rain washes plants and soil clean for a fresh start in spring. BRUCE CHAMBERS, BRUCE CHAMBERS, THE REGISTER

A downpour like last weekend's works wonders to wash the soil clean. Harmful residues from municipal water are pushed below the root zone, and plants respond with vigorous growth in the weeks that follow.

Consider that tap water is chlorinated to make it safe to drink. Besides killing bacteria in the water you use for a cup of tea, chlorides can also reduce beneficial microorganisms in soil and compost piles. You know – those important microorganisms such as fungi and bacteria that break down organic matter and turn it into nutrients?

Without them, nutrients just sit there because plants don't use nitrogen and phosphorus directly. Microorganisms do, and turn soil nutrients into food forms that plants can use. The more microorganisms you have, the healthier your garden is.

A clean wash from the rain gives microorganisms a chance to flourish, and all is well until we pop the sprinklers on again.

Also consider pH. While tap water leans alkaline to cause less corrosion on our pipes, rainwater is the opposite: acidic. In our already alkaline soils, alkaline water can make the environment below ground inhospitable. Rain helps lower the pH, which in turn balances the chemistry of the soil. Most plants prefer a slightly acidic soil.

Furthermore, chlorinated water leaves dissolved minerals behind. You know that white crust on your faucets and fixtures? Chlorides ride along with other mineral salts.

Japanese maples, in particular, suffer after a season or so of water district fare, but should look very good when they leaf out in spring this year.

A deep drench also means that groundwater is recharged. And while native plants don't particularly like water around their crowns in summer, they rely on this deep moisture to see them through the dry season.

A thunderstorm is the best of all. Rain that falls from thunderclouds provides nitrites – nitrogen compounds that plants use directly.

Stone fruits, on the other hand, may not fare as well after a downpour. It's not that the trees aren't as glad as the rest of our plants to get a fresh start with clean soil, but heavy rainfall may not leave any flowers.

When gardeners wonder why their plums are paltry or they got too few apricots this season, they likely forgot the weather way back when the trees were blooming. Strong winds and damaging rain can knock the flowers off your trees.

If these flowers were pollinated, then the crop is lost. If the tree blooms again, you have a chance for fruit this season, especially if the bees are out and about on warm days. Bees aren't any fonder of drizzly days and cold weather than we are.

With a clean start, it's as good a time as any to think about going organic. In fact, you can lay off the fertilizers, organic or not, for the bulk of your plants.

It makes little difference to the environment if you're laying down chemical nitrogen forms or organic one. Both get washed into the water table or out to sea, especially during a downpour.

Contact the writer: cmcnatt@ocregister.com

User Agreement

Comments are encouraged, but you must follow our User Agreement


Programs & Promotions
Business Directory
Ads by Google