Everyone seems to be gardening during the pandemic so if you’ve got questions turn to Ask an Expert, an online question-and-answer tool from Oregon State University’s Extension Service. OSU Extension faculty and Master Gardeners reply to queries within two business days, usually less. To ask a question, simply go to the OSU Extension website and type in a question and the county where you live. Here are some questions asked by other gardeners. What’s yours?
Q: I have several areas where I’m using a drip system and am wondering how much water and how much time I should be using. Also, how do I measure water. I have a Kousa dogwood, raised bed (vegetables and herbs) Asian pear, and saffron bulbs. On another zone (different hose) I have potatoes, blueberry bushes (two), boxwood, and assorted flowers. – Multnomah County
A: Soaker hoses and drip systems are a great convenience, but you have seen the primary difficulty – how long should they run?
Here’s one of the best answers I’ve seen, from a fellow Master Gardener, John K. (Thanks, John)
The annoying answer to how much should I irrigate is: It depends.
It depends on how hot it is, the type of plant, and the type of soil. A year like 2015, which was hotter and drier than normal would require more irrigation than 2016 which enjoyed periodic summer rain. When using timed irrigation, it is a good water practice to adjust timing several times during the irrigation season. In the interest of water conservation and your water bill, it is also important to remember to turn a timed system off during rainy periods.
The environment and your water bill will thank you for using no more water than necessary. Monitor plants for signs of water stress. Symptoms of water stress are wilting or folding leaves, dull or gray-green leaves, leaf drop, or new leaves maturing smaller than older leaves.
Drip irrigation wets a smaller area than sprinkling, so must be done more frequently. Daily or alternative day watering is necessary. It is important to monitor soil moisture and allow it to dry some between watering.
It is useful to determine how much water is being applied by the emitters. Some systems have emitters that allow a specific amount per hour. Others can be calculated by catching the output over a timed cycle. You’ll know how much water is applied per time period.
The goal is to apply enough water to supply water to wet the entire root zone. This will depend on the plant. Rhododendrons and azaleas have shallow root zones so would not require as deep watering. Trees will require much more water.
A rough rule of thumb is to run emitters 15 minutes in spring and several hours in hot, dry summer days. Use a hand trowel or auger to dig down and determine how well the emitters are accomplishing the task. There’s no better way to find out what’s going on than to look. (Only went down an inch? Soggy at 5 inches? Stayed wet for three days?)
If you have different soil types within your yard, keep in mind clay soil will hold water and sandier soils will not. Mulching plants is a great way to reduce water needs in spring and summer.
The age of your plants will also be important. New plants should receive more water for the first two years, since most of the root mass is still in the nursery soil.
Washington State University has a great online calculator that can be found here.
To find more research-based information on drip irrigation see Drip Irrigation: an introduction.
And for information on the many ways to water plants go here.
For local guidance on how much to water trees, shrubs, and lawns, you can enter your zip code here to get tailored information. – Claudia Groth, OSU Extension Master Gardener
Q: I believe pill bugs ate the stems of my cucumber and summer squash plants. I’d like to replant, but what can I do about the pill bugs? – Benton County
A: Pill bugs thrive in moist environments. They hide and breed in moist areas like cooler areas of compost piles, under plant containers or anything that sits directly on the ground (piles of firewood, etc.). If these pots are sitting directly on the ground then elevate them (one option is to set up on two bricks). This will increase airflow and reduce the chance that the pill bugs are reproducing under the containers. Look around and identify other nearby areas where the pill bugs might be hiding. I see in the photo there is an irrigation system. Make sure the soil has a chance to dry out in between waterings so that it isn’t a moist habitat for the pill bugs. If you think the pill bugs are breeding and living in these containers (not just traveling to feed on the plants) then I would recommend removing and replacing the top portion of the soil down about 4″. This will remove the breeding population and give you a chance to start over. – Brooke Edmunds, OSU Extension horticulturist
Can this twisted pine branch be straightened?OSU Extension Service
Q: I have a pine seedling from nursery stock that has branches that apparently were confined as they grew and twisted at a sharp angle near the trunk. As they are still soft and pliable, is it possible/advisable to gently support them in some straighter manner? – Jackson County
A: Unfortunately, this kind of damage cannot be corrected unless you prune off the branch. This might make the tree a bit one-sided, but it appears to be a three-needle pine, possibly Jeffrey or Ponderosa? (Sunset lists more than 30 varieties of pine; there are others that have needles in groups of three (Knobcone, Lacebark, Canary Island, Coulter and Bosnian are some). Both Jeffrey and Ponderosa are native to Oregon and as they grow, the lowest branches tend to die back. In the wild, these branches would drop normally. In civilization, they can be pruned. Your tree is young. Our advice is to let the tree grow up a bit (three to five years) and see if the shape it takes resembles your hopes. We also note the widespread distance between branch sets: this can indicate too much water is being given. Most pines are very drought tolerant and thrive with fast drainage. A top dressing of mulch around the plant can be beneficial to protect the shallow roots. Keep a 2- to 3-inch layer of organic mulch beneath the tree, at least 6 inches out from the trunk. To avoid future problems of this sort, if you did not choose this plant yourself but it was brought by a landscaper, you might have a word with him or her about your displeasure. Many licensed landscape people are more than happy to right a wrong. – Marjorie Neal, OSU Extension Master Gardener
CaterpillarOSU Extension Service
Q: I’ve been gardening in Eugene for 30 years. Three days ago, we found a large hornworm in our lawn. Are these local? – Lane County
A: Cool find! That is a hornworm caterpillar from the genus Smerinthus. According to the PNW Moths website, because of your location, the species should be Smerinthus ophthalmica. Caterpillars of this species are specialists that only feed on willows, cottonwoods, and aspens. They won't feed on your other plants.
This caterpillar looks very mature. It probably either fell out of the tree where it was feeding or it may have been done feeding and dropped out of the tree to look for a good place to pupate.
Nice that you got to see this beautiful caterpillar! You can just release it to continue on its way. – William Gerth, OSU Extension Master Gardner
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