Tag Archives: climate

Planting for Drought Tolerance and Deer Resistance

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Destructive deer and hot, dry summers are two very common issues in the Rogue Valley. Drought tolerant and deer resistant plants are a good combination to aim for because the qualities in plants that repel deer can often be found in drought tolerant species- such as heavy oil content, textured or hairy foliage, strong odors, and tough, less succulent leaves. The key to keeping drought tolerant plants happy and more unpalatable to deer is to give them the habitat they are used to- so don’t water them every day just because its 90 degrees!

Good drainage is usually essential- if you don’t have it, you’ll probably have to water even less

No heavy fertilizing: Use only organic or slow release fertilizer if called for at time of planting. Over fertilizing will attract deer. If the plants look yellow it is usually from too much water, not lack of fertilizer.

Dedicate an area to drought tolerant plants: Don’t mix plants that need regular water with drought tolerant plants. Do not put them on the same irrigation system & timer or one group will suffer.

Do not over water! It’s best to plant drought tolerant plants in early spring or early fall so they can get established with the rains.

  • Once established many plants do not need summer water.
  • They will only need an occasional deep soak.
  • Don’t plant them where they will get extra water from lawn areas or runoff from other irrigated areas.

 How to get good drainage:

Mound up soil when making new beds or planting a new plant. Create a berm. Plant drought tolerant plants on a hillside or slope

Mulch with at least a 1″ layer of 1/4″-io gravel to keep dirt from rotting the crown of plant, to retain moisture during heat and keep plant roots warmer in winter

For clay soil amend with 1/4″- io gravel (sharp edge, no fines) and compost will help break down clay over time.

 How to water drought tolerant plants

Observe- most plants need to dry out before the next watering- stick your finger a few inches into soil (well below mulch, which will feel dry), if it is cool and damp, don’t need to water yet.

Infrequent But Deep Soak: This trains plants to have deep roots, not shallow. Often a deep soak every 2 weeks in heat of summer is enough- easier to do with drip irrigation than sprinklers

Watering rule of thumb (depends on site and soil type)

  1. 1st year of planting water deeply once a week for first month of summer,
  2. Then water once every 2 weeks for 2nd and 3rd month of summer
  3. Water once a month the 2nd summer and don’t water again.

 How to find drought tolerant plants

Look to natives- can tolerate summer drought and winter wet

Look to Mediterranean plants- similar climate (also cold hardy Australian and northern California plants, hardy desert plants/succulents) get help from your local nursery!- we’ve talked to countless customers and worked in our own gardens and have seen what works

How to find deer resistant plants

  • Look around your neighborhood drive or walk around heavy deer areas- Jacksonville, hills of east Medford, wooded parts of Ashland- observe what has been chewed- deer can be very neighborhood specific
  • Read lists, but be ready to experiment
  • use Liquid Fence, Plantskydd, or similar product on all new plantings to discourage initial browsing
  • Use cages around most new trees- to prevent antler damage and new growth chewing
  • Deer damage can depend on time of year you plant- when deer are especially hungry in fall and winter they can graze on almost anything
  • Use poisonous, strongly scented or sharply textured plants (grasses, sometimes prickly/thorny textures, fuzzy/hairy leaves, pine needles, etc.)
  • Talk to your local nursery- we know from our experiences and those of our customers and landscapers what has worked and what hasn’t

By: Christie Mackison, Shooting Star Nursery

Cool-Season Crops

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Get a head start gardening in western Oregon with cool-season crops:

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Is this dry winter making you anxious to dig in the dirt again? There’s some good news if you garden in western Oregon and are an optimist.

Cool-season plants can be directly seeded into the ground in March in the Willamette Valley and southern Oregon , said Bob Reynolds, the Master Gardener coordinator for the Oregon State University Extension Service in Jackson and Josephine counties.

Cool-season crops include peas, arugula, carrots, cabbage, cilantro, fava beans, kale, kohlrabi, spinach, chard, turnips and lettuce.

Reynolds said he’s getting questions from the public already about when to start planting and how to tell when soil is ready.

“It depends on how experienced they are and how long they’ve lived here,” Reynolds said. “If they’ve lived here long, then they know a week of 60-degree days doesn’t mean spring is here. You may be anxious, but you hold yourself back.”

Reynolds recommends using a soil thermometer to check your soil temperature to decide whether to dig in. Soil rather than air temperature is the bellwether of whether to plant, he said. Seeds such as peas will germinate at an average soil temperature of about 50 degrees. Each species has different temperature requirements for germination. Generally, cool-season plants can survive air temperatures as cold as 28 degrees, Reynolds said.

Cover the new plantings with clear plastic to protect the soil from getting too saturated by rain.

Snow provides a nice incubator for new plants, acting as a blanket to keep the coldest air from penetrating, Reynolds said.

You can start hand weeding any time. Wait until plants have established themselves before fertilizing them.

As for gardeners in central and eastern Oregon , they’re going to have to be patient. Direct seeding for cool-season crops is not possible until late April or May, said Amy Jo Detweiler, an Extension horticulturist in Redmond . Seedlings can be transplanted in May and June.

“We tell people that March is a good time to clean and sharpen your garden tools and take care of your houseplants,” Detweiler said.

March is also a good time for high-desert gardeners to study seed catalogs and prepare seed tapes. Seed tapes are good for plants that require thinning, such as radishes. To make a seed tape, cut a 2- to 3- inch strip the length of a newspaper or use tissue paper strips, 2-3 inches wide and however long you need it, Detweiler said.

When it’s time to plant, bury the seed tapes in the soil at the seed appropriate depth and the tissue paper or newspaper will break down into the soil, Detweiler said.

By Denise Ruttan, Oregon State Extension
Source: Bob Reynolds, OSU & Amy Jo Detweiler, OSU
This article is online at http://bit.ly/OSU_Gardening2236