Water wisely in warm weather

The weather is hot, hot, hot. Carson City residents are watering like crazy. On each watering day, they are using several million gallons more water than the 19 million gallons the wells are able to produce in a day. To give the wells a chance to recharge, Carson City declared a Stage 2 Water Alert last week, asking residents to quit irrigating for a few days voluntarily.

Some trees are exhibiting signs of scorch. The edges and areas between the veins of leaves turn crispy brown. Although this could be a sign of drought stress, in this heat, it is more likely a result of the tree not being able to pull water out of the ground quickly enough as heat and wind evaporate moisture off leaf surfaces.

Here's how you can water wisely and keep your plants healthy:

Mulch all plants with a 4- to 6-inch layer of organic material. This could be bark, grass clippings, leaves or even straw. Mulch keeps the soil cooler. It reduces loss of water due to evaporation from the soil. When moist, it keeps the air around the plant more humid.

Water plants deeply, especially trees. Hand-watering rarely soaks the soil more than a few inches deep. Drip systems are more efficient, particularly if there are enough emitters for the size of the plant and if you run the system long enough to apply gallons of water at a time. Alternatively, try soaker hoses that ooze water slowly over a number of hours. Mature trees that are mulched will be fine with twice-a-week watering.

Never water in the wind or the sun. Water before the sun comes up or after it sets for optimal absorption by the plant. With our dry environment and warm summer nights, you don't have to worry about plant diseases when you irrigate at night.

Don't fertilize during a heat wave. This is true particularly for lawns and trees. Fertilization stimulates new growth, which needs a lot of water. Older growth is hardened off and can handle some drought stress.

Let your lawn be less than bright green. This will use less water. Bluegrass lawns can go dormant under drought stress, returning to green when the weather cools and water is once again applied. Fescue lawns can have 24-inch roots. With these deep roots, fescue can go longer between irrigations.

Be water smart. Make every drop count.

• JoAnne Skelly is the Carson City/Storey County Extension educator for University of Nevada Cooperative Extension and may be reached at skellyj@unce.unr.edu or 887-2252.