Rainfall Relief

• Posted on 9 August 2018
• 0

BatesRewards members can take advantage; 25% off Everything That Grows!

While the benefits of widespread rainfall may be incalculable, it is certainly appreciated.  Yesterday nearly all of middle Tennessee received substantial rainfall.  Here at the nursery, we received .51 inches of rainfall; that was met with much happiness as it not only provides free water for the plants, it also settled and transformed the dust.  Generally precipitation amounts in the .3 to .5 of an inch range were common around the mid-state.  

That might not sound like all that much rain, but when the soil is parched, every bit helps.  The prospects for additional rain today and tomorrow are favorable also: icing on the cake from a horticultural point-of-view.  After all, it is August and rain is never a sure thing.  That said, it is not unusual for the occasional 1 inch downpour to occur, but from a plant benefit standpoint, three consecutive days where 1/3 of an inch of rain occurs is much more beneficial; the soil is able to more fully absorb the rainfall and runoff is greatly reduced.

A fallacy in rainfall amounts is just that, the amount.  We all hear rainfall totals any given year as being either above or below average, but from a plant viability sense, whenever rain falls fast enough to create runoff, the benefit to our trees and shrubs is lost…downstream.  It is entirely possible to have heavy rains occur and have drought on its heels.  Having multi-inch rainfall events look good on the annual chart, but are less beneficial for plants than lesser amounts on a more frequent basis.  The only rainwater that really counts is that which is absorbed.

Many folks perceive this time of year as a bad time to plant, and if you’re not willing to water, it is true.  Watering is the key.  After all, we grow plants on pavement; you have a much easier time with them planted in the ground.  Since I already know you are a water-er, you get 25% off everything we sell that requires it…through August 16, 2018.

David Bates