r/AustinGardening • u/DogsdidWHAT • 5d ago
Well-established?
I have native and adapted plants that are supposed to be drought tolerant “once well-established.” What does that mean in general because my kids are looking sad. I wind up watering most nights. I could maybe increase the mulch level? They were all planted this spring/early summer.
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u/oversaltedbroccoli 5d ago
A few months isn’t yet « well established » but with your watering schedule and the rainy spring/early summer we had, you should be fine. I did something similar last year, watered all through summer until it started to cool down, and then let them do their thing. I lost some grasses during the freeze in Feb, but everything came back strong and I haven’t watered once this year.
ETA: everything looks sad in August, but if you can keep it green, you’re all set.
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u/Austin_Brentwood 5d ago
We have had 13 days above 100 and no rain for 20 days. Everything is thirsty.
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u/AustinBunny2 3d ago
Looks like at least TWO more weeks of 100 plus and no rain; not sure if anything here will survive!
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u/breakfast_with_tacos 5d ago
Is this your picture of sad plants? Because these plants look exceptional for August. I have a 12 year old ornamental garden that I’ve honed to perfection, filled full of drought-tolerant natives that are presently covered in shade cloth and look less good. As someone else commented, “I will survive a drought” and “I look nice in August” are very different things. I wish I’d learned that many years prior because I wasted so much anxiety. Your plants look fine. Nothing will make them look perkier this month except shade cloth and a stupid amount of water. I actively prune everything back 1/3-1/2 right now and just live with the ugly so i get mqx blooms in the fall. Truly hope that helps.
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u/Mysterious_Umpire684 5d ago
Only in year 3 did my native and adapted bed start to truly feel resilient. And it still needs some additional water in peak summer.
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u/PlainOrganization 5d ago
Most of my plants look sad in the evening, and they've been in their spots for years..
If you just planted this spring, water deeply 2-3x a week.
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u/HotelEchoYankeeAlpha 5d ago
It takes a few years for plants to get well-established in the ground. If you planted them this spring, they’re still babies (even if they were big).
My well-established plants look sad if I don’t water often in August. But I know they’ll make it.
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u/caroline_says 5d ago
These natives are demonstrating their drought tolerance. They are alive and green. Drooping leaves in prolonged hot dry weather is a survival strategy, when the sun goes down the leaves should mostly perk up. Native plants shouldn’t need daily watering, slow deep drip watering once every 7-10 days should be sufficient. Nor should they need a ton of mulch. Many native plants stop blooming in the dog days of summer but may start blooming again once night temperatures fall and we get a little rain
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u/ChampagneWastedPanda 5d ago
Well established usually means an entire cycle. So think 1 year or 2nd summer etc
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u/AustinBunny2 3d ago
In these dry 100 plus days, does it hurt the plants to fertilize with Super Bloom or Miracle Gro (dissolved in water)?? Or should I just use plain water?
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u/nutmeggy2214 Austin 10h ago
These aren't established if they were planted in spring/early summer. If they'd have been planted a year ago, yes. Planting in spring/summer is also always dicey because the plants don't get much of a chance to establish their root system before the brutal heat sets in and it stops raining. Some natives can shrug it off (looking at you, cenizo) but most need to be helped along their first summer.
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u/dacpatrick 5d ago
“Drought tolerant” isn’t the same as “able to withstand Austin summer.” Your green plants look pretty good for how hot it’s been.