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Your garden area has all day sun exposure, your landscape does not include irrigation, or there are water restriction concerns, and you have decided a drought-tolerant garden or “water-wise” garden can be beautiful, productive and rewarding.
Before you start planting, only when plants have well-established roots will they tolerate drought, Second, the required amount of water will depend on soil type.
While many drought-tolerant plants are also tolerant of poor-to-average soils, soils that are high in organic matter will help plants establish good root systems and survive periods of drought. Enhancing soil conditions will improve the gardens performance and reduce water requirements.
Mulches are a prime gardening technique to reduce water evaporation. Not only will mulch assist the water problem, it adds organic matter to the soils and reduces weeds.
Water less often, with more water. Increasing the amount of water applied, allows it to penetrate deeper and naturally improves the depth of the plants root system. Water early in the morning when temperatures are cooler to minimize evaporation.
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