by Wally Richards

DRY SPOT

Dry spot is the term that is used when the surface tension has increased because of a long period of dryness (in some cases only a short time in high temperatures of summer).

It is called dry spot in a lawn when an area becomes too dry and water or rain sheds off to the sides where the grass will be nice and green as it is getting all the water. In the middle of the dry spot the grasses will be brown and look dead.

Unless the temperature got very high and the roots of the brown grasses got baked, then they are not dead but dormant.

In a hot summer you can see a whole playing field where all the grass is brown and dead looking and one would think that its the end of those grasses. But no, when it rains for a few days and the water is able to moisten up the soil those grasses will sprout new blades and be away growing again.

Dry spot can happen anywhere in your gardens, but is not as common as in lawns. Container plants and hanging baskets are another dry spot problem, which is likely to be happening if you have pot plants this time of the year.

You water the plant in the container and very quickly the saucer underneath starts to fill with water. The plant’s roots are sitting in a medium that has dried out too much and is reluctant to accept water. Plant plant gets a little drink and shows signs of lack of moisture within a day or two.

With containers that are not too large you simply fill a tall bucket with water to about three quarters full. Then you plunge the container under the water and watch the air bubbles come. The more air bubbles the drier it was. Then it stops bubbling you lift and let the surplus water drain back into the bucket before returning it to its saucer.

Likewise you do that with hanging baskets.

If you have house plants it pays to check them to see if they are not accepting water and also lift them up — if that’s the case, you will find they feel very light. It’s a good idea to plunge them so that next time you water they will accept the water. If it is a big container and plant and not suitable for plunging into a tub of water then you can do the following.

Take a jug and fill two thirds with water and then add some Magic Botanic Liquid (MBL) say about 20mils and also give the water a squirt of dish washing liquid.

Stir and then apply it around the top of the growing media. Wetting all the surface area before poring in the rest of the water. If the saucer beneath catches some liquid then a few hours later lift the pot (if possible and pour the water in the saucer back into the pot.

If you’re unable to do this step, don’t worry.

Outside on the lawn with dry spot you can fill the watering can with warm water and give a good squirt of dish washing liquid and lather up the water with your hand. Add a little MBL to the water.

Thus you are going to water over the dry spot areas. Later on get the hose and water over the dry spot area and make sure that a good amount of water penetrates into the soil.

Do the same in any areas of the garden where the water does not easily penetrate. I like to water my gardens when it looks like rain coming and that helps ensure that the rain goes in and not run off the gardens.

Large areas of the country that get dry in the summer mean when it rains initially a lot of that water will shed off or run down a slope that unless held by grasses or vegetation will take top soil with it.

Big weather events certainly upset dry areas and lead to flooding.

Many of you will know of Ken Ring the guy metrology people hate as without their scientific methods, he can very accurately predict long range weather patterns. I understand that he observes cycles, the moon and the oceans as to what is on the way weather wise. Ken phoned me the other day to obtain one of our products and when he placed his order and said his name it rang a bell (no pun intended) and I realised who I was speaking to.

Ken is the same age as myself and a very intelligent, clued up man who is definitely onto it besides predicting the future weather. During our conversation he told me that a system is currently building up over Australia and heading into the Pacific and because of a big high towards South America this new cyclone will hit the North Island in early February about in time for Waitangi day and the school term starting. He said this could well be like Bola that occurred in February 1988 which caused a lot of damage.

Ken told me that he has alerted Shane Jones to tell councils to clean up the drains and gutters before it arrives. But I feel there’s a fat chance of any one taking any notice. (And Pigs will Fly if they do).

But you readers and I know and are forewarned.

So be ready to ‘batten down the hatches’, make sure your gutters are clean and the street ones plus the drains to help prevent flooding in your place.

Keep your gardens and lawns watered if you can, which can be a problem for any having water restrictions. [The KCDC says we won’t —Eds]

A lot of water will be soaked up by our soils if the surface tension has been broken. The new thing that flood protection people have been looking at is to have areas such as playing fields available to soak up big down pours of rain which would take the strain off the drainage systems in towns and cities.

You can do your bit with your open land, lawns and gardens and if you also tell your neighbors about the possibly of a lot of rain and wind, we can be a little better prepared.

Cleaning gutters on the house also makes sense and while up on the roof check for loose roofing iron and tiles. A few extra roofing nails would not go amiss to secure the roof in the event of high winds. Otherwise be sure to be stocked with food and water for a few days — everyone should have a bit of food security othanised anyway in case of events that make life difficult in the short term.

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