It’s about the drought. For the second year in a row, we’re suffering from a dramatic lack of rain. It would take a mighty storm over a period of days to make up for the deficit, and I just don’t see that happening. And don’t be lulled by showers or rain that give us an inch or less of precipitation. We actually need 5 inches of rain, but over a period of days or weeks so it doesn’t simply run off and drain away. We need rain that soaks in, slowly.
It’s easy to see the visual effects of the drought as deciduous trees are dropping their leaves one to two months early — and dropping mostly brown foliage instead of the bright fall colors we expect. It’s how the trees compensate and most, but not all, will survive. Repeated stresses like this to any living plant results in damage, though. Some effects are obvious; others will be more subtle and unapparent until next year.
What’s a gardener to do?
Obviously, if you’re on well water, your options are limited as the water table lowers. If you’re near the coast or bays and still rely on well water, another issue is saltwater intrusion. As the freshwater retreats in these areas, saltwater slowly fills the void and can begin to creep into your freshwater well supply.
The one thing we all need to do until the drought is well over is to conserve. For gardeners, this is a tough ask, but it’s critical. One good thing is that our nights have been cool, and this is good for plants that continue to grow into the fall, especially lawns. Your lawn can be a prime user and abuser of water, and many of the high-end lawns in some of our communities are water hogs. We can only hope and use social pressure on these property owners to reduce their irrigation times and take them off the “automatic” settings that have them on for way too long and way too often.
The other and not-so-obvious issue is the type of lawns we have. I love Kentucky bluegrass. I love how it feels underfoot and how it looks. But it’s about as water hungry as any grass can be. Some bluegrasses claim to have been developed for reduced water needs. But one thing most Kentucky bluegrasses have in common is that with no rain, and lots of it, they start to die out after about a month of inadequate watering.
It’s for this reason why a blend of grass types is always recommended. This means a blend of Kentucky bluegrass along with perennial ryes and fescues. Several local garden centers offer their own blends for East End lawns, but be careful of mass-market blends that are much too general in their varieties. Your choices will also be dictated by your lawn’s sun exposure. You can find some Long Island-specific recommendations at tinyurl.com/y6hauz4m — but again, your local garden center that sells a specific mix for our area should be your best bet.
But that begs the question of the drought. While this is the best time of the year for lawn renovation, establishment and overseeding, pending water restrictions and lack of rain may make your attempts futile. This may be the year for light patching and light overseeding. Otherwise maybe wait it out and see if next year is a better option.
Large established trees may need water, but it takes many gallons to accomplish this and the water needs to go deep into the ground. You can do this by slowly soaking the ground or using a root feeding hose attachment. This comes in the form of a root feeding device, but in this case, you just use it to inject water and not fertilizer. Let it run in one spot for fifteen minutes or more, then move it in a circle around the tree’s drip line, inserting the needle every 5 feet or so in the circumference. If I had fruit trees on my property, these would be the trees that would most benefit from irrigation during the drought.
Watering at the surface won’t help most trees, as the water will be wicked away by drier soils. When you inject the water into the soil, this is less likely to happen, but no matter what method you use, make sure it’s not rushed. And yes, even trees that have lost their leaves will benefit from watering late into October.
Many perennials will continue to grow into the fall and may establish new crowns and roots, but not shoots. In most years, these plants don’t need fall watering, but this year may be an exception, especially for the late bloomers like asters, mums and Aconitum.
And when do you stop watering? In general, new plants like trees and shrubs should be watered into late October, though some suggest waiting until the ground freezes before you stop. However, in many a winter, our ground only freezes sporadically — so that’s not a great guide for us. But as the ground cools, there’s much less evaporation and that allows for substantially reduced watering.
Consider the hoses that supply your water to the spot where it’s applied. If you have a mix of hose sizes — 5/8-, 3/4- and 1/2-inch diameters are common — always attach the larger diameter hose closest or at the hose bib. This will result in better water pressure down the hose line with the potential for better output. Also remember there are soaker hoses. Some are rubbery and porous hoses that simply leak and ooze. Others are perforated and result in tiny sprays of water, unless they are set upside down and used under reduced pressure.
There may be a slight and surprising benefit from the drought. Certain pests, like the Japanese beetle and the rose chafers, drop to the ground after mating and lay their eggs nearby, often in the turf. As the eggs develop into grubs, they eat the roots of the grass plants and other plants. But the eggs and the grubs have great difficulty maturing and developing in dry soils, especially sand dry soils. Look for low populations of these beetles again next summer as a result, especially if you don’t irrigate your lawn.
Then there’s mulch. One of the reasons we mulch is for water retention. It greatly reduces soil moisture evaporation, as it keeps the soil cooler and shades the soil from the evaporative effect of sunlight. Years ago, we were suggesting inches of mulch, but after watching the rotting effect of over-mulching and the invitation it offers to bark and root feeders like voles, I’ve cut back my mulch depth to an inch and, in some cases, less. I’m also staying away from decorative mulches like huge chunks of packaged bark chips. I find that smaller particle mulches, such as shredded cedar mulch, are much more attractive, decompose faster and become better soil builders, as well.
About your lilacs. There have been serious disease issues with these shrubs this year. Many have asked what they can be sprayed with and whether they should be pruned now. No, there is no spraying that can be done that will be effective. Several of the diseases that have been identified have no cure, due to where they occur within the plant, and are viral or bacterial diseases. There may be some recommendations next year but not now. The advice for the moment is to remove dead and fallen leaves and either burn them, bury them, or put them with the trash. Don’t compost them.
I did notice something interesting, though. My taller and older lilacs are certainly infected and look awful, but there is one bright spot if you are looking for, or are interested in, dwarf lilacs. I have a lilac (Syringa) that’s named Bloomerang Dwarf Pink. It’s been in the same spot for over five years, standing about 15 inches tall and 2 feet wide, and there is not a single sign of any disease issues with it. As of this writing, it’s still in flower and a rebloomer — a nice, carefree plant for small places that requires only a slight bit of pruning if any. Highly recommended, and there are several flower colors to choose from, as well.
Keep growing.
Garden Notes
Fall is one of the two critical times to fertilize your lawn. I try to do it late in September (organic of course) when the soil is still warm enough to allow the microbes to break down the fertilizer, so the grass roots and uses it. But this won’t happen if there’s little to no moisture in the soil.
Watch the weather. If you see that some prolonged rain is on the way, then the day before would be the perfect time to add fertilizer. You don’t want the fertilizer to sit on the lawn for weeks or months because then it might be too cold for it to be of any use. If the drought continues and you don’t have irrigation, it might be wise to hold off on lawn feeding until the spring, then again in early fall 2026.
My last hummingbird left on September 17, coinciding on my property with the last flowers on the shrub hibiscus. Have you noticed how the goldenrods seem to be establishing everywhere? Nice to look at, but they can quickly take over and dominate unused and untended land. Once incorrectly thought to add to allergy problems, they are critical and vital food sources for pollinators. Yes, there are cultivated varieties that are not invasive, as well as some dwarf varieties.
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