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Q: How do I know when to water? I either water too much or too little.
A: This is a question I was asked outside our library the other day. The simple answer from Doug Welsh, Extension Horticulturist, in his book Doug Welsh’s Texas Garden Almanac, is to water when your yard or plant needs it. Your yard and your plants will show you if you look. Lawns wilt, show footprints, or turn dull and gray-green. Some plants will wilt like hibiscus and periwinkle. You do not want to wait for wilting for your vegetable garden. Instead, use the tried and true method of sticking your finger into the soil about 2 to 3 inches. If the soil is cool, then there is enough moisture. If it feels warm or dry, then it needs water.
When searching the Texas A&M site, I found something that looks like it will be useful: WaterMyYard.org with a free cell phone app. Check it out. For now, turn off your lawn irrigation system’s automatic feature. Put on an inch of water, then wait till your lawn needs it again. You can figure out how to get an inch of water by putting out cat food cans or cake pans and running the system until there is an inch in the pans. Make sure that you note the amount of time this takes. After that, run the system for that amount of time.
Q: I use a lot of herbs when I cook and I prefer that they be fresh. What herbs will grow in Seguin? Can I grow them in pots?
A: At the moment I have several pots by my front door (more sun out front) which have herbs growing in them. One pot contains garlic chives, another has basil and rosemary. (I also have a pot with lettuce, one with onions, and one with the new Rodeo tomato.) Well drained soil and full sun (6 hours direct sunlight) is a must. In my back yard I have a bay tree growing which has survived many freezes without being killed (and also survived my alkaline soil). It stays small which is okay, because how many bay leaves do you need for stew?! Cilantro grows here over the winter. Above 85 degrees it starts to bolt and flower. Other herbs that grow in Seguin include chives, dill, Mexican mint marigold, Mexican oregano, mints, oregano, parsley, sage, and thyme.
Q: Should I be removing dead blossoms from my annuals so that they will keep blooming?
A: I do at the library. I clip back the snapdragons that have gone to seed to the next node. New growth comes which extends their blooming time. Of course, eventually the sun will be too hot and I will have to replant with something that takes the heat better like periwinkles.
At home I clip the dead blooms off of my roses. You might not want to do this if you like rosehips. All of this depends on how much time you have, of course. Remember: I’m retired.
Clara Mae Marcotte is a Texas Master Gardener with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension. If you have a question to be answered, call the Master Gardeners at 830-379-1972 or leave a message to be answered. The website is guadalupecountymastergardeners.org. The Master Gardener research library is open Wednesdays from 2 to 4, at 210 East Live Oak Street in Seguin.
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