Chicago Home and Lifestyles – What to do if there’s no rain

It’s been more than 3 weeks since we’ve had any measurable rain in Chicago. While this is nice for outdoor activities, it’s not good for our home landscapes. This time of year is especially important for rainfall, since the trees, shrubs, and other plants will be storing moisture for winter. But unfortunately the Midwest and much of the country is suffering a drought – and not for the first time. So it looks like we’ll have to pick up the slack to make sure our landscape makes it through the winter!

Lawns. Lawns can be left to go dormant and will come back when regular rains come. This might be your best bet if you have a very large lawn. But, if you choose to keep the lawn going, here are a few things you can do:

• Don’t cut it too short. Grass needs length to have good root growth to reach moisture.

• Mow at the most every 4 days and raise the mower to cut no shorter than two and a half inches.

• Water thoroughly after mowing, at least two hours. Water later in the day or earlier to avoid burning and losing too much moisture to evaporation.

Flowers and vegetables. Container flowers and plants will need a good soaking every other day. Perennials you can water when you do the lawn. If you are still harvesting vegetables in the garden don’t forget them! Twice a week will do fine for the garden. If you are planting fall crops like lettuce or kale, watering every other day will be necessary.

Shrubs and trees. If they are well established, meaning planted 3+ years ago, these should be ok. But it can’t hurt to do a good root water around the drip line every 3 weeks or so before the ground freezes. For newly planted trees and shrubs good watering during a drought is essential. They haven’t had time enough for their root systems to be established and aren’t able to reach far out for moisture. Lay a slow running hose a few feet from the trunk or base and let it run for two hours minimum. Do this weekly till the ground freezes, even if regular rain returns.

Lastly, around the house and yard make sure drains, gutters and downspouts are clear. They tend to collect debris without regular rain to wash them out. We don’t need any flooding near the house when that rain eventually comes!

Kathleen Weaver-Zech and Dean’s Team Chicago