Drought Tolerant Plants

Could someone please talk me through the concept of drought tolerant plants. I am asking because I have seen plants that require moist soil but become drought tolerant once established.

How important is it to match soil type with these plants? I-m slightly confused because to me drought tolerant suggests dry soil.

If someone would enlighten me as to the practicalities rather than the theory, I would be most appreciative.

G.

 

Drought tolerant plants that you think need to be watered! Just like when books say "well drained moisture retentive soil" ! Apparently ambiguous Gary?

Well, for me, they ARE plants that do well in warm soil in sun and that is fast draining AFTER they have established themselves, say after 6 months or so. Without this initial watering newly planted drought tolerant plants will likely succumb.

The practicalities? Well for example, if I were to plant a drought tolerant plant in a pot I would create a fast draining compost. Plenty of gravel in the base and plenty of grit in the compost. A mulch of gravel to further provide a dry "neck" to the subject. However, it would be watered well at planting time. This I do with aeoniums, echeverias, diosmas, etc, etc., in pots.
In the ground......here in my front garden, the soil is sandy loam, warm and drains well and perfect for drought tolerant plants.....if I want to plant drought tolerant plants I would choose osteospermums, arabis, linarias, fescues,convolvulous cneorum, thymes, gauras, argyranthemums, helianthemums, santolinas, all the known plants that like dry conditions and not add any compost at planting time. They are all watered well at planting time and checked for first few weeks and then not watered.

So, yes, it is essential to match drought tolerant plants to the soil just as it is to match moisture lovers to heavy, damp or wet soil. In time, esp over winter, if not matched appropriately those plants will certainly suffer and perish.

Look at mother nature....on the sandy dunes here leading to the beach, gorse, wild thymes, orchids, and all the other wild plants thrive naturally in the very conditions they need; many form taproots and other methods to seek moisture deep down.

 

An alternative view maybe not to everyone's taste ; I cultivate a moderate collection of mainly columnar Cacti , large Aloes , Agaves and Beaucarnea in my g/house . As everyone is aware , they would be classified as 'drought -tolerant' .

My plants are in a 95% granite-chipping mix , and only 5% loam , and are KEPT PERMANENTLY MOIST from April through to the end of October !! They grow rapidly and are very healthy .
End of October to April , absolutely BONE-DRY !

Regarding 'drought-tolerant' garden plants ; this rule usually only applies after regular good soakings for the first year . Pot grown plants must establish a good root system before being able to withstand dry spells .
As a gardener by profession , it incenses me when I see plants/shrubs/trees newly planted , watered once and then left to the vagaries of UK rainfall to supposedly establish them . When they inevitably die , the owners look stunned and say "but I watered them" !!

Very annoying indeed !

 

You know what the problem is?? Peat (or substitute) -based cultivation. Most commercial plants are raised in peat or peat-substitute composts. If the rootball is allowed to dry out, it's nearly impossible to re-wet. You can 'water' the plant but the water dribbles around the rootball and the poor plant dies of thirst because it's roots haven't got out into the soil. Burying a cut-off plastic bottle, neck side down, near the plant, helps. It directs the water fairly slowly where it's needed. It's why some gardening experts recommend that you savage a rootball before planting in order to release the roots from their spiral to permit them to establish in the surrounding soil. Bare-root plants in loose, sandy soil will resist any amount of drought because their roots go deep. Plants on badly-prepared clay soil peg out within weeks.....

 

This isn't really a problem at all. We still need to recognise how different plants are. Some need dry conditions, some need wet conditions. Some poor soil and others rich soil. Thats the beauty of plant life, its diversity and its dna to thrive anywhere. So we can grow plants in our ponds and in our sandy hot spots and both will thrive if we, as Gary said, "match" them properly

We need to recognise what our own garden conditions are like, our soil and the rest, and simply choose plants accordingly. When adding plants to our gardens this is the most important factor.

A good thread, a good question and a good reminder to us to choose plants based on their requirements thus working with nature rather than on our desire to have them come what may

 

What is the convention on watering? During the summer I watered everything every day. It's not so hot now but it still doesn't rain much.

I try to water the pots in the greenhouse most days. Admittedly I do forget some days.

Outside, depending on time, I water the pots first. My next priority are the perennials I planted in the summer, especially those that are still in bloom. If I have time left I water the spring bulb beds.

What needs watering more? Do plants (both potted and planted) need watering once they start to die back?

G.

 

No real convention on watering Gary.

Some plants need regular watering esp in certain circumstances.....e.g. Plants in hanging baskets may need twice a day watering; this is because of limited compost, exposure all round to drying wind and sun and the number of plants fighting for limited resources. Plants in pots will need regular watering according to their type from once a day to once every 3 days or so. Some are rarely watered in summer......e.g. echeverias, aeoniums, and the like if outside.
It also helps to have the appropriate compost.....multi purpose composts generally dry out very fast; try adding sieved soil or john innes or dried manure to give them more body. Or simply use john innes instead and watering is immediately reduced.

In the ground very few if anything wants or needs watering every day.
In full growth plants need watering; at this time of year and over winter very, very little but nothing wants to dry out completely. I have a gh with lots of small and tender stuff ....yesterday they were watered because, for one, the lightness of the pots gave me a good clue as to how dry they were. A conservatory with stacks of pelargoniums.....they too were watered yesterday. In a colder area where temps were forecast to be near freezing I would not have done this but here a minimum of 7 degrees was fine.

No, dont water perennials in the ground now unless recently planted. Even in summer I would not water every day in the garden; plants would not enjoy that or thrive. My back garden has good deep rich soil and I grow moisture loving plants but I would not water them once a week unless it had been hot and dry for several days.

It's back to basics....viz., understanding what plants you have. Understanding the soil you have. Do they match the growing guidelines?

(Absolutely gorgeous day......wall to wall sunshine all morning! Feeling very warm again But hanging around for new computer tower to be delivered and then an afternoon inside connecting everything )