Gardening
for Your Watershed – July
2004
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Topics in this issue:
- Conserving Water in the Garden
- Pest of the Month: Mosquito
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Conserving Water in the Garden, Part I
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When you think of watering a yard or garden, sprinklers often come to mind. But 50-60% of the water from a conventional sprinkler can be lost to evaporation. Here are some alternatives for watering your plants.
* Install a drip irrigation system. It can be as simple as punching a few holes in a two-liter bottle or coffee can, burying it in the ground with the holes next to plants that you want to irrigate, and filling it with water. Or you can set up a do-it-yourself system complete with tubing, different emitter heads for faster or slower drip rates, and a timer.
Some web sites with drip irrigation instructions include:
WSU Spokane County Extension - Drip Irrigation Fact Sheet
* Soaker hoses, while not always perfect, will keep water on the ground, where your plants can use it.
* Hold off on planting anything new till the fall. Newly established plants are the ones most in need of water.
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Pest of the Month: Mosquito
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With summer comes an unwelcome visitor: the mosquito. In the past few
years, the threat of West Nile virus has made mosquitoes even more unwelcome.
The first step to reducing mosquito problems is to understand their lifecycles and habitat needs. All mosquito species require water to complete their lifecycle. They lay eggs either on the surface of standing water or on moist soil adjacent to water, depending on the kind of mosquito. Mosquitoes can breed in as little as a tablespoon of standing water! In addition, the larvae (called wigglers) live in shallow water.
Using pesticides to kill adult mosquitoes in your backyard is impractical and rarely effective. Due to concerns about pesticide contamination of surface water, many restrictions apply in Washington State. According to current Washington state law, only a few pesticides are available for use in contained water bodies without a Washington State Department of Agriculture pesticide license.
Instead, try eliminating standing water around your house—it’s the best method for preventing mosquitoes from breeding in your yard. Here are some ideas:
Eliminate water-trapping containers:
- Properly recycle or dispose of cans, plastic and ceramic pots or other water-trapping containers.
- Get tires out of your yard. Recycle old tires, and store un-mounted tires so that they don’t collect rainwater.
- Place tight covers or screens over cisterns, barrels, tubs, and other water collectors.
- Store water-trapping containers such as wading pools, wheelbarrows and buckets upside down or inside shelters.
- Regularly drain water-trapping containers:
- Change birdbath water every week (more frequently during the summer).
- Drill drainage holes in planters, boxes and tires left or used outdoors.
- Regularly drain pet dishes and plant pot saucers.
- Regularly clean and repair gutters to prevent them from retaining water.
- Regularly check and drain plastic covers and tarps used outside such as pool covers and garbage can lids.
- Fill in or landscape water-trapping areas of your yard:
- Grade or fill low areas to prevent standing water.
- To avoid puddles, do not over-water your lawn and garden.
- Manage habitats in and around water bodies such as ornamental and retention ponds, ditches and catch basins:
- Manage weeds; keep vegetation short around water. Adult mosquitoes are attracted to dense, tall vegetation around water.
- Remove unnecessary floating structures or debris from ponds. Mosquitoes are often found around floating debris.
- Keep drains, ditches and culverts clean to allow proper drainage.
- Consider stocking ornamental or permanent, self-contained ponds with insect-eating fish, such as goldfish.
- Shape pond edges to a shelf or steep slope. Mosquitoes prefer shallow pond edges.
To learn more about West Nile Virus, visit the following web sites:
Center for Disease Control:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/index.htmWashington State Department of Health:
http://www.doh.wa.gov/ehp/ts/Zoo/WNV/WNV.html
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This newsletter
is produced by Whatcom County Extension. To subscribe or unsubscribe,
or to make comments and suggestions, please contact Scarlet
Tang or
360/676-6736.
