WHAT TO DO DURING A DROUGHT by Owen E. Dell

• Doing nothing is sometimes best
  
  
• Avoid fertilizer - it can burn root hairs, cause drying out of the tissue
  
  
• Avoid pruning - it stimulates new growth, which uses water reserves
  
  
• Avoid pesticides - they can injure drought-stressed foliage
  

• Avoid watering, obviously
  
  
• Turn off your controller or adjust moisture sensors for minimum watering
  
  
• Allow plants to wilt, up to a point
  
  
• Remove unnecessary plants to provide more water for those remaining
  
  
• Use an anti-transpirant to reduce water loss
  
  
• Provide shade for plants if practical
  
  
• Cover the ground with a mulch to reduce evaporative losses
  
  
• Determine which plants can live without supplemental watering
  
  
• Allocate water to the plants that need it most
  
  
• Those in the sunniest parts of yard
  
  
• Plants that will die from drought
  
  
• Most valuable plants
  
  
• Use ET information to your advantage
  
  
• When you water remember: water the roots, not the surface of the soil!