"Steve Wertz" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 03 Jun 2004 03:30:39 GMT, escapee
wrote:

On Wed, 02 Jun 2004 21:58:03 -0500, Steve Wertz
opined:

On Wed, 2 Jun 2004 20:36:44 -0500, "Elizabeth"
wrote:

You have to keep them watered - also, mix some sand with the soil. I
have
greek and Sicilian oregano, sweet basil, African blue basil, thyme,
lemon
thyme, rosemary, lavender, chives, marjoram, sage, peppermint, lemon
balm,
dill, and lots of others, and they're thriving, but you have to water
them
daily when the temperatures get above 90.

They get watered daily. The soil was pretty well treated as well.
It was original Texas dirt mixed with a bunch of Supersoil and
mulch and aerated pretty well. They get about 4-5 hours of direct
sun a day. The oregano in a completely different part of the
yard, in the shade all day, is doing just fine (year after year).

This is the second year the stuff just dies as soon as it gets
hot, despite all the water they get.

-sw

You are the culprit. These plants will wilt the same way when overwatered
as
they will when they are in dire need of water. Stop watering so much.

OK. Back to square one.

So I should just ask them "Are you thirsty? How thirsty?"

I give them each about a quart of water a day - and the soil is
practically dry when I water them again (in the early evening).

-sw

Put a layer of mulch *on top* of the soil. Your plants aren't using that
much water, you're losing it to evaporation from the soil. Mulch keeps the
roots cool and cuts way down on evaporation. Mulch really is the key to
gardening around here.

Also try to water out past the drip line (the perimeter of the plant) to
make the roots grow outward. Watering at the stem can cause root rot and
gives the roots no 'desire' to expand.

Finally, plant early, in the fall preferably. Give the roots time to spread
out when the part of the plant above the dirt isn't doing much.