Hello to all. It's been a busy spring, early summer here and I haven't had
much time to keep up with the computer. I hope things slow down a little bit
now and I can spend more time doing the things I enjoy, especially in the
gardens.

The subject line reminded me of something I learned this spring about
watering. We had a very dry May and I had to water frequently. I have a
watering system in place consisting of soaker hoses looped around the roses and
under the mulch that I have used for several years. This year after I watered
with this system I noticed several of the plants looking water deprived, so I
pulled back the mulch to check the soil moisture. I was surprised that it was
completely dry except for an inch or two right around the hoses. I don't have
typical Florida sand instead of soil, rather good rich clayish soil.
I decided I should water by hand with the hose to get everything wet. I used
the hose and watered what I thought was a sufficient amount to get the soil
throughly wet. Then I pulled back the mulch and checked again. I was really
surprised, the soil was still completely dry. It seems the deep mulch was so
dry it sucked up all the water before it could get to the soil
Finally I discovered a way to get the soil itself wet. I used the hose without
a nozzle and put the end down below the mulch and watered. I could see it
spread out as the mulch floated up. Now when I checked, the soil itself was
wet several inches down.
I've said all this to offer advise to others when they water. Check the soil
after you water. Make sure the water you are putting down is getting to the
soil. I learned something very important this year. When it doesn't rain the
mulch will dry out and soak up all the water put down on top of it. You have
to get the water down to the soil before the roses can use it.