Windy Weather Means Irrigating a Bit Sooner

The past few days have been unusually windy.  In fact, this entire spring has been a windier year than normal.  The saving grace is that it is unusually cool for this time of year.  Normally I would be irrigating immediately following strong winds such as we had.  If the plants were on drip irrigation I might even be irrigating during the heavy winds.

There are four factors which are the primary driving forces behind the use of water by plants.  The two which are most responsible are wind and bright, continuous light or light intensity.  The other two, temperature and humidity, are also important and increasing temperature nearly always accompanies increasing light intensity.  Bright days nearly always indicate warmer days regardless of whether it is winter or summer.

Why is this important to know?  Daily changes in the weather are what I use to fine tune my irrigations from week to week.  For example if my normal days to irrigate in May are on Tuesdays and Saturdays and my plants just went through some horrendous winds on Saturday and Sunday I might irrigate the day after the heavy winds.  So instead of waiting until Tuesday I might elect to irrigate one day earlier (or even during windy weather if everything is being drip irrigated). 

Late next month in June is a time normally when temperatures start approaching or exceeding 110° F.  As we begin to break 110° F on a regular basis, I will consider adjusting our irrigations of deep rooted plants like trees and shrubs to three times a week instead of two. 

However, if weather stays relatively cool I might keep irrigations to twice a week unless there are strong winds which will substantially increase the use of water by plants.  High temperatures and gusty winds always drives water use up and should make you consider running an early irrigation cycle if you are permitted.