Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
rate this answer
Monday - February 20, 2012
From: Austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Soils, Watering
Title: Difference between soil moisture and water use from Austin
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
In the native plant data base "growing conditions" can you explain the difference between water use and soil moisture?ANSWER:
Good question. The "water use" involves how much water that plant normally needs, with watering supplementing the rainfall if that is insufficient. Soil moisture is how moist the soil is naturally. Sandy soils will usually drain away quickly after water falling on it, while clay soil has such tiny particles that they compact and don't allow water through, often resulting in water standing on roots.
More Watering Questions
Wintering Purple Coneflowers in pots in Springfield MO
August 26, 2013 - I have some 8 month old purple cone flowers in containers on my porch. They did not bloom this summer because they were seedlings when given to me. I can not put them in the ground. How can I keep the...
view the full question and answer
Plants for science fair project using greywater
November 17, 2013 - What kind of plants should we use for our science fair project.We are
doing our project on how greywater affects plant growth. We saw your answer on how it affects it but we don't know what type of ...
view the full question and answer
Nassella tenuissima for Woodland Hills CA
June 30, 2013 - Good afternoon, I wanted to purchase some already grown Mexican Feather Grass (Nassella tenuissima) and was wondering how often and for how long I would need to water said grass on a scheduled sprinkl...
view the full question and answer
Watering Native Trees in Georgetown, TX
July 19, 2012 - I installed a native/adapted plantscape in early March including several small trees. They were planted in the rocky soil west of I-35 in Georgetown with plenty of added compost and mulch. Other than ...
view the full question and answer
Water use rate calculations from Toronto ON
December 16, 2012 - Can the high medium and low water use categories be quantified into a rate, say volume of water required by square foot of planted area? How are the water use categories established?
view the full question and answer
| Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |