I planted several xeric plants thinking that they were already drought tolerant from the get-go. I just read somewhere that they require as much water as regular plants until they become established. How long does it take for plants to establish itself before they can go on a xeric routine?
Time for xeric plants to establish...
At least a year, sometimes two.
I agree. There are a few variables to look at (and I'm sure that someone who actually knows what they're talking about could tell you more).
The plant itself - my Kangaroo Paws, for example, could go a lot longer between waterings than my Salvias after the first month.
The soil - how much water it retains and how well the roots can penetrate it - wanna talk caliche? Ugh!
How aggressive the roots are and how you "train" them. Daily light watering would train them to stay shallow (not what you want, obviously) and infrequent deep watering would train them to go deep. You may want to deep water them just as they go limp from dehydration but you'd have to watch them closely so as not to let them go an extra day - and kill them!
I wonder if mulching affects how long it takes for plants to establish? Hmm. It goes a long way in helping to retain moisture.
How much do you know about Xeriscaping? Did you make wells for the plants - I mean did you plant them lower than the surrounding ground? Did you need to amend the soil?
:)
Thanks for the input. A year or two...uhoh...The catalogue from which I ordered many of my plants advertised only some of their xeric plants as needing about a year or two to establish so I purposely avoided buying those plants. Out in Los Angeles, we had a record amount of rainfall so luckily they did well with little watering on my part. Unfortunately, we're already facing hot, dry temperatures in spring so I need to water with regularity. I started off with infrequent deep waterings but the plants didn't fare so well so I'm on a three times a week deep watering schedule. I added soil amendment to my hyperclay soil and mulched which the plants benefitted from. I'm new to gardening so I know very little about xeriscaping. I will take your advice and build wells. Again, thanks for the info.
It is a question of matching their requirements with what you have. You place may never have as much water or top soil as their native habitat had and you may end up always providing supplemental water. You may have more than what they have had and not be able to make them grow. The particular plant may be more tolerant of variations from what it normally gets and be happy. I notice that until they go through a winter, they need more water. Plants that are installed in the fall really do better than ones planted in the spring or summer. Even within a yard different parts have different soil conditions, weather varies, so a plant may do well in one spot and never make it in another. Young plants do not have the root system to be able to take advantage of deep waterings and depending on the depth of top soil and the slope that water may run off without ever benefitting the plant. Look at the plant, you can usually tell if it is stressed--drooping leaves or stems, dull foliage--if it is, give it some water. Feel the soil, if it is soaking wet, then the plant probably has too much water. Each species is different, some CA natives can handle lots of summer water and others will die with any significant amount. You can get away with watering more if you have thin soil and a hillside condition, but if you are on a flat you need to be really careful about the water. It is not the water per se that causes the problem but the water-bourne diseases that thrive in damp conditions. The combination of dampness and warmth is deadly. The reason that the CA natives can handle the water in the winter is that is not warm, so the fungi and other pathogens do not grow.
Thanks Chuck for all the info. I appreciate it.
Good luck. It can take several tries before you get one established and sometimes it is more a matter of patience and waiting for them to settle in. They are worth it.