The Physiological Consequences of over Watering a Landscape

The Physiological Consequences of

Over Watering a Landscape

The pressures of maintaining a perfect yard have forced people to over-maintain their landscapes. Although water is important in maintaining a healthy lawn, the majority of homeowners over irrigate or irrigate incorrectly. Too much water is damaging to turfgrass and is often the underlying cause of lawn failure (Trenholm, Unruh, and Cisar). More lawns are damaged by over-watering than by any other cultural practice (Gardening Solutions). Over-watering and over-fertilizing can cause excessive plant growth. Improper mowing and pruning weaken plants and grass, leaving them prone to pest damage. Other problems that have been researched with regard to overwatering include:

* A less developed and shorter root system that has less capacity to seek out water and nutrients at lower soil depths and has less overall stress resistance.

• An overly succulent shoot system, susceptible to disease and insect infestation.

• Weaker cell walls in the shoot tissue that reduce the strength of leaf tissue.

• Buildup of excessive thatch.

• Favorable environment for certain weed species, such as dollar weed and sedges. (Trenholm, Unruh, and Cisar).

Water is the source of life in almost all living things. Water is the primary source of many beneficial compounds that make up living organisms (Ingram and Prue 211). As desertification encroaches planet Earth, life is lost, and ecosystems are experiencing imbalances. The use and availability of water to living things is critical.

Water is not only beneficial to living things, but also to the soil from which most livings things seek support. An inadequacy of water could mean an interruption of various soil formation and weathering processes that take place in the life of a soil. As much as one would want to focus on desertification and water inadequacy in the soil, there is also an issue of over watering and excessive use of water on plants. There have been questions of whether the effects of over watering are as catastrophic as those of desertification. There is also a notion that plants in saturated soil have plenty of what many other plants lack, therefore, they should bloom better and grow more vigorously. But in actuality, plants in continually saturated soils become unhealthy and eventually die.

After a normal rain and drainage event, an ideal silt loam soil for growing trees would consist of 50% solid (45% mineral, 5% organic matter) and 50% pore space (25% air, 25% water). Growth and maintenance of root systems require large quantities of oxygen for respiration. When oxygen content drops below 10%, root growth of most plants will be limited (Palmer 2). Water logging is a situation

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