SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — Although the El Niño rains have yet to arrive, they are waiting in the wings, and getting ready for El Niño rains will make a big difference in your garden.
David Ross, a Senior Manager at Walter Anderson Nursery, said rain, if left unchecked, can be damaging.
"If it's running, if it's flowing, you want to redirect it, really the key is slowing down the water during heavy rain. Rain, if you slow it down, the water, you minimize the erosion and that's what it's going to be about," explained Ross.
Ross also shared some examples, such as what a hay roll can do to help.
"You can use it to slow down moving water, it also makes a top dressing to put out some kind of seed."
For bigger control think bales of hay.
"Just prior to Hilary I put this on my side of the fence, and it did a really good job of slowing the water down," said Ross, who also added that redirecting the runoff with existing or new block bricks is another option. "We took it and realigned it, so it flowed around the patio into a bed where it percolated down."
When it comes to putting out fertilizer, half an inch to an inch of rain is a good thing.
"I always try to take advantage of a good rain, a slow soaking rain to water in fertilizer at my home," said Ross, but he noted that beyond a slow soaking there isn't as much of a benefit. "I wouldn't put out fertilizer because there's a greater risk of it getting in the run-off and causing problems downstream."
Now for the good part.
"I had so many people say they noticed how much better their plants were doing after the rain, clean free rainwater," continued Ross.
That's why Ross says it's a good idea to capture the water.
"So, a lot of people have things like rain barrels. Because it is clean water, the cleanest water source you'll find and it's great for our plants."
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