Climate change whiplash means its time to water, adapt

Talk about whiplash: In the course of a month, southeastern Wisconsin went from our wettest April on record to our dryest May.

It seems almost implausible that in mid-April it was too wet to work in the garden and by late May it was difficult to dig a hole in dry ground, which is fine because who has time to dig a hole when you’re frantically looking for the sprinklers that were hastily stored last fall.

Browning lawns look more like August than June, and the garden is thirsty right when plants are trying to get established.

And there’s good news and bad news about what’s to come.

The good news is that NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center is feeling ambivalent about Wisconsin’s meterological summer, with no strong signs suggesting above, below or near-average precipitation in the southeastern part of the state.

The forecast for June is a little clearer.

“We see just a 33% to 40% chance that precipation will be below normal for the eastern half of the state,” said Bridgette Mason, assistant state climatologist.

The bad news is that the past two months track with the Wisconsin Climatology Office’s long-term projected change in precipitation.

Between 2041 to 2060, winter, spring and fall are likely to get wetter and summers are likely to get drier. And there’s likely to be more precipitation in fewer events, meaning that, much like we saw in April, we’ll have heavy rain, but less frequent rain.

If you’re not quite ready to worry about 15 years from now, there are a few things you can do now until rain arrives.

First off, water new planting really well. For trees, shrubs and perennials, fill the hole with water before putting the plant in and water slowly and deeply after filling in with soil around it. Then mulch it well (although never piling mulch up around the trunk or stems). Try to water deeply at least once a week after that.

Other than very drought-sensitive plants, established plantings should be OK until rain comes. If you do choose to water, know that a single deep watering will go much farther than several quick passes with a hose or sprinkler.

Lawns, too, should recover when rain comes, but if you can’t tolerate a brown lawn, watering will help. If you’re trying to grow new grass, however, your fate is to water a little bit (so as to not wash away seed or flood newly germinated areas) a couple times a day.

Any newly planted vegetables, herbs or pots need frequent tending at this stage, so check on them every couple days and water as necessary (sticking your finger in the soil is a good test).

When the immediate watering needs of your garden are met, you might start entertaining a long-term plan that incorporates plant selection and design that will thrive in the gradually changing climate. Because that’s not waiting for 2041 to start happening and the last two months are just a preview of what is predicted.