If you have been listening to the weather, you’ve probably heard the terms “Pacific oscillations” and “El Niño” and “La Niña,” and you might be wondering what on earth anything in the Pacific could have to do with us, so far away. After all, we have Mexico and the whole United States between the Pacific and us. But, in weather terms, that is nothing. Weather is a global phenomenon. The winds circle the globe, and our weather is influenced by winds that begin far away.
I’m not sure if this is comforting or alarming to people. It shouldn’t be either. It has always been this way. We are just learning about it. El Niño and La Niña systems have been happening for a long time. South American fishermen first noticed the trends in the 1600s because the shifts affected their livelihood.
In the last 50 years, scientists have started to put the pieces together. Using temperature sensors across the Pacific, they have mapped the changes in temperature in the ocean as the currents, or oscillations, shift from east to west and back again. The shifts cause drought or flooding, and death or bumper crops for millions around the world. With more knowledge, countries are able to prepare for the changes.
With El Niño, the trade winds across the Pacific that usually push toward Asia are weakened, and warm water rushes toward South America instead. It’s great for the South American fishermen, carrying fish and plankton to feed them. It’s also carrying plenty of moisture. That moisture will be a dominant factor in our weather because the winds will carry it over Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico to us in Florida. So, one thing we should expect this summer is increased rainfall. It already seems to be showing up.
This is not a bad thing, since we are still at an incredible shortfall of rainfall across the southeastern US. But it will have an impact on gardeners and homeowners.
Ongoing rainfall is likely to cause some fungal problems on lawns. Gray Leaf Spot has already been showing up in St. Augustine lawns near me. Proper management of fertilizer to avoid too much nitrogen and the resulting rapid growth will help. The resulting turf spots are kind of beige in color with a dark margin. For more information, see this site: https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/PP126.
If you have a rain garden, this year it should be in its glory. These are for the low areas, or maybe just areas where water pools after rain. Plants like blue flag iris, canna lilies, and grasses like muhly grass or wire grass do well in these gardens. If you don’t have a rain garden, this year’s rains may show you a low spot that would make a perfect spot for one. Read more at https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/design/types-of-gardens/rain-gardens/.
Although we think of sand in Florida, there is a lot of clay under our soil, and that could be the cause of the water pooling in your yard. It’s not something you can make disappear, so work with it. A rain garden is one way to make it work for you.
One negative thing about a lot of rain is that it will reveal the declining health of some of our mature trees. As trees get older, they become increasingly vulnerable to fungal problems and begin to decline. It would be great if we could see these things happening and take care of them. It helps to keep an eye on the tree canopy (the leaves) and how full they remain at the top of the tree. If they start to thin out, it could mean that the roots are starting to decline. That will make the tree less strong when heavy rains and winds are stressing the tree. These are the trees that “suddenly” topple over during our storms. They may look pretty healthy, but we can’t see the small changes underground.
The wetter weather may impact summer and fall vegetable gardens. Insects don’t seem to mind the wet weather. Insects are disease vectors because they spread diseases as they feed on our plants. Diseases may be bacterial, viral, or fungal.
Home gardeners must be especially scrupulous to remove all debris this rainy year and try to promote a healthy, beneficial insect population. Remove plants that are past maturity or failing to avoid spreading diseases. Allow space between plants to improve air flow and improve drying of leaf surfaces.
This is an excellent publication that will help you diagnose diseases on your plants: https://tinyurl.com/4dujr9w8.
Rose growers know that hot, wet, humid weather is not the rose’s friend. Fungal sprays will be quickly washed off the plants. Some rosarians use systemic preparations that are not so easily washed away. It also helps to remove infected leaves, although there is a point where you have a bare plant!
The positive side is that El Niño can bring shearing winds that can help reduce severe hurricanes. However, severe hurricanes have occurred during El Niño years. So, as always, there are no guarantees for gardeners. Still, we go on.
Becky Wern is a Master Gardener Volunteer with the Duval County Extension Service and the University of Florida/IFAS. For gardening questions, call the Duval County Extension Office at (904) 255-7450 from 9 a.m. to noon and 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. Monday-Friday and ask for a Master Gardener Volunteer.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Why El Niño brings more rain to your home garden
Reporting by Becky Wern, For the Jacksonville Florida Times-Union USA TODAY NETWORK / Florida Times-Union
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By Becky Wern, For the Jacksonville Florida Times-Union USA TODAY NETWORK | USA TODAY Network
