Soils extremely dry - watering necessary despite rain

The ground is currently extremely dry, not only because of the summer temperatures, the sunshine and the lack of rainfall, but also because of the persistent wind over the past few days. The central reservations of major roads such as the Offenbacher Ring are particularly badly affected. The large asphalt surfaces on both sides heat up particularly strongly in the sun.

This is also where the perennial beds are planted on the ring road, which the Stadtservice uses to regularly check which plants can withstand the increasingly hot summers with longer and longer dry periods. During the inspection on Monday, July 24, our gardeners found that despite the occasional rainfall in the past few days, virtually no moisture had penetrated the soil and certainly not reached the roots of the perennials. On Tuesday, July 25, they therefore watered more than usual with the watering trolley in order to reach the lower soil layers.

The watering trucks have to water the young trees in the urban area, shrubs and individual borders as well as the perennial beds throughout the city. Their deployment is therefore tightly timed and cannot be postponed at will. The Parks Department did not want to and could not rely on enough rain falling to reach the lower layers of soil.

For this reason, watering was still carried out, but the amount of watering was then reduced when the rain became heavier. The rain was actually helpful, as it made the soil more receptive to watering and the water penetrated better. The phenomenon can be observed in any dry clod of earth or peat bale: a surge of water bounces off it, if you gradually let drops fall on it, it softens and then absorbs larger quantities well.

The gardeners regularly check again to see how deep the water has penetrated this time and whether the quantity or frequency of future watering sessions may need to be adjusted.