Recovering the Flooded Landscape

Tennessee Master Gardeners

Ashland City

Courtesy of Ashland City Times

Kingston Springs

Courtesy of Ashland City Times

Residence

Courtesy of Ashland City Times

Welcome to Ashland City

Courtesy of Ashland City Times

First Things First:

Be aware of personal safety (downed power lines, sewage-contaminated water, displaced wildlife)

Attend to your damaged home

Document damage and report to insurance company, TEMA/FEMA

The Clean Up: Is the site dry enough to enter?

Thick silt will cover the landscape & may have a raw sewage-like odor Caused by lack of oxygen in the soil

When dry, remove trash, debris & uprooted plants

Separate home trash from yard waste—place in designated place for pick up

Your Landscape May Recover!: Established plants have a good chance of

survival

Many plants will look dead, but don’t pull them out unless physically damage is major

Known to survive after 2 weeks under water: Native trees Native shrubs Native perennials Hardy bulbs

Plants at Risk (don’t like “wet feet”):

Japanese Holly Japanese Boxwood Indian Hawthorn Nandina Hybrid Junipers Hybrid Azaleas Encore Azalea

Plants Most Likely to Survive:

Crape Myrtles Chinese Holly

Casissa Holly Burford Holly Burford Holly & Crape

Myrtles 3 months after flood

Plants Most Likely to Survive:Crape Myrtle

Chinese Holly

Deciduous & Evergreen Plants: Most deciduous plants will defoliate immediately after a

flood

Before pruning, wait to see if bare branches bud out in next month or two

Hardy evergreens (like Chinese Hollies) may hold their leaves Washing the silt off evergreens will aid their survival (do not

pressure wash)

Cover any exposed roots

Apply fresh mulch (never use fresh hardwood mulch)

Trees: Remove excess silt and soil from trunks and crowns

Cover any exposed roots

Remove broken or damaged limbs Wait to see if bare branches start to bud out in next month or

two

Apply fresh mulch (never use fresh hardwood mulch)

Trees may experience a forced dormancy due to flood shock & lack of soil oxygen Leaves will turn yellow & drop off, and some branch die-back

may occur

Trees:

Trees may experience a forced dormancy due to flood shock & lack of soil oxygen Leaves will turn yellow & drop off, and some

branch die-back may occur

Anticipate: Plants will be stressed

Poor growth More diseases

Wet soils encourage root and crown diseases (fungi) Fusarium spp. Phytopthora spp. Pythium spp. Rhizocotonia solani

Improve site drainage Helps reduce stress and disease

Replace lost soils with organic matter

Nutrients: Avoid excessive nutrients during recovery

High nitrogen fertilizers are not beneficial to trees & shrubs at this time

Excessive fertilization can increase diseases Take a soil sample to determine needs Organic matter replaces lost soil microbes as

well as slow-release nutrients

Your Flooded Garden:

Gardens: Food Safety!!

Flood waters are contaminated with raw sewage Handle with caution

Eating leafy or bulb/root vegetables should be avoidedSpinach or lettuceGarlic, onions, radishes

Some vegetables are less risky if they can be boiledTurnips

Visit http://foodsafety.gov for more information on food preparation & safety

Newly Seeded Gardens: Most did not survive the flood, or were washed

away

The good news? We have much of the growing season left to start over

Let soil dry out completely--working wet soils leads to large dirt clods and future soil compaction

Add amendments, composted organic matter, straw and mulch

Flooded Turfgrass:

Golf Course

Athletic Field—after flood

Turf & Lawn Areas: Most resilient to flooding:

Bermuda grass Bahia grass Hybrids of the above

Bermuda grass, under 4 weeks of floodwater, has responded with re-growth after drying out

First, remove sediment, silt, organic debris Mow, removing only 1/3 of height Apply 1/2 lb. of nitrogen per 1,000 sf – will

encourage turf recovery Follow normal maintenance practices

Sprinkler Systems: Turn off power & inspect electrical systems Replace irrigation clock if it was flooded Have backflow prevention system inspected by a

professional Shut off water supply, open drain valve, drain

water from underground pipes Rotors—remove, shake out, & rinse Flush the pipe system before replacing the heads

Sprinkler Systems (cont): Open valves one at a time to full open position

& turn system on manually Run water for 5 minutes at each zone Reinstall heads & run system for 10 minutes Turn off water & be sure all heads retract Replace heads not working properly

Patience

Salvaging a flooded landscape can be economically feasible if you have the time & patience

Let your plants return naturally

Replant with native species

Nature’s resilience will amaze you

Websites for Additional Information:

http://www.extension.org/pages/Recovering_the_Flooded_Landscape

http://utextension.tennessee.edu/Pages/default.aspx

http://fcs.tennessee.edu/nutrfdsfty/safefd/index.htm

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Thank You Nancy Coop, Cheatham County MG