We have gotten a lot of rain recently and some of my vegetable plants don’t look great, especially the tomatoes. Should I be concerned? CG

You are correct, we have been getting a lot of rain. As I am writing this article and looking at mesonet.org, Tulsa County has gotten between 9 and 12 inches of rain in the previous 30 days. Rain is usually good, but that much rain can cause some issues for your plants. Plus, we have had cooler temperatures than normal which can also have an effect on our plants. Here’s the problem.

Good garden soil is about 50% solids, 25% water, and 25% air. With this type of sandy loam in our gardens, plants will thrive. The stat that usually surprises people is that good garden soil is about 25% air. Plants, and more specifically, plant roots need air to thrive and survive. Air tends to get pushed out by water and we have had a lot of water to deal with recently.

But here is the interesting part, drawing up nutrients from the roots takes a lot of energy and oxygen is required to produce this energy. When the soil is waterlogged, this lack of oxygen can inhibit the plants’ ability to uptake nutrients and water. Plants that are growing in soil that has flooded or has too much water actually suffer from a lack of water which causes their leaves to wilt. Interestingly, wilted leaves are a symptom in plants that have either too much water or not enough; opposite conditions but similar results.

In a flooded garden situation, it’s kind of like “water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink.” Even though there is an abundance of water, the plants cannot utilize the water due to a lack of oxygen in the soil. Hopefully, the water will recede, and the roots dry out before causing any long term negative damage to your plants.

Drainage is one of the advantages of growing your flowers and vegetables in raised beds because raised beds tend to drain better than in-ground gardens. You don’t see many raised beds with standing water.

If you are growing your veggies or flowers in containers, be sure your containers have drainage holes in the bottom. Without these drainage holes, the containers become very good at holding water which will have negative consequences for your plants.

If your plants remain waterlogged for a longer period of time whether in-ground, raised beds, or containers, your plants are at risk for root rot and root rot tends to be fatal to your plants since rotten roots can’t support your plant’s needs very well.

Hopefully, the soil will dry out soon and our gardens start to grow again. Good luck!

You can get answers to all your gardening questions by calling the Tulsa Master Gardeners Help Line at 918-746-3701, dropping by our Diagnostic Center at 4116 E. 15th Street, or by emailing us at mg@tulsamastergardeners.org.

Photo: Tom Ingram