Drought Tolerant
Drought Tolerant
Human Impact on Droughts
Drought is an extended period of exceptionally low precipitation. A drought can feature additional weather characteristics, including high temperatures and high winds. Although low precipitation (rain, snow, or sleet) marks both droughts and deserts, the two are different. A desert is a region that experiences low precipitation as an everyday occurrence. A drought, on the other hand, is a temporary condition in which precipitation is abnormally low for a particular region. Droughts may occur at any time in any part of the world and last anywhere from days to weeks to decades.
The U.S. National Weather Service recognizes three categories of drought. A dry spell occurs when there is less than .08 centimeter (.03 inch) of rainfall during a minimum of 15 consecutive days. A partial drought occurs when the average daily rainfall does not exceed .02 centimeter (.008 inch) during a 29-day period. An absolute drought occurs when there is no measurable rainfall over a period of at least 15 days. The intensity of a drought may be measured by the ability of living things in the affected area to tolerate the dry conditions. Some plants quickly fall prey to droughts while others, such as cacti and mesquite trees, survive dry conditions by either storing water in their tissues or by going dormant (a state in which growth activity stops). Although a drought may end abruptly with the return of adequate rainfall, the effects of a drought on the landscape and its inhabitants may last for years.
Droughts have taken place around the world throughout history. Some scientists theorize that droughts brought about the migrations of early humans. From 1876 to 1879, severe droughts in China caused the deaths of millions of people from lack of food. In 1921, a drought along the Volga River basin in Russia led to the deaths of almost five million people, more than the total number of deaths in World War I (1914–18). The best-known American drought occurred on the Great Plains region during the mid-1930s. Labeled the Dust Bowl, the affected area covered almost 50 million acres in parts of Colorado, New Mexico, Kansas, Texas, and Oklahoma. During this period, dust storms destroyed crops and buried agricultural fields with drifting sand and dust. As depicted by American writer John Steinbeck in his award-winning novel The Grapes of Wrath, many farm families had to abandon their land.
Drought and famine have severely affected areas throughout Africa. Beginning in the late 1960s, in the Sahel region south of the Sahara Desert in northern Africa, a prolonged drought contributed to the deaths of an estimated 100,000 people. The region was struck again by drought in the mid-1980s and early 1990s. War and drought in Ethiopia in the early 1980s brought about the starvation of an estimate one million people and the forced migration of hundreds of thousands of others. Drought combined with social unrest continued to afflict many countries at the beginning of the twenty-first century. The African nations of Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and Sudan were all hit hard by a massive drought that began in the late 1990s. Conflicts like the border war between Eritrea and Ethiopia slowed the delivery of famine aid. Devastating civil wars also worsened the effect of drought in the countries of Afghanistan and Tajikistan. The unrelenting droughts were the worst those countries had seen in decades.
The El Niño weather phenomenon typically brings about droughts in various parts of the world as it disrupts normal weather patterns. Perhaps one of the worst such droughts occurred in Southeast Asia as a result of the 1997–98 El Niño period. The monsoon rains that normally drench the area each September were delayed. Consequently, the jungle fires set by farmers to clear land were not damped by the usual rain, but instead raged out of control, propelled by hot winds. The smoke from the fires hung over Southeast Asia like a thick, dirty blanket. It quickly became the worst pollution crisis in world history. At least 1,000 people died from breathing the toxic air; several hundred thousand more were sickened.
Soil that lacks humus (nutrient-rich material resulting from decaying plants) and the binding property of plant roots cannot absorb or retain moisture properly. Dry, crusty soil is easily moved by winds. The overgrazing of farm animals, the over cultivation of farmland, and the clear-cutting of forests all contribute to such soil conditions, adding to the severity of droughts.
About the Author
Dr.Badruddin Khan teaches Chemistry in the University of Kashmir, Srinagar, India.
I want to buy plants that are drought/heat tolerant, but that bloom flowers and/or smell pretty. Ideas?
Portulaca is an awesome plant that is very heat tolerant and will bloom profusely nearly all season long.
it isn't very tall, but the colors are absolutely gorgeous.
check out the link below...
Drought Tolerant
Xeriscaping: native plants and a drought-tolerant yard (LEED landscape in Sun Valley, Idaho)
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Drought Tolerant $29.99 Lou Wall Drought Tolerant - Giclee Print |
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Drought $63.43 Drought |
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The Drought $8.43 The Drought |
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Reasonable Drought $12.2 Reasonable Drought |
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Breaking The Drought $11.2 Breaking The Drought |
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Times of Drought $16.39 Times of Drought |
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Grip of Drought $24.99 Grip of Drought - Photographic Print |
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Ducks in a Drought $24.99 Ducks in a Drought - Photographic Print |
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Fault-Tolerant Systems $59.69 Fault-Tolerant Systems |
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Fault-Tolerant Control Systems $118.72 Fault-Tolerant Control Systems |
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Fault Tolerant Flight Control $148.59 Fault Tolerant Flight Control |
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Being Tolerant $29.45 Explains what tolerance is and demonstrates different ways that people can be tolerant of others. |
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Drought, 1934 $19.99 Abram Games Drought, 1934 - Photographic Print |
Flowering Kalanchoe Plants Growth And Care For Drought Tolerant Gardens Or Houseplants
Kalanchoe plants are pretty dry garden bloomers known for their bright colorful flowers. They're great succulent plants for dry landscapes or as houseplants in container gardens indoors. Kalanchoes are in the Crassulaceae or, Stonecrop family. Most varieties are perennial and evergreen.
One of the most popular form of kalanchoe species grown today is kalanchoe blossfeldiana and its many hybrid plants. Kalanchoe blossfeldiana plants grow up to 2 feet tall and as wide. They have large, leathery leaves about 2 1/2 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide. The leaf edges are usually lightly scalloped and may have a slight tint of red or other color. Some hybrid plants have smooth edges and different colors on the leaf.
Flowers bloom in upright, large clusters from 2 to 3 inches across, and are made up of small daisy like flowers of 5 petals. The stamens are usually yellow and can stand out brightly depending on the flower color. Flower colors can range from white, yellow, orange, red, pink and everything in between. Flowers can also be creamy, dreamy pastels, or have flowers with more than one color, but kalanchoe blossfeldiana are mainly known for neon bright colors. These drought tolerant plants make a bold statement in the garden with their glowing, bright flower colors. Bloom is heaviest in spring, but they can bloom all year with a little feeding of fertilizer after the first bloom.
Care of kalanchoe plants outdoors is easy in mild winter areas. They are hardy to USDA Zone 10b, or 35 degrees, (Sunset Zone: 17, 21-24), These plants can take full sun to part shade in the garden. Outdoors, if it gets over 100 degrees for more than a few days, or your plants develop brown spots it may be getting sunburn. Either move the pots, or give them a little shade during the hottest part of the day with a temporary screen. Indoors they prefer a bright windowsill with lots of light. Indoors, place your kalanchoe plants near a bright window.
Kalanchoes are popular gifts during the winter and make nice housewarming presents. If you are lucky enough to receive one the first thing you might want to do is see if the soil is dry. If so, give your plant some water and let it drain in the sink. Then move them outside if you are in a mild winter area, or to a windowsill if it is cold outside.
Seeds saved from any hybrid plants will not grow out to look the same as the parent plants. It is much easier to propagate kalanchoe with leaf or stem cuttings. Place the cuttings in damp soil, and keep the soil moist for the first two weeks. After that, let the soil dry out between waterings.
Like most succulent plants, water requirements for kalanchoe are low. They can take average garden water, but will also grow well with much less. In my garden a few plants are out in a section with the natives and other drought tolerant plants and they do quite well. To avoid root rot, let the soil dry out before you water them again.
Kalanchoe plants also do well in container gardens. Since they can handle drought, they are a bit more forgiving than other plants if you forget to water them! They look great on the patio or as a focal point on your table. For drop by http://www.theGardenPages.com to see photos and read more about dry garden plants.
About the Author
Laura Zinkan is a writer in California. Drop by her southern California gardening blog at http://thegardenpages.blogspot.com to read the latest plant profiles and find out what's flowering now. She also cooks up http://www.MomsRetro.com where you can find retro art and kitchen tips for busy cooks. Copyright 2010 by Laura Zinkan. Article may be reprinted if author credit is given with a website link. All rights reserved.
Drought Tolerant