More chances today gals and guys.......y'all hang tough and pray, maybe find an indian to do one of those dances might not hurt either.
"eyes"
Y'all hot yet?
Okay, everybody outside for a nekkid-in-the-back-yard rain dance! I could hear all the plants and bugs and toads and lizards saying THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU (along with me) yesterday. Oh, what a difference the rain makes!
I'll go ....but only if I don't have to be nekkid.....the gods would probably zap me with a bolt from the blue.
"eyes"
If I went out nekkid my plants would wither up and die!! LOL
Mine laugh, which is very good for their circulatory systems! Ever seen a marigold snort nectar out its nose?
Every day...HOT/DRY, HOT/DRY....etc. Strange year. The yuccas didn't bloom in the spring around here. Not even the ones in the yard that get watered. I think that was an omen. Global warming and La Nina march on!
rained here today finally--but I think we were on the edge and got less than most other parts of town--but it will help a lot and I'm thankful.
lots of lightning too which really helps the bulbs with all the nitrogen in the air prior to rainfall
=)
Woohoo!! We got 1/2" of rain this morning! I think I heard my plants slurping up the rain water then saying, "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!" LOL
I was planning on watering this evening .... but then it rained pretty hard this afternoon. All my plants are rejoicing!
I am so jealous! Not a single drop here yet.... I am getting tired of constantly watering.
The good news is that we might be getting more either tonight or tomorrow morning, too! I hope it rains both tonight AND tomorrow!
Dumped big-time at work, but just missed the house yesterday - however - the rain on Wednesday and Thursday has awakened the grass again - must have grown 3+ inches over night - ARRGGHH!!
Was hoping to skip mowing this weekend.
I was hoping to skip mowing too Bubba. But after the rain a couple of times this week ... for which I am very thankful for, so don't think I'm complaining about THAT... I had to get out there this morning and mow. I decided to NOT bag the grass. Saved about 15 minutes off of mowing time. It was so hot I had to stop several times to get a drink of water. My yard isn't that big either. I have decided to mow the back yard this evening. It's just too hot out there right now and I'm not going to kill myself over a couple of inches of grass.
Man this AC feels soooooo good!
Woke up this morning to the most amazing sound in the world! Pitter-patter on the roof. We haven't gotten even 2/10 inch so far and I'm not hearing it anymore, but it's wonderful just to get any. They said on the news it would take an entire foot of rain just to bring us up to a normal amount of rain for this time of year. So...bring it on! Don't know where it would come from, but hey...we had a summer miracle last year...why not?
This "new" house we moved into is very well landscaped and has a good watering system. I have it set to go off at 3am for 5 minutes in each of its 8 sections and again at 4:30am. This gives me a good soak - nice and deep. There is one area in the very center of the back yard that looked so burned up and I couldn't figure out why until I remembered that the wife/seller told me that her husband had started a pond near this really nice patio he put in - all slate - and then lost interest or ? and filled the hole back in again. It must have been quite a while between digging the dirt, piling it up and then deciding to fill up his hole again because he left quite a lot of dirt in the middle of the yard making a mound which drains extremely well. Yesterday we had a good shower that lasted for about 20-30 mins and this morning the grass is all green again. The air temp certainly cooled down a lot - from 94f to 73f in just a few minutes.
I'm surprised to read that any DGer would collect the grass instead of letting it lie to become mulch. I guess that if you use it in a compost pile after gathering that's one thing. Also, I've been around St Augustine grass so long that I automatically think of it as the "lawn" down here and forget that other people have other grasses. If you do, maybe that's how you can get by with watering in the evening. If we water in the evening (SA) we are inviting viruses and diseases. Sorry if I sound so crass and mean. Didn't mean to - just being ignorant and need to keep a lot of thoughts to myself. Please forgive :)) Didn't mean to step on any toes.
Ann
Quoting:
I'm surprised to read that any DGer would collect the grass instead of letting it lie to become mulch. I guess that if you use it in a compost pile after gathering that's one thing. Also, I've been around St Augustine grass so long that I automatically think of it as the "lawn" down here and forget that other people have other grasses. If you do, maybe that's how you can get by with watering in the evening. If we water in the evening (SA) we are inviting viruses and diseases. Sorry if I sound so crass and mean. Didn't mean to - just being ignorant and need to keep a lot of thoughts to myself. Please forgive :)) Didn't mean to step on any toes.
Ann, my toes are just fine, thank you very much, but I thought I'd explain WHY I bag the grass clippings and why I water in the evenings.
Several reasons:
1) I have 2 dogs. A big lab/golden retriever and a rat terrier. Dogs leave "gifts" in the yard. Grace leaves HUGE gifts. Until we got this mower with the bagger, I scooped up piles all the time to prevent stepping in it and they stunk to high heaven. Now, I bag the grass as I mow and bag the poop along with it. It catches all but the littlest of
2) I go barefoot all the time and drag in more clippings on my feet and my shoes when I don't bag. Makes for more vacuuming in the house. I'll "vacuum" the yard any day to keep from dragging out that vacuum in the house. I'm seeing that more and more this morning after not bagging either the front yard or the back. It's not only me that tracks it in, but the dogs and hubby too. We all wander around the yard all the time. I found clumps of grass where it had stuck between Grace's toes and then dropped on my hardwood floors.
3) I like the way it looks "finished" when I get done mowing. It's like mowing and vacuuming all at the same time. This especially comes in handy when I pull vines, etc. from the nice beds and islands I have. Toss the vines out into the yard, mow them up, and dump them elsewhere where I don't mind the vines growing.
4) My front yard dumping ground is also where I have a bird feeder. I've watched birds gathering "stuff" from there to take back to their nests. Whether it's bugs or clippings, they seem to like it.
Now I do realize the benefits of leaving the clippings there for mulch. So a couple of times a season, I'll leave the bag off and deal with the vacuum inside the house.
I haven't had any problems with viruses or diseases from watering in the evening. When I water in the mornings I see the pots dry as a bone by mid afternoon when the sun is at it's hottest. The plants are wilted and screaming for a drink. So I water most times in the early evenings so my plants have a chance to soak up the moisture. So far it's worked for me for years. It's also cooler in the evenings to water. When I water in the mornings, I'm drenched from sweat and have to change clothes to keep from stinking.
Janet
Janet, do you put your poop piles and grass clippings in a compost pile? They would make excellent compost!
We bag our grass to put it on the compost pile, but we also have a mulching mower so sometimes we just leave it on the grass. We also water in the evenings. We have a sprinkler system, but we can't program it like we want, so I still have to turn it on at the box, set the timer on the stove, then get up and turn it off and start the next section. I just don't have enough time in the mornings before I go to work to water.
Stephanie
Yes, they are in a compost pile. I don't really use it, though I know I should. It's on one side of the yard and my potting station is on the other. Perhaps it's time to re-think this situation.
wow,I didn't want to start trouble, believe me. I'm just naturally curious when things out of my natural comfort zone occur. Whatever. You definitely don't have to report to me. Sorry that I even posted my thoughts.
Ann
Oh Ann,You didn't start any trouble. I was just giving my reasons for bagging and for watering in the evening. It's not a problem and I surely didn't mean to upset you.
Here, I water in the evenings for the same reason... The plants seem to have more time to absorb the moisture and nutrients before the days' evaporation kicks in. There are some plants more moisture sensitive that I really notice the daytime wilt factor and it seems improved if I water the night before.
Yes, I have always worried about fungus but till I encounter problems, I think this works best for me. I try to not get water on the foliage. I've never bagged grass tho and also never watered grass. My yard is not as pretty but seems a waste of a precious commodity and only serves to make me have to mow again and again! LOL
Two large dogs here and although they have an acre under fence, I still take them for "poop" walks. Good for all of us. Never thought about composting that...
Ann, don't ever keep your opinions to yourself. The world would be a boring place if we all thought alike and liked the same things. Besides, someday you will have the opportunity to say 'I told you so!' LOL
How is the Meyer lemon doing?
I also walk my dog(s). Mostly just Grace, but now and then Tink gets to go too. Grace minds extremely well and doesn't really need a leash. Tink on the other hand is a lot of maintenance on our walks. I have felt better since we began our morning walks.
I'd love to have a lemon tree. I was thinking of breaking my self imposed challenge of not buying any plants. I priced them recently (YIKES) and decided I'd pop some lemon seeds in some soil and see if I couldn't grow them myself. I saw a sprout the other day. Whether it's a lemon sprout or not, who knows. But I'm hopeful.
I wanted a lemon and a satsuma. Here, the lemon would need winter protection while the satsuma should be hardier in ground and mulched. I found both at a great local garden center this spring. Both were priced the same and the pocketbook could stand but one. I picked the satsuma but am still lusting... LOL
Off for one of those walks ~ I agree, I do feel better when we walk!
Last year, we tried the baggie method of sprouting some fruit seeds. They were from fruit we'd eaten, grapefruits and something else. I just put the seed on a wet paper towel, then put the paper towel and seed in a sandwich size ziploc. Placed it in a sunny location and let it go. I did open it and spritz the paper towel with water every once in a while. They all sprouted!! It was really fun to watch.
I got DH a Meyer lemon and a Rio Red grapefruit on sale for $15 each at a Houston Garden Center. They were a father's day present we both love. :)
Tabitha
Edited to say I really wanted a satsuma, and he really wants a pomegranate, but they didn't have either at the Garden Center I went to. Maybe next year.
This message was edited Jun 22, 2008 7:34 AM
My Meyer Lemon is thriving. Now we have only 5 lemons - I think the rest got lost in the move and I DO know that a grackle picked one or 2 and I don't know why. Everything here is flourishing including some cuttings of Brugs I hastily did and stuck in soil. All the hot weather plants like plumerias and bougs. are coming right along. Neglect is what they seem to thrive on and the fact that they are still in pots from the move means no weeds so that makes us both happy.
Ann
Good to hear all survived the move. Is is common for grackles to go after citrus? I wonder if it was looking for moisture. May have to resort to a netting or cloth to keep the birds out of the lemons. Good luck! What time of year would you normally harvest the lemons?
madrid2000, we got 3 satsumas at Maas nursery They have been big producers for us for several years.
Never having had a lemon or other citrus tree I don't know when "the harvest" is. Somewhere after the first of the year, if I'm remembering correctly. Since I had not raised the citrus I didn't put it in my personal journal that I keep by my recliner. Maybe one of my daughters will remember when their harvest started and about the time it ended.
Grackles are raucous birds and showoffs so there could be any number of reasons they made off w/the lemons;.
Ann
I have a couple of clementine trees I just put in last year, and one has four little clems on it. My recollection is that it's sometime around Christmas, give or take a month, so I'd vote with plantladyhou. That's when they're available at the store.
brigidlily, do you think we should open a market w/our plentiful supply of clementines (4) and my lemons (down to 4 today)? Oooooh what fun. One thing I will have if everything goes right is lots and lots of loguots. There are 5 big (and I mean big) loquot trees in this yard and they keep coming up. Last year when we were looking to buy here in Katy they were about done May but there had been a bumper crop!
Ann
Y'all are one up on my poor little Satsuma ~ no fruits this season... 8 (
Just thought I'd pop in with fruit seedlings I managed to sprout from fruits bought from the store: mango and pomegranates.
madrid2000, it's really easy to give your DH a pommegranate tree from seeds. Just follow these steps (you just have to wait for the cold season so they appear in stores);
1. buy a pommegranate (I did it in December, 2 for $5)
2. eat it, but do not throw away all seeds. If you buy it to squeeze the juice just take a few seeds that are intact. I made sure that the seeds I kept were as clean from the fruit pulp as possible, because of possible ant attack
3. the freshly collected seed are placed to germinate. I did so with mine 2 days after the eating process... My method is in seed starting soil, in a small container (espresso plastic cup), but I bet it works with the coffee filter as well.
4. keep in good light (no direct sun), moist soil/paper, and I think inside temps would do just fine (I did it outside, but December in Miami was still "shorts and T-shirts" time)
5. watch for the first sprout in about 5-10 days. I was really amazed to see that all seeds germinated (20 out of 20, by 3 weeks from putting them in the soil). I didn't keep all of them, just 3 strongest ones.
6. replant seedlings as you would do with any other.
This is how my pommegranate seedlings looked 2 months ago (pic a bit fuzzy). Now they are each about 1 ft tall. I am curious if they will fruit though... but I still have to wait to find out.
For the mango, I just stuck one pit in an empty pot (I think it was a 6"?) mid-March (again still in Miami, warm above 77 at night). Watered the pot every day if it didn't rain. It popped out in about 2 weeks. That one I left behind in Miami.
It was at least fun to try.
Alexandra
Because DH did such a good job cutting down a leaning tree for me, they were on sale for $15, and there were only two left....
I bought a pommegranate tree too. But thanks Alexandra for the great tips for growing some to share with friends.
Tabitha
Well we finally got some good rain showers here over the weekend. Started Friday and lasted everyday until Tuesday. Needless to say everything is growing like crazy. Hope we gets some more in the coming weeks. Still on water restriction.
Man.......all I'm getting is thunderheads and lighting and a jack in the humidity.....grrrrr....I just hate that, if it ain't gonna rain...don't tease me.
"eyes"
Ditto in east TX... Thunderstorms are circling us like a buzzard... about 4 inches of thunder last night alone and not a drop!
It fell in Beaumont last night evidently because I saw a rainbow for all of 2 minutes when I woke up this morning. It rained a bit yesterday and then again today. No watering for this gal this evening. YEAH!
It rains in Beaumont where I work, and it rains all around me, but not a drop has fallen where I live. It's VERY frustrating, because I delay watering because it looks like it's going to rain, and it never does!
Today is very cloudy and a few drops have fallen. I'm hoping maybe today will be our day for some rain. ;)
Lin