Sprinklers

[digitS']

June 2018 is coming to a close. Here, precipitation has been a little less than average. Still, there were two days where we gained 1/3rd of an inch. A couple more June days when there were sprinkles didn't add much to the less-than 1" that will be an official total at an airport, not too far away. That less-than 1" is the average for the month of July. Average for August is closer to 1/2".

Measuring the amount of water a sprinkler puts down in an hour is a good idea from both a gardening and an economic perspective.

Plant needs differ ... altho only somewhat for annual garden plants. Sprinklers can differ a whole lot.

A cake pan to catch the sprinkler water, a clock and a tape measure ...

Steve

 

[Nyboy]

woke up to sound of heavy rain. Radio weather forecaster said 21/2 inches a hour.

 

[digitS']

Eight hours of that ..

. and we would exceed our ..

. yearly average!

digitS'

 

[flowerbug]

our monthly average is about 3 inches of rain. it seems that the past several years we often get most of that in one shot and it may skip a month here or there with not much rain at all other times. winter time it comes down as snow.

yesterday's rains were likely over 5 inches. when i went out later to run errands in town most of the ditches along the road were at the top so not much more rain would have put them over the road in several places. that's only happened once before in 22yrs when we had more than 11inches of rain over two days.

 

[Zeedman]

woke up to sound of heavy rain. Radio weather forecaster said 21/2 inches a hour.

That's a good thing??? Sounds like a deluge, with flash flooding.

@flowerbug , I'm hesitant to "like" your post, if that would constitute approval of your weather. You're really catching the rain this year.

 

[Nyboy]

Zeedman I love the rain, because some summers we have drought. When under drought water use is limited you are not allowed to water lawns or gardens or wash cars unless your on private well. A couple of summers ago we had a really bad drought. For the first time my stream and pond dried up. Any lawn that was not dead and brown where ticketed and owners fined. Never want to go though that again so very happy when we get summer storms.

 

[Zeedman]

Zeedman I love the rain, because some summers we have drought. When under drought water use is limited you are not allowed to water lawns or gardens or wash cars unless your on private well. A couple of summers ago we had a really bad drought. For the first time my stream and pond dried up. Any lawn that was not dead and brown where ticketed and owners fined. Never want to go though that again so very happy when we get summer storms.

(added emphasis mine)
Wow... they're really tough on you over there. Gives a whole new meaning to "harsh climate".

 

[flowerbug]

sometimes i just like things to tell people i've read and followed along. like, "you've been heard." no worries anyways...

rains we need from time to time. it was getting dry and i'd rather have rain than have to run the well water on things.

i think you guys got hammered pretty good last year or the year before with rains.

 

[Nyboy]

(added emphasis mine)
Wow... they're really tough on you over there. Gives a whole new meaning to "harsh climate".

Our waterline feeds NYC so they don't fool around $$$$$ fines

 

[digitS']

@thistlebloom 's "sprinkler moose" (CONGRATULATIONS!) made me think of this thread.

Of course, with nearly the driest summers on record -- I'm often thinking of sprinklers and water! (LINK) (Add to that interest, yesterday there was frost and I was running sprinklers in one garden to mitigate the cold. The big veggie garden was too cold, too far from the other, and too far gone already.)

Anyway, the lawn and its flower beds have now been on a once-per-week sprinkler schedule. Once.

Growth has dropped and my once-per-week mowing makes little difference in the look of the lawn. It's still nicely green because there is little need for moisture with such cool temperatures.

I haven't been paying much attention to the neighbors' lawn watering. Whether they are dumping gallons needlessly, spraying next to nothing every 24 hours ... or whatever ... it makes little difference because of the limited needs of the lawn grass plants.

On a side note, one neighbor to the big veggie garden totally abandoned "charging the aquifer" in one area beside his very large garage. Another neighbor asked me why I thought the tops of the two fir trees are dying despite sprinklers in another location reaching one side of them. The lawn on one side is yellow, the other side of the dying trees is green.

I said that he used a sprinkler beside his garage similar to one I sometimes use at home. I think of it as my "45 minute" sprinkler. Once as week, he would leave it on for 12 HOURS!!!

Over the years, those two trees must have developed very shallow roots. Perhaps, half of those roots are now dead and the tops of the trees are dying with them. At least, 40' tall - they look absolutely terrible. Should be cut down.

Steve