Saturday, August 02, 2008

Gearing up for the heatwave...

So, the summer heat is hitting hard here... tomorrow the high is supposed to be 108 in Dallas, which is a record temp, but where I live is usually about 1 to 2 degrees warmer.

Right now, I'm giving the yard a good watering, so that it can survive the heat tomorrow... Tomorrow, I'll have to go out to spot water plants that get blocked or neglected by the sprinkler... The problem is that our soil here drains and dries out very quickly, so the water retention isn't the best... I've done my best to build up the topsoil with compost over the last few years, but it's still a challenge... we even have to water our houses to keep the foundation from cracking...

So, don't be looking for huge amounts of pretty picturesover the next few weeks, everything here will be doing it's best just to survive...

4 comments:

  1. Sounds a lot like AZ! I'm hoping to be able to get a few photos of wildlife while I am house sitting!

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  2. For the past 9 weeks I've changed my irrigation schedule for shrubs to one 2 hour watering (takes that long to get moisture to a depth of 12 inches) every 5 days. I'm really pleased with the result. Things don't have that parched look that they did in previous summers--watering every other day for 1/2 hour like most everyone does around here. In the cooler months, I water every 10 days, and then from November to March every 30 days and if we get rain, then not at all. That's only the shrubs of course. The trees only get water once a month for six hours, even in the heat.
    How long do you water there in your heat?
    Aiyana

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  3. aiyana... we get more rain in Texas than your getting in Arizona, and we have a higher humidity level... Most lawns water for about an hour once a week, provided there's been no rain... I actually go a little longer. This is the first real watering I've done this year, confining myself to spot watering in an effort to conserve... Around the house, we do a soaker hose once a week, and the plants that require more water are actually planted close to the foundations for the extra water and to shade the foundations and help keep them from drying out.

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  4. Gosh, I feel so badly for you guys out west right now!!! At least we have our humidity here (which us humans hate, BTW)!!!

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