Posted on 07/21/2015 9:05:54 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Wait before turning on the sprinklers
Heavy downpours across Southern California this weekend may help some make their water bill a little lighter this month. San Diego resident Shelley Stapley said the weekend rain was great for the soil in her tomato garden.
"It is saturated; the soil is wet," said Stapley. She usually waters her plants by hand but now she's waiting a while before watering again. "Less water, less money for the bill because water is really expensive," said Stapley.
California drought regulations ban watering for 48 hours after a rain, but Mark Mahady with Walter Andersen Nursery said most homeowners should wait longer than that.
"Most established plants will need no water for another week," said Mahady. He told NBC 7 lawns can go more than a week without water after a soaking rain. Fruit trees can go two weeks. As for vegetable gardens?
"If they are in containers, maybe you will have to water a little sooner," said Mahady, "But I can almost assure you those peppers and tomatoes don't have to be watered until next week.
The trick is to check the soil around your plants. By digging down a few inches you can see if the soil is still holding moisture. There are also moisture meters that can probe into the soil.
The heavy rain is not only good for saving money, the rain water is also better for your plants. It helps rinse out salts from the soil. But while the rain will help your lawn and garden, there is a downside. The rain will also encourage the growth of weeds.
If we were to cut water usage in half the water company would have to double the water usage rates to collect the total money they need for their budget.
Strong El Niño developing in the Pacific Ocean – Video
http://iceagenow.info/2015/07/strong-el-nino-developing-in-the-pacific-ocean-video/
Raises the prospect that its heavy rains could end California’s historic drought.
“There is a greater than 90 percent chance that El Niño will continue through the winter of 2015-16, and around an 80 percent chance it will last into early spring 2016,” said the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in a statement earlier this week.
During previous strong El Niño events, California has seen a 150 percent to 200 percent increase in rainfall, said Mike Halpert of NOAA.
The record-breaking El Niño of1997-1998 is estimated to have caused losses in the billions in the U.S. alone.During just one week in January, 1998, the eastern U.S. and eastern Canada saw flooding rains from the lower Mississippi valley through the southeast and into the northeast, accompanied by several tornadoes, and a severe ice storm in parts of the northeast/New England and into Canada, says NOAA.“The severe ice storm mainly affected upstate New York, northern New Hampshire and Vermont, much of Maine, and southeast Canada. Some locations received over 3 inches of rain (in the form
of freezing rain).”
I used to know the head of the water department. Every time he raised rates, people just used less water. He was genuinely surprised by this, having worked for governme t most of his life.
The media think the people are so stupid that they have to be told that it’s not necessary to water after a torrential rain.
The imbecilization of America.
I’ve seen sprinklers on while it was raining. A lot of that stuff is done automatically.
In other news: water is wet
A bit rough there A48. People know that. Article is making a couple of good points:
* you can wait longer than you think before turning the sprinklers on
* dig down a few inches to see if the soil is moist; don’t judge from the surface
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