Comments on: Water, water everywhere!

By: Peter Hoh

Peter Hoh — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 03:18:52 +0000

I saw baled pine needles for sale at Gertens in Inver Grove Heights.

A week ago, I saw someone unloading a pick up truck load of pine needles at the county composting site. I tried to explain to them that they could post an ad on Craigslist and someone would pay to haul them away, but they didn’t seem to believe me.

By: bsimon

bsimon — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 16:20:33 +0000

“I’ve been reading a lot about pine straw mulch. Is it available anywhere in the Twin Cities?”

I saw an ad on craigslist for about $12 per bag. Seems spendy to me. Maybe there are better sources. My neighbor has a white pine that keeps her well-stocked & me jealous.

By: Bluebird74

Bluebird74 — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 07:59:38 +0000

We are not watering our lawn because we do not want a $300 water bill. We are going to let it go dormant and hope it survives.

By: Cindy

Cindy — Sat, 30 May 2009 11:57:54 +0000

With all this talk about watering, how about the mulching factor? I’m steering away from cypress mulch this season and need some new ideas. I’ve been reading a lot about pine straw mulch. Is it available anywhere in the Twin Cities?

By: Peter Hoh

Peter Hoh — Sat, 30 May 2009 04:31:11 +0000

Put a lid on that bucket. Five gallon buckets are considered a significant drowning hazard for toddlers.

Many parents and caregivers may not realize the danger buckets pose. From 1996 through 1999, CPSC received reports of 58 children under age 5 who drowned in 5-gallon buckets. Even a small amount of liquid can be deadly. Of all buckets, the 5-gallon size presents the greatest hazard to young children because of its tall, straight sides. That, combined with the stability of these buckets, makes it nearly impossible for top-heavy infants and toddlers to free themselves when they fall into the bucket headfirst.

By: bsimon

bsimon — Fri, 29 May 2009 20:57:13 +0000

“Wendy, I love your idea for tree watering. I’m off to find a clean bucket!”

Elegantly simple.

By: Erin

Erin — Fri, 29 May 2009 20:49:40 +0000

Wendy, I love your idea for tree watering. I’m off to find a clean bucket!

By: Connie Nelson

Connie Nelson — Fri, 29 May 2009 19:02:21 +0000

Great tips, everyone. I especially liked Peter Hoh’s homemade soaker hose and Kathleen’s idea of buying a Moisture Meter. (I’ve tried the Fixit’s tuna can method, but I somehow always end up tipping them over.)

I’ll bet we’ll all be doing some watering this weekend . . .

By: Richard

Richard — Fri, 29 May 2009 17:32:17 +0000

Robyn — FYI

On Tuesday, May 26th, NOAA (the national weather folks), released an updated map that shows the twin cities and surrounding metro areas in a “moderate to severe drought”. It’s too early in the season to have it this nasty!

By: sparklegirl

sparklegirl — Fri, 29 May 2009 17:20:05 +0000

Great tips, Connie and Judybusy — thank you!

By: Mellers

Mellers — Fri, 29 May 2009 17:16:37 +0000

Fixit (Karen Youso) recommended in an article once to put an empty tuna can under the sprinkler. However long it takes to fill up that can is how long it takes to provide an inch of water. I thought it was a clever and simple idea!

By: Laura C

Laura C — Fri, 29 May 2009 17:00:09 +0000

I’m up in Moorhead and everything is still pretty lush and green up here. We have had a downpour and some sprinkles this week, so we’ve been lucky. I just bought a soaker hose this year, but have yet to unwind it and actually use it. I buy plants that are native to the area and require little watering, and I almost never water my grass unless I am reseeding. I have a rainbarrel, but it won’t be til later this summer that we have gutters so it will actually get filled up!

By: Auntie K

Auntie K — Fri, 29 May 2009 16:55:54 +0000

I’ve been using a combination of the soaker hoses (established gardens) and the watering wand (for the new stuff). I turn on the soaker hoses and take the dog for a walk. Turn off the hoses when I get back, typically 30 to 45 minutes.

By: Wendy

Wendy — Fri, 29 May 2009 16:55:17 +0000

To water trees, this is my secret. I use a five-gallon bucket (like those orange ones from Home Depot), drill the smallest hole I can in the bottom of it, fill it up with water and set it next to the tree. No need to set a timer or wrestle the hose around the yard. I can set it up before I leave for work and not think twice about it. And it’s cheap!

By: Susan

Susan — Fri, 29 May 2009 16:49:05 +0000

It had been very dry here in Rochester as well, until this week. We’ve had between 1.5-1.8 inches of rain spread over several days, so I’m crossing my fingers that I can hang up the hose for a while now.
While it was dry, I just spent ~45 minutes outside with the hose every other morning between 6:20-7:15 a.m., before getting ready for work. I watered the plants in the flower beds, as well as shrubs/trees and my veggie garden, but left the lawn as-is.

By: Kathleen

Kathleen — Fri, 29 May 2009 16:48:25 +0000

I have some rain barrels, but, the water that accidentaly froze in there last fall is almost gone! I purchased a Moisture Meter from the garden center. It really helps! I can check the soil down close to the roots and avoid over watering which encourages shallow root growth and super tall tomato plants!

By: zeiss

zeiss — Fri, 29 May 2009 16:33:17 +0000

i thought i was the only one noticing the dry conditions! i look at my suburban forecast and see 10 more days (at least) without rain predicted. i water my garden and transplants each evening (i know it breaks the rules) and i water my grass (large lot) with a lawn tractor for about 4 hours every few days. more and more i am pondering in-ground sprinklers as i drag around sprinklers, hoses, etc.

By: Candace

Candace — Fri, 29 May 2009 16:14:03 +0000

I use an overhead sprinkler on my butterfly garden, plus tomatoes. I put this on this morning for about 45 minutes, while I was getting ready for work. Along with watering my garden, the birds are so HAPPY! I get to see the cardinals, robins, sparrows, bluejays and even squirrels wet their thirst. The robins sit on the fence and take a shower, the cardinals sit in my Magnolia tree and take a shower. The critters are getting thirsty! I also have a bird bath, but the critters flock to the garden when I water!

By: Robyn Dochterman

Robyn Dochterman — Fri, 29 May 2009 15:53:09 +0000

Okay, so I’m not imagining how dry it is at my house. I live in northern Washington county, which is experiencing severe drought conditions, according to: the U.S. Drought Monitor. Interesting that not that far to the north, or to the west, it’s a bit dry, or normal.

By: Judybusy

Judybusy — Fri, 29 May 2009 14:40:30 +0000

sparkelgirl and Connie,
I am also using a soaker hose for the first time this year in a large bed of hostas. I’ve left it on for 90″ once per week, and that seems to get the soil moist deep enough. I’m slightly more scientific than Connie: I dug down with a trowel.

My gutter downspouts empties into a different bed of hostas, keeping them green all summer. Another downspout empties in the front of my house. I’m about to rip out shrubs and plant another shade garden, so the water from the spout will help. That is, if it rains again!

Here’s my tip: I set timers to remind me to turn off sprinklers. I’m too cheap to install actual timers on the sprinklers. Or more acurately, why spend plant money on that!