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Your Landscape Sentinels

Remember the sentinels in your yard.

With the lack of rain and heat in the forecast, Don't forget your silent landscape sentinels. 
The trees, bushes and evergreens in your yard are also affected by the lack of rain. Evergreen trees don't normally show the signs of stress until the second year of growth after they are stressed. Their needles on the new growth will then be yellowed or redden. Your other hardwood trees may develop leaf droop. Sometimes they can recover thru the evenings with rain and lower overnight temperatures in the 60's. But, if this heat and lack of rain continues, I would recommend watering your landscape giants. For them, Locate the outside span of their leaves on the ground, (this would be the root line), and place a hose with the water on a trickle and let it sit and slowly soak into the ground surrounding your trees and bushes. A soaker hose would also be effective for low and slow watering around the base and root line of your trees.

A little help for these landscape sentinels will pay off in the end with shade for your home, yard and patio's. Also preventing you the expense of removing a dead tree and/or possibly replanting with a new one.

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Steve ® July 9, 2012 at 05:39 pm
Hopefully I can beat my 36,000 gallon water bill from three summers ago when I redid my entire lawn.
Kathy Bondar July 9, 2012 at 07:48 pm
That is alot of water. If you have a dehumidifier, try saving the water and using it to water your plants around the yard.
CowDung July 9, 2012 at 07:49 pm
It would take a big de-humidifier to get that much water...
Steve ® July 9, 2012 at 08:22 pm
I have 28 annual locations that need water, that includes hanging baskets, pots and other annuals in the ground. The lawn has new sod patches and the entire yard gets at least 1" per week. Add in the 5 new arborvitaes and countless other perennials.
I don't think 3 gallons every other day is going to help much. The electricity to product that is probably more than the cost of the 3 gallons of water ;)
Bob McBride July 9, 2012 at 08:41 pm
Got a good laugh out of that one.
C'mon Steve, give it a chance at least. 12000 trips to the dehumidifier and back. Given the current humidity, you could probably fill it up at least once every 2-3 days. It'll only take you between about 65 and 100 years to get your yard watered for the season. If you're extra healthy or have kids who'll have kids of their own, piece of cake.
Craig July 9, 2012 at 08:46 pm
Steve: For my hanging flower baskets I use a drip irrigation system. You can pick what tip size you want for the water amount. ie: 1 gal/hour. Then I use a valve timer ($25), to water at the same time for 30 minutes a day- or whatever you decide works best for you.. For me, it works great in this heat, and I do not have to be home everyday to water them. People who live near bodies of water like the swamp in the Falls have good luck with their sump pump water for irrigation. A large tote can be used to hold the water until you need it for watering. Given how we are being raked over the coals by Milwaukee on our sewer bills, I hope you have a separate meter for sprinkling? No use in paying sewer tax on the water used outside!
Steve ® July 9, 2012 at 08:58 pm
Sprinkler meter is a must - added one on probably another thing I am the only one to have in the neighborhood. I didn't have one when I redid the lawn and I was kicking myself. $423 water bill which was mostly sewer.
How did you run the tubing? I assume you remove this in the winter? Guess I could hide it under the gutter since I imagine it is small tubing. Takes us about an hour to water all the annuals right now, so 1/2hr per person. Last week they were getting water 2-3 times per day. Yet it is a huge stress reliever for me, I do enjoy it, well most days that is.
Kathy Bondar July 9, 2012 at 09:47 pm
The water from the dehumidifier was only to water container plants, not your lawn or trees and bushes. If we would only get some rain; then I would suggest a rain barrel or two. When we have a normal rainfall, i sometimes add in a unused, clean trash can next to the overflow spout.
angie mom July 9, 2012 at 10:00 pm
we have an underground sprinkler system in our lawn and flower beds that is working overtime! Hope we don't drain Lake Michigan!!!
Ann July 9, 2012 at 10:33 pm
We use reclaimed water for outside water, in Florida. Also most homes have a timer on their sprinkler systems.
Craig July 10, 2012 at 02:06 am
Steve: The tubing is 1/4 inch hard plastic. Menards sells the kits made by Rain Bird, you can leave it set up even in Winter as it doesn't crack when it freezes.
Hint: I use a Miracle Grow Garden feeder with a removable spray nozzle. I put it in line with two short garden hoses before going to the drip tubing- so I fertilize with every watering. I have had it for a few years, everyone stops and asks me where I get my potted plants.
Steve ® July 10, 2012 at 01:03 pm
Thanks Craig. I like the idea of having a direct inline feeder, just have to work out the aesthetics in my head. This would be awesome for vacations, I feel bad now asking the neighbors as it is getting more and more every year.
Craig July 10, 2012 at 06:18 pm
Steve, I know how you feel. Usually the plants in the beds can tolerate no water for a few days. But not the hanging pots, they cook fast in the heat.
Steve ® July 11, 2012 at 02:12 pm
Now you've got my head working and my wallet open but it's a huge time saver which means it will pay for itself in a few days. Drip irrigation will be installed soon, also purchased parts to make an awesome DIY underground lawn irrigation system including timer for a little over $300. Don't' even have to rip up the lawn I can do it all from my berms.
So I tracked my watering last night, this includes the entire lawn and annuals and soaker hose on the new arbs. 1680 gallons! 450 was on the arbs. lol at 3 gallons from the dehumidifier.
Bob McBride July 11, 2012 at 02:22 pm
Steve, maybe a bank of dehumidifiers. I'm thinking at least a 500 or so in your case.
Steve ® July 11, 2012 at 02:31 pm
I think your on to something Bob! Just after I get my Obama subsidized wind turbines up to pay for the electricity. Hope you guys live close, the dew point is about to drop big time. Well at least until I dump it on the lawn every night.

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Walker celebrates after defeating the liberal unionista blue fisters
robert heule June 8, 2013 at 06:16 am
Steve, go down to the "village square" burn a blue fist. Or, maybe in front of WAL-MART.
Steve ® June 8, 2013 at 03:00 pm
As a producer I have better things to do. Drum circles are the blue fisters circle jerk.
robert heule June 9, 2013 at 08:16 pm
Steve, Like an Okie from Muskogee, I still wave 'Ol Bluefist down by the Courthouse.