ETo for this time of year is running about normal at 1.2" over 7 days, which is corresponding to 3/4" water required for High quality turf ( sports fields ) or 1/2" of water required for residential lawns. With the 6" of rain we received, I would say it is a safe bet to TURN IRRIGATION OFF. Leave it off least until next week, see if we get more rain mid week.
Realistically, the biggest risk to plants right now with all the heacy clay in the area is root rot and plants drowning, not getting enough time between rains to allow the roots to dry-out and bring oxygen into the root zone.
I have seen more MOSS in Austin this year than in any of the past 20 years indicating the ground is highly saturated and runoff is apparent in even these brief 1/2" rains.
We really need 5 to 7 DRY days with no rain before we need to turn the irrigation back ON.
HAPPY MOWING ( between the rain storms )
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Watering recommendation for "Cougar Austin Redbud" for the past 7 days:0.43 inches*
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| This information is provided by the "Irrigation Technology Program" under the direction of Dr. Guy Fipps. If you would like to discontinue service please click on the link above to log into your TexasET profile. To discontinue service for only this station select "modify" from your site list and delete the site. To discontinue all TexasET emails select "Modify your user profile" and uncheck "Receive watering recommendations by email". | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| This email was sent to cougar.irrigation@gmail.com by Texas A&M AgriLIFE Extension | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Texas A&M AgriLIFE Extension 600 John Kimbrough BLVD, Suite 509 7101 TAMU College Station, TX 77843-7101 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday, June 18, 2015
TURN IRRIGATION OFF this week, and next week until rains stop.
Friday, June 5, 2015
The results are in...400,000 acre-feet of water entered the Highland Lakes in May 2015!
This charts says it all. http://www.lcra.org/water/water-supply/highland-lakes-overview/Documents/InflowsTotals.pdf
May is usually the highest inflow month for the Lakes, but this was almost double the average May inflows since 1942!
May is usually the highest inflow month for the Lakes, but this was almost double the average May inflows since 1942!
Thursday, May 21, 2015
SOIL IS SATRURATED DO NOT WATER - IRRIGATION OFF!
If if wasn't already obvious. not watering this week, this month of May even. Wait till grass or plants show signs of stress and turn you irrigation back on, probably, June 1st-ish
Hand water any new planting, let the soil dry out.
I have seen more moss and crazy fungus growing all around town. With the wet an cool weather , we need a few sun days for the grown to dry out and stop the spread of these fungi and molds.
Have a good Memorial Dat weekend, stay warm and dry.
Watering recommendation for "Cougar Austin Redbud" for the past 7 days:0.34 inches*
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| This information is provided by the "Irrigation Technology Program" under the direction of Dr. Guy Fipps. If you would like to discontinue service please click on the link above to log into your TexasET profile. To discontinue service for only this station select "modify" from your site list and delete the site. To discontinue all TexasET emails select "Modify your user profile" and uncheck "Receive watering recommendations by email". | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| This email was sent to cougar.irrigation@gmail.com by Texas A&M AgriLIFE Extension | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Texas A&M AgriLIFE Extension 600 John Kimbrough BLVD, Suite 509 7101 TAMU College Station, TX 77843-7101 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
No need to water this week.3-5 inches of rain last night OY!
Serious rain last night, the Lake Travis basin only 1-2" of rain, but Central Austin took the brunt of it.
Storms clouds had been taunting us all day with brief burst around 1pm and 5:30pm, but no accumulations, just trace amounts.
Here are some of the recent numbers from my favorite tracking sites.
http://hydromet.lcra.org/full.aspx
These are rain totals in the first substantial hour since the ran started around 7:45pm tonight
Lake Austin at Cortana Shores 1.5 inches
Lake Austin at Quinlan Park 1.7 inches
Bull Creek at Loop 360, Austin 1.25 inches
Lake Austin at Cortana Shores 3.44 inches ( 3" in 2 hours )
Lake Austin at Quinlan Park 2.57 inches ( 2.5" in 2 hours )
Bull Creek at Loop 360, Austin 3.47 ( 3.2" in 2 hours )
Lake Austin at Bunny Run Farm 3.71 inches ( 3" in 2 hours )
Wave # 2 just started at 10:10 pm
Overall totals this morning
Lake Austin at Cortana Shores 4.44 inches ( 3" in 2 hours )
Lake Austin at Quinlan Park 3.21 inches ( 2.5" in 2 hours )
Bull Creek at Loop 360, Austin 4.45 inchs ( 3.2" in 2 hours )
LCRA Redbud Center 3.95 inches
Mansfield Dam 1 ENE 3.46 inches
And the winner in central Austin area is
Lake Austin at Bunny Run Farm 4.82 inches ( 3" in 2 hours )
Storms clouds had been taunting us all day with brief burst around 1pm and 5:30pm, but no accumulations, just trace amounts.
At 8:45pm, the kids are in bed and asleep and the "thunderstorms", have finally hit central texas.
Here are some of the recent numbers from my favorite tracking sites.
http://hydromet.lcra.org/full.aspx
Lake Austin at Cortana Shores 1.5 inches
Lake Austin at Quinlan Park 1.7 inches
Bull Creek at Loop 360, Austin 1.25 inches
Remember, these are 1 hour rainfall totals and it is just starting to rain harder around 8:45 pm
Storm is taking a break, the totals as of 10 pm
Lake Austin at Quinlan Park 2.57 inches ( 2.5" in 2 hours )
Bull Creek at Loop 360, Austin 3.47 ( 3.2" in 2 hours )
Lake Austin at Bunny Run Farm 3.71 inches ( 3" in 2 hours )
Wave # 2 just started at 10:10 pm
Overall totals this morning
Lake Austin at Cortana Shores 4.44 inches ( 3" in 2 hours )
Lake Austin at Quinlan Park 3.21 inches ( 2.5" in 2 hours )
Bull Creek at Loop 360, Austin 4.45 inchs ( 3.2" in 2 hours )
LCRA Redbud Center 3.95 inches
Mansfield Dam 1 ENE 3.46 inches
And the winner in central Austin area is
Lake Austin at Bunny Run Farm 4.82 inches ( 3" in 2 hours )
Saturday, May 2, 2015
Why is my lawn so bare in April? 5 reasons
If your lawn is still having ares that are not doing so great, it s probably not water related as we have had anywhere from 14" to over 20" of rain in the first 4 months of the year, depending on what part of central Austin , TX area you live.
here are 5 reasons we commonly see
1, Wear and Tear during Winter dormancy for warm season grass. Dogs will tear up a lawn during Dec,Jan,Feb,Mar while the grass is dormant. So will kids and various other animals and critters. Best solution is to overseed with something during the winter months. Most common is to overseed with annual or perennial rye grass, but I like to plant clovers since they affix nitrogen to the soil and provide nectar for local bees and provide some visual interest.
2. Insect Damage - Grub worms being the # 1 cause. If you see "ant mounds" in your yard after a rain or night animals ( racoons or possums ) dig holes in your lawn , it is because of white grubs or mole crickets. These small mounds, if you brush them away you will see a "small stick or pinky sized" hole in the ground. If you were to get a watering can and slowly water this hole, you may get lucky enough to see a cricket jump out ( kids thing this is magic, even big kids like me.) Theest organic solution is beneficial nematode or milky spore disease treatment. There are quick fix treatments available at big box stores, but I don't recommend quick fixes, I recommend using nature and good strong soil microbiology for long term solutions to grubs and pests.
To learn more http://www.nematodes.com/ Or this wensite http://www.ecolandscaping.org/05/pests-pest-management/controlling-grubs-milky-spore-disease-or-beneficial-nematodes/
3. Fungal Damage - #1 cause of our issues in this cooler weather. Brown Patch and Take All Root Rot (TAAR ) are rampant in shady areas and gets spread like wild fire when mow and blow crews scalp lawns in hte early spring after period of moist weather and high humidity. Also our high clay content soils do not let the ground dry out so this fugus tends to spread easily. I have seen lawns essentially disappear in less than 1 month in the early spring. Using high nitrogen fertilizers to early in the season will also stress the grass and exasperate the problem by accelerating the decline.
The best remedy I have seen is the Natural Gardner process. We have successfully implemented this process on several lawns http://www.naturalgardeneraustin.com/images/stories/media_files/take%20all.pdf
The Natural Gardner has also a good chart on lawn problems. http://www.naturalgardeneraustin.com/lawn-problems-guide.html
This video on YouTube is a great visual explanation. Granted this is in Florida, but we in Texas have almost identical spring time weather, high humidity and high moisture. https://youtu.be/yPJec1-5la0
4. Low nitrogen levels present in soil. I like to think about grass coming out of dormancy the same way a black bear needs to put on weight or a squireel needs to store nuts for he winter. Grass needs a "winterizer" dose of nitrogen to store to make it through the winter and green up. Most people think the SPring is the most important time to fertilize, but in reality the fall application ( Late Oct, around Halloween ) is the most important. I like to apply a organic fertilizer ( 8-10 lbs of Nitrogen , first @ on the bag ) on the "Holiday schedule" Easter, Memorial Day , 4th of July ( optional, if over 100 degrees, skip this application, Labor Day, Halloween. I think smaller doses or organic fertilizer and slower organic release of nutrients will benefit the lawn long term versus any quick high nitrogen applications.
5. Mow low and go, blow, etc. For some reason "people", this could be the lawn service crew or the homeowner, think that to get a grass started and going after winter, it is best to SCALP the lawn and get more sun to the soil to warm it up and bring the grass out of dormancy. Yes, more sunlight will hit he ground and raise the soils temperature and bring the remaining grass out of dormancy, but it also opens up a huge amount of real estate for weeds to take hold and out compete the grass. The other issue is every 2 week mowing schedule takes off too much of the blade of grass ( more than 1/3 ) and forces the grass to "go vertical" to replace its solar collection and generate more sugars. If you take off 1/3 grass blade, the grass will run lateral and become denser. Her is the most uber dorky article I could find to explain the 1/3 mowing rule, inmore detail than I could explain.
http://www.ksuturf.org/blog/2012/05/how-to-mow-your-yard-rebuttal-of-a-consumer-reports-article/
My best suggestions for trouble areas, compost and compost tea. If there is an area that is struggling, add some compost, top dressing and apply a compost tea. This is the most natural way to encourage the grass to grow into the area and retain moisture. Although we are technically not in a drought in Austin for the past 2 years this is a great program and a good cultural practive, so I encourage anyone able to participate in this program. http://www.austintexas.gov/news/drought-survival-rebates-your-yard
Cougar Matt out.
p.s I leave you with this video
https://youtu.be/GYLbtXonvPc?list=PL12014F227CDE3E5B
here are 5 reasons we commonly see
1, Wear and Tear during Winter dormancy for warm season grass. Dogs will tear up a lawn during Dec,Jan,Feb,Mar while the grass is dormant. So will kids and various other animals and critters. Best solution is to overseed with something during the winter months. Most common is to overseed with annual or perennial rye grass, but I like to plant clovers since they affix nitrogen to the soil and provide nectar for local bees and provide some visual interest.
2. Insect Damage - Grub worms being the # 1 cause. If you see "ant mounds" in your yard after a rain or night animals ( racoons or possums ) dig holes in your lawn , it is because of white grubs or mole crickets. These small mounds, if you brush them away you will see a "small stick or pinky sized" hole in the ground. If you were to get a watering can and slowly water this hole, you may get lucky enough to see a cricket jump out ( kids thing this is magic, even big kids like me.) Theest organic solution is beneficial nematode or milky spore disease treatment. There are quick fix treatments available at big box stores, but I don't recommend quick fixes, I recommend using nature and good strong soil microbiology for long term solutions to grubs and pests.
To learn more http://www.nematodes.com/ Or this wensite http://www.ecolandscaping.org/05/pests-pest-management/controlling-grubs-milky-spore-disease-or-beneficial-nematodes/
3. Fungal Damage - #1 cause of our issues in this cooler weather. Brown Patch and Take All Root Rot (TAAR ) are rampant in shady areas and gets spread like wild fire when mow and blow crews scalp lawns in hte early spring after period of moist weather and high humidity. Also our high clay content soils do not let the ground dry out so this fugus tends to spread easily. I have seen lawns essentially disappear in less than 1 month in the early spring. Using high nitrogen fertilizers to early in the season will also stress the grass and exasperate the problem by accelerating the decline.
The best remedy I have seen is the Natural Gardner process. We have successfully implemented this process on several lawns http://www.naturalgardeneraustin.com/images/stories/media_files/take%20all.pdf
The Natural Gardner has also a good chart on lawn problems. http://www.naturalgardeneraustin.com/lawn-problems-guide.html
This video on YouTube is a great visual explanation. Granted this is in Florida, but we in Texas have almost identical spring time weather, high humidity and high moisture. https://youtu.be/yPJec1-5la0
4. Low nitrogen levels present in soil. I like to think about grass coming out of dormancy the same way a black bear needs to put on weight or a squireel needs to store nuts for he winter. Grass needs a "winterizer" dose of nitrogen to store to make it through the winter and green up. Most people think the SPring is the most important time to fertilize, but in reality the fall application ( Late Oct, around Halloween ) is the most important. I like to apply a organic fertilizer ( 8-10 lbs of Nitrogen , first @ on the bag ) on the "Holiday schedule" Easter, Memorial Day , 4th of July ( optional, if over 100 degrees, skip this application, Labor Day, Halloween. I think smaller doses or organic fertilizer and slower organic release of nutrients will benefit the lawn long term versus any quick high nitrogen applications.
5. Mow low and go, blow, etc. For some reason "people", this could be the lawn service crew or the homeowner, think that to get a grass started and going after winter, it is best to SCALP the lawn and get more sun to the soil to warm it up and bring the grass out of dormancy. Yes, more sunlight will hit he ground and raise the soils temperature and bring the remaining grass out of dormancy, but it also opens up a huge amount of real estate for weeds to take hold and out compete the grass. The other issue is every 2 week mowing schedule takes off too much of the blade of grass ( more than 1/3 ) and forces the grass to "go vertical" to replace its solar collection and generate more sugars. If you take off 1/3 grass blade, the grass will run lateral and become denser. Her is the most uber dorky article I could find to explain the 1/3 mowing rule, inmore detail than I could explain.
http://www.ksuturf.org/blog/2012/05/how-to-mow-your-yard-rebuttal-of-a-consumer-reports-article/
My best suggestions for trouble areas, compost and compost tea. If there is an area that is struggling, add some compost, top dressing and apply a compost tea. This is the most natural way to encourage the grass to grow into the area and retain moisture. Although we are technically not in a drought in Austin for the past 2 years this is a great program and a good cultural practive, so I encourage anyone able to participate in this program. http://www.austintexas.gov/news/drought-survival-rebates-your-yard
Cougar Matt out.
p.s I leave you with this video
https://youtu.be/GYLbtXonvPc?list=PL12014F227CDE3E5B
Thursday, April 30, 2015
TexasET Network Landscape Watering Recommendations - "Cougar Austin Redbud"
Last Saturday (4/25), 84 degrees a 10:30am and we knew we were in for a hot one. Rebdud says it was 92 degress, but my smart controller said 93 in the shade. Quite an auspicious end to the month of April. Nice to see some nights in the 50s and cooler weather as least for the next few days.
So, with all the rain from the last 2 weeks, your controllers should be OFF , unless you have some new plantings or new sod. I would hand water or manually run the stations on your controller that need some extra water. Otherwise I would be saving those gallons for the months of June, July , August. Enjoy the cool weather.
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Watering recommendation for "Cougar Austin Redbud" for the past 7 days:0.40 inches*
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| This information is provided by the "Irrigation Technology Program" under the direction of Dr. Guy Fipps. If you would like to discontinue service please click on the link above to log into your TexasET profile. To discontinue service for only this station select "modify" from your site list and delete the site. To discontinue all TexasET emails select "Modify your user profile" and uncheck "Receive watering recommendations by email". | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| This email was sent to cougar.irrigation@gmail.com by Texas A&M AgriLIFE Extension | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Texas A&M AgriLIFE Extension 600 John Kimbrough BLVD, Suite 509 7101 TAMU College Station, TX 77843-7101 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
3 P's PROTECT PIPES, PLANTS, AND PETS - NO WATERING THIS WEEK
Cold front coming through tonight, don't be fooled by the fog and 70 degree temperatures this afternoon, we are gonna be in the 20's with freezing rain tomorrow morning, Thursday, and possible freeze again on Friday morning. Hopefully this is our last freeze for the season ( average last freeze is Feb 23rd for Austin, TX )
PROTECT THOSE PIPES, PLANTS, and PETS ( wind chill will be in the TEENS ( 17 F wind chills predicted.)
NO need to water this week, keep those irrigation systems OFF as long as possible. It is predicted that we will have a cooler and drier than normal Spring and with the lakes at 36% full, the longer we can hold off on watering the better for our water supply.
Watering recommendation for "CougarCare Central Austin" for the past 7 days:0.10 inches*
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| This information is provided by the "Irrigation Technology Program" under the direction of Dr. Guy Fipps. If you would like to discontinue service please click on the link above to log into your TexasET profile. To discontinue service for only this station select "modify" from your site list and delete the site. To discontinue all TexasET emails select "Modify your user profile" and uncheck "Receive watering recommendations by email". | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| This email was sent to cougar.irrigation@gmail.com by Texas A&M AgriLIFE Extension | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Texas A&M AgriLIFE Extension 600 John Kimbrough BLVD, Suite 509 7101 TAMU College Station, TX 77843-7101 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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