Texas Spring/Summer Thread

[jinman]

I watered for 7 hours today; garden and yard. When I have soakers going in the garden, I only have two sprinklers going in my yard. When the garden is done, I run three sprinklers in the yard. My impulse sprinklers cover a large area, so each 'spot set' runs for 1 hour before I move the sprinklers to another position. Of course, I have to overlap to get all areas covered. This year, I can keep a green lawn by doing this every other day. I sure am glad I only have to pay for the electricity to run the pump and not some municipal water company.

 

[txdon]

Kyle, I saw on Austin TV That if you plant now first shade and water the area for a few days. The soil here is still too hot for the fall plants to germinate. I have not planted yet.

 

[jinman]

The soil here is still too hot for the fall plants to germinate.

That would make a funny cartoon. A farmer out planting pop corn and it popping in the rows behind his planter. Only in Texas. . .D

 

[pacerron]

I think I'm going to change my handle to "wild bee keeper"
I haven't posted the big hornet nest on the house peak for a while but when I do you will be amazed how it has grown.

Yesterday we started getting yellow jackets in the house. We don't usually bother bees, snakes and other wild life if they don't bother us. We figure their ancestors were here before us and their future generations will be here long after we are gone.

We have an outside chimney and noticed mud tubes on the side next to the house wall and yellow jackets coming in and out of the area of the pointed mortar joints. So off to the basement and that corner. Sure enough a space between a floor joist and a furnace pipe that had no insulation. My wife went into the walk in closet on the main floor where the furnace pipes go up to the second floor and she said it sounded like a buzz saw behind the plasterboard.

What to do? What to do? :confused3: Get on the net, yep.

FG19, don't read any further as we know you said you were an organic gardner

Every spring we spray our orchard trees before budding and right after with some crazy named spray to keep the fruit from being spotted and eaten by bugs. Basically it is Malathion and some other stuff I can't spell.
So mix up a little stronger than normal percent gallon in the hand pump sprayer and go to battle.
Sure made them mad I watched her spraying out of the window in case they really got to her. I figured if they did, I might open the window and yell at them or call Lou for advice.
It made them drunk and they did not try to attack the sprayer.
A couple hours later another dose to get any returning workers and spray it all along the joint of the siding to the bricks. A short time later the noise in the wall stopped. Whew! about wore me out.:laughing:
Time for the caulk gun.

 

[foreman Etexas]

I went and done some food plots for a co-worker at deer lease about 10miles from house.

 

[Lou66]

Ron I was on standby incase you needed me.. Never unlock the screen door.. they are on their own once they spray or run from the hive.. The front door is always open.. Run to the front door.. good advice given.. Lou

 

[pacerron]

Ron I was on standby incase you needed me.. Never unlock the screen door.. they are on their own once they spray or run from the hive.. The front door is always open.. Run to the front door.. good advice given.. Lou

Lou,
I kept repeating the story about your brother and the bees over and over while she was spraying so I could get it right, if need be. I was afraid you might be hauling hay in and wouldn't hear/feel the phone ringing if I called.
Ron

 

[Western]

Been dry here as for most of you, night temps have been "OK".

From what the weatherman said, we are dryer now, then this time last year. I ended up loosing several oaks last summer, so probably be the same this time around. Leaves already falling and much "yellow" in the vegetation.

3 days last week I was working on "pot holes". start at daylight and totally soaked by 8am, just to much heat as I get older

This week I get to go to East Texas and Shreveport, so I hope you "retired" people will have 3-4" of rain down and cooler temps when I get back! I think that is the least y'all can do, you know, "your fair share"!!:laughing: I mean since you have all this "free time"

 

[jinman]

I think that is the least y'all can do, you know, "your fair share"!!:laughing: I mean since you have all this "free time"

Feelin' a little pressure, are you Dennis? Sounds like you are having a "wish I were retired" attack. I can tell you that I highly recommend it.

 

[txdon]

Looks like Kyle is getting soaked now and if the clouds hang together I should get some rain within the hour!!!! Yea!!!!

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Looks like Kyle is getting soaked now and if the clouds hang together I should get some rain within the hour!!!! Yea!!!!

Got near an inch! WOOOOOHOOOOO! The small creek in front is actually flowing a bit. Our pond is still down about 2 or 3 feet.

If it rains another hard inch (or more) tomorrow, It might fill my pond up a bit.

 

[NativeSon]

Charlie,
What is a good quality............that I am fat or sassy or I resemble that remark?:laughing:
hugs, Brandi

It's a good quality for me cause if you don't like that, around here you get old and cranky.

Just trying to get a smile on my face.

Charlie

 

[farmgirl19]

Got near an inch! WOOOOOHOOOOO! The small creek in front is actually flowing a bit. Our pond is still down about 2 or 3 feet.

If it rains another hard inch (or more) tomorrow, It might fill my pond up a bit.

Good news, Kyle! I hope others received some much needed rain, as well. Not a drop here, but after Thursday, maybe I will have time to do some more rain dancing! I didn't get home for the day, until almost 2030 yesterday. Great day at work, just long and tiring. I think Thursday is the next day scheduled to kick my behind.

 

[NativeSon]

The small tank I dug 2 years ago is the lowest it's been since it first filled up. It looks to be about 2 feet low. We're really getting desperate for some rain. Had some roll thru last week, and for some it was a pretty good shower (about 2 in) but we only got about 1/2 in. Bearly enough to cut the dust.

Little cooler yesterday(95*) and last night and it looks like it will get seriously cooler(85*...?) next week with a better chance of rain. So far this has been the hottest Sept. that I remember in quite a while. I'm seriously ready for some Fall weather and a change of attitude.

Charlie

 

[farmgirl19]

I've got you beat, Native! My pond is 10-12 feet low! Lou might beat me in the biggest tomatoes contest, but I win the lowest pond contest. I noticed this past weekend, my neighor, who has his tank across the road from mine, has no pond. Might find mud of one dug, but it is dry as a bone, on top. Not the sort of contest I'd like to win. And I'll be watering the garden again this evening.

 

[Lou66]

I cut my hay fields last Wed. it has rained every day,, not a lot but enough to keep my fields wet.. grass on the ground,, Well there is always next year.. Lou

 

[jinman]

I've got you beat, Native! My pond is 10-12 feet low! Lou might beat me in the biggest tomatoes contest, but I win the lowest pond contest.

FG, I might say one of my new ponds is 10 feet low, but since the darn thing has never filled up, how can I say it is "low"? I also used to have frontage on a soil conservation lake. My property extended 25' out into the water. Now the lake is so low that it has receded 25' from my shoreline and there's a bunch of 3' high weeds growing there in the mud. I'd guess that the water level is down 6' below overflow.

 

[NativeSon]

I've got you beat, Native! My pond is 10-12 feet low! Lou might beat me in the biggest toa matoes contest, but I win the lowest pond contest. I noticed this past weekend, my neighor, who has his tank across the road from mine, has no pond. Might find mud of one dug, but it is dry as a bone, on top. Not the sort of contest I'd like to win. And I'll be watering the garden again this evening.

FG- 2 years ago I remember there were lots of people who were dregging their tanks and ponds because they had the opportunity........they were bone dry. I had just got my tractor and there were no pastures to shred and very little else to do with my new toy....erh I mean machine, so I had a place that I always wanted a pond, so wha-laa.......playtime.....I mean time to go to work. So that kept me occupied for a while and improved my FEL and Box Blade skills. I just don't want to go thru a drought like that anytime soon and I'm ready for this one to break.

Maybe we could work together......at the same time(not the same place) you do that dance that you do for rain, and I'll do my Indian Rain Dance and hopefully we'll break this drought once and for all.

I have to warn you though, the last time that I did that dance there was major flooding. My Great-grandmother never taught me the dance to turn it off.

Charlie

 

[pacerron]

I might say one of my new ponds is 10 feet low, but since the darn thing has never filled up, how can I say it is "low"? I also used to have frontage on a soil conservation lake. My property extended 25' out into the water. Now the lake is so low that it has receded 25' from my shoreline and there's a bunch of 3' high weeds growing there in the mud. I'd guess that the water level is down 6' below overflow.

At least you don't have any algae to mess with.
I was down at the Mart and they had a big box of "Pool Noodles" on sale for 1.88 so I bought one.
Stuck it over an old garden rake handle, put an old screw eye bolt in the handle from the junk can, added a piece of rope, and it really works great for grabbing hunks of algae out as far as you can throw.
It always lands on the water, tines down.
Now my wife can stay in the kitchen baking sweet stuff to keep me happy too.
Ron

 

[lostcreekranch]

Ron;

Saw another thread on TBN (can't find it now) where a guy built what looked like a giant garden rake, with a quick attach plate for his FEL. He could reach way out into his tank and drag out algae in big clumps. I guess best description would be similar to a 3-point boom with giant rake on end of boom and QA plate on other end.

Rick