On August 4, 2009, 1.27 inches of rain fell in my Cheviot 0.9 SSE rain gauge, culminating a five week period with nearly seven inches of rain. In the 30 days since August 4, only 0.39 inches has fallen in the same rain gauge. This compares to 0.35 inches during August of 2007. While these 30 day rainfall totals are nearly identical, August 2007 fell in the middle of a seven month drought so soils were parched at the beginning of that period. Also, August 2007 was the hottest August on record while August 2009 was cool. Still, conditions are quite dry right now, and little rain is forecast until next week. It is very important to water correctly right now, especially new trees, shrubs, and transplants, but older trees need a drink too. Many older trees are quite stressed with the cumulative effects of the past few years and this will not help.
Getting very dry
While there were a few scattered showers Thursday night, it has now been 3 weeks since the last rain of substance at my Cheviot 0.9 SSE location.
August stats to date:
Date | Maximum | Minimum | Observation | Total 24 hr |
1 | 82 | 59 | 75 | T |
2 | 81 | 67 | 67 | T |
3 | 81 | 57 | 77 | 0.00 |
4 | 77 | 65 | 65 | 1.27 |
5 | 77 | 63 | 73 | 0.01 |
6 | 77 | 60 | 67 | 0.00 |
7 | 81 | 59 | 67 | T |
8 | 87 | 67 | 81 | 0.00 |
9 | 89 | 68 | 0.00 | |
10 | 87 | 70 | 0.29 | |
11 | 82 | 68 | 0.00 | |
12 | 83 | 64 | 0.00 | |
13 | 84 | 65 | 0.00 | |
14 | 84 | 62 | 0.00 | |
15 | 87 | 63 | 0.00 | |
16 | 89 | 71 | 0.00 | |
17 | 87 | 68 | 80 | 0.02 |
18 | 85 | 71 | 79 | T |
19 | 87 | 72 | 75 | 0.01 |
20 | 85 | 72 | 77 | 0.03 |
21 | 81 | 67 | 75 | 0.00 |
22 | 75 | 59 | 63 | T |
23 | 73 | 57 | 65 | 0.00 |
24 | 77 | 53 | 67 | 0.00 |
25 | 82 | 57 | 75 | 0.00 |
26 | 87 | 63 | 75 | 0.00 |
27 | 87 | 66 | 75 | 0.00 |
Total rainfall: 1.63
Watering instructions, rain gauges: Click here.
How do I water and how often?
Since many areas missed much of the rainfall this week, a review of proper watering procedures is in order.
New trees and shrubs are particularly stressed by moisture extremes (wet and
dry) due to having a number of roots cut at planting time. Please observe
the watering recommendations printed below. Improper watering can harm
trees and shrubs and void new plant warranties.
No matter what type of sprinkler you chose, or if you use a sprinkler
system, it is essential that you measure the water applied. In the
Cincinnati area, in areas with clay soil, it is best to water one to two
inches at a time, once every seven to ten days in the absence of rainfall.
This schedule should be adjusted to account for variations in temperature,
natural rainfall, exposure of individual plants and the water needs of
individual plants. Do not locate plants together if their water needs are
dissimilar.
Watering sprinklers and rain gauges are available from the Arbor Doctor store online here.
More localized rainfall totals my be found here and here.