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grinder12000

Best way to combat a golf course??

grinder12000
11 years ago

My butterfly garden, in this drought, is getting water by the golf course every night about midnight. About 0.15 inches of rain every night.

Should I water MORE in the morning? Typically that garden is on it's own when it comes to watering and is a very vibrant garden - HOWEVER - the golf course NORMALLY only needs to water once a week at most.

This is a shot of it last year late July (when it NORMALLY gets it all going at once)

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Comments (19)

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    11 years ago

    Awesome flowers!

    I feel like I'm just not getting it and don't understand your question at all. It sounds like you're saying you don't want the golf course sprinklers on your plants, but ask about adding more water? Going to check if I accidentally bought decaf...

    May I ask, what are the dark purplish spiky things sticking up in the middle of the pic (back of the bed from this angle?)

  • aachenelf z5 Mpls
    11 years ago

    Well, .15 inches per day = 1.05 inches per week which sounds almost ideal.

    However, is that small amount per day actually soaking in to any depth and doing any good before it evaporates? I think the only way to tell is to stick your finger in the soil or dig a few inches down and see if the soil is moist.

    Kevin

  • aachenelf z5 Mpls
    11 years ago

    Which reminds me of a problem I've been having with a neighbor.

    Over the past several years, I've been trying to teach this neighbor the gardening tricks. She really knows nothing about plants or gardening, but wants to transform her yard into something filled with flowers. We put down a thick mulch on her beds (which is good) however, when she waters, she only waters long enough to darken the mulch. I've tried to tell her that small amount of water isn't getting through the mulch down to the soil. I've even pulled the mulch away after she's watered to show her how dry the soil still is.

    Alas, it hasn't done any good. She continues to water the same way.

    Kevin

  • grinder12000
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    The problem is that that little water not only gets the flowers damp at night which is ripe for fungus but it also makes all the roots grow UP trying to get to the water.

    I think the fungus is my real worry - as some lilies are getting black or dieing leaves on the bottom and moving up.

  • denninmi
    11 years ago

    From a legal perspective, they don't have a right to "invade" your space with their unwanted whatever, be it water, chemicals, etc. I would talk to the maintenance supervisor of the golf course and just ask them nicely to adjust the spray pattern so it doesn't hit your yard. If they won't comply, tell them you will sue them in small claims court for the damage done to your plants should you lose some.

    Another possible route to go if they won't play nice would be to complain to your local code enforcement or, if you have one, your water drainage board or environmental quality dept. and see if they could help you.

    Basically, though, it should be just an adjustment of a sprinkler or two that should take a couple of minutes for them, so they should comply.

  • rouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a)
    11 years ago

    That is a spectacular picture...wonderful colours.

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    11 years ago

    Oh. I would just ask them to move the sprinkler. Maybe nobody knows it's spraying on your property, which it shouldn't be doing.

  • steve1young
    11 years ago

    Grinder,

    Wow! That pic is absolutely amazingly beautiful!! What a stunning garden bed!

    Thanks for clarifying the problem with your most recent post. That really is an interesting dilemna. I'll be curious to see what other folks suggest.

    I would start with the Head-Groundskeeper of the golf course. I wonder if they would be able to and willing to adjust their sprinkler coverage so that they don't water your beds. Also, since sprinkler systems are divided into zones that are timed to run at different times, I wonder if they might be able to and willing to adjust the system a bit so that the zone that is sprinkling your beds could run at a time closer to dawn.

    If you get nowhere on that front (which wouldn't surprise me) then I wonder what kind of fungus-prevention and fungus-remedies would be worth trying.

    At first, I was also thinking of suggesting that you water once a week: very long and deeply to help get the roots growing lower in the soil, but I'm afraid that would cause your beautiful waterwise plants to show signs of over-watering.

    Yikes. What a dilemna! Best of luck!!

  • buyorsell888
    11 years ago

    They shouldn't be watering their golf course nightly either....amazing to me that pros would be doing so...all plants need deep soaking not nightly mist which will encourage fungus in the lawn as well.

  • grinder12000
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Wait a minute - I'm OK WITH the watering - just want to help my plants. You would be amazed at how that sprinkler cools the air temp on hot nights!!

    As for the course - I think it's OK, they don't care if their grass has shallow roots, they just want "green", they cut down pretty far with the mowers.

    Here is a link that might be useful: My Flora section of my photo site

  • terrene
    11 years ago

    Very pretty garden!!

  • rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
    11 years ago

    Golf courses HAVE to water at night. They probably start on one part of an 18 hole course after it closes and by the time it goes through all of the cycles, it's nearly dawn. That's the time that the daily maintenance begins. Trust me, I know.

    What grinder needs to do is contact the Golf Superintendent and have him or her adjust the sprinkler heads so that they aren't overspraying into a private yard. Though I ain't so sure that I'd be complaining!

  • grinder12000
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Not complaining about the watering at all.

    HOWEVER - when we built the house we did not know there was a sprinkler JUST off out back yard. All of a sudden the sprinkler when on and BAM BAM BAM against the side of the house - then BAM BAM BAM the water went THROUGH the kitchen and hit the back wall!! LOL

    That was 5 years ago. they since have adjusted it 3 times and this year again it hitting the back yard but not the house.

    Just worried about fungus - NORMALLY they water once a week.

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    11 years ago

    Regarding the frequency, maybe there's been a mistake with a recent re-programming of the system? Could a squirrel or other critter (golfer?) have dug/knocked/stepped on the sprinkler head to make it askew? It sounds like you know who to ask about it.

  • grinder12000
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    It pops out of the ground. Surprised that this year it's doing a complete circle. HOWEVER - with the temps being near 100 the next few days the mist really does cool things down. Just like Arizona!! LOL

  • a2zmom_Z6_NJ
    11 years ago

    I remember your gorgeous garden from last year. I do hope you get these resoved and figure out how to keep your plants from succumbing to disease.

  • a2zmom_Z6_NJ
    11 years ago

    I remember your gorgeous garden from last year. I do hope you get these resoved and figure out how to keep your plants from succumbing to disease.

  • grinder12000
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks a2zmom - things are a little disjointed this year with bloom times being all over the board. You can really tell what likes heat and what likes sun. Some flowers are blooming 3 weeks ahead of time.

    I had tip in Garden Gate about 6 months ago about a spread sheet I keep for bloom times. Many things are blooming a month early this year.

    Lost some daylilies for some unknown reason - I thought those were indestructible. Only one kind, the ones right next to them are great! Weird.

  • gottagarden
    11 years ago

    Gorgeous! Love it!

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