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Tag Archives: Dotty Woodson

Learn How to Harvest Rainwater for your Landscape

Posted on October 12, 2015 by Dallas Garden Buzz

Rainwater Cistern Installation Class

10 am-12 noon, Thursday, October 15th

Location: Courtyard at 11001 Midway Road, Dallas, Texas 75229

Cost: $10 at the door

Our Rainwater Harvesting training will prepare you to catch the rain that runs off your roof and utilize it for your landscape.

Dr. Dotty Woodson, Texas AgriLife Extension Service Water Resources Specialist, and Tony Rizo of Organic Options, Inc and an accredited Rain Harvesting professional with American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association (ARCSA), will demonstrate how to set up a rain catchment system for your home or commercial building.

You will learn:

  • Site selection
  • Materials Needed
  • How to attach the cistern to existing gutters to catch rain
  • How to comply with city code for rainwater harvesting

 

Checks for the $10 fee should be made payable to DCMG.

The class will also qualify as Master Gardener education hours.

In case of rain, please check dallasgardenbuzz.com for further information.

 

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Cycle and Soak Irrigation

Posted on July 15, 2015 by Dallas Garden Buzz

May 2015 was the wettest single month on record in Texas. June followed with almost 4 inches of rain. But now things are heating up and you may be thinking it’s time to water your grass.

Here’s advice from Texas A&M: “Rather than watering on the same schedule each week, adjust your watering schedule according to the weather. Irrigate deeply. Then wait until the grass begins to show signs of drought stress before watering again. Symptoms of drought stress include grass leaves turning a dull, bluish color, leaf blades rolling or folding, and footprints that remain in the grass after walking across the lawn. To time watering properly, look for the area of the lawn that shows water stress first. Water the entire lawn when that area begins to show symptoms.”

When it’s time to water, use the cycle and soak irrigation method as described by Dr. Dotty Woodson.

 

 

Ann

 

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The Color Purple

Posted on June 27, 2015 by Dallas Garden Buzz

One of the main tasks at The Raincatcher’s Garden right now is installing drip irrigation.  Our liscensed irrigator, Doug Andrews of Double D Landscapes is at the helm.

Doug Andrews, Double D Landscapes

Doug Andrews, Double D Landscapes

The process of irrigating a large garden like The Raincatcher’s Garden is cumbersome.  Purple has become our new favorite color and the reason is that our future plans include harvesting water collected from the roof of  nearby buildings. The color purple is used to identify pumps, tanks and pipes carrying reclaimed water for reuse. Purple or what looks like a pretty shade of lavender  means non potable or non drinkable water.  At our garden on Joe Field Road we had two large 2500 gallon cisterns collecting rainwater off our large shed. We don’t have them yet for our new garden and will judiciously use city water in the meantime. Anyone want to donate rainwater cisterns?

Purple Tubing for Drip Irrigation Installed at The Raincatcher's Garden

Purple Tubing for Drip Irrigation Installed at The Raincatcher’s Garden

In the meantime, our plant success  depends on our amended soil, heavy mulch application, and hand watering.  More rain is welcome!

Find out more about Drip Irrigation as taught by Dr. Dotty Woodson, here.

Ann

 

 

 

 

 

 

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