36 days until June
What happens in June? Well, if you have lived in Southwest Florida for awhile you would know June is the start of our rainy season. Last June, during the first seven days I have notes showing rain for five of those days. The rain was not overwhelming but it was enough to measure. The second week we had a day of slightly over one inch.
I keep track of rain amounts because I belong to the City Canal Watch program. Volunteers collect this rainfall data, as well as water samples from our canals and lakes.
There are 400 miles of canals and at least a dozen various size lakes in the City. This means we need a lot of volunteers. I have a friend who collects samples at four sites, throughout the city. The samples and a data sheet are turned into the canal watch program, which is a program under the environmental Resources Division of the City. The samples are taken to the environmental resources office in the Southwest Cape, and are collected once a month.
Samples are tested for water quality and volunteers are given graphic sheets of the quality of their particular collection site. All of the data is put to good use to determine the water quality of the entire city waters.
This information is often shared with the Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program, which is a partnership that protects the natural environment from Venice to Estero Bay, to Winter Haven.
The constant monitoring of our water quality and nutrient levels are insuring that any problems in water quality are discovered and steps taken to improve any problems found.
The way we treat our lawns and garden soil are important to this water quality. When we use too much fertilizer and let it run off into the canals and lakes we are harming our water quality.
The city is preparing to limit homeowner fertilization products which will cause a rash of unhappiness in homeowners and in the Lawn Care business’s. This will pass and we will all benefit from the resulting environmental improvement.
Interested persons who would like more information on the Canal Watch program may call 574-0785.
We still need to keep watering gardens and lawns while we are waiting for the rains.
Please play by the rules and do sprinkler watering on your scheduled time and date. You do not have to go running to the phone to call the code office if you notice someone’s sprinklers being used incorrectly. Maybe it is an older person who does not know how to set their sprinkler timer. If it is a rental home that is vacant call the Realtor. In our neighborhood a vacation renter had no idea that the nice sprinkler system was doing its duty on a wrong schedule. Tell them to call their Realtor, or whoever. Last resort, call Code Enforcement.
There are ways to conserve water around the inside of the house and lanai. The old standby water savers, turn off the flow of water while brushing teeth, don’t run the shower for an extra 10 minutes while you lay out the towels etc. When I boil eggs I save that water and when it is cool I use it on the lanai plants. Most dinnerware rinsed in the sink, you can use that rinse water for lanai plants or even soil plants.
Water is certainly a necessity for all potted plants, right now. The hot winds and sun will dry up plantings in a pot almost every day. It is better to water deeply every three days than to throw on a small amount each day. The sun is also moving so watch that shade plants do not end up in the sun.
Remember, enjoy these cool dry mornings because they truly will be wetter soon.
Happy gardening.
H. Jean Shields is past president Garden Club of Cape Coral