Welcome Spring Rain

It has been so dry here in the Tennessee Valley but tonight, the storms and rain came. We are down about 8 inches and it appears that it is trying to make it up a bit. Great lightning and thunder which adds a lot of nitrogen to the air. Makes the garden grow, grass and plants.

I thank God for his blessing.s

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

We had rain and thunder the last 20 hours here (on and off).. After being in the upper 70's last week, I'll be waking to our lawn being coated in snow later this morning.. ARGHHHH... But you have to love that nitrogen punch mother nature gives during her light shows! Lawn went from flat dormant last week to almost needing a cut this week..

Pollen got washed away Stormy night with wind & hail. The Easter cold snap is on its way. What's the saying? Thundered twice in February, so there will be frost in April. Something like that.

Holy cow, Sundancer.......did the storms wake you last night? The dog was freaked out. I tried to sleep thru it, but nooooooooo! [|)]

The rain and noise was typical, with several small tornados within about 30 miles of us, but no damage here. What hurts is the coming freeze that promises to eliminate my baby fruit. We might survive ONE night in the upper 20's if the air keeps moving, but according to All the forecasts we are due for three nights in a row of 25-28 degree weather. Some of the Apple trees haven't opened yet, so they may make it thru the frost, but 9 of them are covered with open blossoms, as are the cherries. The Plums, Apricots, and Asian Pears are past bloom stage and have tiny fruit all over them. If the air is stirring tonight I may use a couple of charcoal grills to try to provide some warm air currents near some of the more 'compact trees'. They may not do enough, but I have to try something. Covering won't work, except near the house.
I have already had to mow for the first time this season, but the rain did a lot to promote growth!!

quote:

Originally posted by CookinKat

Holy cow, Sundancer.......did the storms wake you last night? The dog was freaked out. I tried to sleep thru it, but nooooooooo! [|)]

The thunder and lightning freaked out my dog big time. I was a light and noise show. Welcomed the rain though.

Paul E. smith
Knoxville, TN

We have had pleny of moisture in the northeast over the last couple of years. Way too much has come during hay season, and our dairy farmers are really suffering. (one friend, with 300 cows lost $80k last year before he took his $25k to live on. I expect that he will quit the cows soon and concentrate on his corn biz).
Other friends, in other parts of the country, are getting killed by the lack of moisture. IMO. irrigation is the only way we will feed our country within a generation. Some folks look at water projects as "pork", but I see them as an important investment in our future, even if they are earmarked for a congressional district 1000 miles away from me.

We've been going through a long dry spell that had really lowered the area lakes. Due to recent rains, they're almost all back to normal levels, and some are even above normal.

Also, the rains came just in time for the spring wildflowers. The bluebonnets are very abundant and beautiful this year!

Bushie, I have seen the blubonnets at the DFW airport and they are beautiful.

Paul E. Smith
knoxville, TN

Al, keeping my fingers crossed that you have several windy nights...

OK Wed Nite..got down to 29 degrees, but the breeze kept things moving pretty well. As I checked this morning I see no visible damage. Tonight will be the real test. Supposed to reach down to 25-26...hopefully it won't get that far down, and Also we hope the breeze will kep things moving. Thanks for the good thoughts.We need'em!

It is suppose to get down to 21F Saturday night. I am sure all fruits and flowers will freeze solid.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Al, sent you an article from Purdues University Ag Extension with info for your area.. Not sure if it will help, but a good read either way..

Sorry to report from SoCal, but we've been here nearly 8 months, had two DRIZZLES (and I do mean drizzles) and a few cloudy days. That's it. Every day is the same......blue skies, sunshine, warm temps, green grass and palm trees. Our roses are blooming for the THIRD time, orange, grapefruit and lemon trees have already had flowers, now the fruit is out (green), the kapok tree and the fig tree are in full regalia. Gotta love the desert! Temp today was 92.

So sorry for you, Lleechef. We've had bits of snow/sleet/rain in the Boston area for the past two days.

Lisa,
Our home on the high desert was a couple of thousand feet above the Desert Hot Springs area, so frost around the First week of April was pretty commonplace there also. Several years the hundreds of little Apricots would turn black and rot off the stems on our trees after a 'late' frost.

We made it thru the first couple of 28 degree nights here. The air seems to be moving...a good sign to help slow the frost. It is now Friday...Tonight is supposed to be the coldest of the four night blast from the North. I lost some Asian Pears last night, but The Apricots seem to have weathered these two nights ok (so far) One Apple tree's blossoms have turned brown (not all on the tree but some). The rest of the apples seem unaffected so far. Plums look ok too. As do the cherries, although some of the cherry blossoms are browning a bit.

Let me clarify... The trees are doing fine, it is the baby fruit and blossoms that I am worried about. This is the seventh season for most of the trees and they are due to give a regular crop this year, not just a sample here and there. That is, IF we can get them thru this late blast of cold weather.

Thunder Over Louisville is a week from tomorrow. That starts the two week Derby Festival, so the Derby is three weeks from tomorrow !!!

Al, I am sorry but from what I understand, Tonight and tomorrow night will be the coldest. They are predicting a mass freeze in the Knoxville area. Perhaps it will not happened in Kentuckiana.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

I see the NE got about a foot of global warming yesterday.

We here in ATL are going to be in the 20's for the Masters.

I just looked outside at the "global warming" falling from the sky, I really hope we don't get a foot of this stuff.

Al - I hope things survive, the next two days, Salatins Orchard here half the trees were blooming and the other half had not yet bloomed. The blooming ones are showing some browning.

It is 25F at the airport in Knoxville and I guess most everything froze that was blooming or about to bloom.

I only have 30F on my thermometer but I guess we got a little relief from the big thermos bottle that runs beside my house. Heavy frost anyway and most of my stuff that was blooming is drooping.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

A little chilly here in Boston this morning 34 in my yard, but bright sun. Snow we got a couple of days ago gone for the most part. Sorry to hear about the frost in the south, that will hit us in the pocket books. Early enough in the season most crops should recover. I hope. Chow Jim