Be Prepared For Isaac

Central Florida is looking at its first probable tropical storm occurance this weekend with Isaac.  Isaac is Florida's third tropical storm, with the Keys and North Florida experiencing early in the hurricane season, tropical storms Debby and Beryl.

Before Isaac comes across the state or skirts the west coast of Florida, now is the optimum time to prepare your landscape to weather the storm.  Is your house and yard ready for a hurricane? Even if Isaac doesn't directly pass over the state, tornados, gale winds, and subsequent rainbands could cause havoc and damage to your home and landscape.

Here's a preparation checklist for you:

• Keep your eye and ears on the weather.  Check the weather stations frequently or download a weather app to your phone for alerts.  Have plenty of batteries on hand for radios, computers for news.
• Remember your BBQ can be used to cook outside for meals or to make coffee.  Get your camping cookware out.  Have plenty of charcoal or gas on hand.
• Fill your car's gas tank up.
• Turn your irrigation system off now.  We've had plenty of rain over the last few weeks and will be getting frequent rainfall over the next ten days.  You don't want your lawn saturated before the heavy rainbands come through.
• Reschedule all fertilizer, herbicide, or pesticide applications for the next ten days. Any  chemicals put on your lawn now will only be diluted to be effective or swept away with the stormwater runoff.  Don't waste your money!
•  Walk around your home, garage, and  barns to check for secure windows and doors.  Make sure buildings have locks.
• Store any chemical products in airtight containers in sheds or garages, not inside your home.
• Bring in flags and awnings.
• Stake any newly planted landscape material that could snap or bend harshly with winds.
• Store any pool equipment, patio furniture, lawn decorations such as gazing balls, bird baths, door wreaths, real estate signs that could be flung against your house or car.
• Check pool covers to make sure they are secure.
• Before the storm comes through, harvest any fruits or vegetables that are ripe or almost ripe so that you don't lose them. 
• Take your digital camera and walk around house to document "before" photos in case of damage during storm. 
• During the storm, don't park your car underneath any trees.
• Remember, after (if) Isaac goes through and the rain may stop, flooding will continue to occur for several days, as the runoff builds up.  Remove any items in swale areas or near docks as tide, river, and lake levels rise.  Do not drive on roads or streets that you cannot see the surface as areas may have given way.  

For more information:  Florida Disaster Preparation

Keep up with local weather on your radio with My790am.

Stay safe, stay dry, and take any days you have to stay inside to read that book you haven't had time for, play games, have family time.  Be appreciative that with Isaac, we are going to have plenty of rain to get through our dry winter and spring seasons.  Hurricanes and tropicals storms are necessary for the replenishment of our acquifers. 

Are You Ready For Some Winter?

In Florida, we can always wear shorts on Christmas Day, but we must not forget that we have a winter season. In the Sunshine State, our winter arrives with a cold front either in the two weeks before Christmas or within the following two weeks after the New Year. With the La Nina weather pattern this year, Central Florida's coldest temperatures so far will occur tonight and Tuesday night. Is your landscape ready for freezing temperatures?

• Make sure your plants are hydrated before a freeze.
• Do not run sprinklers systems during freeze.
• Use frost blankets or large boxes to keep plants insulated.
• If using anything other than frost blankets, ensure that the material is not touching the plants' foliage.
• If boxes, sheets, or other material is used, it must be removed each morning and replaced before sundown.
• Don’t overwater palm trees before or after a freeze.
• If palms are damaged - use a copper fungicide as soon as possible.
• Healthier plants and palms survive winter better.

While meteorologists are predicting a mild winter, this only means that we won't be seeing many freezing nights. Make sure you have frost blankets on hand for those tender tropical plants.  If any plant damage is noticeable, try to resist the urge to prune plant vigorously until until mid-February. 

Making Up For Lost Rain

The rains finally came and are expected to be here all week with 50% chance through Friday! My flowers and plants soaked in the wetness and look very satisfied this morning.  Turning off my microirrigation system to take advantage of Mother Nature, the moisture will definitely help the fertilizing I did over the weekend.

Above you can see my oak leaf hydrangea, spirea, and dwarf pomegranate tree glistening in the rain.

Merry Christmas!

I love it when the weather at Christmas is cold. Stay warm - it will be freezing Monday and Tuesday in Central Florida! These Gordon Setters are my sister's pride and joy. They live in England, which is also experiencing their coldest weather on record.

Hurricane Earl

An awesome photograph of Hurricane Earl from outer space taken by NASA Astronaut Douglas Wheelock. Will Hurricane Earl threaten Florida gardens? At this time, it looks like we will just be subjected to rain and 15-foot waves on our coast. But, this time of the year, you should always be prepared for hurricanes. Hurricane Fiona is right behind Earl.

You can follow Doug Wheelock's tweets and more beautiful photographs on Twitter.

It'll Be A Cold Day In...

Not a forecast you see every Florida winter. This is going to be a record breaking year for cold temperatures. I will post snow photographs if we get the white stuff!

Water Gardening - Daytona Beach Style

UPDATE: Setting historic record (5/17 - 5/23)

Daytona Beach 23+ inches
Ormond Beach 30+ inches
New Smyrna Beach 20+ inches
Orlando 12 + inches (my home)

Daytona International Speedway gives flash a different meaning when it comes to flooding. Click here for more photographs of the 25" + of rain dropped in the last ten days on the most famous beach in the world.

Photo credit: Nancy501s