I know someone in the Baltimore OH area and he hasn't said anything about it being dry, go figure. About watering for 2-3 hrs. what are you using to apply the water? It sounds like overkill except on possibly a clay soil that is slow to absorb water especially when bone dry to start with. I use drip irrigation almost exclusively but it has to be selected and installed correctly to work well. Use of a "prod rod" or even a screwdriver may work well to show how deep and wide your irrigation is going in the soil, the implement of choice will easily penetrate wet soil (even clay) until the dry layer is reached.

Elm seedlings have been driving me nuts this year, tiny tops, extremely well rooted, difficult to pull out, NUMEROUS!!!

Do what you can to get those perennials wetted before winter starts and the ground is frozen.

I think its been about 4 weeks since significant rainfall here in Madison, although we did have considerable rain over the summer. I have been watering our blueberry shrubs recently, to keep them going. The farmers are happy, though. We had a good crop of corn and soybeans, and the dry weather has allowed an efficient and complete harvest.

It has been months since we've gotten any rain to speak of. A few sprinkles, that's it.Can't find where I read that "worst drought in 50 years" thing. But my friend google did find this. This isn't where I first read it; I'm not a hunter. ;-)

Karen

Here is a link that might be useful: drought

Michael. sorry I didn't answer your question.

I'm mostly using a regular oscillating sprinkler. Sometimes a misting one, mostly on long, skinnier areas. I think soaker hoses would help but it would be really expensive to buy as many, and as long, as I would need.

Tomorrow I'm going to attack the tomato beds again. My husband got some huge sheets of cardboard. I'll use them, then a foot or more of OM. Hopefully those beds will be ready to grow my 'maters next year.

Karen

Below is a map of the drought...real!

Here is a link that might be useful: Drought Conditions USA

We had a very very wet late spring / early summer. There was standing water over much of our yard. One time we had 8" fall in less than 2 days. Then it just stopped in mid-late summer and we had just a few sprinkles here and there since. Not even an inch has fallen in the past month. Our soil is largely clay and is now like concrete with large deep cracks all over the place that are big enough to trip on.

I was waiting to plant a shrub and my last few wintersown jugs until we got some rain. The weathermen kept saying rain, but it never came. Last week they showed rain showers for two days, then reported we got a whole one one-hundredth of an inch! I wish they would stop messing with me! I finally ended up just soaking the ground in one small area with the hose and letting it sit overnight so at least I could dig and get my shrub in the ground.

I did drag the hose around a few times to at least water any young shrubs or perennials that looked stressed. I'm wondering if I should also fill in the large cracks in the soil because that can't be good for the plant roots either.

I think a lot of my to-do list will have to wait until spring unless we get some rain pronto. I'm definitely not buying any fall bulbs to try and plant in this concrete!

I have 6 Prarie Smoke plants from a friend to get into the ground, as well as one liatris. Don't want to plant them in these conditions, though. Also, I haven't cleared the areas where they're going.

Weather.com says 30-40% chance of rain for several days next week. But they say that so often and it never happens. Our rainfall for this month is 0.29" (norm= 3.11"), and last month was 0.67" (norm is 2.95"). Our deficit so far this year is 8". Long term forecast thru December is continued drought.

I'm hoping to work on my tomato beds again today. That cardboard that my husband got is huge! and should work well. I'm also going to add a little straw, some compost, some leaves...

On the bright side, the weather is perfect for outside work- sunshine and 71ð today. At least at these temps water doesn't evaporate as fast as those days in the 90s. Humidity is only running in the 30% range though.

Karen