I really enjoyed Allen Martinson’s article, “Do the Rain Dance,” in his column a few weeks ago. His love for weather changes, the brewing of storms, and what rainfall brings to lawns and nurseries makes for an entirely new order of flora for the new season that is almost upon us. Of course, the season I am referring to is fall. I totally understood his thinking when he said “Labor Day is behind us now. The temperatures don’t change much, but the calendar sure looks good.” Maybe the letter “S” that begins with September is also an acronym for “Special.” Perhaps, we could describe it more fitting by the word “Spectacular.” Either way, he knows what he is talking about with what the late summer rains bring to the gardener, homeowner, and landscaper.
Did you notice the spider lilies emerge from their hiding as soon as the rains from Francine gently penetrated the layers of topsoil? Overnight, and I truly mean overnight, Lycoris exploded in all the cryptic hideaways where they have been for centuries, emerging only after a rain event just like we received with the hurricane in late summer or early fall. The fiery red this species emits from its spiderlike petals is almost as powerful as the hurricane itself in the height of her fury. Describing it as spectacular is perhaps pale in comparison to what it really offers regarding color. Thank the rain for this one.
We have a water well west of our neighborhood that has been experiencing “problems” for the past couple of months. Parts were ordered by the City of Ridgeland, but of course, they were on backorder. After engineers delved deeper into the well issue, no pun intended, they discovered deterioration of the main pipe that needed to be removed and replaced. The “estimated” timeline to complete these repairs was around two months. Late July and August were extremely hot and dry, and there was a “stop use” order issued for any lawn and garden irrigation. World War III erupted in our quaint village.
Contractors were called in by many residents to truck water from a different source than the well in peril. In some cases, thousands of dollars were spent by homeowners to protect their lush lawns from perishing. I chuckled. Other than newly laid sod and recently planted ornamentals, for the most part, all turf and plants will survive a couple months of hot, dry weather. Oh, they may look a little drought-stricken, but they will not succumb and go to the big nursery in the sky. One inch of rainfall equals 27,154 gallons of water per acre. And we think we do a lot of good by watering out of a 1000-gallon tote? Think about it, I assure you, we’ll be fine. Anyway, Francine, and pop-up showers, have solved the “crisis,” at least for now.
I listen intently to the meteorologists on the weather channel, and our local stations, regarding their forecasts for rain, or no rain. I should keep up with how many times they are accurate. I compare it to that of a hall of fame hitter in the big leagues. I suppose only in weather predictions and baseball, you can fail 50-70 percent of the time and make a million dollars a year. Think about it, if you failed in your endeavors this often in your workplace, how long would you keep your job? Perhaps I should add stock pickers from brokerage firms to this list as well. Geez, I crack myself up. In all seriousness, I suppose there is a 50 percent chance of rain every day. Either it rains, or it doesn’t, doesn’t that equal 50 percent?
As many of those that want, beg, and pray for rain, I will add a different perspective on what the rainfall brings to early fall. Did you know a cotton picker costs around $1.4 million? Do you know what a cotton picker does? It picks cotton for 30-45 days out of the year harvesting the fabric of our lives. Combines, which harvest soybeans, corn, rice, flax, wheat, barley, and a multitude of other grains balance on the edge of $750,000 in price. They too, harvest grains for a brief period in the calendar year. The rest of the time, the pickers and combines rest under barns for the mud daubers to build mud houses on and for rats and mice to chew the wires off. Bear with me, you’ll see where I’m headed.
When defoliated, I can think of nothing more beautiful than a wide-open cotton crop. Almost blinding to the eye, the “white gold” has been the focus of many artists, photographers, and authors, for eons. How many tableside books feature pictures of a church in the middle of a stunning cotton field. I see families every Sunday afternoon in the fall standing in waist-tall cotton, with hired photographers, taking pictures for their Christmas cards. The beauty, at least for me, of a manicured field of exposed cotton is indescribable. Perhaps it is a bit more rewarding knowing that we, JH and I, played a role in the culmination of the final product, but the grower, with his tireless efforts and expensive inputs, deserves the credit. So, what does this have to do with rainfall?
The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh. A cotton crop and a soybean crop can be produced without a hitch all summer but with the ill-timing of a few rains of a certain length and magnitude during pre-harvest and harvest, it can all be washed downstream. As with Francine, cotton bolls that are beginning to crack open are vulnerable to boll rot and “hard-lock” if moisture penetrates the carpel for an extended period of time. This can lead to significantly reduced yields, and quite often does. Heavy rainfall on soybeans that are dry and ready for harvest can lead to seed deterioration and even seeds sprouting in the hull on the plant rendering the field a total loss in extreme cases. This is an extremely stressful time of year with harvest in full swing knowing the outcome financially could be determined totally by what falls from the sky. Of course, we know there are risks, and we live with this.
A couple of weeks ago, Stacey and I were looking forward to an evening on the “green space” at Renaissance. The Jackson Symphony Orchestra were tuning their violins, cellos, and brass for an entertaining event. The ordeal was pushed to a Friday due to the forecast for a visit from a lady of the gulf, Francine. She had moved north dropping three to five inches of rain in her wake. Forecasts were positive though, predicting sunshine as she headed to Tennessee. I was looking forward to enjoying the overture from the westerns “The Virginian,” “Bonanza,” and “The Good, Bad, and Ugly.” Kickoff time was 6:30 p.m., alas though, a small band of rain delayed the show for a few minutes. The weather broke. Sounds from the strings could be heard once again as the symphony tuned their tools. Again, the heavens darkened. Only this time, the drops from the skies were larger with more of them. Then came the announcement the show was cancelled as the woodwinds, the drums, the brass, and the strings were in peril. Sadly, it was not meant to be.
I find it interesting, and sometimes frustrating, with the differences of opinions in what we think we want and need weatherwise in our lives. I shake my head in disgust when cotton pickers are rolling, and I hear deer hunters speak of the need for rain for their food plots. The picker drops another round bale on the turn row and then a duck hunter pleads for rain to fill an impoundment to float his/her decoys. Regardless of what we want or need, it’s probably a good thing we can’t control the weather. Like everything else we put our hands on, just think of the mess we would make if it was up to us manage Mother Nature.
The Bible states “it will rain on the just and the unjust.” Truer words have never been spoken. I find peace in the fact, to remain faithful and let the Good Lord, take care of the weather. A prayer for a little sunshine for the remainder of harvest season sure would help though. Everyone wants something different when it comes to their lawns, flowers, crops, and food plots. I guess that’s why Baskin-Robbins has 31 different flavors.
Please keep our producers of food and fiber in your thoughts during this time of year. We sure need to get this crop out. I’ll keep your lawns and azaleas in mind when they need a drink too. I pray it works out for everyone. Until next time enjoy our woods and waters and remember, let’s leave it better than we found it.
