Garden Show Update – Yes, There Is Overwatering
Even with the drought-like conditions in Michigan, if your lawn is bein assisted by an irrigation system, it could still bring about problems.
Bob Coward, co-host of the Garden Show on WBCK, was asked a question during the June 5th edition about why mushrooms were growing in someone's lawn that has irrigation. The lawn may be lush and green but if there are nearby trees, mushrooms and other fungus may sprout as they are looking for as much moisture as possible if they are under drought stress.
In case you missed it, drought continues to be an issue in Michigan. Compare last week's drought monitor to this week's, not much has changed when it comes to areas in drought. Below is the updated drought monitor. Southwest Michigan remains in severe drought (orange), but it has now expanded north to cover all of Ottawa County, all but the northeast sliver of Kent County and portions of Ionia and Montcalm counties.
For those without irrigation and waiting for Mother Nature even with scattered showers planned for the week, the abundance of rain is not expected to happen. Stretching into the week of June 14th, below normal precipitation is expected to continue for Michigan. The good news is that normal temperatures for mid-June are expected to return. The average temperature in the Battle Creek area (based on the last 25 years) is 68.1 degrees. This June could become the warmest June during the same timespan (average 71.5 degrees in 2007).
When it comes to precipitation, the Battle Creek area is currently 4.72 inches below normal based on the last 25 years since the beginning of this year. As May concluded, the area was 3.22 inches below for the month. Depending on where you live, it was anywhere between .66 inches to 1.07 inches of precipitation for the month of May. The 8-to-14 day temperature and precipitation forecast from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is below.
We discussed quite a bit on our first Garden Show of June. Here's the recap that includes the reason why wild flowers are starting to sprout, the proper way to grow melons and our continued push to start a National Poison Ivy Awareness Day.
Be sure to tune in to the Garden Show every Saturday during the spring and summer months on 95.3 WBCK. Call 269-441-9595 with your gardening question, email co-host Nathan Adams or join us through the App Chat function on the WBCK app.
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