A/C Condensate - catch it in a bucket or use flex tube to direct the flow. Your neighbors condensate also? One drought year in Pompano I hooked my washing machine output to drain into a young heliconia bed. It kept them alive! I have used All Free & Clear for years FWIW. My FIL says his Aunt has the best banana crop around because her kitchen sink drain is directed out the wall and into the banana bed. I've read recently to keep a 5 gallon bucket in the kitchen and dump any and all liquid you can into it. I'm no expert, but it seems that whacking the shrubs back would do them more harm than good right now. Maybe providing some shade for them? Large palm fronds or shade cloth? Seminole County is not nearly as hard hit as Broward and Palm Beach, yet driving around you can see too many dead trees. Dead native oak trees. Sad. We have an irrigation system in the front, I recently worked on it to concentrate as much water as I can into my veggie beds, so I can use my watering day to the max on what I care most about. The yard is a blend of tough stuff and can hang by itself. Houston, TX has been having a hard time. You might bounce in the TX forum and see if you can find any hints. It continues to amaze me that HOA are allowed to refuse people to keep rain barrels in their yards. This is Florida, it has to rain sometime doesn't it??? Oh, and assuming that it must rain again sometime, you might want to read up on rain gardens. Essentially directing the flow of water from your roof into areas in your yard where it will sink in and do the most good. Or, reduce runoff. Texas again has some really good resources on rain gardening and rain harvesting in general. ~dianne

Thanks for that tip, David! I googled sod webworms, and found a site or two that explained/described them and had some suggestions for how to identify if you have them: http://www.uri.edu/ce/factsheets/sheets/sodwebworm.html. I first went around and looked closely at the grass/soil, but could not find the signs they said to look for. I then did the soapy water test, but didn't see any of the caterpillars (larvae) come to the surface. I did see one adult moth, but they say that doesn't necessarily mean you have the caterpillars as the moths will fly quite some distance. I then took my hand spade/fork and chopped into some various areas to look under the grass about an inch or so, to see if I saw any grubs, caterpillars, etc. that could be the cause. But only found some ants and earwigs. I don't think either of those could cause damage to the lawn. So I am still at a loss, but will continue to look for any signs of the webworms or grubs. Or I may try to find some of the biological bacteria the sites talk about for killing the larvae and treat it anyway. The sites also mention types of grasses that are more resistant to the webworms (types of ryegrass and fescue). So possibly overseeding this fall with these or other hardier grass(like the Reveille blend that Amester mentioned, or others in the thread you linked to David) may be an answer. I am interested in the EZ Wet and Field Magic that Bob_In_Colorado has posted about and may try some of that - for a smaller sized area, though, as this much lawn area has proven to me to be too expensive to maintain (both with $$ on water, and time!).

thanks Khalid I'm thinking about sowing both...I will order my seeds from this company http://www.herbgarden.co.za/mountainherb/herbinfo.php?id=83 Common Name: CUMIN - BLACK Scientific Name: Nigella sativa Seeds: To order please contact us Get the latest pricelists hereDescription: Annual White flowers Mentioned in Bible Culinary Uses: Spicy flavour. Ingredient in curry and spicy mixtures Bread, cake, sauces, curries, chutneys fish dishes Medicinal Uses. It is said that: Respiratory conditions, allergies, fevers, flu, asthma, emphysema Hypertension, insomnia, arthritic and rheumatic pain Clear acne, boils, excessive perspiration Inhibits certain forms of cancer Stomach upsets, nausea, vomiting, colic, spasms, intestinal worms Diuretic and promotes lactation Treat inflammatory and auto-immune conditions http://www.herbgarden.co.za/mountainherb/herbinfo.php?id=461&seeds=1 Plant InformationCommon Name: CUMIN, JEERA Scientific Name: Cuminum cyminum Seeds: To order please contact us Get the latest pricelists hereDescription: Annual Cumin is the dried seed of the herb Cuminum cyminum, a member of the parsley family. It was originally cultivated in Iran and the Mediterranean region and has been in use since ancient times. It is mentioned in the Bible in both the Old Testament (Isaiah 28:27) and the New Testament (Matthew 23:23). Today it is cultivated all over the world. Cumin is a half hardy, slender annual with finely divided, ovate leaves, reaching 10cm long. Tiny, white to pale pink flowers are produced in umbels, followed by gray-green ovoid-oblong fruits, containing pale brown seeds. Cumin is grown from seed sown in spring and prefers full sun, well-drained fertile soil and a long hot summer of three to four months (115 days). Daytime temperatures must be around 30 °C - seeds may not ripen in cold climates. Seeds must be sown directly in a garden bed and keep clean from weeds - germination will take place in 1 to 3 weeks.Culinary Uses: Cumin can be used ground or as whole seeds and helps to add a hot and aromatic flavor to food. The seeds are a perfect companion for salad dressings, cheese, pickles, pastries, masala, stews, soups and spiced gravies such as chili. Cumin is an ingredient of curry powder and has a distinctive taste associated with ethnic foods of the Mediterranean Basin. An essential oil from the seed is used as a food flavoring.Parts Used: The seeds are collected by hand when ripe, threshed, dried and stored whole in airtight jars.Medicinal Uses. It is said that: Cumin is an astringent herb that benefits the digestive system - it is used in treating inflammation, indigestion, flatulence and as an appetite suppressant. Cumin purifies blood, promotes healthy reproductive organs in both male and female, increases milk flow in nursing mothers and acts an aphrodisiac. A fine paste of cumin seed powder mixed with water is applied on boils, swellings and itchiness of the skin. To prepare a mouth freshener, eliminate foul smell of the mouth and heal mouth ulcers - boil Cumin powder in water, allow cooling down, adding a pinch of cardamom powder, filter and gargle. In ancient times it has been used as a pain killer and to treat rotten teeth. Massage roasted Cumin powder mixed with sea salt on the gums to treat inflammations, prevent bleeding and to strengthen them. To treat indigestion and flatulence - boil 5ml of Cumin seed powder in 250ml of water, allow it to cool down and drink twice daily. Using Cumin powder with honey will do the same. To treat irritable bowel syndrome - drink pomegranate juice mixed with roasted Cumin powder until the condition subsides. In India ground Cumin powder is mixed into a paste with onion juice - to be applied to scorpion stings Cumin has a very disagreeable flavor and is nowadays seldom used in Western herbal medicine - having been superseded by caraway which has similar properties and a more pleasant flavor. Today Cumin's medicinal use is confined to veterinary practice where it is used as a carminative.For Animals. It is said that: Cumin is often used as part of birdseed mixtures. Mixed Cumin seeds and sea-salt is an universal remedy for diseases like scabby backs and breasts disease in pigeons. Take 113g each of sea salt, common Salt, Dill-seeds, Cumin-seeds, 453g Fennel-seeds and 29ml Assafoetida. Mix it with a little wheat flour and some fine-worked clay. Mix well and bake in the oven. Allow to cool down and put it on the table in the dove-cote for the pigeons

dchall, I assume your photo was taken in San Antonio? Here's the big difference between CA gardening and gardening in most of the rest of the US. In San Antonio, as elsewhere in the US, you get rain during the spring and summer months. A drought for you would be less rain during the growing season. In CA we get zero rain during most of the spring and summer, always. If zero rain is the definition of an extreme drought then CA is always in extreme drought in the late spring through early fall. All of our rain comes in the winter. It is not unusual for us here in Southern CA to get no rain at all, not even a drizzle, from April to the end of October or even into the middle of November. With no rain at all and temps in the 90s and above the jasmine in your photo would not survive.