i have read about the hormone influence wrt shrubs/trees and pruning. I understand it to mean that the leader of a tree branch produces hormones that are sent to branches below and suppress growth so that the leader can remain dominant. It makes sense that grass would act in the same way. Also grass is "genetically designed" to tolerate close and frequent mowing as in a grazing field. If it did not recover well and thrive with goats constantly chomping on them, the goats would go somewhere else. Also other plants are not so tolerant of constant mowing which means they will eventually weaken under the frequent mowing. Thus denser healthier turf. Or ... what tex said:)

Sherri, I wasn't keeping an eye on Harper County last summer, or really on anyone else because I was at fires, often multiple fires, daily, or sometimes all night long. Last July and August are just one big blur in my mind. Without knowing how dry y'all got specifically, I'd bet you were in the upper 700s there, and very close to 800. Both the Altus area and the Durant area were the two areas I noted that were the driest on the KBDI, and they both actually exceeded 800 (which I thought was impossible) by 10 or 12 points. The driest our county got was about 770 or 780, and we had been in D4 well before we hit that point. How dry is that compared to previous droughts? The worst previous drought we'd had in our county since I learned about the KBDI was in 2005-2006, and my county topped out around 680 in that one. We never dreamed, never, ever in our wildest imaginings, we'd ever get 100 points drier than that in some future year. On our worst, hottest day, we were at a fire just on the edge of I-35 in 115 degree weather. Firefighters were dropping like flies and I was really concerned about them. A big storm was moving our way. We could tell it was going to rain. We cleared from that fire just as the storm rolled over our part of the area. We had lots of wind and lightning, and enough rain to drop our KBDI maybe 50 to 70 points the next day. That was the beginning of a downward trend in the KBDI for us. But what "gift" did the thunderstorm bring us? Lightning started fires across the river in Texas and we were called for assistance with those wildfires. lol Sometimes the thunderstorms are more harmful than helpful at times like that. I'll link today's map, and we can see what a change a couple of rainy days can make. I know that in my county we were getting close to 500 and now we're down around 100 after the rain last week and this week. That is such a relief, but we're still having grass fires. They're just slow-moving ones now and there's not many of them the last few days. In my own yard, it becomes hard to keep plants happy after we hit 500. By then our clay is hard like concrete and water just ponds on top of the ground and rolls downhill instead of soaking into the ground. It depends on the time of year, though. A KBDI of 500 in August bothers me more than a KBDI of 600 in December. Dawn Here is a link that might be useful: Today's KBDI Map--Lots of Improvement

Hi EasternCo, DonÂt freak out too much about exactly what zone you are. Even if you were right in the middle of a definite zone, local terrain and other conditions can make noticeable differences in what you can grow. Structures, fences and vegetation can make differences, as can lay of the landÂlike someone in a slight valley might have colder temps than nearby neighbors. And the other thing is that if you start to look up individual plants, youÂll often find that different sites will list them as different zones! GardeningÂespecially "zones"Âis a very imperfect "science!" And other conditions like light, soil, and moisture have at least as much to do with success as do your low temperaturesÂwhich are only averages anyway. The best way to figure out what will work for you is to try things little by little. In a couple years youÂll have a pretty good idea of whatÂs working for you and whatÂs not. If you find something that needs warmer temps, plant it in a more sheltered place like next to a fence or building. You might be surprised by some of the things that do just fineÂthat werenÂt supposed to, and by some of the things that ARE supposed to work where you areÂthat donÂt! The winds that have just kept blowing and blowing for the last couple weeks have been pretty unusual, so while you will probably wind up with more wind out there on the plains than we get here in the Metro area, it shouldnÂt always be as bad as itÂs been lately. Be prepared to tie things down when you need toÂand never give up! And with your grape, I definitely wouldnÂt give up on that yet! I planted one late last summer, and I was SURE it had died over winter! ItÂs just started to leaf out in the last week! I was doing a happy dance! So if your trees and stuff are behind ours, the grape probably is too. And mine looked DEAD! The stems really looked dried up! I think a couple of the (4) stems might have died offÂtime will tell, but I noticed today that itÂs also starting to develop new stems down at the base. So hang in there and hopefully itÂll come back! When youÂre transplanting small plants, try to wait to do it on days when itÂs not so windy, and remember that itÂs not unusual for things to wilt a little bit when theyÂre first planted. Do it late in the day or on a cloudy day/afternoon, water them in wellÂand keep your fingers crossed. Things might look worse for a while after you plant them before they start to look better again. Hang in there! Once you get a better feel for your new conditions, itÂll start to be easier again. Welcome to RMG, Skybird

Hi. See picture of my map (size: 24x34). I plan to pin it into the board/canvas. I’m trying to create a canvas similar to the one described here: https://makinglemonadeblog.com/how-to-make-a-large-bulletin-board/ I am having trouble finding a pattern or color for the fabric that would match my dark gray solid wall I have also attached picture of the plain wall