Could use some rain here. Only .6 delivered from storm Elsa. Was hoping for at least an inch. But usually the rain shuts down this time of year unless there's a tropical system that moves through. Hot, humid and sunny, low 90s, does make for good citrus- growing weather though.

Dave. Crazy. 10 days of this since July began. Unheard of. Ugh.
Glad you are sunnier and I’m thinking figs must be doing good. Your trees growing like weeds )

PLEASE!!!!! send some our way! It's too bad we can't control the rains to benefit all.

I’ve been in the same weather pattern as you. My lawn looks great, it usually looks like i landscape with a flamethrower this time of year. Hydrangeas also doing well, I didn’t have that late spring frost that kills off all of the buds.

Its beeen a blessing for the most part since I have been working late everyday and wouldn’t have been able to water properly. I am a little worried about fungal issues since I haven’t had time to treat anything either

James, I hear you about the fungal issues. I already sprayed at least my orchids since they are outside. They LOVE these rains. I never saw such healthy roots and tons of blossoms. Every summer either the tap water hurts them because it is so dry, or I have to fill buckets of rain water just to prevent that, so thank God for the rain in that regard.

Funny how you and I are in this same pattern. It has been looking like a day in October all day. So dark out and gloomy that you need headlights to drive. NOTHING like summer should be. Hydrangeas around here are huge. We were in the worst drought for years, everything bone dry under an inch of soil for over ten years now. But that is not a problem now, thank God.

That orchid you gave is growing like a weed)

C A , sure you can have some. Too much in some areas and nothing in others. Too bad for that.

The endless rains started here (NY) before the last week of June. I have only watered the veg gardens twice this year, and have hardly needed to water any potted plants that are out in the elements. I measured 4” last week and 3” the week before…. yesterday I got another .8” and more rain is forecast for every day this week. Temps and temp swings have been crazy since spring! Everything is lush and green but there isn’t much flowering out there… I’ve forgotten what a sunny day is like. :p

I put my two phals outdoors for the first time recently… on a table on the covered back porch. I thought it was the perfect spot for them and they seemed to love it there, but 3 days later the largest one went flying off the porch during a very windy thunderstorm. It has two spikes forming buds and I was thrilled that the plant wasn’t broken or harmed in any way. The heavy ceramic outer pot was laying on the table, tipped over, and the phal was laying on the ground several feet away, still neatly potted but face-down and covered with splashed debris. They’re both indoors plants again. :)

eta: I wish I could send you some, Kate!

Just the opposite no rain and in a drought.

Mike, we havent had measurable rain in over 90 days and even that was only .01”. Like Nick said it’s been a hot and dry summer for us in Cali. We would welcome any rainfall you could pass our way. Take care.

Evan

Back to the continual showers situation. How are you dealing with feeding your orchids? My Phals are protected from getting rained on, so no problem there, but the catts, oncs, others are getting the rain. I'm reluctant to give them yet more water with feed...so???

Mini, my orchids are thriving. As long as you have a good medium you can water them as often as you want even with all this rain. I feed mine no matter what once a week lately if I remember. Usually often like every watering but with a weak solution until recently.
I’ll show you pics. Got another 4 inches of rain since last night and lots of thunder. Now I have mushrooms growing from potted plants ! No sun. Just raw and cool and non stop gray days. Don’t even remember the last warm sunset at night. The days are already getting darker earlier before we can enjoy warm summer nights. Depressing. But better than drought I guess
Evan. I’d rather have this rain than drought though and dependent of my tap water which slowly kills my plants, especially orchids. Usually I’m struggling to fill a rain barrel every summer but not this one. Sorry it’s so dry there. Wish I could send you some rain buddy
Kate , that is terrible. I hate that. I hate wind when my plants are knocked over. You too with all the rain and grey days. Crazy

Thought I would post some pics of how the non stop rain is affecting some of my plants.

Flowers and plants are twice their size and orchids flowering

to much rain here is covering my trees with pathogens.

Thanks, Meyermike. I was thinking it would be helpful if they had a chance to dry out some - especially the catts. They are in a coarse, rapidly draining medium, however. We're having a few days respite before the rain is supposed to start again. I'm thinking of applying a preventive fungicide (Mancozeb).

Too much rain here too. Petunias plagued by verticillium wilt, gardenia suddenly getting too many yellow leaves, a vanda in spike suddenly afflicted majorly with bacterial rot (had to cut off half the leaves, new fat aerial roots suddenlty turn to pulp and now the stem appears to be endangered). hoping liquid copper saves the poor thing. A phal and a cattleya also go the soft bacterial rot. Anopther phal got scale infecstation! I don't know how people keep their orchids outdoors, mine are either succumbing to fungal/bacterial infections or drying up from too much heat or both. I lost a couple of cattleyas to black rot a couple of years back. I don't think I am keeping my orchids outdoors for an extended period outdoors. Unfortunately, there are spider mites indoors......

Getgoing, you are not kidding!! When I heard it was going to be so damp, humid, dark, dismal, cool, and rainy, I had to spray everything down with 'Infuse' beforehand. To prevent and issues even with my orchids. So far so good thank God. Everyone I know that has not treated are loosing their vegi's, tomatoes. fruits, grass and many exotic plants to rot. Sad.

There is also Physan for orchids that does wonders!! No disease and lots of growth, thank God.

My Petunia I spray with Infuse and they are doing very good. They will rot away if I don't.

Just afraid the weather won't be hot enough to make my figs grow and tomatoes too(

Miniplants, you are right . A break will help a lot. I see drier weather moving in, kind of like September weather which is strange, but better dry than all this rain just for a bit.

Mike, you are the proactive gardener I aspire to be. :) Perhaps I should mix a gallon of the 3 in 1 I have lying around and drench everything in sight. But I worry about the bees and other good bugs out there. Perhaps I should just spray the susceptible plants and hope it saves at least some of them.

Getgoing, thank you for your kind words. If you are worried about using chemicals, you could always use this. My sister has many bee hives and grows tons of fruit trees, vegi's and grapes. They have to use it to keep disease in check with a product that does not harm their bees. It's never too late to start using this stuff. I hope it helps.

https://www.planetnatural.com/product/serenade-garden-disease-control/

I think you can also get some on Amazon)

Please send the rain our way. Certain parts of northern California can only use 70 gallons of water per person per day. They have been told to save their trees and let the rest of their landscape die. It is very bad here and fire season has only just begun.

Do you think if we put up some very large fans you could blow the storms to California? We would be so appreciative! Ah, if it were only that easy!

Mustbenuts, I couldn't agree with Ken more. Wish we could blow the soke back with rain in it(

It was so bad here on Monday, that I went to the beach and I could not feel the heat of the sun on my bare skin. It looked like it was going to rain all day, very cloudy like yet there was not a cloud in the sky. Very smokey.

Now the only part of the country to get 'fall' early will be us. Nights into the 50's and day time highs 70's for the next ten days. Summer heat lasted 3 days this July. August will be gone and September might feel like October at this rate. My figs just are not growing at all.

Figs Same problem here. No rain and temps in the 90's

Steve

Steve, thank God I had a few trees with early Breba crop. That is the only way I can have figs anymore. My summers are shorter and shorter. I have hundreds of small fruit developing on an in ground tree that would of been twice their size if it had been a hot July like it is suppose to be(

Got about one FOOT of rain for July, and ridiculous humidity. Have spend almost NO time in my NJ yard for two months. Everything is lush to the extreme but I have started to fantasize about life in a more Mediterranean climate, but without those dreaded wild fires! Despite the biblical deluges, we've had the western smoke..., it's awful!! I wish we could send the surplus water to the West!

We just had a massive rain storm drop 0.125 inches of rain.

Steve

Hi Mike!!!! so glad youre still here! oh my goodness Im sorry ive been so inconsistent lately more relatives of mine has passed due to covid. Will this ever end! anyways we have been suffering from heat wave and more sun than vancouver has ever had in any summer! lol! I will trade you for the rain. it has also been so smoggy due to the forest fires so its not like we can go out anyways since i have asthma and sensitive lungs! sheesh if its not one thing its another. Although the citurs love it! How are yours?

Jan, hugs to you and for everything you have been going through. Thank you for taking the time to stop be and continue our friendship despit all that is happening to you. I am so sorry this is happening. I pray it only gets better for you. I remember times past you had been stating that you don't get much heat and sun in short supply some summers. I remember Brian saying the same thing. I am happy for you. I'll bet your trees look amazing still. Much love

Mike