Flood Irrigation, First Water of the Year

[Waterbug]

I live in a neighborhood with flood irrigation, but unfortunately I'm on the wrong side of the street. My neighbors pay about $75-150 a year and water is delivered at set times. The water actually belongs to the property and is "free". The fee is for delivery. A lot gets a set amount and if you take more you pay for the extra. The company only delivers to a neighborhood, each owner has to open and close their property gates, like yours. Most people seem to chip in to pay a guy to go around opening and closing gates. Poor manners are not well tolerated from what I hear...a lot.

It's kind of weird, the more I've moved to drier and drier areas the fewer water restrictions I've run into. Here in Phoenix water is routinely flowing down the streets and down gutters. I've hardly hear anything about conserving water. 400 green golf courses, many homes have lawns like in wetter climates. Wouldn't know you were in the desert. I have family in Colorado where we get a lot of our water they do talk about water restrictions and had some in 2002. Not us. We can't use it fast enough. Weird world.

 

[pecan]

Waterbug, I believe the water here also belongs to the property and our fee is for getting the water here. But you can buy additional water shares in your own name rather than the properties which are $1000 a share of mountain water and $5000 a share for canal water (more because it does not run out), but there is a waiting list. It went up from $10 to $12 last year because they had to do work on the pumps that pull the canal water from the lake. Our neighbors across the street don't have water and the neighbors behind us who's backyards also come up to the ditch don't have water, it is just about 8-10 of us on our side of the street that have it. I had irrigation as a kid and we had a scheduled time back then. I remember having to get up at 2 in the morning to go open and close gates to run our water because that was our time. Here so few use it, we all decided not to do a schedule, you can use it whenever you want as long as no one else has it. You can tell someone else is using it if the main gate is already open when you go up there.

Yes, people take the water very seriously. It wasn't unusual 50-60 years ago for people to get shot over water stealing.

Strange they don't make you ration your water in AZ. We have it every few years if it was a dry winter. We will likely have it this year.

 

[Waterbug]

So you can take as much water as you like?

 

[pecan]

Yes. So few of us use it that we won't ever hit out share limit for the season.

People who have the rights and have the ditch behind their houses don't use it but instead water with city water. I can't for the life of me figure out why. Maybe it is because they don't understand it and don't want to learn or because a sprinkling system is easier... I don't really know.

 

[Waterbug]

Oh I see, you'd kind of be using other people's water that they don't use. What if people started using a lot, how would that be controlled?

My neighbor across the street could flood but uses sprinklers instead. He does have a nicer looking yard than most of the flooded yards, they're all turf yards. People don't like the look of berms, soil washing from under sidewalks, slab foundations just above grade and water gets inside the house thru cracks which doesn't smell great sometimes. So there are some down sides.

For me I just can't handle living in the desert and trying to grow turf and plants that belong in Chicago. Just don't see the point. So I go desert for the most part and buried water tight containers here and there for color. People are mystified to see 5' tall Canna in full bloom popping up out of what looks like desert ground in 108F heat (today). I've been slow to embrace desert gardening, but slowly I'm learning.

So I wouldn't choose flooding even if I could. Other gardeners who have the choice, and have desert landscapes, don't like the flooding because they get a lot of weeds. No problem for turf. That's the one benefit of a desert garden, few weeds.

 

[addy1]

My yard in arizona was crushed granite large boulders, small rocks, dry river beds and plants on drip systems. I looked everywhere here for drip systems, they don't use them in maryland. Finally bought some on line. I believe in saving water, even with our water being free.

 

[pecan]

Oh I see, you'd kind of be using other people's water that they don't use. What if people started using a lot, how would that be controlled?

We would be put on a rotating schedule allowing two hours twice a week. If you don't use it during your time you missed out till the next time you have.

My neighbor across the street could flood but uses sprinklers instead. He does have a nicer looking yard than most of the flooded yards, they're all turf yards. People don't like the look of berms, soil washing from under sidewalks, slab foundations just above grade and water gets inside the house thru cracks which doesn't smell great sometimes. So there are some down sides.

We don't have any of those problems. The line bringing the water into our yard goes down our east property line and is not noticable, no berms. The water floods just up to the patio (far away from the structures) so no issue with water getting to the houses. No water gets up on the patio. The only part of the yard you can tell by looking that there is a flooding system is the fenced in garden in the back which you can't see unless you are back there.

The key with flood irrigation is planning the yard well. There is nothing that's gets flooded that shouldn't.

We have only had issues with the water bringing in weeds back in the garden. The lawn is so thick and healthy and everything else is filled in and growing so well. I do occassionaly pick tiny little weeds in the flower beds but just pick one or two when I see them so no real chore.

Next year we need to plan the garden area better with weed blocking plastic or something. I haven't decided yet.

For me I just can't handle living in the desert and trying to grow turf and plants that belong in Chicago. Just don't see the point. So I go desert for the most part and buried water tight containers here and there for color. People are mystified to see 5' tall Canna in full bloom popping up out of what looks like desert ground in 108F heat (today). I've been slow to embrace desert gardening, but slowly I'm learning.

So I wouldn't choose flooding even if I could. Other gardeners who have the choice, and have desert landscapes, don't like the flooding because they get a lot of weeds. No problem for turf. That's the one benefit of a desert garden, few weeds.

I have some desert landscape in the areas that don't flood with cactus and succulents planted. They are doing great, but I also like the tropical look mixed in so with the water I have no issues there either. I just planned the yard out to plant dry plants in the dry areas and the wet plants in the wet areas to minimize the work needed.

This is one of the dry beds... I am just doing what is easiest to grow dending on the area. I give plants a couple years if they don't flourish they get replaced.

 

[j.w]

It is doing a wonderful job pecan and love your desert garden also!

 

[pecan]

Thanks J.W.! My cows tounge cactus is getting ready to bloom I am excited! and the adams needle yucca has a bloom coming up. I also have an agave plant (that's where baby tequila's come from) and I am wondering how many I need to supply my tequila LOL

The patio side of the pond also has xeroscaping. I found a sapphire skies Yucca and put in there and can't wait for it to grow. I also have lot's of ice plants.

You can see the little sapphire skies yucca just on the left side of the patio in front of the bigs rocks just before it turns to grass (just to the right of the tiki torch). Where the grass ends is where the flooding ends.

This is what that little yucca should grow into. *This is a random picture I found online.

 

[don't ask]

oh cool... i like the plant choices and variety

 

[j.w]

Love that yucca! All those desert ones are pretty! That blue one in the back in the second picture is a nice color and form also. Which one is the Cow's tongue? You've done a very nice job of landscaping pecan!

 

[pecan]

In that first pic I posted of the dry bed next to the house, it is just behind the sedum, there is the single cows tounge cactus just to the left of the adams needle yucca. It is right in front of two pieces of petrified wood. It is flat and has no quils that you can see, but has very tiny ones you can't so you don't want to touch them.

Here is a pic I found online of what they look like after growing getting a little older:

Thanks for the compliments!

 

[j.w]

You will have to post a photo of it in bloom as I bet it's really pretty!

 

[addy1]

I love the cactus blooms, would always go out into the desert to see them. But that cows tongue, it is nasty nasty nasty, tiny little stickers that hurt like all get out. Almost all cactus thorns have a hook on them that makes them stay in. A lot of them also have an irritant on the thorn, makes it hurt even more.

 

[pecan]

I love the cactus blooms, would always go out into the desert to see them. But that cows tongue, it is nasty nasty nasty, tiny little stickers that hurt like all get out. Almost all cactus thorns have a hook on them that makes them stay in. A lot of them also have an irritant on the thorn, makes it hurt even more.

Yes they do hurt like hell... When I planted the cactus's this spring I told my husband I would NEVER plant cactus's again. They tore up my hands. I had the cactus in the pot in one hand, the hole dug and I just kept looking at them both thinking to myself "now how am I going to get this prickly thin in that hole". My hands were covered in the the little cow tongue thorns and the agave has big spikes and then little spikes everywhere, it did some damage too. Not fun and my hands were sore for a few days.