You can measure water status of the plant by way of the leaf but not water status of the soil.
Data for what?
Drying and wetting rates of the soil? What does that mean?
[quote=āfruitnut, post:682, topic:3613ā]
You can measure water status of the plant by way of the leaf but not water status of the soil.
But it would nevertheless indicate the moisture level of the soil if you sampled a few trees- right? Only a tree with a root or vascular problem would be misleading, I would think. Oh, I see, you wouldnāt get an accurate enough measurement to know with any precision how much water was needed. Probably the old shovel and hand method would be more accurateā¦ Richard!
When I was in CA the issue of keeping fruit trees watered was immensely complicated by the presence of gophers. I learned to stand in the water wells in my bare feet and tamp down the soil as I flooded it- the tunneling made it impossible to soak the soil otherwise. Most of my growing there was done in very sandy soil.
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This is why some commercial orchards and a few estate homes use real-time soil monitoring at significant depth, plus in-orchard climate sensors. These systems come with software that also ties into your irrigation controllers plus your fertigation and chemigation (pesticide) mixers.
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Damn, now all we need is Robopruner and Iām out of business.
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Dynamic models are driven by rates. When possible I prefer to use direct measurements instead of derivations from material properties ā so the core samples go to a lab and you wait for the results ā¦ with anticiāpation!
Looks like the first week of April will be cold and rainy for Southern California. If that pattern holds up, SoCal could receive low-elevation snow similar to that of April 2011 and 2012, where the High Desert received one inch of snow.
ā¦ given a certain economy of scale 
For example, one such place in Fallbrook has a fleet of GM-550 Bobtails for year-round deliveries throughout the SW; another in San Pasqual Valley has a booming vineyard; an estate in Fairbanks Ranch has 12 acres of meticulously maintained grounds; and so on up the CA central coast, the Sierra foothills, ā¦
ā¦ and hail in coastal San Diego.
What!?!? When? No way. Tell me this is not true.
Patty S.
How did your trees do during the April 2011 and 2012 Arctic Blasts?
Here in the High Desert, we had an inch of snow, and as a result, my fruit trees lost their entire crop.
I lost two mangos and had some damage to a few citrus trees. No hail that I remember. Or snow, but freezing temps for 5 nights is row. Which is really rare. May have even been a record.
Patty S.
If this weather event materializes, a high pressure system will start developing over the East Coast around March 30th, thus creating a blocking pattern and bringing well-above average temperatures to the area. As a result, a trough will develop over the Gulf of Alaska, and cause the jet stream to migrate towards California along with a strong cold storm on April 2nd. Then around the 3rd of April, the trough will strengthen and will pull a mass of Arctic air from the Arctic and push it towards California along with a storm. Sometime around April 5th or the 6th, the storm will arrive to SoCal and bring low elevation snow for the High Desert and along with freezing temperatures.
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Myself and colleagues have experienced the April Foolās hail before, I believe the last time was in 2002.
Lowest temp was 37F in western Rancho Penasquitos (Christmas Card Lane). Here on the ridge in NW Vista according to my neighbors weather station the lowest was 41F.
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I have apologized by PM to Richard for my inappropriate comment above. He is right to flag my post and I was wrong for my comments. My apologies to Richard and everyone else.
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Hereās my April weather forecast scenarios for Southern California.
Scenario Number one:
Week one:
An Arctic cold blasts brings low-elevation snow for the High Desert.
Week Two:
A weak storm brings light rain and cool weather for Southern California followed by mild to warm temperatures.
Week three:
A moderate storm brings rain to Southern California.
Week Four:
A High Pressure system finally moves to the West Coast, as a result, temperatures climb to well-above average.
Scenario Number Two:
Week One:
A series of storms bring rain and cooler weather to Southern California.
Week Two:
A strong storm brings heavy rains for Southern California, then temperatures start to warm up.
Week Three: A high pressure system brings well-above average temperatures and windy conditions to Southern California.
Week Four: The High Pressure System begins to break down, as a result, temperatures begin to cool down, followed by windy conditions.
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Oh hey, I live just a few blocks from Christmas Card Lane! I was out of the area in 2011, but do remember the storms in 2012, lots of wind!
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At what point does this subject go to the back burner- days, months or years?. Iām sure this drought left some lasting trauma, but folks tend to have short memories. Will one more wet season be required before you stop obsessing on your rain gauges (until the next drought)? Richard, I know your area is not really out of the drought yet, but Iām addressing this to people in other parts of the state.
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Incidentally, someone flagged my comment, and rereading it, I guess it might sound as though Iām complaining somehow, but I meant my question seriously. Are most of you satisfied that the drought is over for now and finally fully relieved? Or was this drought so bad that you will be worrying all growing season about whether next rain season will come through with more needed precip?
When I lived there, I worried about drought pretty much all the time.
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Well, itās a valid question, Alan. I think these last about 20 years or so, have been more worrisome because we were really slowly but surely sliding into more and more drought-conditions. To have a year like this really quite a thing. I think our rainfall amounts are historic, if Iām not mistaken. But, we really, truly need a few years of more normal rainfalls I think, to feel a little less precarious about truly being out of a long, long drought cycle.