Misters cool yards, stop fire

 

            It is said by water “conservationists” that “sprinklers evaporate half of the water they throw,” and followed with, “Evaporation is waste.”  But the same Landscape Management teacher that told us this in 2000 when he was selling us on drip systems also told us that Grants Pass was in no danger of burning because green grass doesn’t burn.  Grass is watered with sprinklers.  There is a lot less green grass in Grants Pass now.

Evaporation is not waste; it cools, humidifies, and is the first step in the water cycle, followed by condensation and precipitation.  It can cool objects and the air down to 41 degrees F, the temperature at which water starts to evaporate.

Sprinklers are known to create a “bubble of moisture” around any property where they are used sufficiently.  An apartment complex that was threatened by the Almeda fire did not burn because the landlord knows this and keeps his properties watered with sprinklers.  Trailer parks, on the other hand, are largely pavement and/or gravel and are often not watered enough to keep a wind-driven fire from burning right through them. 

Misters evaporate nearly all of the water they emit if the mist is fine enough, and water the ground beneath them as well.  They increase humidity and cool the air as they evaporate, making it easier to breathe.  They reduce wildfire smoke by taking smoke particles to the ground.  You shouldn’t run sprinklers 24/7, but you can run misters around the clock when the weather is hot or we are being smoked by wildfires.  If every resident of a trailer park ran several standing misters when fire danger is high, it might not burn when a gravity wind blows up fires in their vicinity.

But there is more!  Misters can moisten and cool the soil to start seeds in summer when they normally would not readily sprout.  I’ve been starting clover, lettuce and collards seed and keeping them cool and moist until they grow enough root to survive.  They also can prevent transplant shock when planting in hot weather.

Most plants like more humidity than Grants Pass has ever provided in summer, even before water-rationing rates.  Misters among my blueberries on the west side of my yard keep plants all over my garden happier with more humidity and cool the air enough to keep pollen from burning when the temps are over 95 degrees, allowing corn and tomatoes to pollinate and produce.

Published 8-25-23 at GardenGrantsPass.blogspot.com

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 Rycke Brown, Natural Gardener           541-955-9040                 rycke@gardener.com