Stage 3 Water Restrictions?

Hi, folks!

I wanted to make everyone aware of the important conversations that are beginning to occur in our industry and in our city surrounding the next stage of water restrictions. I'll be posting more about this in the upcoming months, but suffice it to say that the effects of Stage 3 water restrictions could alter our landscape for many, many years to come.

In case you are of the "oh, that will never happen" mindset, be aware that discussions are already being held within the city offices to determine what the next level of water restrictions will look like. They might not call it "Stage 3" - it might be "Stage 2-A", or Stage 2-B" - but it will most assuredly involve further restrictions on outdoor watering. At some point, we may no longer be permitted to water our landscapes at all.

Here is a link to a Facebook group dedicated to this discussion, if you'd like to follow:
http://www.facebook.com/groups/austinstage3/

More to come on this subject, trust me!
- K

Yard-Staging for Home Sellers

If your home is still on the market, like many Austin homes, maybe the problem is curb appeal. Yard-staging is an important component of getting a home off the market. Real Estate agents suggest pruning trees, applying mulch and babying your lawn. We can help.

Remember, many HOAs have minimum front yard tree requirements. Trees help a property look beautiful, and they also decrease air conditioning costs as they provide much needed shade (not to mention privacy between neighbors and streets.)

Just Trees knows what it takes to baby your heritage trees and younger plants. We can work with you through a free consultation to help design a care plan that is affordable and will help your home sell. MSN Real Estate wrote an article about affordable ideas to up the appeal of your yard. It can be as easy as pruning your trees and adding a hammock to make your home feel like an oasis to potential buyers. Happy staging!

How to Water and Make it Count in a Drought

This drought is shaping up to be one of the worst in our areas history. We need your intervention to save our area trees. Please contact us if we can assist you at your property.

I know we are all sensitive about Austin's water supply so we don't want to water our trees unless we make it count! Here is some important information about watering your trees, provided by the Houston Chronicle. That's right, even damp and humid is Houston is lacking rain this year:

A watering schedule that maintains a lawn in a drought won't adequately maintain trees, foresters say.

Water slowly and deeply to avoid runoff and evaporation. How much depends on the tree:

Give a small, 1-year-old tree 28 gallons of water a week, a 2-year-old tree 56 gallons a week, and a 3-year-old about 112 gallons a week.

For larger trees, it's easier to use the general formula of 10 gallons per inch of trunk diameter (measured at knee height) each week during drought.

"Older, established trees have more extensive root systems, but still might not find enough water in the soil during a drought to stay in good health," said Mickey Merritt of the Texas Forest Service.

The key, he said, is a long, slow soaking, so water can penetrate deeply into the root zone. Options include:

• Turn the hose on at a trickle, and let water soak into the ground under the drip line or canopy until that area is saturated about 18 inches deep. After about two hours, move the hose to another area and repeat.

• Coil a soaker hose around the tree, as near the drip line as possible. Let it run several hours to slowly soak the soil.

• Poke three small holes in the bottom of 5-gallon buckets and place them beneath trees, then fill the buckets so the water slowly seeps into the soil.

• Purchase slow-release systems such as Ooze Tube and Treegator, which Merritt said are beneficial in watering young trees.

Read more: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/gardening/features/7645889.html#ixzz1TPiY0dDH

Get to watering, ya'll! And call us if we can help you curb the damage of the season by pruning, fertilizing or removing.

Community

Anyone who knows us on a personal level (which I like to think most are clients feel), knows that the Just Trees family is BIG on community. We live out on a dirt road with 4 houses of neighbors and we take part in important milestones and even more important family dinners and chores with one another. Two sets of neighbors even stayed up all night to create Kristina's big girl room for her birthday surprise.

This summer has offered us even more opportunity to get together. Last weekend was my (muffle muffle)th birthday and neighbors and friends turned out in full force! My birthday is the 4th of July. Little K participated in a parade early in the morning that she was sure as all for me. It's so sweet that my little one felt all of Austin was out with balloons and fanfare to celebrate her momma.

Later in the day, we were joined by many to BBQ and enjoy our new "redneck" pool, my birthday gift. Even without the usual Austin fireworks the festivities banged on into the late evening. It feels wonderful to be so supported by our adopted family.

Neighbors are truly an asset to a family. I hope you will be encouraged to get out and meet those who live near you. It's more than a borrowed cup of sugar (or in our case, someone to pick up milk for Little K on their way home). Neighbors form a foundation and keep you in line, making sure your actions match your beliefs.

As a favorite classic movie, The Matchmaker, tells us, "A man can survive without his wallet, but not without his friends."

There are many more gems in this movie, and I encourage you to add it to your Netflix que. Here's one I'd like to dedicate to our office assistant, Katie, for her upcoming 25th birthday,

"The very young are almost as smart as the very old, Cornelius. It's in the middle that you get in all the trouble."

Sprayer

We have several water sprayers like this around the back yard. Some we fill with water for our potted plants and garden. Others we use to spray for bugs (like scorpions) around the parameter of the patio and the house.

What’s great about these little babies is that by pumping the pressure valve at the top, the sprayer will send a continuous mist of water or liquid where you need it. You know how tired your hands can get with a hose sprayer. We love it because little K can get involved!

My neighbors even used one to scotch guard a new rug. Apparently, squeezing the bottle nozzle over and over for the entire area of a living room rug got old.

The sprayers don’t have to be expensive, but putting in a little more cash can keep you from constant replacements. Find them at your local hardware store like Lowe’s, Home Depot or our own local Breed and Co. I hope it helps you combat the drought and keep your plants blooming and your tomatoes tasty!

Here's a link to a video about a fantastic project going on down at Deep Eddy. In reality, it's been in the works for a long time. We're especially excited about it because Kristina and I and some friends have been helping to make the tiles! We're going to have to head down there and look for the ones we signed....

Check out the new mural at http://austin.ynn.com/content/top_stories/279022/local-wonders--deep-eddy-mural-project

See you at the swimming hole!

The eight months from October 2010 through May 2011 have been the driest eight-month period on record for Texas since 1895. Rainfall in Austin was 38 percent of normal. We enter the summer season in an “exceptional drought.” Homeowners need to be on the defensive when it comes to saving their trees.

Temperatures have hit triple digits earlier than usual this year, with three 100+-degree days in Austin in May. With little water coming in, the region's two water supply reservoirs, lakes Travis and Buchanan, together are about 60 percent full, with about 1.2 million acre-feet in combined storage.

Mulch can help protect the root systems of your trees by keeping water in the soil. Remember to water your trees whenever the soil is dry to the touch. Yes, water bills will go up but this can keep your tree alive through the dry season. I have many friends opting to abandon their plants and gardens during this time and choosing instead to water their trees. Where do you get more bang for your buck?

Because soil is parched, it will take about 5 to 6 inches of rain in the basin to begin to produce significant runoff. That amount of rain appears highly unlikely this summer, unless a tropical storm brings rainfall to the region. Odd that one region’s hurricane could be another’s hope for survival.

Stay cool, Austin families! This weekend, like most, you can find us at Deep Eddy Pool!

Source: http://www.lcra.org/water/drought/index.html

Kristina's Big Girl Room

This past weekend was one of the busiest for the Just Trees family. On Friday night we worked side by side with our neighbors until 4:00 AM to put together a surprise for Kristina. On Saturday morning we unveiled it to her, a brand new big girl bedroom for her birthday! From lunch until dinner we entertained fourteen four year olds and their parents in celebration of Kristina turning four years old!

As much work as it was my favorite part of the weekend was putting together that room. We transformed Kristina’s nursery/storage room into the place of her dreams. She sees it as her “princess fairy” room, but I love it because it’s a good mix of the pink and frills she loves with the green, florals and practical pieces I love. I think it will stand the test of time and she can grow up in this room. We got a lot of inspiration from the site project nursery. I’m so proud of what we came up with, especially on the small budget we decided was appropriate for a four year old’s room. I’m thinking of posting the room to project nursery see how well others like it, too.

Anyone with a daughter or granddaughter may know about the “princess fairy” obsession that takes over little girls when they enter school. How does it happen that two rugged arborists get together and make a baby who insists on wearing twirly skirts and glittery shoes every day? I'm interested in picking up the book “Cinderella Ate My Daughter.” Has anyone read it? I’ve decided to compromise with the pink but to stay hard nosed with her about what makes people special. It’s not about pretty.

Children should be taught to work on their character and their treatment of others. That’s how you can be the best you can be. Sometimes I worry there are still mixed messages sent to young girls about where their focus should lie. Wow, Markus and I have been parents for four years! It doesn’t get any easier, but it gets more and more fun!

W o n d e r B a l l 2 0 1 1

If anyone is looking for a great event supporting a great cause, here's one for tomorrow night. Daddies and daughters only! Kristina and Markus will be there, so keep your eye out if you go!:

W o n d e r B a l l 2 0 1 1