Got some 90ºF temps coming up the next couple of days and I just can't seem to keep my darn trees wet enough.  So I came up with the best solution I could execute in a 20-minute time frame this evening. 

I used a tarp, a couple of 8' iron stakes and some drop ceiling wire.  It is convertible, so I can slide the shade back on rainy days.

[img]http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/file?id=1126922[/img]

Jason,

Make sure you leave a note for the meter reader to not think about taking off with any of your figs.

Thankfully, it's wireless, they don't come into the yards anymore.

I'm more worried about the damned real estate agents doing the caravan of our house tomorrow to give recommendations and insight into whether our list price is too high.

But yes, I do worry about the thought of someone stealing one of my babies :)

I feel your pain Jason.  Our place has been on the market for nearly 8 months.   It's currently listed 15k less than we bought it for two years ago, and we did a lot of improvements when we moved in.

Best of luck selling your house.

Dave
AZ -  Z 10

Thanks.  We have about $60k worth of upgrade in the kitchen alone - we only paid $35k because my father and I did the majority of the work.  We're listing at about $4k more than what a house two down from us (same floor plan) sold for without all the upgrades, so we're hoping for the best.  As long as we break even, I'm happy.  Next home MUST have at least 1/2 acre of unwooded property and room for a greenhouse!!

That is definitely going to help.......

Looks like your soil mix is heavy on the perlite side which makes it hard to hold much water.  Nice looking babies.......

Dan
Semper Fi-cus

Jason,
One thing to think about on your tarp.  Remember when it starts to rain the water will collect in the middle and could possible collapse your tarp on to your figs.

Now if you had it "made in the shade..."

This might not help your situation but I'm using privacy lattice from HD to slowly adapt the young cuttings to sunlight. It blocks about 80% of the light to the cuttings. You may be able to slip it over the posts and tie it. Water filters through and light is blocked. I am going to use this to adapt the young cuttings to sunlight slowly.

Just a thought.

........great idea.

Dan
Semper Fi-cus

Good idea, Dom, I hadn't thought about that.

@Dan, what you are seeing is about 1/4" of perlite I put on top of my mix.  I find that the water seems to soak into the mix better when a layer of perlite is on top.  I'm sure there's some kind of scientific explanation for this, but ... I'll leave that to you ;)

@Cathy, the tarp is retractible.  I usually check the weather in the morning so I know what to wear/expect/etc., I intend to slide it over and tie it back on rainy days to prevent collapse.

Thanks for the compliments and ideas!

I just realized also ... I can hang (using drop ceiling wire) lattice over it... damned good idea.  Will hafta go to Home Depot after work and pick that up!!

Dominick!  Maybe I could make a fence to shade the pots out of that lattice!!!  They even make it in plastic and that might be better for what I want to use it for.  If I could get the wooden lattice with the smaller openings, that would be even better.  I'm so glad I read this thread.

The lattice would be good shade for my herb plants, too. 

Thanks,

noss

Reporting back: it has been two days since I've had to water or found limp leaves on the trees, and these last two days are 15* hotter than the preceding days that caused all the wilting, over 90* outside.

So, I would say it a success at this point. But I still want to convert to lattice for its porosity and lack of ability to hold water.

(previously, even on cooler days, I was watering daily, sometimes twice a day)

I did that too, but for my veggies, I have a lot of leafy vegs still in the ground, and So Cal weather is threatening to go scorching.

You could use a sheet and the rain would just go through
and you would have shade without the worry.
I think weed block would let the water in too.

With the torrential downpours we get here, anything with a tighter mesh than a window screen is subject to collapse in a rapid downpour.

I converted this to use squares of leftover "well seasoned" lattice from someone's back deck.  In a very short period of four weeks and a couple of rains with extreme heat, it has warped heavily.  I am not happy with the weight of the wood on the wire, it makes me nervous.

I placed all of my cuttings rooted a couple months ago outside in the mostly shaded area of this, so you see my flock has increased and the growth is also going great.

I purchased camoflage netting ("hunting blinds") to replace this lattice.  I will re-run my wire with two parallels and a cross, like:   |X|

I will post pictures of the hunting blind material after it comes in and is installed.

[img]http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/file?id=1148368[/img]

We're getting closer!

If you have 2 pots maybe fill with gravel and stick 2 of the taller metal stakes in and string a shorter one across under to act as a cross member

I thought about that - install a center post, and criss-cross to and from it while boxing the outside. 

I'm going to see how heavy the hunting blind netting is while installed and go from there.  I think I will be moving the posts farther apart, which may necessitate the addition post or two. 

Hell, if we can sell our house in the next couple of weeks, we had a contingency offer accepted on a place with almost a one-acre yard that is pretty well shaded in the back, and this would no longer be an issue! 

I think we might need a boatload of prayers to sell our current place, though.  The one person who is itching to buy it has a house they need to sell first also. 

Hi Jason,

Indeed. I just hope it doesn't start thinking it's a fig, given its persistent company! ;)

Jason , your plants are looking great are all these newly rooted ?

What's that dark, loamy-looking stuff on the ground where the soil's supposed to be? Shouldn't it be pale tan, and hard as a rock?

@nelson, nope, I've got the bed broken up into thirds.  From the vertical piece of lattice back to the power meter is everything rooted this year.  From the black pot closest to the green spool of tape back to the vertical lattice is last year's cuttings.  Everything in front of that up to the terra cotta pots is rooted from 2008/2009 or purchased.  I have approximately 85 plants at around 60 varieties, most of those are 1gal, and will be up-potted when I move later this year.

@Ken, I like to call that stuff, "AGHH, MY BACK!" because the effort it took to break down and amend the hell out of that fine GA clay.  This raised stackwood bed is sitting on top of the former home of my compost bin.  See this link for construction of the raised bed and original soil content for this area, including the old compost bin:  http://camura.com/albums/view/226  I've since amended the areas around the bed as well, but everything "downstream" from where the compost bin got runoff from the bin, which attracted worms, and they did a lot of work for me.

Jason--nice process description of your raised bed; thanks for posting the link. Forgive me for assuming all that beautiful soil appeared, shovel ready, simply through nature's generosity. You obviously earned it the hard way! I hope your figs appreciate it and reward you accordingly.

They won't get to enjoy it, we're selling the house :(  Isn't that the way it always goes?  Get something up and ready to go, only to get rid of it?  Check out the kitchen remodel I tackled with my dad back in 2009:  http://camura.com/albums/view/227

And then the master shower in 2010..... http://camura.com/albums/view/270

*sigh*

Same problem- Bought house tried to get rid of Condo at same time- Couldn't. But luckily we were able to swing both for a year. Added an addition to a 3 bed 2.5 bath- master Suite and garage now on 1 acre. Wife didn't want to move again.

Now building the deck of all decks! Everybody thinks I'm nuts.

Good because I am! LOL

Yeah, even without the monster deck, I think we're all probably a little nuts--at least based on the reaction of a friend of my daughters, who couldn't believe there was actually a forum devoted to nothing but figs, for crying out loud! It was the funniest thing she'd ever heard of!

Monster deck is definitely in order for the new place we've got under contingency contract.  There is currently a 2nd story deck with a hot tub.  Hot tub is gonna go, maybe I should keep the tub portion there, fill with soil and plant fig trees.  :)

The deck will have a nice portion for putting figs on the back.

Double tiered for extra excitement. Enough room for Riverdance AND the audience!

Is that window screen over your decking?

I wanted to do a pergola with built-in seating under it and 3' deep planters at the corners to do grapes on our current deck.  One more thing to do at the next place?

Yeah to prevent mosquitos from coming up under the deck. I have it under the whole deck so i can put a screened in room anywhere without worrying about any of them getting in- I get eaten alive!

Nice looking job, Dominick!

Thanks- Imagine if I knew what I was doing! :-)

Okay, I have come up with my final iteration of shade today.  This is what I think I will use from here on out.

I was concerned about the lattice warping and bowing, and with wind, I was having visions that they would drop on my trees.  So .....

I went to Amazon.com and purchased a 20' x 8' pack of camo hunting blind ($30):  http://www.amazon.com/CamoSystems-198-710-Digital-Flyway/dp/B002QG1SQ6/ref=sr_1_3?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1310179196&sr=1-3

It is ultra light weight, heat, cold and rain resistant.

I had to pull out the old drop-ceiling wire.  I re-ran the drop ceiling wire to box in the four posts, then an X across the middle.

This is the end result.  Good sunlight penetration (partial shade), lots of gaps for rain, total weight of all of the blind material is maybe a pound, which is easily distributed.  I love it.

Not the cheapest solution, but easily manageable, light, and can never damage my trees.  I kept one piece of lattice to offer shade in late afternoon (these pics taken in morning).

[img]http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/file?id=1158609[/img]

[img]http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/file?id=1158610[/img]

[img]http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/file?id=1158611[/img]

[img]http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/file?id=1158612[/img]

Jason,

Check your email

Dominick--That screen under the floor of the deck is a great idea.  How clever is that.

I haven't looked at this thread for awhile and missed quite a few things.

noss

Jason--it looks like an ideal solution!