Monday - December 22, 2008

I don't think that we can say we're completely out of the woods yet as far as the frost is concerned, but we have made it past the shortest day of the year. (December 21st) Yes, I know every day is 24 hours long. I'm talking about the shortest day of actual sunlight. The reason that it is so important is because most plants, including grass, get their nutrients mainly through the root system. In order for that to happen, the plant must be actively growing. The plant will only grow when the soil is warm enough for the root system to be active and the longer the Sun is present during the colder winter months, the warmer the soil gets. That is why December is usually the most difficult month to manage a course here in the desert. Now there is always that chance that you get a hard freeze in January that lasts for more then a few days, and that's why I said we're not completely out of the woods yet. But things are looking pretty good so far.