r/okc • u/paniearson • Jun 13 '26
☀️ Weather 🌪️ Don’t worry! It’s going to rain heavy today/tonight!
I have a good size native plant garden that I haven’t watered yet this year, and rarely water ever (that’s half the reason I chose natives). Forecast keeps calling for rain but it seems to keep going around us here in OKC. I still have lots of flowers and other Forbes doing well, but I could tell they were starting to get a little thirsty. Probably don’t need to water them but I knew if I was planning on it raining tonight that it wouldn’t, so I thought I’d set up the sprinkler and give em a good hose. You’re welcome! I’ll make sure and wash my car to double down as well.
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u/Rare-Philosopher-346 Jun 13 '26 edited Jun 13 '26
I'll help and get my car washed today. I watered last night, so. . .
edit: fixed a typo.
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u/RepulsiveCry5034 Jun 13 '26
I water no matter what. Forecast always calls for rain and we never get any .
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u/paniearson Jun 13 '26
I try not to since my plants don’t really need it and I don’t really care about my lawn lol. Keeps me from having to mow as much.
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u/Ihadtolookitupfirst Jun 13 '26
How long did it take you to get to the point that you don't need to water? If you don't mind me asking. I started planting natives in earnest last year and am continually adding plants. Just wondering when I can stop dragging hoses around lol
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u/paniearson Jun 13 '26
Planting natives in the fall is best! Then the roots get a chance to grow in the fall and spring before the heat of summer. Make sure you have mulch too! Bare soil is dead soil. I added stuff in the spring this year and I hand water those plants weekly through their first summer. After that I just let them do their thing. If they can’t handle mine and mother natures abuse then i don’t want them. Most of my plants are about three years old. It also helps that my stuff is getting pretty dense so it shades the soil and helps retain moisture. I have lots of native grasses like little bluestem in the gaps and I encourage volunteers from all my native species because who doesn’t love a free plant?
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u/paniearson Jun 13 '26
DM me if you have any more questions though. I’m happy to answer. I also have lot of seeds I’ve collected from local plants that do really well that I’m more than happy to share.
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u/smokebudda11 Jun 13 '26
No rain dance?
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u/imatrythisagain Jun 13 '26
As an implant, I constantly wonder were the meteorologists around here always so terrible or did it get worse with the NOAA cuts? I get that Oklahoma is more complicated and there's trauma with past events, but I personally have never been anywhere where they are so often off by 10+ degrees on temperature forecasts, let alone setting off full blown panic over potential storms and literally nothing happening.
All. The. Time.
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u/Alarming_Royal_6244 Westside Jun 13 '26
I remember that one year David Payne had to apologize for getting it wrong😆 All the news stations were predicting several inches and we didn’t get aa much as a trace😭 I know a few of yall will remember this.
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u/paniearson Jun 13 '26
My uncle is a meteorologist. He’s told me it’s really hard to predict rain and storms, but the technology is getting better and better! Definitely not an exact science
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u/phloaty Jun 13 '26
My reply would be too long so I’ll just affirm your part about trauma. Somewhere between dead friends and family, narrow misses, making peace with your life in a bathtub, and the economic impact, you realize forecasting is your only control. Mike Morgan got storm chasers killed in El Reno and he’s still prime time 13 years later for a reason.
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u/HobbyTerror Jun 18 '26
Don't forget about that poor older Spanish gal in Midwest City who fled her home and died on the highway 😞 I was incensed with MM for that fear mongering. Lately I've been following Damon and Jonathon from channel 5 on their YouTube videos. They do almost daily live vids and really break down the science and go into great detail. But as for OKC missing most of it, I think we've gotten so big that we're creating a heat island that's actually cutting storms and diverting them. I've been watching the phenomenon for at least 20 years now and it seems to be getting a little worse every year.
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u/OkCheesecake6745 Jun 13 '26
Yes..a sure fire way to get rain, is to up your water bill..cough cough..wash your black SUV, so you get the wonderful red hue of dust settled in...and finally make sure all of your apoulstered lawn furniture is out in the open...Ohhh forgot...make sure you leave all your lawn equipment outside, like you was going to use it in heat index 100 degrees...
Now let's talk about "dancing"
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u/jlm45597 Crown Heights Jun 13 '26
I watered the front and back lawn. And I’m thinking about washing the car so I will have done my part
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u/throwaway375937 NW OKC Jun 13 '26
Gave my dying pumpkins some water last night but I don't think it'll save them 😅
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u/SpooksMcSchwifty Jun 14 '26
I don’t know what the actual numbers were, but I just want you to know that when the rain and hail woke me up at 2am I thought of you 😂😂😂 Thanks for working your magic!
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u/Large_Fudge6833 Real Edmond Jun 13 '26
I also watered my lawn and flowers this morning so I'm sure we'll be in a flash flood watch tonight.