How much rain do you want?

[daugen]

The year is 2030. You have gained ten pounds and shrunk half an inch...
The Department of Aquatic Management has sent you a Q-pad loaded with instructions so that you can program
in the amount of rain you would like to grow your crops to their fullest potential. You may select time of day, duration,
gph. The rain is also fully adjustable for droplet size. And there is no fee for this service or the water...

It's been really wet in my area for the last few years. Too much precip at times, wish in some ways like all of us we could better manage that precip.
And I've always been a sci fi reader, since I was a little kid, and "in the future" they always seemed to have better control of the weather.

so if we could...
how would this transform your lawn, garden, fields, trees, livestock, etc.?
Seems if you can take weather out of the factoring, one's operation would be hugely more productive.
Too much food? Not if we fed the world...

How much rain do you want?
3 inches a month? 4? 5? 6?
What would create the best growing conditions without living in tropical conditions?

 

[Circle W]

Heck, if you could program your rainfall, everybody would be a farmer!

 

[Brad_Blazer]

I guess I would ask someone who uses irrigation.

 

[rockinmywaypa]

One inch a week always on monday so that weekend farmers can cut midweek and bale hay on the weekend.

 

[daugen]

that works nicely for hay. What about a field of corn?

My boat was named Camelot, which I thought was appropriate, because if you remember the lyrics from the musical, it only rained on Wednesday
in Camelot. For a weekend boater, that sure made sense to me.

An inch a week is 52 inches per year. How about an inch and a half during growing season and a half inch otherwise?
An inch and a half would get to most tree roots.
Of course with moisture sensors in the dirt, you would have a pretty good idea of where you are.

I know this sounds far fetched, but so have a lot of things I've seen in my lifetime.

I lost half my strawberries to excessive rain last year. They tasted watery and not very sweet; dilution was the problem.
So while corn may love the water, other crops don't. Hence my desire for nice programming software...

 

[texasjohn]

I'm thinking about .7 inches a week would be about right, all in one day, evenly spread over 9 hours. That'll grow grass for cows...I'll let my neighbors order what they need for field crops.

 

[creekbend]

It would be my wish that all Drought condiions, throughout the entire globe, would be a thing of the past. Also, sufficient rainfall to keep the aquafiers at capacity.

 

[tow653]

Worked on 13,000 acre farm,and we used to joke that if you gave farmers control over weather,they'd kill each other. One would want rain to activate chemical,other would want no rain to harvest,or cut hay. They'd never agree.

 

[J35]

1 inch a week would be good delivered every Sunday night between 10 pm and 4 am.

In 2013 we had 58 inches of just plain everyday rain, no tropical storms or hurricanes.

It was a rough summer on Lawn mower's and Bush hogs.

-----J

 

[Circle W]

1 inch a week would be good delivered every Sunday night between 10 pm and 4 am. In 2013 we had 58 inches of just plain everyday rain, no tropical storms or hurricanes. It was a rough summer on Lawn mower's and Bush hogs. -----J

Wow 58 inches! I think we average mid 30s.