Watering Conservation Tips continued

Simi Valley Green Lawn

Plants with a strong, deep root system generally thrive and appear very healthy.  To help your garden plants and lawn develop deep roots ensure that the soil is properly prepared and fertilized. Plants with deep roots will use water that is lower into the soil zone thus conserving on water consumption.

As much as possible, it is better to water less often and let the soil dry somewhat between waterings.  This keeps fungus from developing and allows the roots to breath.  It also tends to send the water deeper into the soil and therefore drive the root zones deeper.  After the plants are established, stretch out the watering times until you reach several days between each one while keeping an eye on the health of the plants (the exception to this is those very hot spells in the summer – then you can set your controller for a short watering cycle to keep things cooled down once a day and still water the

Los Angeles Garden

longer cycles several days apart – this is particularly important for lawns).

Watering Conservation Tips continued

Faux Lawn, Simi Valley

Faux lawns are just catching on in some areas.  Some of these look so real that you can’t tell they are not real even standing right next to them.  The downside of this (besides being fake) is that they do not cool down the air and are actually hot to the touch in the summer.  They are also a lot more expensive to install that regular lawn.

The year was 1966 when the Astrodome in Houston introduced the nation to Astroturf. Astroturf gave rise to the hope of carefree lawns; visions of lazy weekends where you never needed to worry about wrenching your back to start the motor of the beast in the garage. Fast-forward to 2009 and you now have more than 20 firms that offer the latest tech of faux lawns.

There is no mowing, watering or fertilizing.  Faux grass provides a way to comply with water restrictions in drought areas and avoid potential fines. The appeal of some homeowners ranges from ecological to aesthetic. It can be used to totally replace all your lawn thereby water savings are maximized. Other options would be to integrate it with stone to enhance a patio or use it just in a play area.

Faux Lawn in Stamped Concrete Patio

The options and creative uses are endless. Larsen Landscape is experienced with the nuances of faux lawns and offers expert assistance to help you achieve your landscape objectives.

WATERING Conservation tips continued

A very important way to cut down on water use is to stir polymer crystals into the soil before a lawn or garden is planted.  These are tiny plastic sponges that swell up about 100 times their original size when water is added. Research indicates this product is non-toxic environmentally safe. Polymer crystals control soil moisture by retaining water until the roots draw it out as needed.

Simi Valley Lawn with Polymer Crystals

Polymer crystals can actually improve soil as they expand and contract with dehydration. They empty by feeding roots. Their shrinkage causes the soil to naturally aerate, reducing compact and hard soil. Honestly, plants don’t thrive without aeration.

Polymer crystals have been proven effective and safe for over 12 years. One lawn we installed with polymer crystals on a partially shaded side of the house didn’t need to be watered at all for 4 months out of the year because the rainwater did it all.  During the other times of the year, the sprinklers had to be run much less often.  The water savings were enormous.  Polymer crystals are also very helpful for plants in pots.

Wood Ranch Patio Bench and Potted Plants

Where can you obtain polymer crystals? Any nursery will carry them in small bags or you can contact Larsen Landscape and we’ll install them with your landscape project.

Next week more to come on water conservation.

Bruce Larsen

Larsen Landscape

WATERING

Water is a precious resource, especially here in Southern California. As an experienced landscape designer I assess the objects of the homeowner along with the terrain.  The results are environmentally friendly while increasing property values and overall appeal.

Low water plants create a beautiful terraced garden

What can a homeowner do to save water in the landscape?  There are some surprisingly simple ways to do this.

First, have your plant designer lean toward those type of plants that have lower water requirements.  Using a variety of leaf color for beauty can be very effective. There are some flowering plants that do not need a lot of water. Using a mixture of these type of plants will help keep your views visually interesting.

Thousand Oaks, Flowering Rock Garden

For water conservation to be really effective, all of the plants in a given sprinkler zone will have to be in the low water category so you don’t have to over water the whole garden to keep the thirstier plants healthy.  If you want a few beds of annual flowers that take more water, run the sprinklers to this area on the lawn zone or separate it out with its own valve.  This way, you do not have to over-water your drought tolerant plants to keep the thirsty flowers alive.

Next week’s tip on

Going Green in the Landscape

More on water conservation

Landscape Answers

By its very nature, landscaping is more or less green. Plants and lawns do provide more oxygen to the surrounding air and tend to cool the temperature due to the natural process of using water to turn carbon dioxide into oxygen.  This is a very simple look at it and some plants are more effective than others.

If you count the general enhancement to the environment and to the people living in it, a landscape also has a pure value in terms of quality of life.  Just remember the last time you traveled through one of the downtown concrete, glass and asphalt jungles.   It’s no wonder that those who work in that kind of environment can hardly wait for the next vacation.

Given that a nicely landscaped environment is a positive thing, we come to the main point.  How to achieve that with a minimal use of natural resources that cannot be replenished and how to keep toxins out of the picture completely.

Most of the problem is tackled with the installation of a new landscape.

Let’s look at the areas one at a time.

Come back next week for more on GOING GREEN IN THE LANDSCAPE

WATERING