By Cindy Poore
According to a recent article in the Los Angeles times, El Niño is a sure thing. Los Angeles area is supposed to get 60% above average rainfall during the months of January, February and March. That statistic was confirmed by Bill Patzert, climatologist with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Cañada Flintridge who said in the article, “I’m quite optimistic that the entire state is going to get hosed”. ( Hosed being a very technical term for WET!)
This is going to make things difficult for lots of us. We have been conserving on our water all year. Now, it is going to be wet, very wet!
New challenges come with too much water versus too little. The first thing that you will notice is the ground will get saturated early on and continued rainfall just rolls off into puddles, lakes and actual new streams all across your property!
Not sure if you are good in the drainage department? Prepare by buying straw wattles and sand bags. Store them in a dry location so you can get to them when needed.
If you are lucky, your lot is properly graded and you (or previous owners) haven’t added anything that prevents the natural run off of excess water. If you are unsure, ask us to check the grade on your property and help you spot problems before they happen.
Before it gets too late, lets look at a few other things you can do to prevent problems.
Check your gutters and valleys on your roof. Blown leaves and dirt can accumulate in these areas, causing back up which will make water back up and get under your roof and cause water damage inside.
Clear piles, equipment and debris away from the house foundation. This will help water move away from your home and reduce the chances of flooding.
Check your outdoor lighting. Longer night hours mean we will be coming and going in the dark. Maybe you need some additional lighting outdoors to make that easier?
With rain, comes weeds. Call us to apply a weed killer and preventer now to keep your yard nearly weed-free all spring and summer! Before weeds show up is the best time to apply a pre-emergent weed control.
Several years ago, we had a very wet winter and even though people wanted us to spray their weeds, we couldn’t because it was too wet or windy and the weeds went wild! Early is better in this case.
By Cindy Poore
I was recently blessed to hear Nick Schnieder from the Mojave Water Agency speak about “Putting your lawn on Life Support.” A very good talk.
The drought is causing us to do things we might not do if we had more choices. Nick spoke of a few ways to help your lawn through this stressful drought.
#1 best and easiest tip is to cut your lawn higher.
I think most of you have heard me speak about grass cycling and proper lawn maintenance for the different seasons. Cutting your lawn higher during stress conditions was always in the picture, it is just so much more important now.
Longer grass has more moisture reserve to keep the core grass plant alive in drought situations. Longer grass also shades the soil around the grass better, conserving soil moisture allowing your grass to get by with less. A small step that can mean a lot.
#2 Spread your watering out with shorter, more frequent watering. Some call it Cycle and Soak.
Normally I would want to have as many days between watering to encourage your grass roots to search for water training them to be deeper rooted and less susceptible to weather and top of soil conditions. Most cities have limited the days you can water. So the limited days to water lawns is actually a good long term plan. The problem is, most of our lawns have not been “trained” before the watering limits were fobbed upon us.
The best way to live with the 10 minute per station limit such as Apple Valley has imposed is to divide up the 10 minutes in half and water near the beginning of your allotted days and at the end of the allotted day so that you in effect get 6 days of (albeit limited) water instead of 3. So if for example one of your days is Wednesday, water for 5 minutes at 3 am and for 5 minutes at 11pm. The 3 am watering will help your Wednesday grass and the 11 pm will help your Thursday grass. If you do not have the 10 minute limit, then there is no reason you can’t keep you lawn going.
#3 It’s going to look different. Understand that things will look and act different than you are used to or would like. Your grass will maybe get a little thin. It will definitely not be as green. Remember, we are talking about surviving and not necessarily thriving.
Hang in there, it is not forever. But maybe this is a good time to re-evaluate what really is important to you in the long run to see if more permanent changes are needed. Be smart with your watering and remember, together we are better!
Call Us if You Need Help. We Are Here to Help You With All Your Landscape Needs
(760) 868-6104
“Sometimes we are tested, not to show our weaknesses, but to discover our strengths” Anonymous
September is a pretty good month!
One of my favorite months because it’s my birthday month, but also because traditionally the month school started when I was a kid. I loved school because it came with a new box of crayons and tablet! And still do love to learn every chance I get.
I love to find new ways to create lovely garden settings for my clients. Clients will ask for something in particular that is important to them and I will try to craft a landscape around those needs and desires. It makes for a lot of variety in our landscapes. Ponds and waterfalls, contemplation gardens, medicine wheels, bocce ball courts, memory gardens, and tropical paradise are all requests that we have crafted into local landscapes. In every single landscape I learned something new from my clients. It is a very collaborative effort and tons of fun.
September is a great month for maintaining status quo. Not quite ready for fall cleanups, but the days are getting a little shorter. Now they just have to get a bit cooler and we will all save more water as the plants will need less then.
Loving the Designs!
I’m working on lots of different design and landscape projects at the moment and the theme for a few of them seem to be clean, simple lines. I was looking for a built-in bench that would be simple enough for the homeowner to put together. I found this bench online and can’t wait to try it! It would look great with a dark oil stain.
The predictions are for a lot of rain this winter. It has it pros and cons, but perhaps we should all think about getting ready. Look over your yard for potential drainage issues, plumbing to protect from freezing and perhaps store up some sand bags. Just in case.
By Cindy Poore
So you have already checked for leaks and looked at your water use for excess watering and corrected overspray and run off when possible. What next? I want to landscape, how is this going to affect me? I have already sunk a bundle into new landscaping, how will this affect me? When can I water now with the new restrictions? What will happen to my plants and lawn? How will this affect me?
Questions, questions, questions. I have fielded lots of questions mostly about the new water restrictions. I will try to explain best as I can.
Every city is different. They can set their own rules to meet the state’s mandate. Some are very reasonable. Some seem to be much more restrictive. I think a lot of the information out there is not clear at all and there is no one person disseminating the information so you get “interpretation” depending on who you talk to.
Apple Valley’s watering restrictions are basically 10 minutes per station per day for three days a week even or odd depending on your address.
When I called to check, there was confusion on exactly how this is applied to all systems. What about large rotor heads that cover a very large area and take time to cover their full area (versus a fixed head) or very low volume heads like mp rotators that need to run for long periods to apply the correct amount of water? I have been told there is no exception for these types of heads in the new regulations. This means people with these types of heads cannot run their systems long enough to keep their lawns watered.
Apparently, in Apple Valley (or at least the person I spoke with) drip is not covered by the time limit nor restricted to the watering days. I could not find where it says this in writing so this could be a moving target. Watering hot spots with a shut off nozzle was said to be ok.
Hesperia. According to your city website, you have one of the most relaxed regulations with the city asking you not water two of the seven days a week and conserve the other five days. Hey! I can do that!!
Helendale/Silverlakes They have also taken a grown up approach and have asked their residents to conserve on their own by 25%. Being a small, tight community where everyone knows everyone, this should work.
Victorville. Victorville’s restrictions are the one city whose written rules are very clear. They do not limit the time a station can run. Running drip every day is ok with them. (But NOT if you know my point of view. That shouldn’t be necessary) They limit the days with an even odd system, ask for no run off with sensible use, and they offer properties with more than 10 stations to submit water reduction plans. In addition, they make it clear that you can hand water your brown spots on other days with a use of a shut off nozzle. The rules are totally clear and workable. They live in the real world.
Wrightwood Golden State Water Company customers… one word UGH!
You are in stage 1 as of July 1st. You are only allowed two days a week watering outdoors WITH SPRAY HEADS and no run off. No run off is hard as Wrightwood is pretty much all on a slope. Drip irrigation is NOT restricted to the two days but can be watered all 7 days if needed. It requests that you only water for 15 minutes a station. You CAN hand water dry spots as well I am told.
So Wrightwoodians (or others) might augment their lawn watering with drip to keep their lawns going on other days and still stay in compliance. How? Perhaps a soaker hose laid out strategically could do the trick. Conservation is still in order, but thankfully there are no emergency surcharges in Stage 1 here.
Rules (and interpretations) could change but be smart with your watering and remember we are all in this together.
Call Us if You Need Help. We Are Here to Help You With All Your Landscape Needs
(760) 868-6104
### July Stuff
Normally, I don’t recommend fertilizing in July. It just encourages the bad grasses, but so many of the lawns are just looking so bad with all the water restrictions. We’ve been putting a 9-9-9 with Iron fertilizer on those lawns that look bad but that are still able to water enough to keep the lawn going. This low nitrogen 9-9-9 with iron will promote green without a lot of unnecessary growth and help the roots to withstand the stress of drought and it wont burn your lawn. Fertilize lightly and water in soon after and your lawn will thank you.
Got Iris? This is the best month to divide them and replant elsewhere in your garden or share the love. Remember to dig up and divide with a good amount of iris tuber, preferably with roots on it. Trim the greenery of all but about 3 inches and let the plant sit out for a couple of days to heal off the tuber where you separated it before planting in it’s new home.
This is a good month to visit the local farmer’s markets as the produce is fantastic, prices are great and it’s a nice way to spend some time. Wrightwood’s is on Fridays 4 pm to 7 pm and the Victor Valley College Farmer’s market is on Thursdays 8-noon. Phelan Farmer’s market is Mondays from 2 to 6 pm.
Remember….
These are the days we were
dreaming about in February!
By Cindy Poore
Our governor has sent out a proclamation throughout the land to conserve water in this drought. While final rules are not yet determined, there are some things we can all do to “make it better” and do our part.
As much as we would like to avoid thinking about it we ARE in a drought. Since this planet is the one place we all have in common, I guess we should really pay attention. There are so many questions about the drought. Why me? How long will it last? What can little ole ME do about it?? What is the first things we can do?
Drought Control for Dummies
Ok having questions doesn’t make you a dummie. We all have questions. Problem is, we often get conflicting answers. Drought has more to do with the snowpack than the rainfall here.
Snowpack is our water storage system. Some of it melts into reservoirs to be piped to Los Angeles area and some of it melts and replenishes the underground aquifers were most of us in the desert get our water.
No or low snow = drought.
How long will it take before we will be out of drought conditions. Tell me when and how much it will snow and I can answer that for you.
For the present, we will have to have an attitude change towards water use in order to keep things going along smoothly.
Here in the high desert, most of us have already been working hard to minimize our water use. Some of us would loose a lot of landscaping if we cut back by 25%. So what are the first steps?
#1 is to review where we are today in water use compared to say… last year or the year before same time. Are we up or down? If down, great!! If we are up, great also!! Why? Because there is always room for fine tuning and that is the next step.
Audit your water use. Of course, your landscape uses the most of your water use and that is the first place to start, especially if you have a lawn. The desert is a great place to live, but it is nicer with a bit of green.
Can you live with less? If so, think about the cash for grass program. 50cents per square foot rebates for converting your lawn to a drought tolerant landscape. You do not have to put rock or gravel down.
There are lots of plants and groundcover that will bring the feeling of cool green that won’t require a ton of water (or labor)
to maintain. Keep dirt wells around your plants so that the water from the system or a random storm stays near their roots. Fertilize with a slow-release fertilizer to keep your lawn green but discourage excessive growth. Cut your lawn with a mulching mower that leaves clippings on your lawn to keep lawn moister and the clippings will decompose and become a mini fertilization each time your lawn is cut.
Some of you have already converted your lawns. What now? Check your water system for leaks. Start with the valves and look for moisture around them BEFORE they have run for the day or week to see if there is any leaks on the main line. Look for emitters or sprinkler heads that are constantly wet even when they are off. This could mean a seeping valve that needs repair. Check your schedule. Could your plants get by with less water and still remain healthy and look good. Most of the time, the answer is yes. Start conservatively and reduce water by 10% and see how your plants look and respond.
And for all you water-saving nerds out there, you can see the proper water needs for many plants at this link from the University of California at Riverside: http://ucanr.edu/sites/WUCOLS/
Don’t forget the inside of the house. Leaks and drips use a lot of water. Look for this. Don’t run the water unnecessarily while rinsing dishes, brushing your teeth or waiting for the hot water to come out the tap. Capture the water you are not using while waiting for it to come to temperature in a bucket or bowl and use it to water your trees, fill the dog bowl or scrub the car.
Call Us if You Need Help. We Are Here to Help You With All Your Landscape Needs
(760) 868-6104
By Cindy Poore
I can feel it. I can taste it. Spring. Yes, it is still cold and occasionally wet. But just enough sunny days out there to warm up the earth for optimum growth potential.
And the weeds have heard as well. They have taken over in droves in so many of the places that lay fallow all winter long. We are systematically knocking them down, yard by yard. If you need help with your weed issues, give us a call. We have been busy with weed control, but will be glad to help you.
The best news is that it is finally warm enough to venture outside and survey the damage from winter. Time to tidy up the yard. You have been patiently waiting to cut back the dead leaves and stems of your perennial plants. Iris, daylilies, sages and the like need their dead foliage removed now to allow the new green growth to pop up and get growing. Rake up the drifts of wind-blown leaves to clean up the yard.
How do you know how much to cut back? When you are not certain how a plant will respond to cutting back, lightly prune back in the fall. In the spring if it is mainly sprouting near the base, then you can safely cut it back to the sprouts. If it is leafing out all over the plant then leave it alone and only cut it back to control size.
If you have not yet pruned your fruit and deciduous trees, there is still time, so go ahead and get that done before they are completely leafed out. Much easier to prune the trees when you can see the branch structure without the leaves.
Next up? FERTILIZE. Especially for lawns, now is the time to give them a feeding to green them up and help them recover from the winter cold. Fertilize your trees, shrubs and perennials as well.
You should see spring annuals in the stores now. Still time for some nice color from some pansies or Iceland poppies which could last until June with tons of color. Put them in large pots in select places around your garden. Plant the pot with a landscape shrub with room for the annuals on the side. Or spend your money on some perennials. Perennials are a good investment as they come back year after year but they will be a bit scarce for a few more weeks.
We Are Here to Help You With
All Your Landscape Needs
(760) 868-6104
March Checklist
Watch your plants carefully for small aphids. They will appear in droves this time of year. The best way to deal with them is to wash off the plant initially a couple of days in a row. If that is not possible or if that does not work, apply a systemic insecticide and that will give a longer term control. Aphids normally will not kill your plants, but will make a sticky mess and attract ants as well.
If you have weeds, hoe them out or kill them before they produce seeds. Seeds beget more weeds and you will prevent thousands potential plants by removing weeds and their carcasses off site early before they bloom.
Time to plant! March is a great time to start planting in the ground the standard landscape plants. March is really time to start your seeds. There is still a possibility for some snow in the high desert and the mountain areas and killing frosts in the inland valley this month and into April. Sowing seeds but starting them indoors or in a cold frame outdoors during this month is a smart move. You can transplant them into the ground in April, early or late depending on your location.
I like to start the seeds in cardboard egg cartons that have a hole poked in the bottom and filled with some starter soil. Plant the seeds, a few per eggs space. Place the egg carton on a rimmed cookie sheet and water the whole thing. Put plastic wrap over the top to keep the moisture in and check on every few days to see that it doesn’t dry out. When the seedlings begin to pop up, remove the plastic wrap and allow the tiny plants to grow up keeping them moist. Transplant the seedlings, egg cup and all in the ground or a much larger pot. The cardboard will decompose and allow the plant roots to expand. Keep transplanted seedlings protected until May.
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- Weeds are Back! March 10, 2018Is your yard Exploding with weeds ? You may think a few weeds here or there aren’t much to worry about, but did you know most weeds are capable of producing over a thousand seeds each? Rain and the warmer weather that will follow will make conditions just right for hose little land mines […]