Did you know that you can save 20 to 50 percent of the water your are currently applying to your garden and landscape plants and actually improve their health, productivity, and appearance? Many people think that to save water they need to replace their current landscape with strictly "drought tolerant" plants and perhaps remove their lawn altogether. While drought tolerant landscapes and lawn removal could be useful options, they are just two of the many strategies that can be employed to reduce water use. By employing the full range of water-saving strategies, you can grow most plants adequately while still realizing substantial water savings.

Remember that trees provide beauty, shade, cooling, privacy, and oxygen. They can also significantly increase property value. Even when water is in short supply, taking care of your trees should be a high priority.Try these water-wise tips:

• When selecting plants, consider their climatic suitability for the site. There are many books and other publications you can consult for recommended plants in your area.
• Check your sprinkler system for leaks and make necessary repairs to ensure even distribution and avoid water loss (see Table 1).
• Water early in the morning before sunrise to reduce evaporation.
• Avoid watering during windy times of the day to reduce uneven distribution, evaporation, and water waste.
• Control weeds, which compete for water, light, and nutrients.
• Fertilize moderately, applying the low end of recommended rates, to avoid excessive growth, which increases the need for water.
• Apply three to four inches of mulch around trees and other woody plants, keeping it a few inches away from trunks and stems. Mulches reduce water evaporation from soil, buffer soil temperatures, and reduce weeds. Apply or renew mulches in late spring when soils have warmed up and water demands are increasing. Use backyard compost, decomposed lawn clippings, shredded bark, fir bark, composted manure, or other bagged products. Decorative gravel can even be used in places not subject to soil cultivation. Remember to water through the mulch and into the root zone.
• Reduce runoff on slopes by cycling water in several short intervals. Apply water only until runoff begins. Wait an equal amount of time then repeat watering until runoff begins again. Repeat this cycling until the soil has been moistened to about one foot deep. Clay and other heavy soils are especially prone to runoff. Use low-flow sprinklers (less than 1/2 inch output per hour).
• Prune trees and other woody plants only when necessary. Pruning stimulates shoot growth, which increases the need for water.
• Water trees and other woody plants separately from the lawn, if possible, since it is best to water them less frequently but more deeply than lawns. A garden hose, mini- or micro-sprinklers, deep-root irrigator, or drip emitters all work well for trees and other woody plants.
• Water trees and other woody plants to a depth of two feet to help promote a deep root system. You can use a soil probe, screwdriver, auger, or straightened coat hanger to find out how deep the water reached. These tools will readily penetrate a moist soil, but will resist penetration in dry soil.
• Consider installing a drip system that applies water through emitters directly at the root zone where it is needed most and not wasted.
• The type of soil you have largely determines how often you should water. Clay soils hold much more water than sandier ones, but take it up more slowly; therefore, they can go longer between waterings than sandy soils. Clay soils may only need to be watered once during a given period while sandy soils may need two or three waterings during the same time. Add organic soil amendments to sandy soils, such as those used for mulches, and thoroughly mix them into the upper foot. Although these amendments will not decrease the plant's water need, they can usually increase the water-holding capacity of the soil and the interval between waterings.
• Aerate lawns and ground around trees and other plants by removing small plugs of grass and/or soil to prevent compaction and increase water absorption. Most local rental businesses can provide soil.
• Aerators. Clay and other heavy soils especially benefit from annual aeration.
• Remove the accumulation of old grass roots, stems, and leaves, called thatch, on your lawn, which acts as a barrier to keep water out of the soil. Remove thatch in spring, before temperatures get too warm, if it is more than 1/2 inch thick.
• Mow your lawn at the correct height: Common Bermudagrass 1 inch; Hybrid Bermudagrass 1/2-3/4 inch; Zoysia 3/4-1 inch; St. Augustinegrass 3/4-11/4 inches; Tall Fescue 11/2 -3 inches; Perennial Ryegrass and Kentucky Bluegrass 11/2 inches.
• Check faucets, hoses, and sprinklers for leaks. A new rubber washer is inexpensive and easy to install.
• Use the Lawn Watering Guide of the Garden Information Series to schedule waterings.

You can have a healthy, vigorous, deep green lawn that uses about the same amount of water as most trees and shrubs by selecting the right type of grass for your particular situation and then caring for it properly. Base your selection of which type of grass to plant on the desired use, appearance, and level of care you can provide. There are two types of grasses used for lawns in Southern California: warm season and cool season.

Warm-season grasses

These grasses include Bermudagrass, Zoysiagrass, and St.Augustinegrass. They grow actively in the spring and summer but are dormant in the winter. Many people prefer to overseed warm-season grasses in the fall with cool-season grasses, such as perennial or annual ryegrass, to keep their lawn looking lush and green throughout the winter. Warm-season grasses generally need less care and are more drought resistant, requiring about 20 percent less water than cool-season grasses.

Common and hybrid bermudagrasses are intolerant of shade and do best in full sun, grow very well in hot summer temperatures, and are highly drought resistant. Although they recover relatively quickly from moderate wear and severe injury during the summer growing season, they do not stand up to heavy use while dormant. Common Bermudagrass requires less care and less nitrogen fertilizer than hybrid Bermudagrass and can be grown from seeds, so it is easy and relatively inexpensive to establish. Hybrid Bermudagrass must be planted from stolons or sod but retains its green color better in the winter than does common bermudagrass.

Zoysiagrass looks and performs similarly to bermudagrass, but is not as commonly planted or as widely available. Like bermudagrasses, it is intolerant of shade and does best in full sun, grows very well in hot summer temperatures, and is highly drought resistant. Newer varieties, such as 'DeAnza' and 'Victoria', retain their green color better in the winter than older strains, especially in inland areas. Plant zoysiagrass from sod.

Coarse-textured St. Augustinegrass is the most shade tolerant of the warm-season grasses. Forming a dense, thick layer, it requires regular mowing to keep it under control and remain neat and well manicured. Although it retains its green color fairly well in the winter, it is not cold hardy, which can limit its use in colder inland areas. Plant it from sod.

Cool-season grasses

These grasses include tall fescue, annual and perennial ryegrasses, and Kentucky bluegrass. They grow and retain their color year-round in southern California and do not need to be overseeded in the fall. All may show signs of heat stress in the inland valleys and deserts of Southern California in the summer. They require about 20 percent more water than warm-season grasses and somewhat more care.

Derived from coarse-textured pasture grasses, tall fescue has increased in stature since 1980 because of the emergence of the new, exciting "turf-type" tall fescues, which offer finer texture and better color than their predecessors. Shorter-growing, even finer textured tall fescue varieties are referred to as "dwarf" tall fescues. Usually several short-growing varieties are blended and packaged together to improve overall performance. Tall fescue is more resistant to drought and high summer temperatures and tolerates less care than other cool-season grasses. Although tolerant of light shade, it does best in full sun. It can be planted from seeds or sod.

Perennial ryegrass has also improved in quality over the past three decades, resulting in better performance. It grows relatively well in partial shade but requires relatively large amounts of nitrogen fertilizer. Blends consisting of two or three varieties are available and offer advantages over planting a single variety. Perennial ryegrass is best used alone for overseeding warm-season grasses while it is best mixed with Kentucky bluegrass for use as a year-round lawn.

Annual ryegrass is not recommended for lawns, except for overseeding, because of its annual growth cycle, coarse texture, and inferior quality.

Kentucky bluegrass is intolerant of summer heat and is not recommended for interior valleys or the desert. Even in cooler coastal areas it does best during the winter. It is also especially sensitive to compacted soils. Using a mixture of Kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass (at least 15% of the former by weight) is preferred over planting either grass alone.

Maintenance Practices

Watering: It is very important to follow good watering practices for all lawns to promote optimum growth and performance. Water lawns based on their need, not by a calendar or clock, and generally not more than three times per week. Determine when to water by probing the root zone to check for moisture. Water when the root zone 1 - 2 inches deep just begins to dry out. Water in the early morning to reduce water loss due to evaporation and wind, which disrupts sprinkler patterns. Water until runoff just begins to avoid waste and encourage deeper rooting. Lawns require the same amount of water on sandy or light soils as they do on clay or heavy soils although the rate and frequency of application is different. Lawns on sandy soils require lower rates but more frequent applications of water than lawns on clay soils. See (Grasses At-A-Glance).

Fertilizers: All lawns require nitrogen on a regular basis for optimum growth and, depending on local conditions, some may also need phosphorus, potassium, and iron. Maintaining the proper levels of nutrients optimizes growth and increases the lawn's ability to recover from stress. Fertilize at the rate of four to eight pounds of actual nitrogen per 1,000 square feet of lawn per year. For best results apply no more than one pound of actual nitrogen at any one time and apply it when the grass is actively growing. Fertilize cool-season grasses primarily in the spring and fall and warm-season grasses in the spring, summer, and fall. Like water, lawns require the same amount of nitrogen on sandy or light soils as they do on clay or heavy soils although the rate and frequency of application is different. Lawns on sandy soils require lower rates but more frequent applications of fertilizer than lawns on clay soils.

Mowing: Optimum mowing heights are common Bermuda-grass 1 inch; hybrid Bermuda-grass 1/2 - 3/4 inch; Zoysiagrass 3/4 - 1 inch; St. Augustinegrass 3/4 -1 1/4 inches; tall fescue 1 1/2 - 3 inches; perennial ryegrass and Kentucky bluegrass 1 1/2 inches. Remove no more than 1/3 to 1/2 of the grass blade at each mowing. Removing more can result in a scalped, stressed lawn and makes environmentally friendly grasscycling more difficult. Grasscycling (leaving the grass clippings on the lawn after mowing) or composting grass clippings helps to divert greenwaste from landfills.

Soil Management & Thatch Removal: Compacted soil has less oxygen and usually too much or too little water, conditions that reduce growth and the ability of lawns to recover from stress and ward off diseases and pests. Improve compacted soils to allow more air and water movement in the root zone by aerifying the soil with equipment that removes small plugs or cores of soil about four inches deep and one-half inch wide. Remove thatch with a verticutting mower if it exceeds one-half inch thick. Purchase or rent equipment to aerify or dethatch lawns.

Pest, Diseases, and Weeds

If you would like to receive LandsMagazine, Click Here and put "LandsMagazine" in the subject line. Please include your full name somewhere in the message.

To leave our list, Click Here and put "Unsubscribe" in the subject line.

Please forward this issue on to friends and associates! Just keep the entire issue intact and unaltered. The articles in this E-zine are copyright by respective authors and have been reproduced with their permission.