Three Ways to Save 30% or More on Your Water Usage This Year

Okay, so we are experiencing a drought. We should be doing all that we can to conserve water.   I want to propose that we can easily save 30 to 50% on our water usage and still have a green healthy lawn and landscape.  I know some of you have made up your mind that you are just going to let the lawn go dry which is a big mistake for countless reasons - cost to replace, loss of the benefits of turf such as cooling, filtering, noise abatement, home value, aesthetics.  It should not be all or nothing.  There are a few great solutions I'd like to share.

First I would start with the sprinklers.  Today there are much more efficient heads that will in themselves save 20-30% by providing more uniform coverage and a slower precipitation rate greatly reducing runoff.  Toro and Hunter offer some really good upgrades to your old and inefficient heads.  Along with this we always recommend regularly checking your system for leaks, coverage, plugged nozzles and the like which offers additional water savings.

Secondly, I would replace or enhance the traditional sprinkler control box to make it a “smarter” clock.  There are smart clocks with a weather station or with satellite input that can self-adjust to the weather outside and adjust daily to the needs of the landscape.  A cheaper alternative is adding a device that feeds a normal controller historical data and adjusts daily and seasonally so you are not watering the same day after day throughout the spring, summer, and fall regardless of the demand.  These steps can easily save 30% or more too.

Finally I would strongly consider the use of quality long-term soil surfactants in the landscape.  They will increase the water use efficiency 30% or more by improving water movement into the soil and distribution in the profile.  Runoff will be greatly reduced and the soil’s ability to hold more water will significantly increase as well.  Assuming there is adequate coverage, localized dry spots will disappear and the plants will find more water throughout the root zone.  One treatment can enhance water management up to 4 months.  Some claim the addition of polymers and hydrogels into the soil profile will result in 50% water saving over several years.  Imagine saving 20-50% on your water bill and doing your part in water conservation and still having a great lawn and healthy plants!

Water is indeed very precious and so is your outdoor landscape.  Taking on one, two, or all three of these steps will save water and your investment.  If you have any questions about conserving water please call Weed Man at 266-1624 or visit our website at Fresno.WeedManUSA.com.  Aqua Man Irrigation Solutions can upgrade your sprinklers and controllers. Call them at 475-7777.  

If you want to abandon your lawn and want to explore if artificial turf is right for you, then Grass Creations with 14 years of experience and a proud installer of TigerTurf would be a great place to call at 475-7700.  

Green is always prettier than brown.

Is Having a Green Lawn a Bad Thing?

We hear that if your lawn is brown you are doing things right.  Some people had that down years ago way before it was politically correct.  I called it neglect.  Unsolicited here is where I stand on the water use issue.

If I can find ways to have a green lawn and still save 30-50% on my water usage I should be congratulated not condemned or shunned. 

If the cities want us to not water lawns then they should just say so and we will all enjoy the uglier, warmer, and dustier environment throughout the valley.  We have not been told to cut water usage by 60% from anything that I have read.  If it’s a choice between having drinking water and watering the landscape I’m all for the drinking water.

I maintain that a healthy lawn benefits the community in terms of appearance, home value, significant cooling, erosion control, dust control, air quality, and providing lots of oxygen for us to breathe.  2,500 square feet of turf not only removes large amounts of carbon dioxide, but also provides enough oxygen for a family of four.  Irrigated turf grass is 30 degrees cooler than asphalt and 20 degrees cooler than bare ground.  If we have enough water to wisely irrigate then we should try to keep the lawns.

There are numerous ways to reduce the water required to keep our lawns alive.  There are soil surfactants that increase the soil’s ability to absorb water and keep it available for the grass roots to take up.  I maintain that 95% or more of our current sprinkler systems have both inefficient spray nozzles and archaic time clocks.  Upgrading these can easily save 30 to 50% over traditional irrigation approaches.  Trees and shrubs irrigation could be changed from spray to drip irrigation and easily reduce water usage by 50% and reduce water runoff into streets. 

The idea of watering lawns twice a week at levels 50% below past years to keep the grass on live support is questionable.  Many lawns in our area are tall fescue lawns that will not just bounce back with rains this fall.  They will be clumpy with bare spots that will need overseeding.  Bermuda lawns may take months or years to eventually fill back in depending on the amount of die back.  We may be seeing the loss of many trees in our community as well as we are already seeing the loss of thousands of redwoods prior to mandatory water cut backs.

If you wish to talk about real workable solutions to your lawn and landscape irrigation feel free to call Weed Man at 266-1624 or Aqua Man Irrigation Solutions at 475-7777.  If you want to discuss whether or not synthetic lawns are right for you call Craig at Grass Creations at 475-7700, where we offer creative design as well. We want to conserve our community while being also being great stewards of our precious water resources.

10 Most Common Lawn Problems in the Central Valley

Okay, so here is my top 10 list of common lawn problems. Some of them are damaging pests and some of them are the result of poor cultural practices. I won’t get into solutions today, but obviously you need to properly identify the enemy and know what to look for to take the right actions. Known problem now results in no problem later.

Crabgrass has to top my list.  It is an annual grass that germinates from mid February to Mid September.  Prevention right now is absolutely key.

Spurge is an annual broadleaf weed that pops up in both lawns and flowerbeds in roughly the same time frame as crabgrass.  It too is a heavy seed producer and needs timely applications of pre emergent to prevent its germination.

Sedges are perennial weeds that invade lawns and flowerbeds in the warm summer months.  Proper identification and selection of the right control agent will determine the level of suppression.

Broadleaf weeds like oxalis, dandelions, clovers, and thistles are extremely common to lawns throughout the valley.  Not all broadleaf weed control products are equal and proper identification will help one select the best product.

Diseases can damage lawns throughout the year.  Things like brown patch, snow mold, rust, spring dead spot, and southern blight.  Symptoms are usually circular in shape and the turf becomes discolored and often yellow.

Annual bluegrass or Poa annua is an abundant seed producer that invades dormant Bermuda lawns and flower beds.  This too is preventable with the proper treatments.

Bermuda is fine in a Bermuda lawn, but not so great in a tall fescue lawn as it goes dormant in the winter and leaves patches of brown in an otherwise green lawn.  Suppression is available only at this time.

Dry spots are usually the result of poor sprinkler coverage.  No water means no green grass.  This could be due to the spacing, water pressure, bad nozzles, or lack of proper adjustments.  Let’s fix sprinkler problems as water in a limited resource.  Overwatering is also a very bad and commonly observed practice.

Shade provides a great place to hang out in the summertime, but too much shade results in very thin lawns.  Shade management becomes more important as the landscape matures over time.

Mowing too short or too infrequently will put a stress on your lawn.  Weekly mowing at the proper height will make for a happier lawn. 

Well that’s my list and it is certainly not complete.  For your lawn questions and free lawn evaluation call Weed Man at 559-266-1624 or visit our website at Fresno.WeedManUSA.com.