The Importance of an Urabn Forest.. Arbor Day is now a full WEEK!

It's Groundwater Awareness Week, March 11-17

Benefits of an Urban Forest

Urban Forests = Cleaner, Cooler Air from ASLA on Vimeo.

July 1st marks Smart Irrigation Month - Water Wisely

Today’s irrigation systems include sophisticated controllers that allow you to easily adjust
watering schedules to fit different needs.
• Get in the zone. Schedule each individual zone in your irrigation system to account for type
of sprinkler, sun or shade exposure, and soil in that section. Different zones will almost
always need different watering schedules.
• Consider soil type. Type of soil determines how quickly water can be absorbed without
runoff. Watering more than soil can absorb causes runoff and waste.
• Don’t send water down the drain. Set sprinklers to water plants, not your driveway,
sidewalk, patio or buildings.
• Water only when needed. Saturate root zones and let the soil dry. Watering too much and
too frequently results in shallow roots, weed growth, disease and fungus.
• Water at the best time. Watering during the heat of the day may cause losses of up to 30
percent due to evaporation. Prevent water loss by watering when the sun is low or down,
winds are calm and temperatures are cool — typically between the evening and early
morning.
• Water more often for shorter periods. For example, setting your system to run for three,
5-minute intervals lets soil absorb more water than watering for 15 minutes at one time,
reducing runoff.
• Adapt watering to the season. Familiarize yourself with the settings on your irrigation
controller and adjust the watering schedule regularly based on seasonal weather conditions.
Or invest in a smart controller so your system can make these changes automatically.

Smart Irrigation Month is an initiative of the Irrigation Association, a non-profit industry
organization dedicated to promoting efficient irrigation. Learn more at
www.smartirrigationmonth.org.

Trees Can Positively Impact Your Home's Energy Efficiency

Energy Efficient Home Landscapes from ASLA on Vimeo.

Lawn Be Gone Program

For quite some time now, water agencies have offered rebate incentives for converting those high water using lawns to drought tolerant plantings. Watching grass grow is like watching paint dry, not too exciting. So not only does the conversion save a bunch of water (which equals water bill reductions), but you will get far more enjoyment from the color, contrast, and texture of plantings, in addition to the wildlife it attracts.

For more information, please see the links below:

For Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency (basically north of Palo Alto/Fremont)
http://bawsca.org/water-conservation/residential-water-conservation-programs/lawn-be-gone/

For Santa Clara County Water District (San Jose and surrounding areas)
http://www.valleywater.org/Programs/LandscapeReplacementRebates.aspx

With several lawn conversions under my belt, please let me know if you have additional questions I can answer....spring is coming!

July is Smart Irrigation Month

Landscapes require the largest amounts of water in July making July Smart Irrigation month. A plants water-loss through evapotranspiration, the combination of evaporation and transpiration into the air, is highest this month. If you have an irrigation controller with a seasonal adjustment that allows flexibility to change the watering durations to meet the seasonal water needs of the landscape, it can now be set to 100% ET. Supplemental water deliverance being the highest this month also means that if an irrigation system has efficiency issues, it will also waste high amounts of water. So here are some Smart water savings tips and items to check in your irrigation system to minimize potential water-loss.

- Water early in the morning, never in the middle of the day or early evening, and not when it’s windy

- Schedule individual zones in your system to meet the needs of the specific plant material in that zone. Established shrubs, for instance, require nowhere near the water a thirsty lawn does. And hydrozone, keeping plants with similar water needs together

- Lawn sprinklers need almost constant adjustment. Fine-tune them to minimize watering the pavement.

- Check for leaks, clogs, and sprinklers blocked by growing plant material

- “Drip Happens” … drip irrigation is more than 2x more efficient than spray so convert wherever possible

- Allow some dry-out days between waterings. Overwatered soils can lead to several issues, even plant death

- Get a weather sensitive Smart Controller

- Save water and money by getting an irrigation system audit! I have appointment times available.

An estimated 50%-70% of a properties monthly water usage is outdoors. By keeping up on the irrigation system, it can save a lot of water and money. If you have any questions or comments about what you’ve read, please let me know.

Arbor Day….let's get out and plant something!

Arbor Day has been celebrated since 1872. In California, Arbor Day is more like a week, running March 7-14, and if you are planning to plant a tree(s) this year it is important to make the proper tree selection for the area you have chosen. I know you have seen those lifting sidewalks being ramped by the root structure of a tree, or even a lifted street gutter. I’m sure you have also noticed oddly shaped or even topped trees under power lines, where, a better tree selection would have been a shorter grower. Perhaps you have experienced having to cut tree branches away from your home because the tree was just planted too close. Placing the right tree, in the right place is as important as planting the tree itself.

A few benefits of properly located trees are:

• wildlife habitat • home energy savings • clean air

• natural growth pattern • increased property value • erosion control
• beauty ...and the list goes on.
  

Here are some additional resources on tree selection and placement: http://www.arborday.org/trees/righttreeandplace/righttree.cfm http://pge.com/myhome/edusafety/diggingyard/planttrees/index.shtml http://www.canopy.org/forestbenefits.html
http://ourcityforest.org/

Irrigation Control Settings for March

March is here and so is the potential need for supplemental irrigation. Your irrigation controller should be set to deliver only 5% of what it would in July. However, with the consistent soaking rainfall we've been experiencing in the bay area, the need to flip the switch to ON or RUN could certainly be delayed. My controller has been off since early November and not going back on until a more significant dry period, maybe, 1 1/2 - 2 weeks...

Mobile Veggie Garden....?

Saw this on Treehugger, and though a little silly, might be good for the snacker on the go...

UrbanBuds: Mobile Suitcase Garden For The City Dweller
In tightly packed urban settings, finding places to produce fresh food in close quarters can be quite frustrating for the conscientious urban dweller. Even more frustrating is wondering how to move one's carefully-planted balcony or window garden once moving day comes. Eindhoven, Netherlands-based Italian designer Gionatta Gionno proposes a clever package, however: UrbanBuds is a mobile garden in the form of a suitcase filled with soil, designed to grow thirty-six different types of edible plants in all types of spaces. It's a simple idea, yet invokes more meaning than a bag of soil on wheels.

'UrbanBuds' uses the concept of food as a sign of cultural identity... The design of the project involves the metaphor of a suitcase as a symbol of cultural background. We all are used to saying that wherever we move we bring with us our backpack of culture, background, our bag of experiences. The design takes influence from this picture and it transforms the products in movable suitcases, filled up with soil. Families can grow vegetables and fruit on each side of the bags: each one of them allows growing about thirty-six different plants, which can grow vertically along the fabric.

It's a neat idea, and with modern lifestyles becoming more and more mobile, why shouldn't our food too?