Dear Parched on Pearl ,
What’s “green,” within a red state, and only receives 10 to 20 inches of precipitation each year? Boulder County. Let’s face it; it’s dry here, especially in the summer. So as we create our own mini eco-systems in our backyards, what we plant and the way we manage it should be in rhythm with the larger, semi-arid climate we call home.
According to the American Water Works Association, watering lawns and gardens accounts for 50 to 70 percent of home water usage, but you can reduce that usage, as well as your guilt and depression, by taking a few simple steps . The easiest of all is to leave your clippings on the lawn or to “grasscycle.” It’s great. Less work, more water conservation. Why bag and landfill your grass clippings when you could just let them be?
Grasscycling helps your grass roots stay shaded and cool and reduces weed growth, browning and the need for watering and fertilizing. (It’s not a bad thing for your trash bill, either.) Mulching mowers or mowers fitted with a mulching mower blade are the simplest way to put valuable grass clippings back onto the lawn.
Every time you cut the grass, follow the “one third” rule. Mow often enough to cut only one third of the length of the grass blade. This strengthens the grass plant by reducing shock to the lawn's root system and creates a denser, healthier root system. According to the CSU Cooperative Extension, the preferred height for the grass blade is two to three inches. Cutting the blade any shorter will require more watering and your grass won’t be as healthy.
Watering before 10 a.m. or after 6 p.m. reduces water losses to evaporation, and regularly checking sprinkler systems will save water from being wasted on sidewalks and driveways.
Since we don’t live in Kentucky where one storm can deliver as much rain as we receive all year, Kentucky Bluegrass does not belong here. Instead try xeriscape grasses and plants that are native and drought-tolerant. Grass areas require the most water, so plant grass sparingly and consider native growers like buffalograss and fescues. Many flowering plants, trees and shrubs qualify as xeriscape plants, ask your local greenhouse to point them out to you. Learn more about xeriscaping by visiting the Center for ReSource Conservation at www.conservationcenter.org or the CSU Cooperative Extension office at www.ext.colostate.edu.
Adding organic matter to your soil such as compost, grass clippings, and aged manure adds nutrients and helps it retain water longer. Eco-Cycle sells a water-saving compost tea at the Boulder Farmers’ Market that helps bind water in the soil and reduces evaporation. The city of Boulder offers a half-off rebate for the tea; simply provide a proof of Boulder residency at the market. For more details, click here.
The city of Boulder Water Conservation Office also offers several other rebates to help you save water and money on your landscaping. This includes rebates for turf type buffalograss, drip irrigation systems, sprinkler controllers, and irrigation audits for large landscapes. Call 303-413-7407 for an application or visit bouldersaveswater.net.
So that should help cheer you up, Parched, but remember: when it’s summer in a semi-arid climate, brown can be “green” too.
