Tag Archive for: Sustainable Landscaping

Coral Aloe will protect your property from wildfire while it brightens your sustainable landscape. Photo: Don Graham/Flickr-Creative Commons license Firefighting plants

Call On These Five Firefighting Plants

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Wildfire is a real and constant threat in San Diego County year-round, but particularly in the late summer and fall months. This is especially true in wildland interface areas where homes are right next to the backcountry. Landscape design, plant selection, and maintenance must be done in accordance with fire-safe guidelines. 

Wildfire is a real and consistent threat 

Plan your landscaping according to principles governing three different zones:  

Zone 1: Through smart design elements and plant selection, landscapes should resist ignition and provide 35 feet of actively maintained defensible space around structures and access areas. This maximizes fire prevention and allows access by crews to protect your property from fire, if necessary. 

Zone 2: Your landscape should reduce the chances of airborne embers from catching fire through a careful thinning of native vegetation for at least 65 additional feet — a total of 100 feet of defensible space.  

Zone 3: Many of San Diego County’s native plant communities including chaparral can survive and recover from infrequent wildfires. Some plants use fire as a signal to begin growth and start the germination process after a fire.  

When fires occur too frequently, the ability to survive is disrupted for even the most well-adapted plants. Invasive, non-native plant species have made fires more frequent, of longer duration, and hotter. It is critical to remove invasive plants in fire-prone areas.

Use plants that resist ignition 

Some native plants have the ability to prevent airborne plant embers. They have a high salt or water content and low volatile oil content in their leaves. For instance, agaves, aloes, crassulas, and other succulents store extra water in their fleshy leaves.  

Five firefighting plant choices include: 

  • Daylily hybrids 
  • Coral Aloe 
  • Indian Mallow
  • Bush Morning Glory 
  • California Sycamore trees 

Avoid plants that can fuel wildfires  

Messy, oily trees and shrubs, such as eucalyptus and junipers, do the opposite. They ignite quickly, burning hot and long, releasing embers into the air and contributing to the spread of wildfire. 

Preventative maintenance includes regularly removing dry grass, thatch, brush, weeds, litter, waste, and dead and dying vegetation. Trees should be properly pruned. Shrubs should be thinned, with dead branches and leaves routinely removed. Leave root structures intact to avoid erosion. Dead leaves and branches are especially flammable on evergreen shrubs and vines such as bougainvillea. Avoid planting these close to homes or other structures. 

This article was inspired by the 71-page Sustainable Landscapes Program guidebook available at SustainableLandscapesSD.org. The Water Authority and its partners also offer other great resources for landscaping upgrades, including free WaterSmart classes at WaterSmartSD.org.    

 

 

  

Daily Business Report-July 26, 2018: Water Authority Expands Water-Use Efficiency Opportunities For Low-Income Homes

/in , /by /San Diego Metro Magazine Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

The San Diego County Water Authority is expanding a long-running partnership with San Diego Gas & Electric to increase the availability of devices that save both water and energy for thousands of income-qualified residents across the region. The Water Authority’s investment of $150,000 will supplement funding for water-saving devices, allowing SDG&E’s Energy Savings Assistance Program to serve more customers. Approximately 21,000 residents annually have participated in the program, receiving assistance for devices such as low-flow showerheads and efficient washing machines.

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Water Agencies Increase Incentives To Replace Turf

/in , /by /Pomerado News Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

Residents in San Diego County now can receive $2.75 per square foot for replacing turf with sustainable landscaping features as part of a new Landscape Transformation Program launched this week across Southern California. The new program includes a partnership by the San Diego County Water Authority and the Los Angeles-based Metropolitan Water District of Southern California to boost the per-square-foot incentive amount available in the water authority’s service area and streamline the application process.

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Water Authority Offers Homeowners $2.75 A Foot To Replace Grass Lawns

/in , /by /Times of San Diegoby Chris Jennewein Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

San Diego County homeowners can receive $2.75 per square foot to replace their water-wasting turf lawns with sustainable landscaping under a new program in Southern California. The new Landscape Transformation Program was announced this week by both the San Diego County Water Authority and the Los Angeles-based Metropolitan Water District. “Over the past few years, the water authority has helped foster sustainable landscaping through financial incentives, a demonstration garden, hands-on classes and publication of a detailed guidebook,” said Mark Muir, chair of the water authority’s board.

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San Diego Program Offering Money To Remove Lawns Is Back, With Changes

/in , /by /KPBSby Matt Hoffman Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

This week the San Diego County Water Authority launched it’s popular landscape transformation program. In partnership with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, the program gives people a rebate to remove their lawns. Residents can get up to $2.75 per square foot of grass they replace with sustainable landscaping. The offer is good for lawns up to 1,500 square feet.  Joni German, a water resource specialist for the San Diego County Water Authority, said before ripping up lawns — residents first have to apply for the program.

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Knowing how to classify your plants by water use characteristics will help you plan your sustainable landscaping. Photo: Water Authority plant factor

Evapotranspiration: The Key To Watering Your Plants

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How much water do plants really need in your landscaping?

Evapotranspiration (ET) is the process of assessing various factors to determine how much water plants use, and when they need it. ET is a quick, simple way for landscape experts to explain environmental conditions such as solar radiation (sunshine) or cloud cover. The stronger the sun’s rays, the higher the ET. 

Think of plant leaves as having similar properties to solar panels. They gather energy that enables plants to transform water and carbon dioxide from the air into oxygen and sugars for growing, and for feeding soil microbes. Transpiration of moisture through leaves is a little like people sweating. It cools down the leaves. Water also evaporates from the soil itself around plants. The combined water loss from the plants and the soil together makes up evapotranspiration.  

Why do you need to know this? Understanding water loss in terms of ET is helpful when you select plants for sustainable landscaping, so you choose the lowest Landscape Water Requirements; in planning irrigation; and managing the Soil Moisture Account.  

Look for Four Characteristics Shared By Drought–Tolerant Plants 

Do you need help identifying climate-appropriate plant choices for your new sustainable landscaping? There are four characteristics shared by drought-tolerant plants. 

Stiff, Leathery Leaves: These leaves hold on to water and stay evergreen most of the year. 

Silver or Hairy Leaves: Light colored leaves reflect sunlight, cooling the plant. Hairy leaves hold moisture longer and keep the plant cooled off. 

Tiny Leaves: These are like tiny solar panels, easier to keep cool than one large hot surface. 

Solar Tracking Leaves: These leaves seem to stand at attention in the middle of the day, straight up and down. As the day progresses, the leaves become more horizontal as the plant shifts its solar panel leaves to minimize sun exposure. Many California native plants like manzanitas have this ingenious adaptation.  

The Water Authority’s Sustainable Landscaping guidebook contains a Plant List with climate-appropriate plants. They are also highlighted throughout the guidebook. 

This article was inspired by the 71-page Sustainable Landscapes Program guidebook available at SustainableLandscapesSD.org.  The Water Authority and its partners also offer other great resources for landscaping upgrades, including free WaterSmart classes at WaterSmartSD.org.   

 

 

  

Agency Ups Incentives For Water-Efficient Landscaping

/in , /by /The Daily Transcriptby Mark Armao Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

San Diego County residents who replace the turf in their yards with sustainable landscaping features can receive $2.75 per square foot of upgrades, thanks to a recently launched incentive program. Administered by the San Diego County Water Authority and the Los Angeles-based Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, the Landscape Transformation Program boosts the incentive amount of an existing program in the hopes of not only saving water, but also reducing stormwater runoff and green waste.

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Water Authority Offers Incentives To Replace Grass In San Diego County

/in , /by /CBS 8by Kerri Lane Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

Residents in San Diego County now can receive $2.75 per square foot for replacing turf with sustainable landscaping features as part of a new Landscape Transformation Program launched Tuesday across Southern California. The new program includes a partnership by the San Diego County Water Authority and the Los Angeles-based Metropolitan Water District of Southern California to boost the per-square-foot incentive amount available in the Water Authority’s service area and streamline the application process.

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San Diego County Water Authority Logo Stacked Tagline

New Landscape Transformation Program Increases Incentives in San Diego County

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San Diego, Calif. – Residents in San Diego can now receive $2.75 per square foot for replacing turf with sustainable landscaping features as part of a new Landscaping Transformation Program launched today across Southern California.

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Create a healthy growing environment for your new landscaping with the "soil lasagna" method. Graphic: Water Authority

Cook Up A Soil Lasagna

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Healthy, living soil is full of oxygen, water, and life to support your plants. Building healthy soil using layers uses a process called soil sheet mulching, or “Soil Lasagna.” If you have ever cooked lasagna, this will seem familiar. Soil Lasagna boosts healthy microbes so much that they actually cook down the organic matter and start eating old grass in your landscape as food.  

Once you’ve created Soil Lasagna, all you need to do is keep it moist so the microbes will stay active. How long the process takes from start to finish depends on the kind of grass you have. When you are ready to plant, you can dig a hole right into it, cutting through any paper or cardboard that might still be there, planting in the delicious and healthy soil below.  

Supply List to Create Soil Lasagna 

    • Shovels and rakes 
    • Wheelbarrow(s) 
    • Bins to hold removed grass and soil 
    • Mulch 
    • Landscape flags 
    • Painters’ paper or large cardboard sheets 
    • Compost, worm castings, or compost tea 
    • Hose with a shutoff nozzle 

NOTE: If you need any permits, call DIG ALERT (8-1-1) two days in advance. Also, check with your local water agency for any local water use restrictions.  

Once you have checked for permits and any water-use restrictions, you will need to remove your lawn. See our previous column on removing your lawn without killing the existing microbes. You will end up removing about six inches deep of grass and soil. You will need to haul this away. Consider renting a dumpster. 

Dig a trench 8 to 12 inches deep (about one shovel depth), and 12 to 24 inches wide around any hard surfaces and building foundations. Also, complete contouring for rainwater absorption and retention and any other hardscaping such as moving or installing patios, paths and other features.  

Use landscape flags to mark sprinkler heads so you can find and adjust them later. 

Layers Are Key To Your Soil Lasagna  

Add an inch deep layer of compost on top of the graded soil. You can also use humates (a freeze-dried compost available at specialty landscaping stores) or spray with compost or worm tea. You are adding an instant food sources and additional microbes to the soil. 

Water thoroughly. Roll out your painters’ paper or cardboard. Overlap at the seams about six inches and be sure all of the soil is covered. At the hardscape borders, make a burrito of rolled paper and mulch to prevent grass from resprouting.  

Water the paper, and then add another layer of compost if you wish. Rake a thick, six-inch larger of mulch over the paper and compost. Now you’re seeing why this is called a Soil Lasagna.  

Water again thoroughly. The mulch will absorb a lot of water before it becomes soaked through.  

You can plant right through the Soil Lasagna layers. If you can wait, the soil will develop more healthy microbes for new plants, but you can plant right away if the grass has been removed.  

Finally – step back and savor your hard work!  

This article was inspired by the 71-page Sustainable Landscapes Program guidebook available at SustainableLandscapesSD.org. Hardcopies are available free of charge at the Water Authority’s headquarters, 4677 Overland Ave., Kearny Mesa. The Water Authority and its partners also offer other great resources for landscaping upgrades, including free WaterSmart classes at WaterSmartSD.org.