[Vision2020] Re: Vision2020 Digest, Vol 23, Issue 235

[Nils Peterson]

I tossed this into MoscowWiki as the start of a low water landscaping
options page

http://moscowwiki.editme.com/LowWaterLandscaping

Thanks Chris


On 4/25/06 12:11 PM, "vision2020-request at moscow.com"
<vision2020-request at moscow.com> wrote:

> Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 11:02:45 -0800
> From: "Chris Storhok" <cstorhok at co.fairbanks.ak.us>
> Subject: RE: [Vision2020] Other topics-- was: Water. Where do you
> stand on theissue?
> To: "Tom Ivie" <the_ivies3 at yahoo.com>, <vision2020 at moscow.com>
> Message-ID:
> <ADCA5CA2D529744AA499C2ABBA96EC3F1D6CFC at fnsbmail1.net1.fnsb>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
> 
> Tom,
> 
> Assuming you have a yard the cheapest and easiest way to cut back water usage
> is to cut way back on watering the grass.  When I lived down there I cut back
> watering the grass to the point that the grass was barely green and it did not
> grow fast enough to mow.  If you do it right you will not have the dead brown
> yard look but you will not have to mow either.  I had found that during the
> hottest days of summer that really I had to water less than once a week and
> usually less than ¼ an inch total.  I seeded my yard each fall with various
> fescues including the Idaho fescue, Festuca idahoensis which is available at
> the UI (or at least used to be).  My seeding technique was simple, I just
> threw seed into my yard (or let the kids do) in early fall and left it alone.
> My yard plan was based on my simple principles of:  I hate watering, I hate
> mowing, but I also hate dead yards (the kids really complained and besides a
> dry dead yard is one heck of a fire hazard).  The other yard tri!
>  ck I used was to broadcast zeolites around the yard.  You can obtain zeolite
> for around $20 for a 50 pound bag at most landscape businesses.   Zeolite
> helps your yard through absorbing water and ammonium into the mineral, grass
> will grow a fine root around the mineral and slowly draw out what it needs.  I
> am trying these same techniques up here in North Pole and will know later this
> year if my cheap attempts at saving water work.
> 
> Hope all is well,
> Chris Storhok