Many homeowners would like a turf grass lawn, but might feel
irresponsible watering a lawn in the arid Southwest. The key to choosing a turf
grass is to determine the one most suited to the specific needs of your
landscape.
There are two different categories of turf grasses: cool season and warm season. Cool season grasses are Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass and tall fescue. These are cold tolerant, green most of the year, and hold up to extensive amounts of foot traffic. But they use a lot of water. Warm season grasses are Bermuda grass, blue grama, and buffalo grass. Warm season grasses have a shorter growing season. This means they green up in mid Spring, are low maintenance, and require less water than cool season grasses. But blue grama and buffalo grass can’t take extensive foot traffic.
Grasses should not be selected solely on perceived water use. Depending on the purpose and function of the turf area, traffic tolerance, recuperative ability, maintenance and aesthetic appearance should also be considered.
Four Turf Grasses for Albuquerque
Park Blend grass, a combination of Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, and tall fescue
PARK BLEND: The most popular turf grass lawn here, used by the City of Albuquerque and homeowners alike, is Park Blend. Park Blend combines all the cool season grasses into a blend of Kentucky bluegrass, ryegrass and tall fescue, taking advantage of the positive attributes of all three grasses in one turf. Park Blend performs beautifully through warm summers and is especially well-suited to New Mexico's growing conditions. While it does need about 37"- 41" inches of water a year, this is a great choice for a lawn that will receive a lot of traffic. It does require regular mowing and weed control.
Buffalo grass, Bouteloua dactyloides
BUFFALO GRASS: Choose warm season buffalo grass for a beautiful low growing, low water and low maintenance grass. It will handle light traffic, rarely requires mowing and uses around 24" - 28" inches of water a year.
Bermuda grass, Cynodon ‘PWIN04S’ Dog Tuff
BERMUDA GRASS: Bermuda grass is a great choice for a low water, low maintenance grass with medium foot traffic. The downside is that it does spread prolifically via runners. It is best to surround this grass with an 8-inch-wide and deep edger to keep it in check. Bermuda grass uses about 22 - 26 inches of water a year and requires a few mowings a year.
Blue grama grass, Bouteloua gracilis
BLUE GRAMA GRASS: Choose blue grama grass for a stunning native meadow look. It can be seeded with wildflowers for a beautiful spring and summer appearance. Keep the eyelash like seed heads on the grass through the fall and winter for both aesthetics and wildlife appeal. This grass uses about 18 - 20 inches of water a year. Trim and dethatch once in late winter for best appearance.
PRO TIPS: prepare the soil well before planting turf grasses, water early in the morning or late evening, keep grasses to a mow height of 3-4" so the soil stays cooler, service the irrigation system regularly to check for efficiency.
Author: Jill Brown, ASLA Landscape Architect and owner of My Landscape Coach in Albuquerque, NM. Resources: Turfgrass irrigation Circular 660 Bernd Leinauer, Professor and Extension Turfgrass Specialist NM State University, Growing the Southwest Garden by Judith Phillips, High Country Gardens, Plants of the Southwest. Even more resources about turfgrasses can be found over at NMSU.
Experienced gardeners in New Mexico know that the key to
success is in the soil. Soils in our climate are highly erosive and without
care will blow away with spring winds or wash out during summer monsoons.
Covering bare soil with mulch is an essential gardening practice with benefits like
reducing moisture loss through evaporation, suppressing weeds, and giving
landscapes a finished appearance. When you use organic mulches (as opposed to a
gravel type mulch), there are even more benefits. Like keeping the soil cool, improving
soil structure, and feeding the soil microbiology that supports plant health.
Despite the benefits, organic mulches continue to be passed
over for gravel in our area. This is due in part to our tendency to mimic the
practices we see around us. But those are not always best practices! This is
also a consequence of several myths that we’d like to dispel.
Before digging into these myths, let’s take a moment to
define the term “organic mulch.” A mulch is a layer of material placed on top
of the soil. An organic mulch is
one that is derived from living matter. The term “organic” in this context has
no relationship to the standards followed to generate the material. Examples of
locally available organic mulches are wood mulch, bark mulch, pecan shell
mulch, and straw. Because organic mulches were once alive, they contain
essential nutrients, minerals, and energy that nourish the soil ecosystem as
they decompose. An important consideration when using organic mulches is to
skip the landscape fabric, which prevents the rich organic matter created by
decomposition from working its way back into the soil.
Myth #1: Organic
mulches rob your soil of nitrogen
This is a common misconception that is easily dispelled.
Organics decompose via microorganisms that use nitrogen as they undergo
explosive reproduction in response to a new food source. This is why we say
that nitrogen gets “tied up” in the soil when unaged composts are integrated.
But therein lies the key. Mulches are not integrated into the soil - they lie
on top of it! By definition, decomposition only occurs on the surface area of
the material being decomposed. Therefore, plant roots do not compete for
nutrients with the microorganisms that are slowly breaking down the organic
mulch to feed the soil below.
Myth #2: You’re going
to attract all kinds of insects and vermin
The cool, moist environment created by organic mulches is
ideal for promoting plant health. Gravel mulches increase the reflective heat
in a landscape and compact the soil, contributing to plant stress. Heat also creates
higher water demand. The cool, moist layer that is so good for plant health
also provides a hospitable environment for insects. But mulch itself is not a
beacon for the insects in the neighborhood to colonize your yard. It simply
provides a more favorable habitat for
what is already there. But this environment also benefits insects and
vertebrates that predate on the undesirable ones. This creates a healthier
ecosystem that supports your plantings. If you have concerns about termites,
rest assured that a mulch layer does not provide the necessary habitat for a
termite colony. A one-foot bare space between organic mulches and your house
will discourage insects from finding their way into your home.
Myth #3: It will all
wash or blow away
If you use the wrong kind of organic mulch in the wrong
place it can migrate. But with a little understanding of different mulch types, this can be avoided. Most wood mulches
available on the market are chipped flat and consistent in shape in size. These
are great in areas that will receive some foot traffic as they compact down to
a firm surface. However, in areas of higher wind exposure or periodic
inundation with water, use a mulch that is more irregularly shaped and sized as
the pieces will hold together better. Mulches made from recycled yard waste and
tree trimmings typically fit this description. Mulches made from bark tend to
be lighter and can have a tendency to migrate more readily. Above all, pay
attention to grades when using organic mulch. Design landscapes so that the finished
grade of mulched areas is below hard surfaces like sidewalks and patios. If you
use organic mulch on a slope make a small berm on top of the slope and dig in
contour swales to prevent the mulch from washing down.
Myth #4: Organic
mulches are more difficult to maintain
Anyone who has wheelbarrowed out a graveled landscape,
sifted it to remove dirt and weeds, and shoveled it back in can tell you that
gravel is not inherently easier to maintain. Gravel landscapes with filter
fabric are designed to be maintained with a regime of consistent weed
management and treatment. If spraying chemicals in your landscape is not your thing, then invest in the right
tools to make weed
management simple. A 3-4” layer of organic mulch is effective in preventing
sunlight from reaching annual weed seeds, thereby preventing weed germination.
The beauty of organic mulches is that they can visually
accommodate a little bit of leaf litter, reducing the need for constant raking
and blowing. A thin top coat of mulch added every other year will keep your
landscape looking fresh and replace the material that has broken down to
sustain the soil. Organic mulches are light weight, too, making them easy to
wheelbarrow and rake around.
Organic mulches are available in bags from most local garden centers, and are available in bulk from several retailers in the Albuquerque area. When you buy from local bulk retailers, you are supporting the recycling of local organic materials that may otherwise end up wasting away in a landfill and contributing to greenhouse gas emissions. Buying bulk also means less plastic! Organic mulches are a renewable resource that will improve your landscape health and help you conserve water.
What should every home owner know about simple irrigation maintenance?
The most important thing is to visually inspect your system periodically. Usually, irrigation runs during the middle of the night and we’re unaware of how well (or how poorly) it’s working. Turn on each zone and observe its operation. Look for leaks in your valve boxes – if there’s water in the box, you probably have a leak.
With sprinklers:
Look for broken or tilted heads and nozzles that should be adjusted to address overspray. If water continues to drain from one of your sprinklers after the zone has shut down, you may have a low head drainage problem. To fix this, install a simple check valve, which typically screws into the lower part of the sprinkler head. Ask your local irrigation supplier for a check valve recommended for your situation.
With drip irrigation:
How to unclog your button or flag emitters.
Button emitters are not easy to unclog. Often, it’s easiest to simply remove a clogged button emitter and replace it.
Flag emitters can be unclogged as follows:
While water is flowing through the emitter, twist the colored flag piece located on top of the emitter so that it can be removed.
Allow water to flow out the top of the emitter for 10-15 seconds with the flag piece removed.
Block flow from the top of the emitter to send water through the side orifice for 10-15 seconds.
Twist the flag piece back into place to resume typical irrigation (not pictured).
How to add an emitter?
Using a punch tool, make a hole where you will connect the spaghetti tubing
Attach the spaghetti tubing to the lateral line using a barbed connector
Run the spaghetti tubing through a small trench to where you want the emitter to apply water – at the dripline of the plant is usually best
How to repair a poly tube if it's been punctured?
Locate the damaged section of poly
Cut out the damaged section
Use a fitting – there are many types that will work – to join the ends
What is a goof plug and how to install it?
It’s a simple, 2-sided plastic piece used to plug a small opening in drip irrigation lines
Goof plugs can be used to stop water flow through spaghetti tubing, as follows:
Locate tubing to plug (cut off emitter if necessary)
Twist small end of goof plug into spaghetti tubing opening
Enjoy your water conservation!
Goof plugs can be used to stop water flow through distribution line, as follows:
Locate tubing to plug
Twist large end of goof plug into distribution line
Using these few simple tricks, you can easily manipulate water flow in your landscape for maximum system efficiency.
Author: Laura Ferenchak, Irrigation Efficiency Specialist with Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority
As irrigation season ramps up, we sat down with the Water Authority’s irrigation specialist to ask a few questions about the utility’s new FREE Efficient Irrigation Consultations.
Why is the Water Authority offering this service?
In ABQ, 40% of our drinking water is
used on landscapes.
Improperly maintained irrigation
systems often apply twice the water the
plants need in order to compensate for system inefficiencies.
Often, relatively simple maintenance
or scheduling changes have a big impact on how much water our irrigation
systems use to water plants.
It’s often difficult for someone not
trained in this field to detect irrigation problems, since the systems usually
run at night and most components are hidden.
Empowering you to better understand your landscape and
irrigation systems will help all of us steward our valuable water resources.
How does a typical
consultation go?
A trained specialist will:
Arrive at your home at the scheduled
time to review your landscape goals and plant material.
Check your irrigation system’s
performance and controller settings.
Create customized recommendations for
irrigation settings to help you save money and water.
Review rebates that are available
through the Water Authority that could benefit you and your landscape.
Turn on your irrigation system after the last chance of freezing temperatures has passed (typically late March in the greater Albuquerque area, but possibly as late as mid-April). This will prevent damage to your irrigation system.
1. Turn on your irrigation system. Then observe and listen.
If you turned off the main valve for your irrigation system over the winter to prevent freezing, turn it back on slowly, only part way. Then wait a few minutes until the system is fully pressurized. If it is not leaking, turn it fully on.
Caution: turning it too fast can create a water-hammer which could break pipes.
Irrigation valve box with backflow preventers.
Check the backflow preventer for leaks by inspecting it and checking for wetness.
Open the valve box (it usually has a green cover) and make sure there is no water in the box itself. Look for leaks in the valves, connections, filters and pressure reducers.
Run each zone for several minutes (long enough to see every part of it up close). Walk along each irrigation system pipe and inspect all sprinkler, bubbler and/or drip zones.
For sprinklers:
Look for signs of a leak, such as at the risers to the heads, the heads themselves, the emitter lines, or the pipes.
Look for heads not spraying correctly, such as spraying in the wrong direction, spraying too low, or other signs of breakage or misalignment. It is very common for them to go out of alignment when the system was turned off for the winter.
Spray head with minor leak
For drip and bubbler systems:
Look for missing emitters and/or bubblers. Emitters or bubblers may be hard to see due to plant coverage so listen carefully. Hearing a whooshing sound means an emitter or emitter line has blown off.
Drip emitter
2. Re-check the valve boxes again for water leaks now that the system has been on for testing.
3. Perform any necessary repairs and re-check for leaks after repairs are complete.
4. Set the timer.
Typical Irrigation Timer
The key to irrigation is to supply enough water to replace evaporative
losses from the ground root areas and from the leaves or stems. Too much or too
little water can harm your plants. It
is important that you set the timer correctly.
Follow the water recommendations guide to help you set your timer. Mixed zones like lawns and desert friendly landscapes are hard to water together. They usually need different run times. Large trees do not do as well being watered as if they were a lawn. Lawns have shallow roots (1” to 6” is typical) so usually need less water per application than trees with their deep roots (up to 24”). They require longer, deeper watering. Sign up for a FREE Efficient Irrigation Consultation at 505-289-3003 for help with your timer settings.
Do not confuse start times with zone numbers. Remember that every start time (4 am, 11 am, 5 pm….) on a program (A, B, C…) will run all your zones in series for the program you are running.
Attach a written copy of your schedule showing programs, zone number and corresponding location to the inside of your controller box.
Sprinkler heads or emitters vary greatly as to how much water comes out per minute. A slow watering head may need 2 to 4 times the watering time of traditional faster water delivery heads. For example, emitters can be as low as ½ gallon per hour but could be as high as 14 gallons per hour. The same watering time will not work for all zones or all emitter types.
Bubblers typically deliver 1 or 2 gallons per minute, compared to emitters that can be 1 or 2 gallons per hour. Many people over water when using bubblers for small plants. If you see pooling, run-off or recognize the flow is too fast, then replace the bubbler with a smaller one.
After watering, test to see if you provided enough, too little, or about right amount of water to the plants. Use a soil probe or a long screwdriver to test soil moisture. Push the screwdriver into the soil about an hour after you’ve watered your plants. It will go easily into moist soil. Mark and measure how far it went into the ground. That will tell you how deep you have watered that plant. Every yard is different, but once you figure out how long it takes your watering system to water to certain depths, you’ll be set.
If your controller is getting old, you would be wise to install an up to date one. There are lots of options. Some are “smart” controllers and can do many irrigation tasks well and can be operated from your phone or home computer, allowing you anywhere, anytime control. Check out the Irrigation Efficiency Rebates here to help you with the cost.
5. Observe your irrigation system the first month of the season.
We suggest the run times for the first few weeks should be during times of day where you can observe the operation of the system. When you are sure everything is running well, then you can have the system run at times you would not normally be observing. However, we suggest manually running the system zones for a few minutes every two months just to stay on top of any problems that may occur.
Many homeowners want to put a lot of water on at the beginning of the year to make sure the dry roots from the winter get thoroughly soaked. This makes some sense for the first watering of the year. Once the roots are soaked, you can go to shorter run times and number of runs per week to adequately irrigate your plants.
If you are uncertain about the any of the start-up tips, or need help, contact us for FREE Irrigation Efficiency Consultations at 505-289-3003. Or consider hiring a landscape contractor to help you get your system up and running correctly.
Author: Richard Chapman of Smart Use in Albuquerque, NM.
March is the perfect time to clean up your landscape to prepare for the spring growing season. In fact late March is the best time because new growth hasn’t completely emerged, making it easier to see the structure of the plants.
For the same reason, this is also the best time of year to check the irrigation system. Once freezing temperatures are no longer a threat, get the irrigation system back up and working to support new spring growth. The greater Albuquerque area occasionally gets a freeze as late as the middle of April. So although you may be eager to crank on the irrigation system and begin automatic irrigation, don’t forget that pipes may be susceptible to bursting if there is water in them and we receive a late frost.
One of the first steps to Spring
landscape cleanup is to walk around your yard and observe your plants and how they
grew last year and how they will continue to grow this year. Based on the success
of those plants consider if you’d like to:
Remove: Cut back or
dig out dead or dying plants or plants that have outgrown their space.
Replace: If the plant
has not been successful, think about what factors made it this way. Replace plant
material with an alternative better suited to the location.
Divide: Break up one
plant into multiple plants for distribution in other places in the garden or share
with friends and neighbors. This is a great chance for you and your neighbors to
try new plants.
7 Basic Spring Landscape Tasks
1. Cut Back Perennials and Flowering Plants
It is good practice to leave perennials intact over the winter, leaving stems, dried leaves, and seed heads on the plant. This helps insulate the plant over the winter, can be aesthetically pleasing, and provide forage for wildlife. Come Spring, it is time to cut back the perennials and clean up the debris around and underneath them. Pruning shears, a wire rake and gloves are good tools for this task. An example of a typical perennial is listed below.
Valerian (typical of many flowering plants and perennials): prune dry stalks just above any live growth to allow the new leaves and stems greater access to energy-producing sunlight.
2. Trim Ornamental Grasses and Rake Out Turf Grasses.
Ornamental Grasses – Spring Trimming:
Most ornamental grasses are deciduous and
produce new growth each spring. These grasses should be cut back around this time
of year for best aesthetics and to allow new growth to emerge unencumbered. Most
grasses fall into this category.
Other grasses and grass-like plants will
respond negatively to being cut back in the spring. These include yucca, bear
grass (nolina), and sotol. Selectively
remove tattered or dead leaves from these grass-like plants. Due to the density
of blue avena and regal mist grass, these should not be trimmed down. Instead selectively
remove dead material from these plants.
For
deciduous grasses, follow these steps:
Cut back last year’s growth to the main mass of the grass (typically 3”-6” above the ground) with pruners or scissors, without scalping the top of the new growth.
By hand, remove any of last year’s brown foliage and stems remaining in the middle of the grass.
For turf
grasses, rake out and dethatch with a wire rake. For native lawn grasses such as
buffalo and blue grama grass, line trim them then rake out and dethatch.
Ornamental Grass before pruning (Karl Foerster Grass, Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Karl Foerster' ) Ornamental Grass being pruned (Karl Foerster Grass, Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Karl Foerster' ) Ornamental Grass being de-thatched (Karl Foerster Grass, Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Karl Foerster' ) Ornamental Grass after pruning (Karl Foerster Grass, Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Karl Foerster' )
3. Prune Shrubs When Necessary
Many native shrubs do not require annual
pruning but some respond well to what is called renewal pruning.
Renewal pruning is not
as drastic as cutting the whole plant back but it does result in a plant with less
old, leggy growth. For renewal pruning,
use the rule of thirds. Cut back to near ground level
about one-third of the oldest stems each year to encourage new healthy growth. This
is recommended for shrubs such as lilac, forsythia,
cherry sage and butterfly bush.
Renewal pruning also will
benefit shrubs that become dense with a lot of dead wood on the inside, such as
Spanish broom. Roses however are unique and require special methods for pruning.
Example plant: Cherry sage: look for the
oldest growth and trim off old growth to about 6” above the ground. This will encourage
new growth in the spring.
Example of appropriate pruning of a shrub. (Photo courtesy of natureswayinc.com)
Another method of pruning is to formally shear a shrub. Formally shearing or hedging of plants should only be done if the intent is to create a hedge. Typical plants used as hedges are boxwood, laurel, photinia, etc. Most plants used in the landscapes do not need to be hedged or trimmed formally, unless there is a clear reason to limit their growth. After pruning, the plant should look like it does in nature, not a box, ball or cylinder.
5. Check Irrigation System. See the Spring Irrigation Start Up Post
6. Restore Organic Mulch.
Organic mulch is a natural covering, and includes such material as straw, chipped wood, shredded wood, or pecan shells. (The phrase organic refers to material relating to or derived from living matter. In this context it’s not related to the food or farming method of food production without the use of chemicals.) Organic mulch spread on the ground around plants has the added benefit of retaining moisture in the soil. Certain types of organic mulch will also enrich the soil as it breaks down. A depth of 4 inches of organic mulch will inhibit weed growth by preventing sunlight from reaching weed seeds. The Water Authority offers a rebate for mulch when used around trees – check out our Treebate here or get information on converting lawn to desert friendly landscape.
Organic mulch in a landscape.
7. Recycle Green Yard Waste. There are a few places to take green yard waste.
Local composting facility (commercial, industrial, municipal).
City of Albuquerque free green waste pick up days. This is typically the last week of April and the first week of May.
Compost green waste at home.
Author: Jill Brown, ASLA Landscape Architect and owner of My Landscape Coach in Albuquerque, NM. Resources: Growing the Southwest Garden by Judith Phillips, Down to Earth: A Gardener's Guide to the Albuqueque Area, Fourth Edition by Albuquerque Area Extension Master Gardeners, Curtis Smith formerly of NM Extension Service. Consultations with: Chad Peterson, local native plan maintenance expert.
