ALL precipitation is good!

Colorado and Denver have been getting weekly snowstorms now for about a month. In as much as everyone is sick of winter and wants spring to start, remember we are on some of the most drastic watering restrictions ever imposed by the Denver Water Board. As it stands now people will only be able to water their lawns twice per week because the snowpack was 75% of normal.

This may not seem so bad now, but wait until July when there is no rain support and people with big bluegrass lawns in full sun start to see their lawns turn brown! This may not be an every year occurrence, but I wouldn’t bet on it given the record setting temperatures and length of Denver and Colorado’s drought.

The solution: start thinking green landscape! Get rid of some of those large areas of bluegrass and do xeriscapes with native and low water requiring plants. If your landscape is designed properly, they won’t look like a rock quarry as some neighbors have done. Repair or add a sprinkler system that is extremely water efficient: many systems can be retrofitted with rotator nozzles and a smart controller that save as much as 30% off your water bill.

Use our beautiful parks for outdoor games and save money while your landscape looks beautiful even with high summer temperatures and drought conditions!

Landscape Water Conservation

Water has become the new energy of the future with less fresh water available each year for the growing population. The conservation of this resource utilizes true “xeric” (low water) principles as in traditional xeriscapes.

Nozzles: Nothing can bring home a feeling of “waste” more than seeing water running down the gutters and into the storm drain systems from a sprinkler system that is irrigating inefficiently. Many sprayheads will shoot 2/3 of their water away from the head and land in a constant stream at the end of its arch. The irrigation heads don’t act like rain does. Use a rotator nozzle on a popup head which acts like a fountain that mimics rain and uses fewer gallons per minute each head. The slower rate of water over the area allows the water to percolate into the soil. Slower water application allows more natural, deeper absorption to occur. A rotator nozzle can use 30% less water than conventional sprinkler heads. The rotator nozzle does not spray as high into the air so it is less affected by wind.

Training your turfgrass: Turfgrass can be trained to be very water efficient with a proper watering cycle. Watering deeply and infrequently promotes deep root growth, allowing water to soak deep into the soil: the roots will follow the water for nourishment. Water as deeply as possible until just before the point of runoff so the soil at and below the root level is saturated. Watering infrequently even to the point of stressing the grass a little bit will force deeper root growth. The soil below the turf will hold water for a longer time—it is the surface water that quickly evaporates.

Grow, Replenish, Conserve and Sustain

Grow, Replenish, Conserve and Sustain

GROW: To develop, cultivate, expand — design: placing the right plant in the appropriate ecosystem means it grows vibrantly.
REPLENISH: To revive, nourish, perfect — maintain: the need to care for your landscape, to replenish it through the seasons.
CONSERVE: To use carefully, avoiding waste — protect: one of our precious resources is water, learning to conserve it saves energy.
SUSTAIN: To keep alive, support, withstand — renew: to endure and remain productive is to keep your landscape sustainable.