Lawn and Landscape Irrigation

Lawns and landscapes can be designed and maintained to be water conserving, prevent runoff of fertilizers and pesticides and good looking. To develop a landscape that is water efficient, build the landscape with good landscape soils, create water zones within your landscape, choose well-adapted water saving ornamentals and turfgrasses, and utilize the correct irrigation equipment for your landscape. Read on for more information to help you design and manage your landscape for water efficiency.

Tuesday, February 27, 2024

Fungi Can Develop from Improper Irrigation

Fungi can be very problematic for our plants, and there are a lot of different fungi. In plants, there is a disease triangle that leads to plant diseases. For disease to develop, you must first have a pathogen, a susceptible host, and a favorable environment. Pathogens are common in the environment and just waiting for the right weather to occur and a susceptible host to infect. The environment can sometimes be altered by our plant management practices, such as overwatering or underwatering and improper irrigation practices can lead to more disease problems. That’s why it's so important, whenever possible, to choose disease resistant plants for our landscapes – both turf, fruits, vegetables and ornamentals.

Tuesday, January 16, 2024

Drought Tolerant Plants

With ongoing drought, conserving water in home, business and public landscapes is important. One way to conserve water is selecting drought tolerant plants. As a rule, a drought tolerant plant is one that can survive on average rainfall with little or no supplemental water once established.

Friday, December 15, 2023

Outdoor Water Management in Turfgrass Areas

Irrigation heads on the lawn projecting water blowing out of the irrigation system.

As we are ending 2023, the temperature high and/or low could be consistently at or less than 32°F with a possible chance of snow precipitation. For turfgrass areas in December, the process of dormancy for both warm and cool-season grasses has already occurred. In regards to water use in dormant lawns in cooler temperatures, December is not the time to use irrigation in grass areas. The Photo above is from Pioneer Underground Lawn Sprinklers. https://pioneerunderground.net/sprinkler-winterization-omaha/

Thursday, September 7, 2023

Efficient and Effective Tree Watering

Drought conditions have led to stress in established trees and difficulty starting young trees. With the need for supplemental watering, correct irrigation practices are important to tree health and efficient water use.

Fall is tree planting time and an important time to water established trees in the absence of adequate precipitation. Whether a new tree or an established tree, correct watering is important. Too little as well as too much water can lead to tree stress, a decline in growth, and water waste.

Wednesday, August 2, 2023

Boost Landscape Appeal with a Curb Strip Garden

Many urban landscapes have a forlorn narrow planting strip between the curb and sidewalk, otherwise known as a “hell strip”. Healthy curbside plantings help filter and absorb rainwater, preventing landscape fertilizers and other pollutants from entering storm drains.