Lawns, Gardens & Landscapes

Mid-late spring or early summer is the prime time to conduct a private well maintenance check. Winter can be especially hard on outdoor systems; surfaces and landscaping that are subject to the elements. Getting in the habit of inspecting and maintaining your well system in the spring and the fall is a good habit to get into. It will help ensure everything operates efficiently and can potentially save you from shelling out money for costly repairs.

INSPECTION

Spring is here and that often means its time start outdoor projects. Whether you are spading in new trees, putting in a koi pond or other excavated landscape features, drilling a new well, or installing a new onsite wastewater system, you want to make sure a ‘Locate Request’ has been submitted to Nebraska811 before digging.

Nebraska811 is the statewide one-call notification center, set up by Nebraska state law. It is the link between people who want to excavate and the underground facility owners/operators.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, most of Nebraska is experiencing some level of drought, ranging from "Abnormally Dry" to "Extreme Drought". Lancaster county is currently classified with “moderate drought” conditions.

National Groundwater Awareness Week is March 9–15, making it the perfect time to talk about groundwater in Nebraska! What exactly is groundwater? It is the water below the earth’s surface that fills the interconnected voids and cracks in and around soil particles, sand, gravel and rock — all of this is what we call an aquifer.

During the growing season, up to 30 percent of residential water use is for outdoor use. Of this, the majority often goes towards watering lawns and gardens. And so, using water conserving landscape design, soil health practices, wise plant selection, and efficient irrigation has high potential for conserving water. 

A design principle to use is grouping plants based on their irrigation needs. When designing landscape beds and borders, separate them into zones such as no irrigation, once a month irrigation, twice a month, or weekly irrigation.