Maintaining Native Gardens and Leak Detection. BAWSCA and the City of Palo Alto May 26, 2018 Sherri D. Osaka Sustainable Landscape Designs

Transcription

1 Maintaining Native Gardens and Leak Detection BAWSCA and the City of Palo Alto May 26, 2018 Sherri D. Osaka Sustainable Landscape Designs

2 Maintenance Topics Planting Propagation Pruning Soils Irrigation Favorite tools Resources Learn how maintenance of water-conserving landscapes differs from that of traditional landscapes, including the care and maintenance of native and drought-tolerant plants, soil, and irrigation devices. The lecture will also cover a brief detecting irrigation system issues such as leaks and clogs and how to clear them.

3 Maintenance Budget How much time can you spend on the garden? How much time does your garden require? How to equate the two! Reduce the amount of maintenance required Work smart Get help!

4 Garden/ Garden Study City of Santa Monica Traditional Garden Native Garden

5 Garden /Garden Study City of Santa Monica

6 Garden /Garden Study City of Santa Monica

7 Garden /Garden Study City of Santa Monica 71% less labor!

8 Remove/ reduce your lawn

9 Landscape Replacement Rebates Santa Clara Valley Water District $1/ square foot ($2 in Cost Sharing Areas) $2,000 max. ($3,000 in cost sharing areas) 50% covered with plants Drip, microspray emitters or bubblers No pop-up sprays Mulch

10 Good Design Saves Time Properly spaced plants Grouped by hydrozone Low Medium High heights Screening Creates/ takes advantage of views Well-designed irrigation

11 Planting

12 How to Plant Natives What type of soil do you have? Ribbon test Canning jar test How fast does it drain? Mediterranean climate

13 Jar Test

14 Drainage is best when: Greater than 1 per hour and Less than 6 per hour Measure how fast it drains. This soil drained 2 ½ per hour.

15 Annual Precipitation MINNEAPOLIS 28 BUFFALO 39 BOSTON 44 LINCOLN 28 CHICAGO 36 COLUMBUS 38 RALEIGH 43 ATLANTA 49 DALLAS 29 MIAMI 58

16 Combination of clay soil, plus Watering when it s warm Can foster crown and root rots cfm?imgnum= Potential Problems

17 Woolly Blue Curls Cleveland Sage Natives Susceptible to Rots

18 Flannel bush Natives Susceptible to Rots Ceanothus

19 Berms

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22 Add Compost Adds drainage Aggregates the clay particles Holds more water Fine Gardening Article Improving Clay Soils

23 Planting technique

24 See Yerba Buena Nursery Garden Guides Amelanchier alnifolia Aralia californica* Arctostaphylos bakeri 'Louis Edmunds'** Arctostaphylos 'Dr Hurd'** Arctostaphylos edmundsii 'Carmel Sur'** Arctostaphylos 'Green Supreme'** Arctostaphylos densiflora 'Howard McMinn'** Arctostaphylos densiflora 'Sentinel'** Aristolochia californica Artemisia douglasiana* Serviceberry Elk Clover Serpentine Manzanita Dr. Hurd's Manzanita Carmel Sur Manzanita Green Supreme Manzanita McMinn's Manzanita Sentinel Manzanita Dutchman's Pipevine Mugwort Clay-Tolerant Species

25 Soil Care

26 The Soil Problem Loss of natural capital: No top soil Lifeless soil Benefits of healthy soils Support plant growth Holds water Cleans water

27 Soil protection No top soil at new housing development, Water puddles, won t soak in Won t support plant life

28 Soil Biology It s Alive! From Soil Biology Primer published by Soil and Water Conservation Society

29 Nitrogen Cycle Courtesy EPA, Source:

30 Soil Biology & Plant Health From Soil Biology Primer published by Soil and Water Conservation Society

31 Eliminate Waste - Mulching Top: chipped plants to be used as mulch Mulch prunings and removed plants Keep arbor chips after professional tree service Create own mulch with electric chipper or leaf shredder Below: electric chipper Right: arbor chips

32 Eliminate Waste Grass Cycling

33 Eliminate Waste, Feed the Soil Compost! Closed bins: 4 parts shredded leaves, 1 part vegetable waste. Can also add dried and crushed egg shells Open bins: 4 parts shredded leaves, 1 part used coffee grounds by weight. Can also add dried and crushed egg shells Biostack compost bin (made from recycled plastic)

34 Improving Soil Biology Add living compost and compost tea Keep soil planted Use cover crops to add nitrogen & organic matter Keep plant litter on top of soils or add mulch Have soil tested Add organic amendments only as required No tilling No chemicals or petrochemicals No solarization Photo:

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37 Soil Health References Teaming with Microbes: A Gardener s Guide to the Soil Food Web by Jeff Lowenfels & Wayne Lewis Worms Eat my Garbage by Mary Appelhof Soil Biology Primer by Soil and Water Conservation Society

38 Propagating Techniques Seeds Cuttings Dividing Air layering

39 Seed Starting Materials Vermiculite Perlite Peat moss or coir Potting Soil 4 pots

40 Seed Starting Set Up - Outdoor

41 Seed Starting Set Up - Indoor

42 Taking Cuttings Faster than seed Exact duplicate of the parent Bottom heat can help 1 part peat to 5 parts perlite or pure perlite

43 Propagating Tips Easiest when plants are actively growing Types of plants to propagate: Divide grasses, iris (late Oct/ early Nov) Cuttings of soft perennials Seaside daisy Coral bells

44 Easy Natives to Propagate from Cuttings Willows (!!!), Salix spp Snowberries, Symphoricarpus spp Sticky monkeyflowers, Mimulus spp Beard tongue, Penstemon spp Mallows, Lavatera and Malocothamnus spp Red-twig dogwood, Cornus sericea Matilija poppy instructions in Fremontia quarterly newsletter, Vol. 36, No. 4, page 18 (on the web)

45 Coral bells or Heuchera

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49 Starting cuttings demonstration

50 Dividing Iris Grasses Reeds, Juncus spp Sedges, Carex spp

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54 Air Layering Evergreen currant, Ribes viburnifolium Dutchman s pipe vine, Aristolochia californica

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58 Propagation Resources References: Seed Propagation of Native California Plants by Dara E. Emery, 1988 Growing California Native Plants by Marjorie G. Schmidt, 1980 YouTube Videos listserv

59 Weeds

60 Flamer - use with caution on windy dry days! Peaceful Valley Farm & Garden Supply

61 Sheet Mulching Several methods Plant first, then sheet mulch Cut in Plant on top 76

62 Sheet Mulching Plant First Method Newspaper Sheet Mulch 4-6 layers 77

63 Sheet Mulching Cut In Method 78

64 Small Areas

65 Weedy Areas

66 Bermuda Grass Warm season grass, turns brown in the winter Grows by stolons Very difficult to remove

67 Fast Method Bermuda Grass Removal Two passes of sod cutter Lightly till Rake out all roots Sheet mulch Plant on top of sheet mulch is best Hand weed any strays immediately

68 Plant On Top Demonstration

69 Slow Method Bermuda Grass Removal Scalp the grass in late spring Sheet mulch Leave the mulch all summer and cook the grass Do NOT water Plant on top of sheet mulch in the fall Hand weed any strays immediately

70 Types of Paper Recycled newspaper Cardboard boxes Recycled content paper Cardboard rolls

71 Mulch Types Shredded leaves Arbor chips Wood chips free from SmartStation for Mt View, Los Altos, Palo Alto, and Sunnyvale residents Purchased bark mulch Purchased recycled mulch Premium arbor mulch Shredded leaves

72 Mulch Amounts 3 deep = 0.25 feet or ¼ of the square footage of the area 1000 square feet requires 250 cubic feet of mulch 250 cubic feet/ 27 = 9.25 cubic yards Or over 9 cubic yards of material

73 Free Mulch Local arborists Chip Drop Natural Arbor Care web site Use shredded leaves instead of woody mulch

74 Detail of Sheet Mulching

75 Pruning Shearing Coppicing/ stooling Cane growers Grasses and others Pinching

76 When to Prune Pruning stimulates growth, it does NOT control it Don t prune right before frost when tender foliage will burn Don t prune right before plant goes dormant Prune some plants during the summer when it is dry Prune once you see new growth About six months prior to blooming is a good rule of thumb Prune spring bloomers once they start to regrow

77 Shearing Some Natives Arctostaphylos densiflora, Howard McMinn s Manzanita, Summer, Shearing is a bad idea for most other manzanitas Prunus ilicifolia, Hollyleaf Cherry, Summer, Rhus ovata, Sugar Bush, Summer, Rhus integrifolia, Lemonade Berry, Summer, Myrica californica, Wax Myrtle, Summer, Salvia species, Sage, Summer, do not cut into old wood/interior of plant!

78 Hollyleaf Cherry Prunus ilicifolia

79 Coppicing

80 Natives to Coppice Baccharis pilularis, Coyote Bush, Early Spring, Highly recommended! Necessary every 2-4 years Carpenteria californica, Bush Anemone, Early Spring, May lose flowers for a year or two but shrub looks dramatically nicer Cercis occidentalis, Redbud, Fall, Excellent for rejuvenating old thinning specimen Cornus sericea, Red-twig Dogwood, Early Spring, Enhances shape and redness of stems - recommended! Encelia californica, Brittlebush, Winter, Cut to 4" stub for bushy plant next year Heteromeles arbutifolia, Toyon, Summer, Creates dense shrub from old, tree-like specimens Philadelphus lewisii, Mock Orange, Summer, If specimen is sparse and woody this will create a dense shrub again Rhamnus californica, Coffeeberry, Early Spring, Do only with old, open specimens Sambucus mexicana, Blue Elderberry, Early Spring, Creates pleasing mounded shrub Symphoricarpos albus, Snowberry, Winter, Rejuvenates old patches that have gotten woody

81 Cane Growers

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86 Grasses

87 Leafy reed grass

88 Muhlenbergia rigens Deer grass