Primetime
Newspapers
Week of August 4, 2003
Submitted by Calvin Finch,
Ph.D., Conservation Director, San Antonio Water System, and Horticulturist
Is your lawn using too much water this summer? Have you gained some weight and are looking forward to cooler weather so you can get some exercise outside? Make a note on your calendar in December to top dress the lawn with compost and you can be in good shape for next summer.
Are you planning to buy a new home soon and want to have a beautiful lawn but do not want to spend hundreds of dollars on water bills? If so, make sure that the builder includes at least 4 inches of soil enriched with 2 inches of compost under the lawn. The good news is that SAWS will help you cover any added costs with its Welcome Home Rebate and the rest will be made up by your first summer’s water cost savings.
Are your plants beat by the heat and sucking up too much water? Mulch is the answer. These three uses of organic material—top dressing, soil preparation, and mulching—will make your plants perform better and save you money on your water bill.
Top dressing is the way we add organic material to
an established lawn. Top dressing is compost that is added one half inch deep
to an established lawn. Some top dressing mixes include sand. To me, sand is
cheap filler. Use the potent part of the mix, pure compost, to achieve the most
effect for your dollar. Apply the compost after a yearly or bi-yearly aeration
and the impact is especially desirable. Compost in the root zone improves both
drainage and water-holding capacity by contributing to soil structures that
have large and small air channels. The water stores in small channels, but air
and excessive water can move through the large channels.
Apply the compost by shovel in December through March or have it applied by machine by Oak Hills Top Soil (830-249-3575). The material costs about $25/cubic yard delivered or about $65 applied. A cubic yard covers about 650 sq. ft. of lawn, a cheap way to invigorate the turf. It is estimated that compost applied to the lawn can save 50% of your water needs. It may not be that much, but it is certainly enough to quickly repay your investment in water cost saved in just one summer.
Every lawn in the San Antonio area should have at least 4 inches of soil under any lawn grass and 2 inches of compost should be incorporated into the soil. With 4 inches of soil your lawn can prosper with irrigation once per week and take advantage of rainfall. The soil is the reservoir for the lawn. It is where the lawn obtains nutrients and water. If there is less than 4 inches of soil and the soil does not contain organic material, there is very little reservoir. It does not matter if we get a good rain; there is no soil to store water until the roots can utilize it.
If your new home site does not include at least 4
inches of soil and you are not interested in adding compost, stick to native
plants and a rustic Hill Country look. The native landscape can survive and
will not bankrupt you trying to keep it watered. The good news is that the
Greater San Antonio Builders Association (GSABA) is taking the leadership on
this issue. Beginning in January 2006 they will support an ordinance requiring
4 inches of soil under all new lawns in San Antonio. In the meantime, SAWS will
help cover the costs of a low-water-use landscape (including soil) for new
homebuyers with the Welcome Home rebate. Check the SAWS website at saws.org or
call Karen Guz at 704-7354 for more information.
Mulch is another important use of organic material to save water in South Texas. An organic mulch of leaves, shredded brush, bark, or lawn clippings reduces water evaporation from the soil surface. As an added dividend, mulch keeps the soil cool so roots can function near the surface, prevents soil compaction, reduces weed germination, and decomposes to provide the same benefits as compost.
Apply 4 inches of shredded brush on the soil surface over the roots of newly planted trees and shrubs to increase the growth rate by 40 or 50 percent over plants where the grass is allowed to grow over the roots. Use live oak leaves 2 inches deep in the vegetable and flower gardens to reduce water needs and increase performance. Combine mulch with drip irrigation and your gardens are almost as water efficient as xeriscape plants.