SAWS: WaterSaver Newsletter

Monday, August 24, 2009

Post-Drought Dreaming
By Mark Peterson

Visit saws.org for a list of low-water-use plants, gardening tips, and other low-maintenance landscaping advice.

Surveying the hot and parched San Antonio landscape, many homeowners begin dreaming of the day when they are free from the worries of brown grass and one watering day. Is such a day possible and what can we do in the meantime?

Your best bet is to re-evaluate your landscape and switch to less water-needy plants, or even maintain native plants – they require only minimal care. Our WaterSaver Landscape Rebate is one way to transition from a landscape shackled to water and regulation to one that is verdant, but drought tolerant and free from the worries of weekly watering. For commercial landscapes, there are many opportunities through our new Irrigation Retrofit program, which encourages drip and proper zonal irrigation.

Plants that remain healthy and attractive with only bimonthly irrigation are not a dream. In fact, the list is quite lengthy. Sages, lantanas, cupheas, daisies, Pride of Barbados, esperanza, and firebush comprise just a short list for sunny locations. Turk's cap, Persian shield, shrimp plant, cedar sage and Argentine oxalis can be planted in the shade.

But true freedom comes from limiting your grass area, and mulching new and existing beds. In other words, when you have to water less, you worry less. Add drip irrigation and mulch to the expanded beds and you will be truly free from drought and regulations.

Go ahead, dream that possible dream.

Mark Peterson is a conservation project coordinator for San Antonio Water System.

Last Digit of Street Address	Watering Day
0 or 1	Monday
2 or 3	Tuesday
4 or 5	Wednesday
6 or 7	Thursday
8 or 9	Friday
No watering on weekends with a sprinkler, soaker hose or irrigation system. Areas without a street address, such as medians and neighborhood entryways, water on Wednesday.

Watering with an irrigation system or sprinkler is allowed only once a week from 3-8 a.m. and 8-10 p.m. on your designated watering day as determined by your address.

More Stage Two rules

Monday, Aug. 24, 2009

0.5 in.	Bermuda (Full Sun)
0 in.	Buffalo (Full Sun)
0.75 in.	St. Augustine (Full Sun)
0.5 in.	St. Augustine (Shade)
0.75 in.	Zoysia (Full Sun)
0.5 in.	Zoysia (Shade)

Remarks:

Use water judiciously to avoid further water restrictions. Concentrate water on high value shrubs and perennials. Donna Fossum, Conservation Planner.

My trees seem to be covered with a web literally overnight and there are little black bugs underneath the web. Is this going to kill the tree?

What you describe is bark lice. They are not harmful, but rather they provide a service to trees by cleaning off excess organic matter on the bark.

E-mail your question to GardenGeek@saws.org

Go Fig

Figs are ripening now. But to ensure large, ripe fruit remove about a quarter of them, mulch with 4 inches of woodchips, and water deeply only once a month.

Hummingbird Help

You don't have to do much to attract hummingbirds to your garden or feeder. But there are things you should do to avoid making them ill. Keep fresh nectar in your feeders. During the heat of the summer, replace the sugar water in your feeders at least once a week. It's not necessary to add red color to the water.

Parade of Homes

September 5-13
TerraMont, near
La Cantera and The Rim

Parade of Homes showcases the latest trends and styles in custom home building in San Antonio. SAWS and the Bexar County Master Gardeners will be on hand to provide water-saving information. For information and admission cost, click here.

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Questions or comments? We would love to hear from you! Contact us at conserve@saws.org