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Post by SpringRain🕊️ on Apr 23, 2015 22:52:40 GMT -5
Lat, we're waiting...."inquiring minds want to know!"
And congratulations on the Presidency - I know you'll do an excellent job and hope that people take advantage of your wisdom.
DW, that's an excellent suggestion to bring the resource crisis to the attention of people who aren't "in the know", although I'm sure there will be some denials due to the proverbial "head in the sand" approach to denying something people don't want to believe or deal with.
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Post by Latitude33 on Apr 27, 2015 22:24:45 GMT -5
Thank you SR, you are too kind. My approach has been to create a greater community within the gardens as well as be a partner to the greater community.
Still no contact from Turf Terminators. I am inclined to believe that OR is right and my rebate values may be too low to be appealing. Having said that I will give them another two weeks and then take this on myself if I hear nothing.
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Post by desertwoman on Apr 27, 2015 22:33:59 GMT -5
Your CG is very fortunate to have you guiding. Congrats!! To all of you.
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Post by davidjp on Apr 28, 2015 10:49:22 GMT -5
One option for a lawn is to use the newly developed UC verde Buffalograss, uses 75% less water than regular and needs much less mowing, plus its a native grass. Downside is it goes dormant over winter but I see that as a plus as no watering at all for 4 months of the year when dormant. ccuh.ucdavis.edu/industry/ucverdeucverdebuffalograss.com/faq/
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Post by lilolpeapicker on Apr 28, 2015 16:33:42 GMT -5
Congrats Lat on your new position....Not only are you wise and have lots of experience...you are also funny! That always helps. Let's us know how things are going. And we can ever lend a helping hand or voice, we are here. :-[
It wouldn't surprise me if what Rex said about competition between neighbors....ridiculous as it is, there is that phrase "Keeping up with the Joneses"....it's been going on for years!
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Post by desertwoman on Apr 28, 2015 19:19:25 GMT -5
david- I haven't planted the UC verde buffalo grass, but I have planted buffalo grass seed that I get in bulk at the nursery. It is great. To keep it green, I water twice a month if we haven't had any rain. If no rain and I don't water during the summer it simply goes dormant like it does in the winter. It is considered a "warm season" grass meaning it greens up when it gets warm. Mine is just starting to green up, and will start to grow in length in another couple of weeks. I mow it 2 or 3 times during the growing season. I start a new patch of buffalo grass in late February or early March with plugs that I make in the 72 cells/tray. Then I plant them on a 10" grid in June. They are about 90% filled in by fall. The trick is to crush the seed pods (I do it with a hammer) while chanting (I kid you not ) "I am the buffalo" to speed up the germination. I was originally told, many years ago, that the seed can take up to a month to sprout. Mine sprout in about 7-10 days. I like to think that the grass, native to the plains, probably had the help of buffalo crushing those hard pods. This is newly planted plugs in early June In the background is buffalo grass I had planted the year before. After some mowings and a year or two it fills in like any lawn. This is 2 months later, in mid-late August I also planted blue gramma grass- another native- by direct seed. It can also fill in like a lawn if you mow it a few times.
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Post by davidjp on Apr 28, 2015 23:08:31 GMT -5
Looks really lovely, very inspirational.
I have a Bermuda lawn now which I actually quite like as its pretty drought tolerant and I don't mind it going brown in winter or summer as long as it provides a playing plus running surface for dogs/kids.
But after seeing your photos I may have to go buffalo. I've been to talks from the group that helped develop this variety and they were very enthusiastic about it but then I guess they would be. Fescue seems predominant round here as its bright green pretty much all the time but I think its ridiculous here really. If you look up the University of California watering recommendations fescue is the last one to be choosing at least around here.
That's for posting those lovely photos
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Post by claude on May 8, 2015 6:59:21 GMT -5
DW..how beautiful! Did you make the oven? Is it an oven? Lol
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Post by claude on May 8, 2015 7:16:33 GMT -5
I used to love the look of manicured lawns before I knew any better and I love the smell of cut grass. My husband always strived to have a nice lawn. But as we've learned more we don't use the stuff that lawns require ...and still its full lush and green. I am a firm believer in if its green, we cut it. I compost my grass. There's a lot of weedy seed so I compost longer. If I could do a xeriscape, I would.
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Post by desertwoman on May 8, 2015 9:38:03 GMT -5
DW..how beautiful! Did you make the oven? Is it an oven? Lol The oven is called an "horno" ("H" is silent) It is a traditional oven used for roasting chicos (like posole or hominy), bread and meats. We did not build it. It is about 60 years old built by the original owners of this property
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Post by SpringRain🕊️ on May 8, 2015 10:06:23 GMT -5
DW, your yard is the epitome of peacefulness. I love seeing your photos.
Your blue gramma grass is interesting - it looks just like a full lawn. Does it need to be mowed as often? I googled it and learned that it can grow as tall as 20", which is more than I would want. I'm thinking something that just stays low and grows slow (no rhyme intended). I just don't want grass that needs to be mowed weekly, as mine is now becoming.
I've been thinking about Lat's situation as well as the possibility of converting my own lawn, and wondered if anyone has created a ground cover lawn? Some oregano migrated from my garden to the front lawn, grows nicely, but also gets mowed down because of the fragrance it releases. I was thinking how wonderful it would be to mow a lawn that smelled of various herbs.
I know there are a lot of low growing herbs, including the creeping thymes, but it does take awhile for them to fill in to create a lawn. I might add Sweet Woodruff, some lilies of the valley, orange thyme, and others which I haven't decided on yet.
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Post by desertwoman on May 8, 2015 10:39:06 GMT -5
SR- the blue gramma is a slow growing native so you definitely do not have to mow it every week. It takes several weeks to get tall (I've never had it get to 20", but about 12" when it has formed it's famous "eye lash" seed heads. It's really pretty, swaying in the breeze. I like both looks- the well manicured cut version and the native wilder look, so I go between the two, mowing probably 3 times the entire growing season. But you could easily mow every 3 weeks and still have a relatively groomed look. It (and the buffalo grass too ) has been greening up over the past 4 or so weeks but it has not gained any substantial length yet. And yes, I have created a ground cover lawn. At the house in town I planted a retiree thyme lawn (which requires less water than other thymes) seen here: organicgroup.freeforums.net/post/265I also have areas planted with Veronica speedwell- a ground cover that blooms in May, with a lighter rebloom later in summer. I'll look for a photo later.
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Post by desertwoman on May 8, 2015 10:41:47 GMT -5
And not only is mowing the thyme lawn a treat, lying in it on a summer afternoon is wonderful too.
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Post by Latitude33 on May 9, 2015 13:52:22 GMT -5
Like minds...herbal ground cover and "stepables" is what I am slowly working on in the back. Tree of Life that David suggested is likely where I'll go for assistance. If anyone is curious here is their site: www.californianativeplants.com
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Post by Latitude33 on Jun 6, 2015 10:28:24 GMT -5
Update number @!%&*! ;) Finally gave up on the Turf Terminator folks. For grins and giggles I checked them again on Yelp and my how the opinions have shifted. Many people with the same or worse frustrations. Anyway, bad energy I don't need. Hope they get their act together. Making my plant lists and sketching some designs...the old fashion way with pencil, paper, scale and a landscape template. Reaching out today to Landscape Dude, Reynado, for an estimate on the sod removal. Stay tuned...
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