Pros & Cons of Artificial Turf

Lawns can be an environmental nightmare when you live in a climate like Southern California. Water use, due to restrictions in 2009, is down to levels of 25 years ago. Cost savings can be substantial for this alternative. Here are some facts to consider:

PROS:
-Maintenance on synthetic sod is once a year at $350
-Life expectancy is 20 years, with warranty 8-12 years
-Synthetic turf will pay for itself in 2-3 years
-Clean up after pets is easy: scoop or rake then rinse with a hose
-Yard debris can be raked, blown or vacuumed easily
-No worries with lawn disease or pest problems


CONS:


-Upfront costs are about 80% higher than sod
-It isn't "real" grass (but it looks real)
-When the temperature rises, so does the turf temp
-Ecologically: it does not return oxygen to the air


read more..http://ecoalliance.com

The Focus Remains: Water  

Even with the amount of rain we have received this winter, our depleted water supply remains at a critical state. Water conservation and restrictions are now a way of life for us in Southern California. There are still funds available to homeowners for rebates on water saving landscape upgrades to your current irrigation system:


Smart Timers (weather based irrigation controllers)
Rotor Spray Heads (rotating sprinkler heads)
Synthetic Turf


There is still about 87% of the funds available for this rebate program, so check it out and cash in on the savings. Also available for rebates are clothes washers and water saving toilets.


read on...
https://conservationrebates.com

Landscaping Tips for March!

Plants

•  Pennisetum ''Purple Fountain Grass'' and Miscanthus ''Siver Grass'' should be pruned down to the ground before new growth begins.  This will assure a plant full of fresh beautiful growth.  As a side note on the Purple Fountain Grass, you can cut them down again in September if they are huge and falling over.  They will re-grow quickly and look much cleaner during the dormant winter months.

 *TIP -  No need to be gentle, use the power hedge trimmers for this.*


•  Liriope ''Lily Turf'' is another common grass like perennial that can be cut down now just as the new growth is emerging.  Liriope push this new growth in the early spring and you can use this opportunity to get rid of all that snail damaged foliage. Be careful not to cut off the new shoots or you’ll be stuck with blunt tipped foliage for a year.

Water Saving




•  Mulch, mulch, mulch!  Hold in that awesome rain we are having as long as you can.  The trees are done dropping leaves so no need to worry about raking up your mulch along with the leaves.  A nice thick layer of shredded wood mulch this month will help keep your sprinklers off and keep those weeds at bay.  We use a bulk wood mulch called “Forest Floor” that in my opinion is much more natural looking than the bagged mulches.




Annual Color



•  We are still planting Snaps, Pansies and Violas as they will hang on nicely through late spring.  Primroses and Cyclamen still look great, but as soon as it warms up they are toast.  I just saw Marigolds available in a nursery.  There is still a chance of frost damage on summer color like Marigolds, Petunias, Impatiens and Begonias unless you are on the coast.  Here is Los Angeles we can still get frost in the canyons and valleys.  If you can’t resist the marigolds, don’t forget about the snails.  They most definitely won’t forget to eat them overnight.