Hello Lovers of BioGardener!

Rich and I have noticed an increase in questions about lawn problems, which seems to be proportional to the increase in hot dry weather during what has become a hellacious summer. As we stumble sweatily around town and the surrounding countryside, we’ve made some observations, philosophized on the current path of our society, and have formed a few opinions on water. We’re no geniuses, just ask our wives, but we wanted to share some of these revelations with you anyway.

1. Make no mistake, fresh water is and will continue to be a frightfully fragile resource. Especially in the center of the universe that is Central Texas, where everybody is moving to from God knows where I mean jeez is there a huge vacuum across the rest of the country as everyone all at once decided to pack it up and move here where are they all coming from!, this means some big big changes are coming.
2. During the summer, over 50% of the drinking water processed by the City of Austin is dumped on lawns. This means water treatment plants must be designed to process twice the volume they would otherwise have to process. That’s twice the building materials, twice the manpower, twice the maintenance, twice the infrastructure, and twice the pressure on the Colorado River both upstream and down.
3. Natural landscapes fluctuate with the seasons. Seasons in Central Texas are not like the ones in New England. Thousands and thousands of Central TX plants and the biological communities that depend on them have either evolved or have been created (or both) to deal with our unique seasons. Harsh, extreme, variable weather is the driving force that created the beauty of Central Texas. Anyone who appreciates the natural splendor of the Hill Country should thank our weather and embrace it, not fight it.
4. As plant and nature nerds, Rich and I are passionate and amazed by the natural landscape of this region. We strive to honor and compliment it in our work as landscapers. Even when we start melting.

The point of this journal entry is to ask that you consider something that might not seem logical from someone who depends on fast growing grass to bring home the bacon. We work with landscape architects who are much smarter and informed than we are. We talk to water experts who are frantically trying to figure out ways to convince people to conserve water. We watch in horror what is happening to places we love. We are convinced that the lawn of the future is not irrigated, manicured, monoculture lawns. Get used to that fact or water supply managers will force it on you sooner or later.

What can you do now? It would be sensational to beg everyone to destroy their sprinklers and start drinking their own urine to save water (which, they say, can be done safely for a few cycles.) Stray onto a different path that we’ve been on since suburbia was created 60 years ago and allow your landscape to be a little different. Let the St. Augustine in the sunny spot die and see what takes over instead, even coax it along by trying out some native groundcovers or perennials. Consider each water droplet in your landscape and the long path it took to get to the end of your hose. Consider the extraordinary burst of life in a wild field after a summer rainstorm. Enjoy the wonder and intellect of plants this time of year as they go dormant in response to this extreme drought, just waiting for that big rain so they can instantly wake up and turn green and sprout towards the sun. Allow yourself to be inspired by nature, allow yourself to follow its lead and maybe go a little dormant yourself. Let it be an excuse to slow down and discover the intricacies of life in extreme conditions.

Let your landscape live a little on the wild side, like taking the dog off the leash or letting a kid run around naked. If plants and the grass turns a little brown, don’t panic, it’s just their instinct. When you do water, follow the City of Austin day/time restrictions and water slow and deep. For those in clay soils, this means watering for a few minutes at a time, stopping for a few minutes to allow the water to seep down, and repeating so water penetrates deep into the soil and avoid running off. Have a professional irrigator check your sprinkler system as often as you can afford, and check regularly for spray where it shouldn’t be. Be sure beds are mulched at least 3-4″ deep, and apply a compost topdressing to your lawn when you can to help the soil hold water longer. Mow often so you’re not cutting down too much grass blade all at once. If we mow for you regularly, let us know if nothing is growing so we can skip you that week, then apply the saved money towards adding some native plants to your landscape. If a few things die, be happy that they gave you a chance to replace them with something that won’t next year.

Invest in water now while you can, and enjoy it responsibly while it lasts. Thanks for helping protect our resources, and thanks for the love.

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