“Green” Up Your Life, Lawn and Landscape in Honor of Earth Day

Monday, April 22 is Earth Day, and Horticulturalist Patrick Dickinson and Water Expert Denise Hickey share ways for you to “green” up your life, lawn and landscape. Read on or watch the WFAA recap below.

More than planting trees
It’s important to change your focus to a more holistic view within your landscape. Trees are the most valuable part of our landscapes, and yet there are so many more elements to being “green.” Plant the right native and adaptive plants in your landscape and plan to water them efficiently. Whether you have an automatic sprinkler or not, ensure you water deep enough and less often to encourage deep root systems.

Maintenance of your landscape is key. Mowing your grass at the recommended taller heights prevents it from drying out faster. Make sure to put out mulch at least annually to help hold moisture and control weeds. Doing this simple step also means you use less herbicides, too.

If you haven’t yet  signed up to learn when to water and when to wait, visit WaterMyYard.org and get weekly watering alerts. You can also invest in an inexpensive moisture meter to check if you need to water.

Save water from a rainy day
A great way to give back to the earth is rainwater harvesting. With a few simple tools and supplies, you can collect precious rainwater that falls from your roof to use in your lawn, your plants and your garden when needed. You can even wash your car using rainwater! Now is the perfect time to install a rainwater collection system to have when needed the most.

WaterUniversity.TAMU.edu has a great video available on how to build your own rain barrel. Or, visit your home city’s website to see about attending a rain barrel class. Sometimes the fee for these classes includes all the info and supplies you need. And remember if someone tells you that you cannot harvest rainwater, that’s a big myth! No one in the State of Texas, including municipalities, HOAs or your next door neighbor can tell you that harvesting rainwater is not allowed or illegal. In fact, in the state of Texas if you are harvesting 500 gallons or less, no one can require you to obtain a permit or permission to install a system as long as you are doing it safely.

For more information go to WaterUniversity.Tamu.Edu and WaterMyYard.Org.