Replacing Your Lawn with low water use Native Plants
1.Formulate a plan.
2. COSTS
3.Differences in cost.
1. Formulate a plan.
A. Decide how much area is to be replaced and the low water use plant material (mostly native) to replace same.
B. Either remove the top six inches of sod or purchase the herbicide needed to control lawn and weeds of lawn and apply. You can sometimes remove the lawn with a sod cutter(weighs about 500 pounds and cuts the top 1-2 inches of grass off). If you try to hand remove the sod I suggest hiring ten gorillas or giving yourself a year. If you do hand remove the lawn, you will hate all lawns by the time you are done and be in far better shape.
C. Allow 1-2 months (minimum) of time to control the weeds.
cc.Water the lawn area. The weeds can be killed only when actively growing. Do not try to kill Bermuda grass when it is dormant.
ccc. When the grass is growing vigorously spray with herbicide.
cccc. Two days later water again. (The idea being that you need to germinate the second crop of weeds that did not emerge the first time.) Continue to
water and fertilize moderately to heavily for at least one month.
ccccc. If nothing at all comes up, you are done with this portion and can now plant. If you see weeds , repeat the cycle.Do your 'removal' or 'kill', water and wait. Much more effective if you can do that a couple of times. You can cover the area with mulch after the second 'control' so your neighbors will stop being petty.
D. If you have a sprinkler in place, retrofit it with a low water use (usually spot-spray) system by using adapters or change the heads to low volume/low water use heads. Plan on watering with spot-spray
for 4-8 hours or with low volume heads (Mp rotator series) for 3-4 hours once per week for the first few weeks. (If the new plants match
the site's requirements (rainfall, climate, soil, etc.) you only need to water twice a year, at the end of the rainy season, on most sites. Use this water to water in our
pre-emergent weed control.). Place drip emitters 2-3 ft. away from the plants after the first year or the life of the plants will be undeniably shortened or altered.
E. Now set out your new plants. Plant them a distance apart that is about equal to their mature size less 10%. A good example is Baccharis pilularis 'Pigeon Point'.
This plant grows to 10-12 ft. across and plants should be set out 10 ft. apart. Many people plant these 1-2 ft. apart and the plants climb on top of each other. If the plants
are planted too close they will compete with each other and you will have dying/dead plants and weeds.... DO NOT use soil amendments. (Mulches are excellent; see
below.) Plan for the average maximum height, so as not to have to prune anything.
F. Apply pre-emergent weed control over the area and then water it in.
These herbicides prevent about 98% of the weeds from germinating. They only stop root tip development in the top 1/4 inch of soil. (If you're a root tip they're toxic.) Keep an eye on the site or the
2% will bury you.
This whole scenario works the easiest if you start in the spring and plant the new landscape in the winter, but you can achieve the low water use anytime by turning the water off. Planting can be done all year.
The major problem in gardens is watering and the resulting weeds/dead plants. Do not water more often than once/week (after the initial watering). Go
after the weeds with no holds barred, use your teeth and feet. If you manage control of the weeds the first year and maintain a pre-emergent program until the neighbors control their
weeds, the landscaping gets real easy.
Mother nature 'sees' a lawn area as a fresh water marsh. Converting a fresh water marsh to a drier site can be very difficult if you do not pay attention to details. Mow off any debris. Do not leave the weed debris, it is really, REALLY, negative to native plants. Use good mulch and low water use native plants that live in together your area. If the area was in sod and overwatered and fertilized for years plant a blow out yard with sages and monkey flowers, wait a year, then plant your final dream yard of Ceanothus and manzanitas. Or figure your first crop of native perennials and sub-shrubs is going to blow up and die early from the excess fertility and salts and you'll need to plant again. This is one of the reasons, (along with drip and soil amending), why you hear about short lived native plants. Once you get past the first year or two your natives start living a more normal life. .
Budget between 6-12 months time for heavy weed control in weed- infested lawns and extra money for mulches. Use rock mulches
(boulders to +"sized gravel) for desert plants-grassland plants. Usually use shredded redwood bark/ coarse wood chips ( see mulch table in catalog) for forest plants. Use comfortable boulders(if you can't pick it up, it ain't comfortable) and mulch for the chaparral woodland species.
The mulch must be about 3" deep to work properly.
In review:
A. Work out a plan of attack and planting.
B. Spray to control the lawn and weeds.
C. Stockpile the mulch.
D. When the weeds are controlled purchase our pre-emergent(s) and plants.
E.Apply pre-emergent herbicide (and water in), and cover all with mulch.
(Do not till, make 'burial' mounds, fake creeks or install pink flamingoes for the bird gods. The dead lawn should not become part of the mulch. Remove the debris.)
F. Move the mulch out of the way for each plant. Then remove the top one shovelful of soil from the hole(put that soil in an area where you want weed control) so
that it will not be the shovelful that is put at the bottom of the hole around the growing root tips of the new plant. The next shovelful dig out and save, set our new plant
into the hole, use our shovelful to fill in around the plant. Now spread the mulch back over the soil, bringing it near but not next to the base of the plant, and voila!
When the whole site has been planted, water, water, water. This is the start- up for the system and is very important!
G. Check the soil ( one finger length down )under the mulch every week or so for the first summer(or dry period) . If it is dry, water. After the first year water
only to apply pre-emergent or to bring the rainfall up to the level the plants need. (If the new planting is native to an area of 35" of rainfall and the rainfall in the planted
area is 20" water during the rainy season to bring the total irrigation up to 35". Do not water in the summer unless: the new plants live in creekside habitats, the new
plants are from desert areas(real low water use plants!), the new plants are from areas that receive appreciable amounts of summer fog drip (in this situation apply overhead watering for short
periods of time to wet the leaves and the mulch and approximately the top + inch of soil .
Good Luck!! 
2. Costs, Take a Look At Variable Water Usage and Sprinkler Types.
(Although the costs are out of date the ratios still hold.)
A. If the lawn is 20' by 50', or 1000 sq. ft., ( most yards are about 3000 sq. ft.) and is watered 10 min. once/day, you will use about 8400 gallons/ month at a cost of
between....$8.00 to $19.00/month
$96.00 to $228.00/year
B. If the same lawn is watered 15 minutes 3 times per week with Toro 570 or Rainbird 1800 sprinklers, you will use about 5400 gallons of water per month. ..............$5 to
12/ month
$61 to 144/ year
C. If the lawn is watered twice per week with Hunter #3 and #5 or Toro 300 for 60 minutes the water use will drop to 4500 gallons per month. ...............................$4 to
10/ month
$50 to 123/year
D. If the lawn is watered once per week for 90 minutes(which is what I recommend for the healthiest lawn) the water use drops to 3400 gallons per month....................$3
to 8/ month
$38 to 93/year
E. Using a conventional sprinkler that uses 8gal/min and covers an area 15'round (moved six times at 40 minutes/), water use would be about 8000 gallons/month.........$8
to 18/month
$90-219/year
F. Using an oscillating sprinkler for 90 minutes once per week the water use would be about 3900 gallons/month.(This will leave the margins a little burnt, but be Ok for old
established lawns of Bermuda grass or weeds.)...............$5 to 9/ month
$63 to 107/ year
G. Hand watering daily for 45 minutes with a hose will use about 13,000 gallons/month(shocking isn't it!). $12 to 30/month
$146 to 357/year
H. If the lawn is replaced with a groundcover planted 5'apart, put on 1 gallon/hour and watered 4 hours/week, the water use is 700 gallons per month.......................$.65 to
1.50/month
$8.00 to 18.00/year
3. Differences In Cost.
A. A 20-50' lawn with an automatic system costs (if you install yourself), per year with a 20 year life.
1. Seed and topping .(with labor at $4.00)................$5.00
2. Sprinklers(Toro 570) & Timer...(labor at $4.00).......$25.00
3. Lawn mower,(lasting 10 years).........................$55.00
4. Time to mow(at minimum wage $4.00).(45 minutes,mow&edge)
$156.00
5. Water(65,000 gallons/year at $.7 /100cu.ft.).........$61.00
5a. (65,000 gallons /year at $1.71/100 cu. ft.).......$150.00
6. Fertilizer and sprays................................. $25.00
Total/year.........................Total for ten years..............................
Aa. A 20-50' lawn with an automatic system costs (if you have it installed), per year with 20 year life
1. Seed and topping(with labor of leveling at $25/)..... $15.00
2. Sprinklers(Toro 570) & Timer (labor at $25/)...........$45.00
3. Lawn mower,(lasting 10 years).........................$55.00
4. Lawn maintained professionally.......................$600.00 5. Water(at $.7/100cu.ft.)...............................$61.00
5a. Water(at $1.71/100 cu. ft.).........................$150.00
6. Fertilizer and sprays.................................$25.00
Total/year..............................................$801.00
Total/ 10 years........................................$8010.00
B. A 20-50' groundcover using an automatic system(if you install it yourself), per year (a ten year life).
1. Plants(Arctostaphylos Hookerii 'Wayside')$4.00/X 40.....$16.00
2. Sprinklers (first class drip, PVC, not polyethene, poly is cheaper but gophers and people cut it).(labor at $4.00)....$35.00
3. Preemergent(a weed killer that stops weeds).............$10.00
4. Time to weed (at $4.00/hr.)(35 min./week).............$104.00
5. Water(8400 gallons/year at $.7/100cu.ft.)................$8.00
5a. Water( at $1.71/ 100 cu. ft.)..........................$19.00
Total/year................................................$172.00
Total for ten years......................................$1728.00
Ba. A 20-50' groundcover using an automatic system (if you have it installed and maintained), per year (ten year life).
1. Plants..................................................$16.00
2. Sprinklers(as above installed at $25.)..................$75.00
3. Professional Maintenance ..............................$360.00
5. Water....................................................$8.00
Total/year................................................$459.00
Total/10 years...........................................$4590.00
C. A deck 20-50' cheap redwood on the ground using treated wood joists and concrete piers, per year (15 year life).
1. Materials @1500.00..(labor at $4.00)..............$120.00
2. Stain (done every 3 years)..............................$25.00
3. Sweeping (at $4.00).....................................$52.00
Total/year................................................$187.00
Total for 10 years.......................................$1970.00
D. Brick patio 20-50', at $.32/brick, on sand, per year (30year life).
1. Bricks.................................................$43.00
2. Sand....................................................$1.00
3. Edging..................................................$3.00
4. Labor (at $4.00 for yourself)...........................$5.00
Total/year................................................$52.00
Total for 10 years.......................................$520.00
If you haven't figured it out yet, this was written in 1981. (Yeap, I'm old, this page is old.) The numbers are off because of inflation, but the ratios are, if anything, more dramatic now. The yards I installed in the 1970's still look good and have saved the client more than the numbers here state. Low Water use leads to low maintenance, which is cheap over a 10 years period. |
