June 18, 2008
CONTACT: Dennis Pittenger, (951) 827-3320, dennis.pittenger@ucdavis.edu
Water-wise ideas in the landscape
On the heels of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's statewide drought proclamatioin and L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's water conservation plan, which follow two years of below-average rainfall and low snowmelt runoff, the University of California Cooperative Extension is developing a resource Web site for Los Angeles County residents to conserve and efficiently manage water in the landscape.
Under the leadership of Dennis Pittenger, UC Cooperative Extension's area environmental horticulture advisor, practical research-based information on landscape water management is being developed and new pieces will be placed periodically in the Center for Landscape and Urban Horticulture Web site, http://groups.ucanr.org/CLUH/Landscape_Irrigation_Management_and_Conservation/. Professional landscape managers and homeowners can get some common questions answered on how to conserve landscape water and handle a drought by visiting the site.
According to Pittenger, there are many ways to conserve a great deal of water in a landscape without having to replant; and research conducted by UC scientists suggests that many commonly used landscape plants will perform well with less irrigation than they usually receive, including turf grasses.
"It should be possible for most commercial lanscapes and home gardens to achieve at least 10 percent irrigation savings target without serious injury to plants. That's because most landscapes are given more water than they need to provide acceptable appearance and function," says Pittenger.
For more information on water conservation, please contact Dennis Pittenger at (951) 827-3320, dennis.pittenger@ucr.edu. You can also visit UC Cooperative Extension's site at http://celosangeles.ucdavis.edu/ for information on all its program offerings for Los Angeles County residents.
As part of the University of California, Cooperative Extension was established in 1914 to connect local communities to their state's land grant university. An office in each county in California responds to the changing needs of its local populations, designing and carrying out research-based programs in the areas of food, health, agriculture and the environment.