Caring for YourBay-Friendly

Garden

now that your

lawn is gone

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Post sheet Mulching checklist:

4Regularly check for water. Dependingontheseasonandthesizeofyournewplants,youshouldplantocheckyoursoileveryfewdays.Ifthesoilisdrydowntotheroots,itistimetowater.Ifthesoilisstillmoist,holdoffforafewmoredaysandcheckagain.

4Keep an eye on your plants.Checktobesureyourplantsarestayinghealthy.Abitoftransplantshockisnormalinthefirstcoupleofweeks,butafterthatplantsshouldbegreenandperky.Droopingoryellowleavesmaybeasignthatsomethingiswrong.Ifyoususpectaproblem,takeaphotooftheproblemplantandvisityourlocalnurserytoaskforhelpdiagnosingtheproblem.Ifalotofplantsaredying,itcouldbeduetoimproperplantingorwatering—plantsplacedtoohighortoolow,rootsnotbrokenupduringplanting,toomuchortoolittlewater.

4Check your mulch and cardboard.Someofyourmulchmaybedisplacedduetopetsorothergardenvisitors.Besuretokeepthecardboardcoveredwithalayerofmulchtomaintainanorderlyappearanceandpreventitfromblowingaway.

4Weeds? Pull any you see.Ifthereisalargeareaofweeds,itcouldbewherecardboardcoverageisn’tcompleteorthecardboardgotripped.

4Stay in touch with other gardeners.Youwilllikelycomeacrossamysteriousbugorplantinyourgarden.Comparenoteswithneighbors,nurserystafforfriends–itishighlyprobablesomeoneelsewillhavewisdomtosharefromasimilarexperience.Or,joinourLawntoGardenFacebookgrouptosharepicturesandgetadvicefromothergardeners(www.facebook.com/groups/FromLawntoGarden/).

Congratulations...youhavesuccessfullytransformedyourlawnintoagarden!But,nowwhat?Sheetmulchingyourlawnisthefirststepincreatingadrought-tolerantgardenandlow-maintenancelandscape.We’vepulledtogethersomebasichow-totipsformaintainingyournewgardennowandintheyearstocome.Throughoutthisguideyouwillfindbestpracticeswithseasonalremindersofwhatneedstobedoneandwhen.

Nowthatyourlawnisgoneyourroleinthegardenislikelygoingtochange.Gonearethedaysofmowing,butyourroleisstillnecessaryandimportant.Intheweeksandmonthsfollowingtheinitialsheetmulchingyouwillwanttofocusyourattentiononweeds,planthealthandirrigation.

Remember…Yourgardenisalivingecosystem.

Plantswillgrow,plantswilldie.Weedswillshowup.Goodandbadbugswilltakeupresidence.Basically,thingswillbeever-changinginthegarden,butdon’tpanic—thisisokay!

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ongoing Maintenance & tiPs: YeaR 2 and BeYond

Plant uPkeeP

Lawnsrequireregularmowing,wateringandfeeding.Replacingalawnwithadiverseplantpaletteminimizesthoseweeklychores.However,yournewplantswillstillneedbasicupkeeptomaintaintheirhealthandappearance.

Adiversegardenwillincludeannuals,perennials,shrubsandtrees—butlikelythemajoritywillbeperennials.Carefullyselectingtherightperennialsforyourgardencanmakemaintenanceeasier,oftenreducesirrigationneeds,andcreateslesswaste.

AfterchoosingaplantpalettewellsuitedtoourMediterraneanclimate,andyourlocalmicroclimate,maintaininghealthyplantsbecomesamatterofpayingattentiontowateringneeds,keepinganeyeoutforpests,feedingyoursoil,andpruningthroughouttheyear—bestpracticesforeachofthesetasksareoutlinedfurtherinthisguide.

Post sheet Mulch: YeaR 1Yournewgardenhaslikelychangedquiteabitoveritsfirstyear—someplantsarebecomingmoreestablishedwhileothersmaynothavemadeitthroughthedryseason;yourcardboardandmulchhasstarteddecomposing;anirrigationsystemhasbeenputintoplace.

Remember…Duringthefirstyearyourmost

importantjobformaintaininghealthyplantsissimplykeepingthemalive!Makesureyourplantsareproperlywateredandweedsareremovedtoavoidcompetition.Typically,nopruningisnecessaryduringthefirstyearofgrowth,althoughyoumaywanttoremovespentflowersattheendoftheirbloomcycle.

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First year checklist:

4Reapply mulch & topdress with compost.Keepyoursoilhealthyandplantsthrivingbyaddingfreshcompostaroundexistingperennials,shrubsandtrees.Replenishmulchwithafreshlayerofwoodchipstohelpwithweedcontrolandwaterconservation.Addcardboardtoanyweedypatches.

4Fill in plants.Someplantsmaynothavemadeitthroughtheirfirstyear—don’tdespair,thisisn’tunusual.Addnewplantsintheseemptyplaces.Youmaybeabletodividesomeofyoursuccessfulplantsorsowwildflowerseedsinthewinter.Remembertochooseplantsadaptedtoyourmicroclimateandallowspaceforplantstogrowbyavoidingoverplanting.

4Check irrigation. Thefirstyearofwateringisimportantforestablishingyournewplants.Afterthefirstyearyoumaybeabletoslowlycutbackonwaterforsomenativeanddrought-tolerantplants.Keepaneyeonthemtobesuretheyremainvibrantandadjustyourwateringneedsaccordingly.Ifyouhaveadriporotherirrigationsystem,checkyourlinesforleaks,andwherenecessaryadjustemittersbasedoncurrentplantneeds.

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watering basics

Onceyournativeand/ordrought-adaptedplantsbecomeestablishedinyournewgarden,yourwateringneedswilldecrease.Theamountofwaterthatplantsneedchangesoverthecourseoftheseasons.Daylength,temperature,rainfall,andwindsallinfluencehowmuchyoushouldwaterandhowoften.

Yourplant’swaterneedswillalsobeinfluencedbythewater-holdingcapacityofyoursoil.Toseehowwellyoursoilcanholdmoisture,useaspadetoopenupsomegroundbeforeandafteryouhavewatered.Feelthesoilformoistness.Looktoseehowfarbelowthesurfacethemoistureextends.Thegoalistowatertheentiredepthoftherootsystem.(Note:someplantsaredeeperrootedthanothersandsothisdepthwillvaryaccordingtoplants).

Applyingcompostandmulchwillincreaseyoursoil’sorganiccontent,improveitswater-holdingcapacity,andhelpcreatedrought-resistantsoils.

Whenitcomestowatering,youhavetwomainchoices:wateringbyhandorusinganautomaticsystem.Forlargegardens,asystemwillmakelifeeasier.Forsmalleryards,manualwateringismoreefficient,andallowstimeforcloserobservationofyourplants.

Studieshaveshownthathand-wateringonaverageuses34%lesswaterthanautomaticirrigationsystems.Whicheverwayyouirrigate,itisalwaysimportanttopaycarefulattentionandconservewaterinourMediterraneanclimate’sdryseason.

Best Practices for Plant Health:t Leave plant labels near plantssothatyou

canproperlyidentifywhatisgrowing,andreaduponplantneedsandbestculturalpractices.

t Periodically deadhead,orremovespentflowers,forlongerbloomcyclesandcontinuedplantgrowth.

t Divide bulbs, tubers and certain perennialstopromotefullerplantgrowthandspreadsuccessfulplantstootherpartsofthegarden.

t Cut back perennialsattheendofthegrowingseasontoencouragehealthyspringgrowth.

t Expect some plant die-off.Itisnormaltohavesomedie-off,beitseasonalorotherwise.Don’tpanic.Pullspentplantsandmoveon!Removeandcompostannualflowersandvegetablesattheendoftheirlifecycle.Periodically,longer-livedshrubsandperennialswillalsoneedtoberemoved.

t Winter pruning.Startingintheirsecondfullyearofgrowth,manyofyourplantswillbenefitfromwinterpruning.ChecktheBay-FriendlyGardeningGuideonourwebsiteatwww.lawntogarden.orgforpruningtips.

t Fall planting.Fallisthebesttimeforaddingnewperennialsandshrubstoyourgarden.Rootsystemswillstarttogetestablishedwiththewinterrains.

Remember…Whenplanting,keepthismottoin

mind:the right plant in the right place.Oneofthemostcommonmistakesgardenersmakeistocrowdplantsintospotsthataretoosmallforthem.Theconsequenceofthisisthatplantshavetobeprunedseverelyorpulledoutandreplaced—bothofwhichmeanmoreworkandmorewaste.

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weed control

Weedsaregoingtohappen.Sheetmulchingwillhelpreduceweedsbutlikeherbicidesorweedclothitwon’tpreventweedsfromeveremerginginthegarden.Dependingonthetimeofyear,weedsmaypopupsoonerorlater.Stayontopofyourweedsbypullingorreapplyingsheetmulch.Weedswillmostlikelyappearatedgesorholesinthecardboard.

Culturalcontrolsareparticularlyeffectiveformanagingweeds–thesearetheactionsanddecisionsthatyouasthegardenertaketoactivelymaintainahealthyecosysteminyourgarden.Buildinggoodsoilthatislooseandfriableratherthanhardandcompactmakesweedingeasier.Efficientirrigationsuchasin-lineemittersreducesweedsduringthedryseasonbyprovidingwaterdirectlytotheplantsyouwanttogrow.Preventingweedsfromgoingtoseedmeansyou’llhavefewerweedstodealwithinthefuture.

Best Practices for Watering:t Hand-water new plantsuntiltheyare

established.

t Look for signs of under- or over-watering.Yellowandlimporwiltingplantscanindicateover-watering;brownandcrispyunder-watering.

t Map your drip system for future repairs. Irrigationlinescandisappearinplantsandmulch—mapyourlinesforeasymaintenance.

t Turn off your irrigation during the rainy season.

YoucanlearnmoreaboutirrigationsuppliersandvendorsintheLawntoGardenMarketplace.Localwateragenciesalsoofferrebatesforirrigationsystemsandinstallations.Visitwww.lawntogarden.orgforalistofcurrentrebatesavailableinAlamedaCounty,adirectoryofBay-FriendlyQualifiedProfessionalstrainedtohelpwithinstallation,andavendormarketplace.

Best Practices for Controlling Weeds:t Use sheet mulchingtocreateaweedbarrier

insusceptiblezones.

t Maintain healthy plants withproperpruning,fertilizingandsoilconditioning.

t Plant bulbs or wildflowers,suchasCApoppies,inemptyspaces.

t Manage weeds as needed. Expectthatsomehandpullingwillbenecessarythroughouttheyear.

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insect Pest control

Everygardenerhastocontendwithunwelcomeguests.Whetheritspersistentdandelionsgrowinginpathways,orsnailsmakingmidnightfeedingraidsontenderyoungplants,thereareawholehostofinterlopersthatagardenermustcontendwith.Togaintheupperhandwithinsectpests,youmustbepersistentandstrategic.Ratherthantryingtoeliminatepestscompletely,yourgoalshouldbetokeepthemtotolerablelevels.Anothereffectivestrategyistousemorethanonemethodofpestcontrol.

IntegratedPestManagement(IPM)isaholisticapproachthatlooksatthewholepictureandstressessolutionsthatcausetheleastenvironmentaldamage.IPMbeginswithgaininganunderstandingoftheproblem.Onceyouproperlyidentifyyourpest,youcandecidethebestwaytodealwithit.

Preventionisthefirststep.Thishastodowithhowyoutakecareofthegarden–improvingsoilconditions,choosingpest-resistantplants,pruningmoderately,wateringattentively,andhelpingkeepyourplantshealthysotheycanresistpredation.Ifpreventiondoesn’tworktaketheoffensive.Youcanhand-pick,spraywater,settrapsorsetupbarriers.

Youcanalsoreducepestsbygrowingplantsthatattractbeneficialinsectsthatpreyonpests.Yourbestbethereistopromotethebiologicalcontrolalreadygoingoninthegardenbylearningtorecognizeresidentbeneficials(organismssuchasladybeetlesandlacewingsthatbenefitthegardener),growingplantsthatwillsupportthem,andkeepingpesticideusetoaminimum.

Least-toxicchemicalcontrolsshouldbeusedasalasteffort.Lookforlow-toxicityproductsthatbreakdownquickly,andpurchaseinsmallquantitiessothatyoucanavoidgeneratinghazardouswaste.Afewleast-toxicchemicalcontrolsavailableinclude:insecticidalsoaps,horticulturaloils,minerals,andbotanicals(plant-derivedinsecticides).

Best Practices for Controlling Insect Pests: t Use an IPM approachtomanaginginsect

pests.

t Maintain healthy plantswithproperpruning,fertilizingandsoilconditioning.

t Use less toxic pesticidesforaphid,whiteflyandspidermiteinfestation.

Know your bugs. Themajorityofbugsinthegarden,likethisspider,arebeneficial.

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soil conditioning

Inagarden,youaregrowingtwothings:plantsandthesoil.Ofthetwo,manygardenersfocusongrowingthesoil,knowingthathealthyplantswillfollow.Likehumans,plantsrequirecertainnutritionalelementsforoptimalgrowthandhealth.Someofthese–carbon,hydrogen,andoxygen–theytakefromairorwater.Therestcomefromthesoil.

Thepurposeofbuildingyoursoilistoprovideplantswiththenutrientsthatareessentialtotheirhealthandgrowth.Usingsoiltests,plantappearance,intuition,andexperience,gardenerscanidentifywhichnutrientsareneeded.Havingdeterminedwhatnutrientsplantsneed,gardenersmustalsogivethoughttohowthosenutrientswillbeprovided.Itisalwaysbettertofeedthesoilwithcompost,mulch,covercrops,agedherbivoremanure,orwormcastings,thantofeedtheplantalonewithquickreleasefertilizersthatcandestroysoillife.

Inadditiontonutrients,gardenersmustalsoconsiderthesoil’sbasicmake-upandtexture.Everygardener’sidealisasoilcalledloam.Darkandwonderfullycrumbly,agoodqualityloamhashighorganiccontent,isteemingwithlife,containsallthenutrientsthatplantsneed,holdsmoisturewell,anddrainswell.It’sveryhardtomakeloam,butyoucanvastlyimprovesoilstructureovertimebymulchingortopdressingwithcompost.

Remember…Mulchwon’tlastforever,youwill

havetoperiodicallyreapplyafreshlayer!Howoftenyoureplenishyourmulchdependsonhowmuchwasinitiallyapplied.Addathickerlayer,butnomorethan4inchesdeep,ifyouwantyourmulchtolastlonger.And,disappearingmulchisagoodthing—itmeansyouareslowlyfeedingyoursoilandplants.

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Best practices for maintaining healthy soil:t Topdress with ½ inch compostin

thespringandfall.Youcancutbackoncompostapplicationsasyourgardenmatures,particularlywithCalifornianativeplants.

t Mulch annuallywithwoodchipsorotherorganicmaterial.

t Let leaves lie —avoidtheuseofleafblowersandletleavesslowlydecomposeorcollectthemformulching.

t Use stone bordersalongbedstokeepmulchfromspillingintopaths.

Learnmoreaboutsoilconditioninginourguide:ToolsforBuildingHealthySoil.Downloadafreecopyonlineatwww.lawntogarden.org.

Remember…Manyofthesetasksmayneedtobe

donethroughouttheyear.Tasksfortendinganannualediblecanbedifferentthanthoseforaperennialbed.Youmayopttocovercropyourvegetablebedsduringthewinterandturnthemoverinthespringwhereasyourperennialbedsmaybenefitfromafreshlayerofmulchinthewinter.

seasonal calendarLikeanyactivitythattakesplaceovertime,gardeningisbothanimmediateandacumulativeexperience.Wegardendaytodayandthroughtheseasons,experiencingthesatisfactionoftuckingaseedlingintothegroundonemorningandofseeingitflowerorproducefoodmonthslater.

Somegardeningtaskschangewiththeseasonswhileothersareongoingthroughouttheyear.Youmaydecidetomulchinthesummerforwaterconservationbutalsoagaininthewinterforweedcontrol.Certainplantswillrespondtosummerpruningwhileothersarebestprunedduringtheirdormantperiodinthewinter.

Youwillestablishyourownseasonalroutinesasyourexperiencegrowswithyourgardenovertheyears.Inthemeantime,theseasonalcalendarbelowprovidesageneralguidelinefortendingyourgarden,helpingyouknowwhattodoinitsappropriatetime.

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Winteru Weedasneededtopreventweedsfrom

spreadingandgoingtoseed.u Keepaneyeoutforfrostwarnings.Be

preparedtocoveryoungplants.u Directsowwildflowerseedsforspringcolor.u Divideperennialssuchasdaylilyandyarrow.

Re-planttheminbarespotsaroundthegarden.

u Prunefruittreesandotherwoodytreesandshrubswhiletheyaredormant.

u Cutnativegrassesbackorrakeoutdeadblades.

u Continueaddingkitchenscrapstoyourbackyardcompostbinorgreenbin.Coverbintokeepoutexcessrainwater.

Spr ingu Ifmaintainingabackyardcompostbin,harvest

compost.Leaveuncompostedmaterialtodecomposeforanothercycle.

u Mulchbedswithwoodchipsorleavestoconservewater,reduceweeds,andfeedthesoil.

u Finetuneirrigationsystemsbytesting,adjusting,andrepairingleaks.Checkweather-basedtimersandbesuretheyoperatingproperlyincaseoflatespringrains.

u Checksoilmoistureatplantrootsbeforewatering.

u Prunespring-floweringshrubsafterbloomhaspassed.

Fal lu Mulchgardenbedswithleavesorcompostto

reducewinterweedsandfeedthesoil.u Harvestanddryseedfornextseason.u Plantreplacementplants,ifnecessary,tolet

themgetestablishedwiththewinterrains.u Plantordividespringbloomingbulbs.u Adjustwateringforcoolerweather.u Whenrainscome,shutoffirrigationsystems.

Checkweather-basedtimerstobesuretheyareoperatingproperlyandcontinueworkingincaseofadrywinter.

u Clearoutannualsandaddtoyourcompostbin.

u Stockpileleavesforspringandsummer“browns”.

Summeru Identifybugsbeforeyousquashorstomp—

theymaybe“goodbugs”thateatpests.u Watchsoilmoisture.u PullweedsandwatchoutforBermudagrass.

Sheetmulchanyproblemspots.u Deadheadspentflowers.u Turnonwateringandirrigationsystems

duringthehotsummermonths.(Note:someperennialsandtrees,suchasoaks,shouldn’tbeirrigated.Readuponyourplantswateringrequirementstodeterminewhereyoushouldbeirrigating.)

u Wateratdawnorintheeveningtoreduceevaporation.

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Visit www.lawntogarden.org for more information.

stoPwaste’s online resources

StopWastehasmoreinformationavailableonlinetohelpwithyoursheetmulchingandgardeningprojects.Visitwww.lawntogarden.orgtofind:

u Listofsheetmulchvendorsandsuppliersu Waterrebatesourcelistu How-tovideosu Plantlistsu Successstories …andmore!

StopWastealsohasspecializedplantslistsavailableonlineatwww.stopwaste.org/plantlists. Theselistsinclude:

u AlternativestoBayAreaInvasivePlants.u LawnAlternatives&Groundcoversu PlantsforBayAreaPlantcommunitiesu PlantsthatAttractButterfliesu PlantsforNaturalHedgesthatDon’tNeedShearing

u PlantsforVegetatedSwales

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