We researched many ways to help you save water that you would normally waste on your garden. Two of the alternatives we will share are two kinds of grasses one California Oatgrass which is just a beginning of something and one, artificial grass which is already working pretty well. Some more alternatives are hydrozoning, water-wise plants, water sensing sprinkler controllers, reusing water, and dirt gardens.

We looked at the use of artificial grass instead of lawns.  Some members raised a concern that artificial grass may kill the worms.  We know the Menlo School uses artificial grass.  One of the only problems with some kinds of artificial grass is if you don't clean the turf, it can mold.  Cleaning requires chemicals that seep into the ground along with water for rinsing.  

After looking for an alternative to artificial grass, we found a different kind of grass called California Oatgrass (Danthonia californica).This kind of grass uses 50% less water than your normal grass. This grass is just the beginning of a big idea that could have a big impact in the future. It looks like normal grass except a darker green. From afar, it may even look blue. Oatgrass is a non-genetically engineered grass and can be found mostly along highways. If people started using it for their houses then this water problem wouldn't be such a big problem.  

We looked at hydrozoning techniques in a landscape.  Hydrozoning is putting plants together according to their water needs.   By doing this you do not overwater the plants that don't need a lot of water and you will not underwater the plants that need a lot of water.   This saves water overall. Order a CD-Rom from the city of St. Helena that is in the environmental resources section of our website if you want to plan a hydrozoned garden. 

We found articles about planting water-wise plants and lawns such as:  cacti, venus fly-traps, succulents, buffalo grass and bermuda grass.

We researched ways to help conserve water and we  found a certain kind of sprinkler that is called a water-sensing sprinkler controller that is very efficient.  It has sensors on it and if it is raining it will tell the sprinkler and it will not water the garden.  If it is sunny and hot, the sprinkler will give a lot of water.

We found that the average cost of the water sensing sprinkler is about $400. You can also go to the Cyber Rain website so you can be able to get your own!  Most people saved about 30% on their water bills each month. 

Take a look at this video on water-sensing sprinkler controllers we found on the web. 

We also researched how to reuse water.   Reusing water on a golf course was one example of saving water.   You might want to check out the case study we wrote about how a local golf course reused the water from the neighborhood next to it.  It really helps you understand about water reuse.

The Artificial Grass at the Menlo School

 Examining the Artificial Grass 

This is a picture of California Oatgrass. This grass currently under development  requires 50% less water than conventional grass. 

These are before and after pictures of water-wise planting landscapes

For more information on California Oatgrass click on:  USDA California Oatgrass Fact Sheet

For more water-wise planting ideas click on:

http://www.waterwiseplants.utah.gov/default.asp?p=Landscapes&Cart=

http://www.gardensoft.co/Conservation.html