aichtooh

AICHTOOH
thats the phonetic spelling of h2o
or for those nonchemistry folks thats
water

cactus bloom

in the last two weeks we got about 3 inches of rain
and
for those who collect and especially those of us
who rely on rainwater for our water system
that rain came at an important time
as
we head into our driest time of the year
without that rain the country n owners were looking
at possibly buying water which i hate to do

another type of cactus with flower

now i know most of you buy your own water
but
when you have it delivered in a water truck
you pay $300+ for 3000 gallons

the average homeowner in austin texas uses 7,727
gallons a month

we at the country n use about 1500 gallons a month

if it was delivered that would cost them $0.1 a gallon
so their bill would be $772.70

um maybe that would be a way to curb some of the water
use by raising the cost

plant salvaged from destruction from westwood high school

so i got about 1800 gallons per inch x 3 inches =5400 gallons
of water from that rain
thats $540 if i had bought it

the average homeowner in austin would have sucked that up
and out the drain in about 20+- days

native wildflower firewheel

what made me think about all this
is
austin is about to hit a water crisis soon
they are conserving water fairly well but could do better
this conservation has made the price of water climb
since less water is bought
less money in coming into the city
they have fixed water costs that arent being met well

i say raise the prices
let the market control the water use
not sure if that works well though

salvia greggi or autumn sage

i was at a friends house last night looking at his landscape
he is on the austin water system
he can only water the yard and landscape once a week
it still looks pretty lush
thanks i guess to the weekly watering and the recent rains

he has landscaped away a lot of his grass
and more is planned

he rocked that no mans land between the sidewalk and the
curb which covers half the length and width of his lot
he is on a corner lot

the other no mans land at one side of his house where
no one ever goes
you know most home owners have this spot
he is covering it with black plastic and rocks so he can stop
watering it and mowing it and fertilizing it and deweeding it etc

zexmenia

then i looked at all his landscape
he and the person that helped him choose his plants
did a good job
they are mostly xeric natives
and are in the grow green pamplet from the city of austin 

i reminded him which he didnt know that he could get some
reimbursements and credits on his water bill from all the
landscaping he had done
several hundreds of dollars

now i have the same plants he has minus a few that tend to
not do as well here
like indian hawthorne magnolia tree etc

crossvine

he waters his plants
yes they look good
but so do mine
in fact they look the same

my water use on my landscape is zero
his well he is an average austin homeowner

he could cut off the drippers to all of his landscape
and only water them during all the real dry times
or
not at all
he would have to accept some browning of some
of the plants when it gets real dry
but
these xeric native plants dont die

thistle

i have a solution
only xeric natives can be planted
no supplemental irrigation is allowed
unless
its provided from rainwater collected off the roof
a requirement that should be made when homes are
built in this area

heck what if all those big mansion high schools that they
build around here were equipped with rainwater collection
systems to collect water for irrigation and flushing toilets

you know we are paying for them and we are paying their
water bills

eventually the added expense will pay for itself over time
either at home or at school

but
i guess nothing like this will happen until its too late
thats what we always seem to do here in america
crisis management

(note these pictures are a few of the flowering plants i have
planted in our yard at the country n
zero nadda no water has been used on these plants)

well here at the country n
we are well ahead of the curve

the only problem is
i may have to buy new fencing to keep people out
i may have to buy guns to protect my water supply
i may have to get another mean guard dog

sure hope it doesnt come to that
we all could just practice conservation
and
collect rainwater

the organicgreen doctor

grass is greener

GRASS IS GREENER

organicgreenlawn care inc

first a disclaimer
i dont have any grass that i water fertilize mow weed

after the first year of living here at the country n
i did all that to a st augustine lawn
and thought this is crazy
spending all this time money energy and wasting tons of water
in the summer to keep this grass all green
so
i scalped the grass real well
by the way thats not recommended for your grass
covered it with a thick black plastic
yes all of my front yard
then went to the mulch place and got me some native hardwood
mulch and covered it all up
and waited
and waited
and waited
then
over time i dug a hole appropriate for planting a tree
and planted two burr oaks in the front yard
and dug up small beds
brought in good garden soil
i used the ladybug brand hill country garden soil
and
made a raised bed just large enough for a native plant
got large rocks from my pasture which seems to grow them
to make a border around the bed
then gradually over time i made raised beds usually 3 ft wide
for
germander salvia greggi oregano texas moutain laurel
texas native plum texas native persimmon sage thyme
lavender mexican oregano 4 oclocks anacacho orchid tree
plumbago 4 nerve daisy turks cap rosemary shrimp plant
and
some plant a little lady on my meals on wheel route
gave me that is texas drought heat tolerant and has
purple flowers

i removed over time all of the black plastic and left the mulch
so now i have a front yard with multiple small raised beds with
paths in them and no grass

oh i also have a keyhole garden in there also
a small water pond
and a small patch of some original prairie grasses
that flow in the breeze all the time
and the birds love them

this is all hummingbird and butterfly heaven

now if i had a yard of grass that i need to maintain
here is what i would do

first never ever ever use weed and feed fertilizer
doesnt work pollutes and can harm your trees and shrubs
and your kids and your pet
see that kid in the picture at the beginning of this blog
you wouldnt want him lying on grass this stuff was used on

google atracine and read about it
its banned in many countries


after you have mowed your grass twice in the spring
apply your fertilizer
i recommend an organic fertilizer
in this area the 3 good ones are
medinas growin green
gardenvilles lawn fertilizer
or
 lady bug brand 8-2-4
apply according to directions

the commercial non organic fertilizers wash off into the water system
accumulate salts in the soil
the plants like the organic ones better

you can reapply in the fall if you want but its not necessary

each spring apply a thin layer about 1/4 inch of a good compost

for weed control if they are there mow them or dig them up
dont roundup them


in the fall in october and in the spring in february apply corn gluten
to the yard
this will inhibit seed germination for the winter and the spring
it is also a mild fertilizer


if you have problems with grubs or fleas or ticks in your yard
in the spring and fall go to the nursery and get some nematodes
they come in a sponge you keep in the refrigerator until you
are ready to use them
put in water and spray it on the lawn
it kills the larva of these bugs

also water your yard on a regular basis
ideally water it once a week well
to train the roots to go deep

if youll follow this organic method you will notice your lawn
like my garden
will be the best in the neighborhood

or
just cover it all up with plastic and make it all xeric like i did

the organicgreen doctor

yard transformation

YARD TRANSFORMATION
thats what im doing now
yard transformation

over a year ago i started volunteering for the habitat of humanity helping
build houses
at the end of the construction the day before the house is to be dedicated
a large group of volunteers would come in and do the landscape

now this was done on a limited budget
real limited budget
and not always xerically done

i helped with 3 houses but then i couldnt stand it as i sat back and
watched the landscaping being done

so i approached the head of the construction and said
i would like to take over doing the landscaping for the houses
i explained i wanted to do it as organic and as xeric as possible

it is at times difficult but so far its been successful

it has helped that area landscaping companies have donated or
reduced prices for the landscape materials and that
people we know have donated trees shrubs sod etc
thanks to you guys that helps a lot

more would be appreciated

the newest house im doing is representing somewhat of a challenge

this house is a repocession by the bank and then the bank turned
around and gave it to habitat for humanity
it had not been lived in for 3 years
it will need a lot of work inside and out
when its finished it will look like a new house
we hope the landscape will match the house

first those trees in the back ground are called paper mulberry
dont ever ever ever plant them in your yard
this back yard was a forest of these mulberry trees
this picture was after we spent all day removing 90% of them
resulting in two large brush piles in the front yard
we plan on removing almost all of the remaining ones

these mulberries spread by seeds especially those from birds that
eat them
they also spread by the roots that grow underground then shoot up
several feet away
you cant hardly get rid of them unless you dig it up and use stuff
i usually dont like to use to kill them roots
it will be a long term battle for the home owner

its interesting there are a lot of other shrubs planted on the property
that are all texas native plants but they are all planted wrong

here in the front they planted 9 texas sages (purple sage) and 8
dwarf youpon hollys but they bunched them all together and have
them on the north side of the house
all this has stunted these beautiful native texas sages

i plan to replant all of them and spread them out over the lot so they
are planted in the right areas based on light and location on the
property
not under the roof edge where it cant be grown

i will also spread out the dwarf youpon hollys in the front and back
the spacing is based on how big they will get in a few years

then we will make a lot of the beds in the front larger and larger using
mulch (mulch is cheaper than grass) to eliminate a lot of the front
yard
you dont have to pay to water mulch since you dont water mulch
water is getting more scarce around here every year
we hope to eliminate 30-40% of the grass in the front

in the back yard we found  under all the paper mulberry canopy
a fig tree a peach tree and a plum tree
all which may now grow to their full potential now and produce fruit for the
new homeowner

then there is confederate jasmine and lantana that we will transplant to
an appropriate spot

there a lot of roses also that were tucked away in the deep shade
those will be transferred to areas on the fences so they can
grow and produce a large amount of rose blooms

there also is a spot that we will put in either a square foot garden or
a keyhole like garden if the homeowner wishes it

so we will transform this yard
by using a lot of labor
using a lot of mulch
moving plants to the right spots
without much cost

the good thing is that once these plants are established
there is no care or upkeep
no trimming required
even if you dont water them they survive our central texas weather
ok with neglect


if you live in the leander area
you can go by 600 sioux trail and follow this transformation
over the next 2-3 months

also if you ever have a native plant you dig up and need a new
home for it let me know and ill use it in one of our projects

the organicgreen doctor

just do it

JUST DO IT

its like the nike motto but it can apply to you
if you are a gardener

yesterday a friend took us to a large preserve west of where
i use to be in practice
its a place that has always been on my radar to go and hike
i especially like to hike the trails and look at all the fauna
the plants and animals

yesterday i noticed a lot of plants that i actually have in
my yard that is planted xeric
these are tough plants that survive on the hillsides and rocky
ground of this local preserve and do so well in my landscape

things like yes cedar
i have cedar ive planted in my yard
tough as nail plant that doesnt need watering and if
used correctly can be a good addition to your yard

evergreen sumac is a dark green leaf under story tree that produces
a white small flowering that gets overran with bees each
year
ive never watered mine in 12 years

mountain laurel produces this purple plumage that smells like
grape koolaid
this week another friend was looking at our yard and said what
smells so good
she was around on the other side of our house
it was the grape koolaid mountain laurel

there is a yellow flower called the three nerve daisy
it produces a yellow flower that seems so bright against the
dry rocky environment
i planted 2 plants in my yard a few years ago and they have
spread along the side walk and in my crushed granite rock ways
again ive never watered them

there were a lot of texas persimmons
a beautiful under story tree that produces a grape size persimmon that
the  birds love
the bark on the trunk is beautiful and reminds me of the bark on the
crepe myrtle
tough as nail tree that hasnt been watered at my house in five years
not even in our two year drought we had

there were several different native oaks on the hillside
each finding its own perfect niche
the live oak was planted by mother nature in the areas
where soil was deeper and seemed to have accumulated

a tough tree although its getting wiped out in some places
by oak wilt
none noticed here because of course there are no humans
invading the preserve to live and bring in diseases

mexican or texas buckeye is a tough multitrunked tree that is another
under story tree that produces beautiful spring flowers
i notice ours here is just now starting to bud out

the native grape vine thats found on these hillside is like the native
texas grape vine that i use to grow on my arbor to provide shade
and grapes for wildlife
i never water it at all
just keep it trimmed so it only stays on my large 50 ft arbor

of course theres the prickly cactus that was sparingly scattered along the
hillside that needs no care
interesting it was that it seemed to be discreetly planted by nature and did
not overwhelm the landscape like it can in some pastures around here

i of course have the spineless variety in my landscape and it needs
absolutely no care

there was discreetly planted native grasses wherever the
microclimate met its needs
no st augustine or bemuda here
just like in my xeric property

there were i noticed no what i called weeds in this landscape and
no invasive trees anywhere
its like nature planted everything just right and protected itself from
outsiders

of course it helped that man wasnt living there to screw things up

after doing a long hike we sat on a platform eating a nice lunch
and drinking a glass of wine
i sat looking out over the hills thinking
why o why cant we take care of our environment and
why o why cant we do our landscape like nature does so
we dont have to waste all those gallons and gallons of water
and put those tons and tons of fertilizers and junk on our yards

just do it like mother nature does
she does best

the ogranicgreen doctor

bad plants-the natives are best

BAD PLANTS-THE NATIVES ARE BEST
im always being asked about what plants to buy
and plant in the yard
around this area there are some bad plants to plant here

a friend had a tree blown down in a storm
it was a large tree about 2-3 feet in diameter at its base

it when it was around provided good shade for the house
and the property
however
if you look around her neighborhood you see all these trees
big trees that are dead or have lost most of their limbs
or have left a rotting tree trunk after someone or nature
had taken it down

her tree was an arizona ash
planted probably when the house was built
it was a cheap tree that grew fast and looked good for
a few years then now its gone
i call it the arizona trash tree

so my wife she and i decided to plant a new tree to replace
the old one as a christmas present

she had several cedar elm trees a good native tree
that does well here in her back and side yards

the best shade tree in central texas is  an oak
the live oak is the best but there is some problem with
oak wilt in this area
where i live its rampant and i would never plant one in my yard
here because i know that one day the wilt would get it

so no live oak for her

the red oak is a pretty tree especially in the fall
but it has some susceptibility to oak wilt also
so scratch that one

the lacey oak is a pretty oak but it tends to not get as
big as what she needed in her yard

she needed one that would get large to shade the south and western
side of her house

the choices were down to
burr oak vs white oak or mexican white oak


the burr oak gets larger to 60-80 ft tall
has large i mean large acorns
it loses its leaves which are large in the winter
it grows fast


the white oak or mexican white oak grows to 40-60 ft tall
it has smaller acorns like a live oak
it like the live oak keeps its leaves but does shed some
it grows fast but not as much as the burr oak
its a pretty tree all year round

both are oak wilt resistant

we chose the burr oak for her
it will shade the house in the summer  and will provide
a good shade for the house and will
lose its leaves in the winter to provide sun onto
the house to help warm it

it will increase the value of the property as this tree will be
there unless someone cuts it down when her great great grandkids
are born

then a friend called us
he found these two plants to plant in his yard
they are bushes and are evergreen and look good in the yard
so he was told

the two  plants are on what i call the trash tree bush list
like the arizona ash

they were the wax ligustrum
it is invasive
it is a real problem in wooded areas especially some of the
natural preserves where it will almost take over an area
dont plant them
i dont
i find them frequently here at the coutnry n and i cut them down


the other plant is the red tip photinia
its a pretty tree in the landscape
however
it is highly susceptible to diseases

i know at a previous house we had a line of them
half looked good and the other half hardly had any leaves

there are good native plants that can be substituted for these

here is a link to find what to plant and what not to plant
in central texas
this booklet is free at most nurseries in the area

in my landscape i only plant good natives that are xeric
once established they are on their on
even through the driest november ever
even through the worst drought in 100 years here they are doing
well

the organicgreen doctor

survivors

SURVIVORS
we are still in the drought here in central texas
we did have some rain recently that helped
it greened things up well and caused some of the fall perennials
to bloom

it looks like i lost a lot of plants this fall from the drought
as i was not able to water things since we were short
on rainwater

i just let nature take its course
here is what survived without supplemental watering in the
worst drought in this area in years
and the hottest summer on record here

rosemary
salvia greggii (autumn sage)
zexmenia
black foot daisy
4 nerve daisy
american beautyberry
plumbago
shrimp plant
turks cap
oregano
sage
germander
lavender
cactus
firebush
lantana
agarita
trumpet vine
passion vine
cedar sage
four oclock
mexican oregano
jerusalem sage
cedar
elbow bush
pride of barbados
lady banksia rose
esperanza (yellow bells)
engelmann daisy
chile pequin
cast iron plant
texas sage
native grape
agaves
flame acanthus
youpon holly
butterfly bush
cat mint
ruellia
texas persimmon
texas plum
anachacho orchid tree
vitex
mountain laurel
possumhaw holly
mexican buckeye
crepe myrtle
burr oak
cedar elm
pecan
maple
huisache
mesquite
native grasses

this fall color is provided since the rains by the zexmenia, blackfoot
daisy, 4 nerve daisy, salvia greggi, esperanza, turks cap, plumbago
firebush, 4 oclocks, mexican oregano, flame acanthus, butterfly
bush, texas sage, and lantana

this is the true xeriscaped plants
no irrigation
no water from the aquifer, lake or collected rainwater

need to use more of these in your landscape as water becomes
in such scarce supply around here

now plant buffalo grass, blue gramma, curley mesquite as your yard
and you will never have to water again

its not that hard to do
we just have to think different about our landscapes
those landscapes you have now may die without water as the
restrictions around here on irrigation gets stricter

these plants wont die
they dont need irrigation once established
they belong here and have been in the landscapes here for
hundreds of years without supplemental care

rethink your landscapes
fall is a good time to redo them

the organicgreen doctor

water conservation, butterflies, bad thing good thing

WATER  CONSERVATION

one of the local water conservation districts that controls water

use for the edwards aquifer/barton springs has declared stage 3

water restrictions

this covers a large number of people in the austin area and the 

barton springs area where large groups go to swim in cool clear

water in the heat of the summer as it comes up from the springs

now they are in stage 3 conservation and those barton springs are 

slowing down 

hopefully they wont stop flowing

all outside irrigation of lawns and landscaping is prohibited

only essential indoor water use is allowed

only lawns needed for fire protection are allowed to be watered

or watering to protect your foundation

no new water well drilling or new users are allowed during this 

stage 3 restrictions

these restrictions will probably be in force for several months

many of the wells will go dry in this area 

minimal use is recommended

we have a rainwater collection system for our only water source for

both our home and for our outside use

our last rainfall was in june and it wasnt much

as mentioned before when we got all of our rains last year and this

spring i had several tanks undone for repair and for new water line

placement

so i missed several inches of rain that would probably have carried 

me through this long drought without problems

we have been on our own stage 3 maybe stage 4 water restrictions

what does that mean

if you come to visit bring your own water and go to the bathroom

before you come or you will have to do what we do 

we recycle as much of our shower and kitchen water as possible

we use an outdoor facility as much as possible to relieve ourself

(just like the old days but i refuse to use the old slop jar we 

bought at an antique store) i do have limits 

if its yellow let it mellow if its......

we have have low flow shower heads that use minimal flow

just ask anyone who comes to visit us about the flow

whine whine whine

we use the shower water to flush sometimes that saves 2.5 to 5 gallons

we dont run the water while we are brushing our teeth

i dont run the water when i shave-luckily i have a beard

we do a navy shower

any water or liquid that can be recycled in the kitchen is placed in 

a 5 gallon bucket to be used on plants outside or for flushing inside

we hand wash our dishes and rinse them but all of that water is 

used again inside or outside

our washing machine has low water use 

its a side open model

outside i drip irrigate everything that i will water 

most of my plantings are native and have been on their one for the

drought 

many of the non native plants havent survived

survival of the fittest is what thats called

my garden has only a few things and for that im drip irrigating also 

so this summer we had to order water delivered in bulk 

what that means is that a large truck like a gas tanker truck 

goes to a local source and brings you bulk potable water in 

large quantities of 3000 gallons or more (but is cheaper than 

gas)

only problem this time was that the fires in the austin area

caused a slow down in the availability of the water to these

bulk water trucks

also because of the drought and heat the water levels are

falling in all of the aquifers so many people in the hill country 

have wells that are dry now or are barely producing water

many of them are getting regular deliveries of water until

the water levels return or until they just give up and move

we watched as our water levels dropped to at one point to 

only 50 gallons of water that would easily be used up by 

a teenager taking a long shower

our stage 3/4 water restrictions managed to get us through

this crisis

we plan to continue those restrictions into the future

and realized that this is what may be a partial answer to the 

water problems we are in now and will be facing in this area and 

across the us

look at your water bill and look at how much water you are

paying for each month

we use 2500-3000 gallons a month

and dont feel like we are over restricting ourselves too much

just being reasonable

everyone needs to look at ways to save water

xericscape your yard

when this is over or this fall ill list those plants that look

good and have survived this drought without any watering

maybe those are the ones everyone should be using in their

landscaping

why do we need all of that yard full of green grass anyway

we have removed all of our yard grass and xericaped it with 

mulch, raised beds of xeric plants and crushed granite

walk ways

we have learned to appreciate the water we have

dont wait too long to get that appreciation where you live

if you live in the area where we live it will be happening to you

soon

BUTTERFLIES

the monarchs are coming

and they dont got no food to eat

please provide it

a local garden show recommended buying milkweed and lantana

and putting them in pots in your landscape so they would have 

blooms they could access

also provide dishes with sand in them that is kept moist

this provides minerals and water for the monarchs to access

BAD THING GOOD THING

the drought is a bad thing and has very few good things

associated with it 

but there are virtually no mosquitoes anywhere around our house 

and we have seen very few grasshoppers which have overran us 

the last few years

the chickens sure miss those grasshoppers though

now if they would just lay more eggs

the organicgreen doctor

 

save water, poop paper, dead yard

SAVE WATER
this hot dry weather brings out the need to conserve our
water
the lakes are low and many cities are rationing the water

ways to save water
-use aerators on faucet heads-they make cut your water usage
from that faucet by 50%
-use shower heads with reduced flow
we added these on our showers that also have a shut off
switch which saves a lot of  water
-can do navy showers
-look for leaky faucets or toilets and replace or fix them
-use low water flush toilets or dual flush or practice-if it yellows
let it mellow if its .......
-wash full loads of laundry
-if buying a new washing machine consider getting one with a
side opening as they usually use less water per load
-fill the dishwasher full before running it and scrape the dishes
well before washing them
-dont run the water when brushing your teeth or shaving
-water your yard thoroughly but only as needed or why not
get rid of some of that grass
(first thing i did when we moved in our house was to kill off
all the saint augustine grass by covering it with black plastic and
replacing it with mulch and landscaping using native plants)
-use drip irrigation where possible
-collect rainwater from your roof (if we ever get rain again)

POOP PAPER
there is a company that makes paper from poo
they use elephant dung and mix it with banana leaves
they can make 25 pages with one dump
now thats recycling

their website is www.poopoopaper.com

DEAD YARD
if part of your yard has died form this heat and drought
use this opportunity to get rid of that grass permanently
why not add a raised square foot garden or do a raised
bed of native plants that are xeric and can almost survive
the drought without watering it at all

one of the toughest plants in my landscape that i never water
is the esperanza or yellow bell
it is a perennial native plant that is green with nice yellow
flowers right now
zexmenia is another one that is standing out in my landscape
again its has not been watered at all
of course there is always the agaves or cacti
no water no fertilizer little pests trouble free plants

the organicgreen doctor