Prepping your lawn and garden for a water-wise spring

Autumn is upon us, and most seasoned home gardeners are starting to clear out annuals past their prime, sharpen and clean pruners, or core aerate the lawn. As summer fades, many plants slow their growth, the soil stays warm, and the occasional rainfall offers a natural helping hand. 

Fall in Roseville is the perfect time to try out new techniques that will make your lawn and garden more water-efficient without sacrificing the good looks. Here are some tips to make your water work harder for you and your landscape. 

Meet sheet mulching, your sidekick for a DIY lawn makeover

If you are ready to say goodbye to the year-round maintenance that conventional lawns demand like intensive fertilization, frequent mowing, weeding, and watering, this is your first step.

Sheet mulching is a lawn-conversion technique that does not require sod cutters or laborious soil tilling. It often starts with a layer of cardboard over your lawn, followed by compost, and then organic mulch, like wood chips or straw. Once it’s in place, it does most of the work for you by decomposing grasses and suppressing weeds without herbicides, while fortifying your soil! 

Kick the common grass and take back your time, save water, and express your creativity through your yard. By sheet mulching your lawn now, your landscape could be a blank canvas with healthy soil ready to plant before long! 

Learn more about sheet mulching at BeWaterSmart.info. 

Do a soil test, then let nature do the rest 

Before reaching for the fertilizer, try testing your soil to get a better understanding of what it needs or doesn’t need.  

• A basic DIY soil test is easy, inexpensive and gives you the chance to avoid unnecessary amendments and then, if needed, apply organic nutrients at appropriate rates. Avoiding synthetic fertilizers saves water and saves your plants from unnecessary stress!

• A simple approach instead of fertilizers: Use compost that adds organic matter and slowly releases nutrients to soil that feeds your plants while improving the soil’s ability to absorb and retain more water.

Overwatering is easy, so make ‘just enough’ even easier

Though overwatering is a real concern throughout the year, it can be especially detrimental during cooler months. Try these simple tips to avoid overwatering as the weather changes.

• Grab your moisture meter and test the soil before watering. You might find that your landscape has retained enough moisture to give you the day off!

Don’t have a moisture meter yet?

Push a screwdriver (six to eight inches long) straight down into the soil using steady, moderate pressure.  

• If the screwdriver slides smoothly into the ground four to six inches deep, your soil has plenty of moisture and you do not need to water yet.  

• If the screwdriver stops short, and your hit with strong resistance after a couple of inches, this indicates that the deeper soil is dry, and it is time to water.

Adjust your irrigation schedule with the weather

One of the easiest ways to save water and avoid harming your plants during fall and winter is by reducing the frequency of your automatic irrigation system.   

• As temperatures lower, start by cutting the number of watering days in your irrigation schedule in half. Don’t reduce the amount of time your irrigation runs during a watering day just yet.  

• Once the rains begin, test the soil for moisture during this period to ensure that the deeper soil retains enough moisture in between watering days. 

• During unseasonably dry weather, it may be necessary to apply supplemental water for plant health and because this is when many California native plants grow and expand their roots.

Find more irrigation timer tips here.

Plan to plant with the rain 

In the Roseville area, soils stay warm through October and November and help new roots get established. 

• When you work with the weather and plan your planting around upcoming showers, you let nature share the workload, you save water and give your new plants a smooth start by easing potential transplant shock and jumpstarting their establishment in preparation for the warm temperatures of spring and summer.

Select the plants with an advantage

These plants were born to thrive in Roseville! 

• The Inspiration Garden at Roseville’s Utility Exploration Center is the best place to find a variety of beautiful plants that are sure to flourish within city limits.   

• The Utility Exploration Center also offers no-cost workshops tailored to Roseville gardeners all year!  

Explore plants and plan a visit to the Inspiration Garden. Learn more at roseville.ca.gov/inspirationgarden and sign up for workshops at roseville.ca.gov/exploremore. 

Some thoughtful seasonal preparation goes a long way. By incorporating these tips into your garden planning, you can set yourself up for an easier and more vibrant spring.

Ready to swap your lawn for a more water-efficient yard? Check out our lawn conversion rebates at roseville.ca.gov/rebates to see if you could get cash for your grass!