LANDSCAPE WASTE
MINIMIZATION
By Priscilla E. Hayes, June
2003, Rutgers University.
Especially at this time of year, the landscape
around a business, school, or institution can provide beauty,
natural cooling, and a place to take a pause in the busy day.
The landscape can be a natural extension of what you are
trying to accomplish inside. This
includes finding ways to minimize waste—purchasing, planting, and
maintenance can be used together to avoid some very big, costly,
pieces of waste—dead trees, shrubs, etc.
Mulching practices: Properly placed mulch—to a depth of no more than two inches
(for poorly drained soils) to four inches—can help trees and
shrubs retain moisture during dry periods, help trees stay cooler in
summer and warmer in winter, and help control weeds, among other
benefits. Mulching to
the dripline of the tree can keep lawn or lawn mowers from
encroaching on roots.
Placing more than two to four inches of mulch
around a tree or shrub can lead to excess moisture and root rot. “Volcano” mulching, that is mounding the mulch right up
against the bark or tree or shrub, impedes water and air
penetration, creates a habitat for bark chewing rodents, leads to
bark rot, which makes the tree or shrub more susceptible to disease
and insect problems.
Watering practices:
Proper watering begins with plant selection—choose
plants which will be suited to the soil, exposure, and potential
drought conditions of a site. This
could involve selection of drought resistant plant material.
See Landscaping for Water Conservation, by Drs.
Theodore Shelton and Bruce Hamilton, which includes various
selection guides for drought-resistant plants, on the web at http://www.rce.rutgers.edu/pubs/pdfs/e080.pdf.
See also a checklist for “Right Plant, Right
Place,” found at http://hort.ufl.edu/fyn/right-plant-right-place.htm
Some principles of drought stress management
for ornamentals (from Rutgers Cooperative Extension, and found at http://www.rce.rutgers.edu/burlington/drought_stress_.htm),
are:
- Control weeds and grasses in
and around plants to reduce competition for water during dry
periods
- If drought persists, irrigate
to replace soil moisture in the root zone. This is important for
young and newly transplanted trees.
- Remove all dead trees as soon
as possible; they may harbor bark beetles
- Do not plant shallow-rooted
species in areas of low rainfall or on drought prone sites
- To increase moisture retention
in dry, sandy soils or gravelly soils, add organic matter when
planting. Application of mulch (no more than 3 inches) reduces
soil moisture loss and soil temperature. Remove weeds from site
before planting.
- To alleviate winter injury,
make sure plants go into the cold winter months with adequate
soil moisture.
Planting practices: Planting too closely, too high, or too deeply can all lead to
plant stress and possibly death of the plant—giving you one big
piece of waste, in the form of a tree, a shrub or other plant, not
to mention the cost of replacing the dead plant.
Other poor planting practices include failing to choose the
right plant for the soil, moisture, and weather conditions of the
site, which can also end up in dead plant material.
The weather conditions include the microclimate at the site,
created by the building exposure (e.g. northwest, southeast) or
other local conditions, including excess of hardscapes (in the city,
the growing season can be a month longer than in rural settings,
since the mass of buildings, streets, and sidewalks can create
“heat islands”).
Some Resources:
New Jersey Plant and Pest Advisory:
Published in numerous editions, including Landscape, Nursery
and Turf Edition, twice a month, these newsletters cover current
pests and problems, include a current weather summary, and contain
other topical articles of interest to readers.
Mail and email subscriptions are available (at varying costs,
depending on the edition), newsletters are also posted to the web
two weeks after transmission to subscribers.
See http://www.rce.rutgers.edu/pubs/plantandpestadvisory/
New Jersey Landscape Mistakes http://www.co.hunterdon.nj.us/depts/rutgers/horticul.htm#landscapemistakes
New Jersey Drought Web at: http://www.drought.rutgers.edu/
Includes Drought Resources For Commercial
Landscaping, which features a series of fact sheets on lower
water use landscaping http://www.rce.rutgers.edu/drought/landscaping/default.asp
Weather Reports for Planning Watering:
Subscribe to the email report on local weather at http://www.weather.com/services/inbox.html?from=homewxanywher
Landscape and Turfgrass Management Series
(Cook College, Office of Continuing Professional Education):
found at http://www.cook.rutgers.edu/~ocpe/Landscape.html
University of Massachusetts Hort Notes:
An educational newsletter with research-based information for
businesses and individuals involved in selling, planning, designing,
servicing and enjoying landscapes and gardens. http://www.umassgreeninfo.org/publications/hort_notes_archive/2001/hn0801web.pdf
“Green Landscaping with Native Plants”
(EPA website): http://www.epa.gov/greenacres/
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