Landscaping (Raleigh, Star: how much, buying, live)

[sfalady]

Lucky me I just moved in October to a place that has lots of grassy space with a border of hedges .Now that we are water restricted I am in a quandry about what to do for the spring.. there are some patches in the grass that need a little do over and the bushes most likely need to be re-mulched BUT without the ability to water, am I just wasting my time ? Should I just leave well enough alone and wait until the drought passes before doing anything ? Any help from you gardeners would be of value.

[North_Raleigh_Guy]

Originally Posted by sfalady

Lucky me I just moved in October to a place that has lots of grassy space with a border of hedges .Now that we are water restricted I am in a quandry about what to do for the spring.. there are some patches in the grass that need a little do over and the bushes most likely need to be re-mulched BUT without the ability to water, am I just wasting my time ? Should I just leave well enough alone and wait until the drought passes before doing anything ? Any help from you gardeners would be of value.

I'm not a pro, but I would go ahead and do the mulch for sure. It helps keep the roots protected from the cold temperatures in the winter and helps retain moisture all year long. Whether we are getting regular rain or in a drought making sure your trees and shrubs have proper mulch at the appropriate depth is a good practice.

As for the grass, not much you can do right now anyway regardless of the drought. If the drought subsides by spring and you have a warm season grass like bermuda or zoiysa you might be able to do some repairs in the spring. If you have fescue grass, you should really only reseed in the fall. You can try it in the spring, but you will most likely loose most of any fescue grass you add by the time the hot summer hits. With this drought I would bide my time before pulling the trigger on any lawn rennovation work. Really need to wait and see water the water situation will be.

[GucciLittlePiggie]

i don't mean this to sound like an inconsiderate person, but how strict are water restrictions in terms of compliance and enforcement? up here most towns have water restrictions every summer, but i've never heard of anyone paying any attention or having any trouble from law enforcement. sort of like fireworks... everyone has them, and if you're the 1 in 1000 that gets caught, you get them confiscated and a warning.

anyways, my question is: can people generally just ignore the restrictions to keep their plants/lawns alive?

[raleighjayne]

Raleigh's been cracking down on watering. The first offense is now $250 I think. They have to actually catch you watering so it is easy to get away with it, but if you do get caught you'll pay for it. No warnings anymore.

[jjg39069]

If the city was smart they'd pay someone $10/hour to drive around finding people who are violating the restrictions and make some money Start advertising a hotline for us to call and report those who are ignoring the restrictions will make it even easier to find those ignoring the restrictions.

[MrsSteel]

Originally Posted by GucciLittlePiggie

anyways, my question is: can people generally just ignore the restrictions to keep their plants/lawns alive?

As of this past summer, the entire state has been suffering from a severe drought. You should see the state of the lakes. They're so dry and empty that it sends chills down my spine. On the news they are urging us to use disposable plates and utensils rather than wash the ones we have and to clean surfaces with disposable paper towls rather than cloth towels (which need to be cleaned). I've even heard them suggest that we drink more bottled beverages rather than water from our taps. And of course, there's the old "if it's yellow, let it mellow" rule. City counselors are even urging people to follow the "mellow" rule in public bathrooms (aka: don't flush the toilet if you've only urinated). They're also urging people to take very quick, "military style" showers, bathe less frequently, wear clothing a couple of times before washing, etc. I even heard that unless we get some signifigant rainfall in the next month, some cities may require restaurants to serve food on disposable plates with disposable utensils - and I mean all restaurants, even the ones that charge $25 per entree. This is an extremely severe drought & the government is urging residents to take unusual measures to get by on what we have.

Because of this extraordinary drought, the watering restrictions are very severe at this time. No outdoor watering is allowed at all. People who are caught watering their lawns can face hefty fines (hundreds of dollars) and people will not hesitate to report their neighbors. So at this time, yes, they are very very strict. Better to let the grass dry than to have no water at all.

Now, if the rains return and we're back to normal water usage again, there is no problem with watering your garden multiple times a week. Many towns here would even allow you to water your lawn every single day. But from what I've read, it sounds like we should not expect to make up our water deficit in the next year.

[North_Raleigh_Guy]

Originally Posted by GucciLittlePiggie

anyways, my question is: can people generally just ignore the restrictions to keep their plants/lawns alive?

Not unless you generally don't mind forking over $200 (1st offense) to $1000 (2nd offense) .

Water Police Looking for Rule-Breakers

[GucciLittlePiggie]

thanks for the answers, guys. i know the situation has gotten bad, but i hadn't realized how severe it was. hopefully it does pass. it's hard to think drought when we've got a foot or two of snow that's already starting to melt this week...

[RDSLOTS]

Several inches of mulch is a good idea, indeed. Check the NC Agriculture website, or a gardening book, for how much mulch. I think the recommendation has been for mulch instead of pine straw this year too, which is a shame as just about everything in my yard is an acid-loving plant.

[lamishra]

I would DEFINITELY mulch. Mulching helps lock whatever moisture we do get in, so it helps cut down on water useage. As for the grass needing a do-over, reseeding is usually done here in the fall. I've tried reseeding in the spring and had little to no success (it will germinate and grow initially, but will die in the summer heat/drought). I finally started observing the fall grass reseeding and that's the only time I can get it to really take and be healthy.
As for the hedges, it depends on how much risk you want to take. This was considered to be a century drought this year, so chances are that it won't be as bad in following years. You might consider buying a few small hedges in the early spring and keep your fingers crossed for rain. It may or may not happen, but when they are small, there are other ways to water them without a hose, especially if they are well mulched. You can invest in a rain barrell or you can use water from your shower caught in buckets.