Doing Our Part to Save Water (Wisely)
Many of us weren’t around when our lawns were installed or planted. It’s unlikely that you were able to insist that your lawn installation was preceded by six inches of topsoil, much less make the call to plant native water-saving grass mixes. As a result, many of us are trying our damndest to manage Kentucky bluegrass that was laid on construction hardpan or dense clay. That’s a recipe for frustration and excessive water-usage anywhere, but, especially in this semi-arid and drought prone region. Bozeman recently declared a Stage 2 Drought Advisory. If you’re not already managing to minimize water use, it’s time to start!
Ideally we could rewind and, as a town, think ahead a little better and build landscapes that aren’t so thirsty. But with the supply of flux capacitors running low, we’re instead forced to either start managing what we have more intelligently, or commit to redesigning our yards so they’re full of plant species with deeper roots. Native plant species can handle this dry climate as well as store more soil carbon, better feed soil biology, and improve soil structure. All of this creates a larger, more resilient lawn “sponge” that can support a resilient yard and climate. This picture is worth a thousand gallons of precious water:
As you can see, Kentucky Blue Grass has short root systems compared to plants native to arid regions. Kentucky bluegrass might do well in Kentucky where they regularly get 45 inches of rain per year, but Bozeman gets less than 20. That huge difference needs to be made up by unnecessarily draining Hyalite Reservoir. Not only do native plant species require less water, their long root systems can better retain the bit of moisture we do receive.
That said, it’s hard and expensive to go back and replant a lawn with grass species that are better-suited to this climate. Fortunately, there are simple ways to make your current lawn more drought resilient and enhance water usage even if you aren’t ready to take the leap to a native or native-ish prairie system. They are:
Watering deeply and infrequently;
Properly maintaining your sprinkler system so no heads are leaking, blocked, or sunken;
Mowing tall to encourage deep root growth;
Aerating annually to alleviate soil compaction and allow air to circulate in your soil; and
Maintaining a biological fertility program that builds a healthy soil sponge.
With these good management techniques, you can slowly break down construction hardpan, build deeper root systems, and make better use of the water we naturally get and what you choose to put on your lawn. We are all in this dry future together. Let’s start managing better today!