Except for the beauty or aesthetics in the landscape, non-functional lawns are not used for any other purpose. The use of lawn shows lack of creativity and underestimation of where we live.

Q: This new law on the removal of non-functional grasses or lawns confuses me. Where do I start to calculate the water consumption of my landscape?

Answer: Non-functional lawns are lawns that fill gaps or extra spaces in landscape design. These gaps are like the spaces between your fingers. What we are concerned about is that the fingers (trees and shrubs) do not use water in the space (gap) between them.

Except for the beauty or aesthetics in the landscape, non-functional lawns are not used for any other purpose. Fill the landscape gaps with novel artworks, fences, structures, boulders, mounds, and elevation changes that do not use water. In my opinion, the use of lawns to fill in the blanks shows a lack of creativity and a lack of awareness of where we live.

Other non-functional lawns are used on slopes or small areas as an inexpensive way to solve difficult parts of landscape design. The lawn installed for this purpose will be deemed useless.

On the other hand, functional lawns are usually flat, square or rectangular, providing a relatively safe surface for roughness and play. One purpose of community parks and schools is to provide permanent safe play areas.

Turfgrass requires 5½ to 7½ feet of water per year. By the time normal irrigation practices, leakage, runoff, and water loss from stagnant water are added, the amount applied (conservatively) increases by another 12 to 24 inches per year. This means that we must apply 6½ to 8½ feet of water depending on the type of lawn selected.

A well-managed 500-square-foot lawn—10 feet wide and 50 feet long—receives 28,000 to more than 35,000 gallons of water per year. The lawn area will be classified as a very high water consumption category. If you eliminate these non-functional uses of the lawn, you can save a lot of water.

By choosing the wrong plants or using too many plants in the landscape, these savings may be swallowed. All plants need water. Some plants use more than others.

Choose small trees that are proportional to the house, because large plants use more water than small plants. Use fewer trees and large shrubs. Choose purposeful plants. Cover the south and west walls and windows of the house with deciduous trees or shrubs. Provide shade in high-usage outdoor areas.

Where does your landscape fit? Low water consumption landscapes require an average of 2 feet or less of water on their entire surface each year. Medium water landscapes require 2 to 4 feet of water, and high water landscapes require more than 6 feet of water. This means distributing water for shady areas.

Landscape water accounts for 60% to 70% of the gallons recorded on the water bill. Your July water use invoice helps determine your maximum outdoor water consumption and the scope of your outdoor water usage in this plan.

Q: What is your opinion on artificial turf? I have heard positive and negative things about them.

A: Twenty years ago, I could see artificial grass from far away. no longer. Perhaps it is their perfection that provides high-quality artificial turf. According to its quality, installation and maintenance, artificial grass looks very good.

Artificial turf has its advantages-they don't use water or any sunlight-and their disadvantages-they can get hot. From mid-March to September, their surface temperature, like sidewalks and streets, can reach 170 degrees in full sun, and the lawn is cool to the touch.

The lawn can transfer these cooler temperatures to the surrounding houses (at the expense of irrigation water). Studies have shown that even without a lawn, the same cooling effect can be achieved by covering the walls and windows with low-water consumption trees and shrubs on the hot side of the house.

In addition to beautifying the artificial grass you install, there are other purposes. In our climate, I strongly recommend that artificial grass be shaded from early spring to mid-autumn months. Remember that over time, artificial turf requires regular maintenance and replacement. Their function is essentially similar to outdoor carpets.

Q: There are two Raywood ash trees in my landscape. Some limbs of one of the trees are dying. Should I delete it?

A: I will spray a large area under the tree canopy every week for about a month, and then decide whether to remove it. You can also water normally.

If you see new growth during this additional irrigation period, it does not have ash disease, it just needs some extra water. If the excess water does not respond, plan to remove it.

The problem with ash trees is twofold: Many perform better when surrounded by lawns rather than rocks, and they are susceptible to disease. This disease looks very similar to lack of water (ie drought).

That's why I told you to water under the tree first. Give it a few weeks of warm weather to see if this extra water will produce new growth.

This disease is called ash decay in Arizona and ash dying in California. This is common in Raywood Ash in California.

I have seen this disease on other ash trees here, including Modesto, Bonita, and Van Tex (Rio Grande). By the way, in addition to preferring improved soil, ash trees can become very large, up to 50 feet tall and wide, so make sure you have landscaping space and the ability to water.

Q: I am buying a large Chinese pistachio tree for free planting from a local nursery. I have heard some scary stories about how to grow these trees. Is there anything I should do before planting?

A: The main complaint I heard from the homeowner was the lack of land preparation and the size of the holes dug for these trees. Maybe this approach works well outside of Nevada, but our soil is terrible.

The complaint is not about the trees themselves. These trees look good quality. Be prepared to tip these planters for extra work and provide them with additional soil amendments when planting.

To avoid this problem, make sure that the planting hole is dug wide enough, and add a high-quality soil amendment to the backfill. I like to add about 25% of the correction to the backfill when planting. The planting hole does not have to be dug deeper than the root (provided that there is no drainage problem), but it should be dug very wide, and the soil should be improved with high-quality compost during planting.

By the way, when adding the modified backfill, water should be added to the planting hole. This helps to remove air pockets. If planted in this way, these trees do not need to be re-irrigated for about a week in the cool autumn weather.

Q: For the hot south facing front yard, I cannot decide between chitalpa and palo verde. Do you have any suggestions?

Answer: Palo verde has lower water requirements than chitalpa, but their size and water consumption are similar. For several reasons, I tend to lean towards palo verde.

Rick Heflebower of Utah State University's Promotion Department wrote a very good public about chitalpa, about disease issues—leaf scorch, dead and fallen leaves—I've seen it on some of the trees used here. He insisted that this disease is present in all chitalpa trees.

Ye Jiao may be the reason for excluding this tree. The second reason is the water saving potential of palo verde. Make sure to plant other low-water consumption plants on the same irrigation valve. This irrigation design technique is called hydraulic zoning.

There are basically two types of palo verde trees that are commercially available and both come from the Sonoran Desert: the blue palo verde and the foothill palo verde. The water consumption of palo verde in the foothills is less than that of blue palo verde, and the water consumption is indeed very low. But the palo verde in the foothills is not as eye-catching as some varieties of blue palo verde.

Bob Morris is an expert in gardening and an emeritus professor at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas. Visit his blog xtremehorticulture.blogspot.com. Send questions to Extremehort@aol.com.

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