So I take it that if the fescue is dead, then its dead. I can't revive it without re-seeding, correct? Bah. Yep when it is dead it is done and has to be reseeded. Bermuda on the other hand goes dormant when it does not receive enough water, and comes back with water. However it will not wait forever and will also eventually die. Question about bermuda - the bermuda I've seen around Las Vegas needs to be trimmed very short. Its almost like a carpet. I have doubts as to whether my mower can actually mow that short. Yes Bermuda is kept very short. That is why I mentioned it has to be mowed at least twice a week if irrigated and fed. However not all Bermuda grass is alike as their are many varieties all requiring different maintenance techniques. 1. Most of the common types from seed are used for pasture hay and erosion control and those are not mowed but rather cut once or twice a year to harvest hay. They are rarely ever fertilized except once in the spring and never irrigated. Not something you would want for a turf grass 2. Improved common seeded types for turf grass and the quality varies quite a bit in leaf size and cutting height. Some like Princess (aka P77) are near golf coarse quality requiring to be kept very short of 1 inch or less, fertilizing every 30 days during growing season, regular irrigation to maintain color. The there are several varieties which are medium quality than can be maintained around 1 to 2 inches which is probable the best fit for you. They still require frequent fertilizing and irrigation to maintain color, but you can have a decent looking stand using a push mower set for 1-1/2 inches. 3. Then there are the hybrids varieties. These are from sod, plug, or sprigs only. No seed available for hybrids. These are the high quality varities and they fall into two classes semi-dwarf, and dwarf. I will not go into dwarf varieties because they are stickily professional care used for golf greens and very wealthy people who have full time pros maintaining it. What you likely see around town and on all golf coarse fairways and tee boxes is a semi-dwarf hybrid variety. The two most common varieties used and widely grown by sod farms is Tifway-I (aka 419), and TifSport. In most states where Bermuda grass is grown Tifway-I is the default choice of all builders and landscapers. TifSport is gaining popularity as it is a little finer grain, denser, and better cold tolerance than Tifway-I. Either way they are both fairly high input grasses and best maintained at 1-inch or less with a reel type mower. However many and I would say most maintain them with a rotary mower between 1 and 2 inches. However those that do use a rotary mower do so because that came with there home and they just do not know better. It works, but not optimal. As to watering I split a different way than David recommends. Normally I would agree once a week with a deep soaking is the best method as a rule of thumb. But not for out here. Unless you are blessed and top soil was shipped in to your yard, or in a flood plain where soil is carried in from flooding, you do not have soil. You have rubble and coarse granite/quarts sand eroded from the surrounding mountains of LV. There is nothing in it to hold water and coupled with bone dry 10% or less humidity and searing temps you have to water much more frequently than most folks do. In summer once a day is the normal practice out here. At least in Prescott and Phoenix it is. Maybe Vegas is different, but I doubt it as the soil and climate are very much alike except Vegas is a little cooler than Phoenix. You guys only get up to 110, where Phoenix 115 is long sleeve shirt weather in summer. Now with that said I can say you are watering too frequently at 3 times a day for a few minutes each time. To be honest I do not know exactly what to recommend, other than when you do water, do so very early in the morning, and only once in a day. I imagine during cooler months once about every 3 or 4 days. During the blistering summer days it will take watering every day in the mornings. A lot is going to depend on which grass type you choose and actual soil conditions. I suggest you go around to a few nurseries and landscape companies to seek advice, maybe even visit a golf course and talk to a supt. You should be able to get a pretty good idea if you do that. Or if you have a neighbor with an impressive yard, stop by and ask them as most people will be flattered and tell you exactly what they do unless they pay someone to do it for them. I know from visiting Vegas often and now living in AZ, yards are rare even in the upper class neighborhoods. Just takes too much WATER to maintain them. That is why I mention Buffalo grass to be considered.

Thanks Evan and Patty for the compliments and suggestions. I'll definately paint the trunks white to avoid sunburn. Satsuma and Goldnugget are on my wishlist, and I'll likely get them in the Spring from Costco who supplies the Willits and Newcomb (my Page and Kishu came from them). I had my 1st Gold Nugget fruit at a farmers market in Santa Barbara last year .... amazing! I actually intially planted my eureka and kumquats in the ground, but I couldn't seem to get the soil conditions/drainage right and they kept loosing leaves and looked sickly. Both the kumquat and eureka are semi-dwarf so I figured they would be ok for now in pots. After transplanting, these plants stablized quickly as so I left them in the potted soil. If you guys have any tips on how to prepare the ground soil, please let me know as I'd love to have a few citrus in the ground. I might just replant the potted ones, unless you all would recommend against it. The cinder block wall has generally served the plants well, but the dang wind still gets to them :(. I'm still trying to figure out ways to get around these wind issues. Well thanks again! Zach

Dh's friends were in Vegas the other day. They said it was a little chilly and windy. We went in March a few years ago and still needed a jacket. I'd recommend going to at least one show. I don't know what's out there right now, but we've been to several, but not any of the really big names. I insisted on going to Follies Berger because I wanted to see girls in the fancy boas. Stupid me didn't realize that "sexier than ever" meant topless. I figured that out pretty quickly as dh and I were sitting in the very front. It was a really good show. We saw Carrot Top the last time we were there. He was hilarious. I liked him much better than George Carlin which surprised me. We like to try out the food at the various places. House of Blues (Mandalay Bay I think) had a good breakfast. Ceasers used to have a nice higher end buffet, but our friends said that it had gone downhill this past year. Any of the hotel restaurants are pretty decent. I've never had bad food in Vegas. Caesar's Palace has some talking statues that are interesting(and free). You'd have to look up their schedules. Caesar's also has a lot of stores for shopping. We like to window shop. You never know who you are going to see out there. We walked by some sports shop and Pete Rose was in there hawking autographs. I it was te Rio had a free show with people dressed in I believe Mardi Gross clothes. The show people rode around the ceiling in big hot air ballon looking rides. It was fun and they were throwing the beaded necklaces. We crashed some Poker Convention there and got a ton of freebies to bring back for the kids. I haven't been to Hoover Dam, but we fly over it and the Grand Canyon to get there. One of the days we will go and bring the kids. We liked Red Rock Canyon and saw Elvis out there in the desert. If you're only there for a couple of days, it probably isn't a must see, but would be nice if you had more time. My recommendation is to bring along a pair of nice comfortable walking shoes. You'll need them because there is a ton of walking. Dress in layers so you'll be comfortable.

High points for me on the Strip were touring the Bellagio gardens and just the casino and stores themselves. Also really liked going to Ceasars Palace, there is a neat shopping/galleria in there too. New York is ok, and I was pretty disappointed in Paris, but I definitely second the people watching. I liked just going in to the different casinos to see what they were all about-the Cosmopolitan is very pretty-I liked the bling. Hoover Dam in really neat-I'm a science geek but even if you're not it's a pretty spectacular site. Freemont Street is an experience in itself, if you can catch a bus over to there it's worth it. I was slightly disappointed by the fountains show at the Bellagio-it went on for a couple of songs, then stopped, then repeated. It's pretty cool tho, definitely worth checking out. I'd recommend getting a spot along the street early, along the fence line since it gets really crowded really fast. Oh, if you've never been to Las Vegas, and you go walking past the shops in the casinos, be aware that the buskers are very aggressive. I've had them walk right up to me and want to start applying creams to me and whatever else it is they're selling without me even saying anything. Don't make eye contact and do not show any interest in the items unless you like being held hostage to their hard sales techinques. Remember, NOTHING is free in Vegas!