Marathon II Lawn care - Coastal Southern California
5 years ago
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- 5 years agolast modified: 5 years ago
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Southern California Roll Call!!!
Comments (115)I have two sides going so far--lots of seedlings going in the areas that look bare. side 1 (this was the 1st side I did back in March): And this is side 2 (I had a bunch of herbs and potatoes but decided to go above ground with those (I just threw together the wood planters from scraps we had laying around-now ISO soil): I have corn, greens, beans, and a few other sprouts coming up--I threw the straw down (from when I cleared our side yard in May) to give them a bit of shade and extra water---this side gets like 6 hours of INTENSE sun this time of year (especially this year). I have some raspberries to plant in the back corner on side 2--I'd love to have a little berry patch. But through research I've found very few varieties grow in a 10a zone (this part is all new to me) Those retaining wall planters are my next big project but the dirt is so compacted I can't even dig---but I'm thinking of just top filling it after I pull everything...just can bring myself to get rid of all my aloe and succulents that grow up in the shade. I'd love to do something vertical... (Side 1) (Side 2) This is the first year I'm doing this---I pulled the existing shrubs (2 10 year old hibiscus, a 10 year old rosemary, among others) all by hand and turned the soil myself---my husband's around to help but it's mostly a project I've taken on myself. I'd like to get a bit more organized as far as what grows where and when, more vertical growth, etc...one thing at a time I suppose. I've shown you mine--who's showing theirs? (I apologize for any typos, I didn't proofread this)...See MoreHELP - Drought - Lawn care
Comments (15)Check out California Native Plant Society. https://cnps.org/cnps/chapters/ and https://www.youtube.com/user/sailinsteve1/featured. A lot of good information about what to plant and how. I have already converted 200sqft of front lawn to natives. I have Mimulus aurantiacus, Monardella villosa, Solidago californica, Epilobium canum, Aster chilensis, Salvia spathacea and many different annuals. This fall I will be planting Salvia apiana, Salvia leucophylla and a little less on the annuals. It looks a lot better then lawn and really brings around the wildlife. Still trying to convince my parents to convert the entire front lawn....See MoreCare for Marathon Fescue During Drought
Comments (3)Aw, geez! Well, I need more information. Where do you live? Are you in downtown SD? Are you in La Jolla (where Marathon should work fine)? Or are you in El Cajon (where Marathon should not be used in a drought)? San Diego isn't all that big but the people who claim to be living there cover a wide area of climate and soils. Fescue is generally thought to be a 'cool season' grass. That means it's grown in the upper midwest and in the east but north of Georgia. It is more successful the farther north you get. Coastal California should be an okay place for fescue. But it is totally a luxury grass for interior Cali and to the east. I've seen it growing in Palm Desert and Indio, but what a mistake! (I've grew up in the Inland Empire but also lived in Pomona, Hawthorne, Downey, Huntington Beach, Palm Desert, Indio, Temecula, Hemet, Winchester, and Stanton. We had friends who lived in several places in the SD area, so I took some mental notes). You're not going to like my watering advice, but it will work almost no matter where you live. First you need more info about your own system. How much water does your system put out in 10 minutes? You can test that by putting cat food or tuna cans in the yard and measuring the amount you collect. Ultimately what you want to know is how long your system takes to fill those cans. My oscillator sprinkler takes 8 full hours to fill the cans. My neighbor's high flow system fills them in 20 minutes. You can't just guess at this. Okay so the watering mantra is 'deep and infrequent.' Deep means 1 inch (1 can) of water all at one time. It's the 'infrequent' part you're not going to like. Infrequent means once per week when the temps are in the 90s (La Mesa and to the east). When the temps are in the 80s (most of the SD metropolitan area), water once every 2 weeks. When temps are in the 70s (La Jolla and within the beach influence), water once every 3 weeks. I realize you have millions of Californians telling you that you need to water every day, but that is incorrect. And when I say incorrect, I'm talking about after reading thousands of messages in lawn care forums over the past 13 years. A friend of mine in Phoenix waters his St Augustine lawn once per week with temps of 115. Surely you can water less than 2x per week in SD. But before you jump into deep and infrequent watering, let's get some answers first. So, where are you? Also what are your specific watering restrictions? In San Antonio during normal times we're allowed to water 8 hours per day, but only once per week. During harder drought it's 7 hours per day and only once every 2 weeks. Every community is different, so what are your restrictions?...See MoreWhich sod for Southern California lawn
Comments (0)We moved into our house about six years ago and inherited a front lawn comprised of several different types of grass, clover, and weeds. There was a 30 year old brazilIan pepper tree on the north side that died the following year. We then had a gopher issue for a few years which has finally cleared up, so now we are looking to smooth out the ground with new soil and install sod. We have approximately 1,000 sq ft to cover. The front of the property has a tall 8ft ficus hedge, and about 10ft back from the hedge sit two large sycamores, about 30ft tall each with a wide spread to each property line. The yard gets pretty good sun, with shade under the trees, and two spots of deep shade at the corners of the hedge. A local landscaper recommended St. Augustine, and my cousin, also a landscaper, recommended any type of fescue. We want to get a sod and install it early February. We are by the coast in Laguna Beach. My neighbor has Marathon II in her yard and it stays green year round under her mature sycamore. We were planning on Marathon I, but I wanted to see if anyone else had any suggestions. We’d like something green year round if possible. Also, we’re going to cut the ficus hedge back by about 50% when we lay the sod so allow maximum light. The hedge has become leggy so it will be sparse after the cut. The trees will stay bare for another month or so after that, so the sod will get a lot of sun (weather permitting) during that first month or so....See MoreRelated Professionals
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