Topdressing.biz News: If you want to go the Natural way with your Lawn!

The Organic Garden: Give your water-addicted landscape a fix of compost mulchhttp://seattlepi.nwsource.com/nwgardens/226835_lovejoy04.html
Concepts:
gardening, compost mulch, water, plants, lawn, soil, watering, landscape, beds, spread, Seattle, whatever, drip, bare, roots.
Summary:
Every year, a few readers explain that their particular lawn (or garden or landscape) is somehow so different that smart watering techniques won't work.Overly watered lawns nearly always have very short roots (often less than an inch long) that are not capable of supporting turf on their own.The answer is not to pamper these slacker lawns but to slowly taper them off the excess water.Spread the mulch after a rain or after you have watered, then wet down the mulch (if necessary) to keep it from wicking moisture out of the soil.Tuck at least an inch of compost mulch wherever you see bare earth, and shove a bit under the skirts of your plants as well.If the beds are largely bare, with widely spaced plants, then spread compost mulch more deeply, using 2-3 inches at the drip line of each plant and reducing the layer to a mere half-inch at the base of each plant.If you are making a new garden, plant your plants, then install drip irrigation or soaker lines in simple patterns that deliver the coverage you need.A few readers have written to say that the worst offenders in terms of wasting water are public and private institutions.In the Seattle area, most Parks and Recreation departments as well as city and county grounds crews follow very careful guidelines and procedures for watering, as do such public places as the Seattle Center.One simple and effective way you can help to change the situation is to write a polite but specific letter to the president of whatever company owns or rents the building.A series of natural care brochures is available from the Green Gardening Program, sponsored by Seattle Public Utilities.

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