by Teresa Pustejovsky
Master Gardener Program Representative
If you are concerned about the amount of water you use and how much you pay for your water bill, the Master Gardener Program has information to help alleviate that pain. Join the gardeners on Thursday, May 8th, from 6:30 – 7:30p.m. at the Susanville Railroad Depot for information on how to more efficiently and effectively water your lawn and landscape.
You will hear about how to assess lawn sprinkler effectiveness, what types of sprinkler heads are more effective, and how to adjust your system to keep water on your lawn and landscape instead of running down the sidewalk and street. Additionally, we will demonstrate drip irrigation system parts and pieces to set you up for minimal, yet effective use of water delivery in vegetable gardens and landscapes.
You will receive a worksheet detailing how to determine the water distribution on your lawn, and tips on how to improve or modify a system in need. Have a leaking pipe that you can’t figure out? We will give you repair tips and demonstrate how simple some repairs can be. The current drought we are in gives us a great opportunity to change the methods we use so we can save water, save our landscape, and save money.
May 8th, 2014 will mark the 100th anniversary of the Smith-Lever Act, legislation that created Cooperative Extension, a nationwide system of community based education, established as part of each state’s land grant university. Cooperative Extension was started to help farmers, homemakers, and youth use the latest university research to improve their lives.
At first geared towards strengthening rural areas, Cooperative Extension became integral to urban and suburban communities as well. A century later, Cooperative Extension continues to provide a vital link between public universities and communities.
The University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources invites you to participate through local events such as this water efficiency demonstration, as well as through a one day science project to tell us what you see and do. Take your kids outside and tell us how many pollinators you see in three minutes, or what you are doing to conserve water during this drought, or fill out a food map to show us where food is grown in your community by logging on at beascientist.edu.
The Master Gardener program is new to Lassen County and recently graduated its first 17 volunteers. As a part of the University of California Cooperative Extension, Master Gardeners are UC trained to answer your gardening questions with UC research-based information about home horticulture and pest management. Bring your gardening questions to us at the Farmer’s Market beginning in June. Advice to grow by – ask us!