Disaster ResponseFeaturedLoaders, Excavators & TractorsManufacturer/Supplier UpdatesProducts and EquipmentTree Care Gear
Loftness Adds Lightweight Mulching Head For Compact Excavators
Jessica Schwartz
Plants Proven To Beat The Heat In Drought Conditions
Do you have customer landscapes with plants that struggle to survive during periods of drought? Then you might want to look into winners of the University of California Landscape Plant Irrigation Trials™ (UCLPIT). The UCLPIT trials were the first to schedule the irrigation frequency of a fixed volume of water based on reference evapotranspiration (ETo). In other words, the two-year trial program examines plant performance with deficit irrigation treatments and shade to determine which maintain high standards of aesthetic quality over the growing season. It actually began as a graduate student research project taken on by Karrie Reid in 2004 under the guidance of her advisor Loren Oki, UCCE Specialist at UC Davis. Recently, two patented varieties from Dig Plant Company were awarded Blue Ribbons™ in the UCLPIT 2018-2020 trials for a high level of performance on low water: Lomandra longifolia ‘Katrinus Deluxe’, was evaluated in part shade, and Rhagodia spinescens ‘SAB01’ Aussie Flat Bush™ was evaluated in full sun. Both varieties were bred by Australian native Todd Layt of Ozbreed. Katrina Deluxe™ is not only drought tolerant, but it’s also shade tolerant, heat tolerant, disease tolerant, and low maintenance. It looks like an ornamental grass all year with pine-green foliage and a weeping habit. Matures to roughly 3 ½ feet tall and a 3 ½ feet wide, and perhaps slightly larger under optimal conditions. At its healthiest when given only minimal irrigation. USDA Zone 7b -11 (evergreen 8a and, in some places, 7b in normal winters). Katrinus Deluxe ...
Nine-Year, Multi-University Effort Develops Drought Tolerant Turfgrasses
Water conservation is an increasing issue and turfgrass has deservedly gotten a bad rap as a thirsty consumer of this precious resource. (The typical suburban homeowner irrigates an estimated 10,000 gallons of water each year, primarily aimed at their lawn). While xeriscaping and turfgrass alternatives make sense in some applications, turf also provides substantial environmental and economic benefits in our landscape. It mitigates heat around homes, stabilizes soil against erosion, provides safe play space, and reduces noise, glare, and pollution. Eliminating turf would create a whole new set of environmental challenges. To help mitigate turf’s impact on water use, a team of 32 turfgrass researchers from six major universities, including North Carolina State University, has collaborated over the past nine years to produce drought tolerant warm-season turfgrasses. Recently, a specialty crops grant from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture was approved to continue the multi-university group’s works. (Texas A&M, University of Florida, University of Georgia, and Oklahoma State University have been members of the team since 2010. University of California – Riverside was added to the team for this new project.) New Phase Of Study NC State’s Susana Milla-Lewis, an associate professor and University faculty scholar, will be at the helm in the new phase of study. “Our 2010 and 2015 projects were crucial in the development of drought-tolerant turfgrass cultivars. The levels of improvement of these grasses are promising and validate the need to promote adoption, continue cultivar research, and develop tools that facilitate the breeding process,” ...
