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Serious questions:

If homeowners continue to pull out grass and replace it with pebbles, rocks and mulch, plus some natives,won’t the area become hotter, because of removal of the greenery surrounding homes which act as nature’s coolant?

Also, scaffolding trees was touted in a recent article in the Star (I believe) as a method of reducing water needs by trees, but can trees survive such drastic cutting in height without being more subject to diseases?

Susie T

I don’t live in Malibu but I read your column.

Hi Susie,

You are correct on both counts.

First off, many, or I would say almost everyone, have the wrong idea about lawns. It is true that folks with lawns over water their lawns (they also over  water every thing else too), but you can have a low water use lawn. Your lawn doesn’t have to be the main water use on your property. A lot depends on the  type of soil you have and the type of grass you grow. The newer types of lawns are really water hogs but they too can be trained to do well on less water if folks (gardeners especially) were taught some basic cultural practices that will allow them to reduce 25% of their lawns water use. There is no reason why you cannot plant native grasses with the knowledge of what type(s) to plant. I would plant a variety of native grass ,mixed, to allow the lawn to be green year round as some natives go to sleep during harsh dry times or cold weather. Here in Malibu, our winters are mild enough to allow a variety of native grass to continue (really warm this last winter, huh).

Without our lawns, you will be hotter and what about the trees that are that lawn area? What will happen to them if their source of water is removed and replaced with natives that require very little water? You will kill the tree. Trees are very important against global warming. We need more trees, not less.

Also, scaffolding trees is a very bad idea. Shows that many folks do not know what they are talking about. It not only reduces the water the trees get, it also increases diseases and pests, because the tree is in a weakened state. You would be too, if your main source of energy is removed, and then you had far less water. Remember, they no longer have ground water to reach into.

It would be far better to let a professional take a look at your water use, see where it is being wasted and correct the problem. You can have a lawn, trees , everything you have now , simply by not over reacting , by looking first for water leaks. Sprinklers break on a regular bases and that is a main source of water waste with home owners. So have your gardener turn on the system once a month and look for leaks and repair them.

Here is a simple way to reduce your water yourself. Go to the timer. Look for “Seasonal adjustment button “ on the timer. Most have that. Reduce it over all by 10%. Thats it! You now have reduced your water use by 10%.

Tell the gardener to look out for any stressed plants due to the water change. No problems? Wait a few months to see if temp raise, especially during summer and fall ( fall being the hottest in Malibu), if no problems arise reduce it another 10%. Now you are using 20% less water.

Andy Lopez

Invisible Gardener

Any questions? Email me andy@invisiblegardener.com