Our meeting was held at the Arboretum in honor of Earth Day with Frank McDonough, 30 year Horticulture expert presenting.

Spring is the season that arborists come to homes and suggest “thinning” trees.  Frank explained NOT to do so with the following suggestions:

• the weight of the tree and friction of the roots stop the tree from falling over. Healthy tree, unstressed tree, healthy roots… trees stay up!
• to stop it blowing over in a wind (false – the leaves and branches disperse wind forces)
• the tree is old/hollow (hollow trees can be strong)
• remember that in nature there is not arborists our thinning trees

To avoid being taken advantage of and to have your trees evaluated he suggested calling a member of the American Society of Consulting Arborists. They will give an opinion for safety or tree maintenance and an arborist should follow that recommendation.

He was full of tips for our inquisitive group such as: leave the oak leaves when they fall. Their decomposition supports healthy soil for oak trees.

On saving water he reminded us that Sunset magazine says for our zone, watering is once per week. Our group audibly moaned envisioning  everything dying but Frank gave us suggestions that we all can use.

• mulch with bright colored mulch rather than dark. Examples were decomposed granite or mylar which reflects light off the soil, cools it to conserve water, increases the plant light which makes for a healthier and more water conservative plant.
• fine tune your irrigation.  Put cups out and let the sprinkler run to see where there too much or too little water then change the heads accordingly.
• consider a new sensor based sprinkler time (some cities have rebates) that sense the water needs via measuring stations over the internet.
• www.bewaterwise.com is a resource Frank recommended for more information.
• drip irrigation is not a total solution. It has its own set of challenges.  The water is often delivered in the wrong place for the roots or not enough in the right place for the plants.  If dripping enough to get the water nearer the right place their is a higher chance of fungi.
• Do NOT tear out lawns. Long drought are usually followed by wet seasons – nature is cyclic.  Let the lawns go brown/dormant and use dye or a service to color until the rains return.
• Artificial turf fades in the sun and deteriorates over time… and costs!

Frank suggested a You Tube video: put in the words”Attila Australia succulents” in Google to see  a video of a magnificent low water succulent garden.

If you still have questions Frank graciously offered his contact information (please be considerate of  his time… and day job!):

Frank Mc Donough – Botanical Information Consultant

Ph: 626 821 3236

E:  frank.mcdonough@arboretum.org