Summer is the most stressful time for landscape plants. Mix a drought into the equation, and you have a recipe for disaster in your landscape. Without enough moisture, plants can’t function normally and are predisposed to damage by pests or diseases. Drought also makes plants less winter-hardy, especially if the drought occurs in fall as plants go dormant. The hot, dry conditions have a lasting effect, too—trees and shrubs, in particular, can take several years to recover from drought fully.
Fortunately for us, we have Stacey Sturnot, Executive Operations Manager for Landscapes USA, joining us to teach us how to take the best care possible of our plants during drought. Stacey served for over nine years on the Board for San Diego Chapter California Landscape Contractors Association and was President for two years. Stacey holds multiple landscape and irrigation certifications, including Landscape Industry Certified Manager. In addition, she is a self-proclaimed “plant nerd” and a consistent solid reference for many plant lovers needing help and advice with their plants.
During this presentation, you will learn:
- What is native plant material
- What are drought-tolerant plant materials and the difference between drought-tolerant and native plants?
- Plant pallet trends – current trends, what is going in, and what are we moving away from
- Do native plants need irrigation? Why?
- Do drought-tolerant plants need to be irrigated?
- Plant establishment best practices in drought
- Irrigation best practices for plant establishment / long term success
- ET controllers and how they aid the above
We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday.
