Keep Calm, EL NIÑO On!

What is EL NIÑO

Simply put, an EL NiÑO is a periodic warming of ocean water in the tropical equatorial Pacific Ocean...

​What does that mean?

California could face heavy rainfall this winter. ​EL NIÑO is on track to be one of the most powerful on record which could mean millions in damage so It's important that you prepare yourself and your landscape.

Watch the Special LIVE EL NIÑO Episode - 30 min

Be Prepared!

Two natural disasters collide in California: EL NIÑO and the historical drought. Being prepared is paramount in protecting your yard, garden, and home. Taking action before problems occur will offer peace of mind in knowing that you did the best you could.

We at Things Green have partnered with the South Coast Botanic Garden, positioning them as your El Niño headquarters, offering information and ideas for you to take action with your licensed landscape contractor.  Both of you can come down to the South Coast Botanic Garden to see our El Nino display that was featured in a live television broadcast on KLCS TV 58 (it will rebroadcast again on February 6, 2016 at 9AM).  The display will be available to see until January 31, 2016.

Watch the Special Episode

EL NIÑO & your landscape

Under the direction of the governor of California we have been forced to save up to 25% in water usage. That being said your yard and garden has been targeted as the area which uses most of the water. In turn, people been coerced to neglect watering outdoors which poses a huge problem as El Niño begins to pummel your landscape in submission. Water runoff, sediment migration and unstable hillsides will manifest problems like never seen before. It is for this reason that it is imperative to become proactive by submitting to the ideas that are offered here.

Things you can do

Collecting Rainwater: 

It will take a minimum of two years,  or two El Niño's, to even out underground reservoirs and rivers take plus above ground lakes and water containment cisterns to end California's drought. Therefore, it's imperative to catch and store rainwater. The best way to do this is with a rain barrel.
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Water that comes from your tap/hose usually passes through a water company. By law they are required to treat the water with chemicals such as chlorine and fluoride (plus, if you have really horrible water they'll introduce more chemicals before releasing it to you).  Rainwater, however, is pure and natural as you can get it. So, collecting it is really important. The easiest way to collect rainwater is from the roof of your house or garage.  For every inch of rainwater that falls on a 1000 square foot roof  you can expect to collect upwards of 600 gallons of water. This is a significant amount that can be used to hydrate your plants indoors as well as out. 

Rain barrels come in many different shapes and sizes. Some are quite fashionable which can make a statement in your landscape while others may blend in without hardly noticing the are there. 

I met up with my friend Andrew at Exaco Trading Co at the National Hardware Show in Las Vegas recently to discuss the importance of incorporating a rain barrel at home. Click here to see the latest in rain barrel technology.

French Drain System
www.nds-pro.com/el-nino

French drains have long been the standard in moving the water.  In a nutshell, a French drain system is where you dig a deep trench, fill partly with gravel, burying a drainage pipe, add more gravel then leave room for some soil and top off with sod.

The folks at NDS have come up with a state-of-the-art system that rivals the old-fashioned French drain. EZflow / EZdrain offers a sustainable and gravel-free alternative to a traditional French Drain system, and takes less than half the time to install. Though you still have to dig a trench it's not nearly as deep and you don't have to break your back by shoveling gravel.

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The pipe is manufactured from high density polyethylene which is both corrugated and perforated.  It is surrounded by lightweight 100 % recycled polystyrene aggregate surrounding the pipe and enclosed by fabric mesh.  And, it comes in 10' manageable lengths.  Connectors can couple the pipe together and connect to on EZdrain which has a filter to collect sediment. Something that I've never seen before. For more information click here.

Hire a Contractor ​
www.EwingIrrigation.com

Time is of the essence. It will behoove you to hire a licensed contractor to get the work done in a timely fashion. I strongly urge you to speak with your landscaper about taking action right away. Urge him/her to become familiar with this information and most importantly to get familiar with Ewing Irrigation as they cater to the landscape professional. They will be able to direct your contractor to many of the things that are discussed in this blog.

The other reason you want to hire a licensed contractor is that you are in a better position to get the work done by a professional. Plus, a licensed contractor must have liability insurance.  This is important because if, heaven forbid, someone gets hurt on your property – you don't get sued. I know it's hard to believe, but, we live in a litigious state in people are just sue happy. 

​There's a couple of ways to find a California licensed landscape contractor. One way is by asking your friends, neighbors, relatives. Asked them what type of experience they have had with that licensed landscape contractor. If it was a pleasant one, chances are it'll be a pleasant one for you as well. Or, feel free to contact the California Landscape Contractor Association (http://www.clca.org) and you can do a search for a licensed landscape contractor in your area.

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AdvanEdge by ADS
www.ads-pipe.com

AdvanEdge by ADS is truly cutting edge drainage technology.  Instead of a round bulky pipe the AdvanEdge is a streamline panel pipe that contours to the trench you dig. It's kind of like several pipes stacked on top of each other (12"-18") in rolls up to 400' long. The mounding of these 'pipes' offer strength beyond belief, yet, flexibility to follow your trench line.

The slim-line profile of AdvanEDGE HDPE pipe allows for installation in a narrow trench, easily dug with high-speed trenching equipment. Combined with the geotextile wrap, it requires no gravel or select backfill, and can be installed directly against a wall or structural member. The innovative coupling system provides secure connections that can withstand installation stress. For more information click here.

Additional Ways To Prepare for El Nino.

Annual Ryegrass

Chances are you have seen bright green lawns during cold winter months. Annual ryegrass is used to over seed turf that goes dormant during winter. St. Augustine and Bermuda grasses are usually the candidates that get this treatment. However, ryegrass is a great temporary solution in hillside stabilization due to the aggressive nature of a rye seed root system.

When a hillside or mountain catches on fire organizations will aerial seed the burned areas with annual ryegrass at a rate of one seed per 16 inches. The seed  needs very little moisture with  a few hours of warm weather to begin the germination process. It'll then thrive on cool weather to continue the plant to grow. When the weather heats up, the plant will die. By then, the threat of rain is usually well behind us.

Seeding a hill with annual ryegrass is not a permanent solution. It may or may not work depending on many factors most importantly how stable the hill is in the first place.

Plant Large Trees and Shrubs

Autumn is the perfect time to plant lawns, trees and shrubs. Soil temperatures are always warmer than air temperature. This makes a perfect combination for a root system to get established within your soil before spring comes along. Due to cooler air temperatures you may not see much growth in the plant, however, rest assure that the root system is venturing in to the soil. When planting always use SUPERthrive to stimulate root growth and strengthen its system.

Cultivate Planter Beds.  If you took the militant view of not watering your landscape I strongly suggest you rent a rototiller to loosen the soil.  The last thing you want is to encourage rainwater to sheen off your planter beds as if it was bouncing off your driveway. Consider tilling in compost to help absorb water rather than repelling it. This only works flat areas, not slopes and hills.

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Trim and Stake Trees

The International Society of Aboriculture is an organization that supports licensed tree trimmers to properly thin out and prune trees based on its variety, family, genus and species. Let's face it, not all trees are created equal. One of the things that you need to focus on is removing dead branches and those that proved to be a liability. El Niño will bring some nasty winds which can use a trees canopy as a sail knocking it over quite easily.  When in doubt, never prune a tree canopy nor its overall branching more than one third.
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Saturated soil will loosen plants. It is for this reason staking needs to be considered, even on large and well establish trees.  If using lodge poles to stick a tree be certain that you use at least two of them with one facing prevailing winds. Large, well-established trees may be candidates for what is called guying.  Guying a tree is when you use three cables, equally spaced on the ground, attached to the tree at the same place high within the tree.  This type of work is usually reserved for someone that knows what they're doing like a tree surgeon, licensed landscape contractor or arborist.

Sandbags and Gravel bags

Sometimes water has to be diverted and sandbags are the perfect way to get the job done. Typically filled no more than two thirds of the way full sandbags are randomly stacked upon each other with the opening of the bag facing away from the prevailing movement of the water. A dry sandbag should weigh around 40 pounds.  Interestingly enough sandbags are permeable - water will flow through them, albeit very slowly. As water, sediment and debris hits the sandbag the sediment and debris will build up against the bag slowing down if not stopping water from passing through the bag. Therefore, never clean the dirty side of the sandbag as it's there to help in water diversion. Aesthetically, it's going to not be pleasing to the eye.

Sometimes sandbags are not filled with sand at all, but instead with gravel.  Unlike sandbags, gravel bags are designed so that water flows through them. Even though sedimentation and debris buildup on one side of the bag you'll want to clean it off once in a while so water isn't being hindered. Application for a gravel bag would be in a curb next to a storm drain. Placed any V fashion towards the storm drain a gravel bag will stop branches and trash from entering into the storm drain. As mentioned, every so often you'll have to pick up the debris and possibly scrape off any sediment so that the water can go into the storm drain.
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Bilge Pump

When water begins to stand in an undesirable location you may need to pump it out. This is where a bilge pump comes in handy. A bilge pump is typically made out of PVC pipe with a hand siphon pump inside of it and a large hose is attached to it. Kind of like a bicycle pump only upside down.  You put the pipe part into the water then in an up-and-down motion you'll draw water through the pipe into the large hose which flushes the water into another area. Hand bilge pumps are relatively inexpensive but you do have to have Popeye arms to work it so make sure you eat plenty of spinach beforehand. Otherwise, electric and gas powered bilge pumps are also available for rent and purchase.

Hillside Stabilization

The last thing anybody wants is to have a hill land in year dining room. Interestingly enough there is a way to tell whether your hill is slipping. Trees, grow up and down. If a tree on a hillside is slanting in the same direction that the hill is going downwards, that's a great indication that the hill is slipping. Hillside stabilization can be tricky and there are many stabilization techniques. If you have a couple of bucks in your pocket it's not a bad idea to hire an engineer to take core samples of the hill to see its density and potential of giving way. Otherwise, let's take a look at some things that may work for you:

Erosion Wattles.  I don't know about you but I just love saying the word wattle. You have seen wattles and never knew what they were. Made out of straw and held together with a mesh they look like giant snakes that are 8 inches in diameter. It takes more than placing these things on top of the ground in order to have them be effective. Wattles need to be trenched into the ground approximately 3 inches deep. The soil from the trench is used to create a seal on the prevailing side of where the water is coming from (ie. the top of the slope).  And, wood stakes secure the wattle from moving. Be certain the stakes are at the same angle of the hill as this will be the best way to secure them.

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Jute mesh is a canvas-like material that is woven into a blanket-like material which has square 2 to 3 inch holes. Simply leave the material on the hill starting from the top rolling it down. Every couple of feet it gets secured with a metal staple that is hammered into the ground. The reason for the holes is that you now have the opportunity to install groundcover. Jute mesh will slow down water with less of a chance of taking hillside down with it.

Soil Binders.  In rare occasions a soil binder might be able to sprayed on a hillside.  It's a glue-like material which grabs onto the soil and to itself. You would think that a soil binder would be a perfect solution, however it does break down with sunlight heat and moisture. Companies that hydroseed our best to connect with to spray the soil binder as they are extremely heavy and only special equipment would be able to deliver it to its desired location.

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There are literally dozens of more tips and tricks that I can share with you on what to do. It's for this reason that I invite you to call me 24/7 at 1-800-405-NICK(6425) to discuss a plan of action for your yard and garden. Simply leave your telephone number and we will call you back.
Remember, Things Green: Keep Calm & El Niño On!

Did you miss our last LIVE show?

Things Green LIVE!
​How to Use Water in A Drought

In August 2015 we hosted an unprecedented 90-minute live TV show called Things Green LIVE! How to Use Water in a Drought.  I need you to put into practice the elements we shared on that show right now in preparation of El Nino.
​Click here to read more.