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Energy & Green Practices

© Buildwise, LLC

Publication Review

Title: Green Industry Best Management Practices for the Conservation and Protection of Water Resources in Colorado

Introduction (511 KB - 24 pages)
Drought and Water Conservation Practices (243 KB - 7 pages)
Drought and Water Conservation Nurseries (207 KB - 5 pages)
Education, Public (508 KB - 5 pages)
Education, Employees (143 KB - 2 pages)
Fertilizer Application (206 KB - 4 pages)
Ground Preparation (134 KB - 3 pages)
Herbaceous Plant Care (118 KB - 4 pages)
Irrigation Efficiency (142 KB - 4 pages)
Irrigation System Design (262 KB - 5 pages)
Irrigation System Maintenance (200 KB - 4 pages)
Landscape Design (191 KB - 4 pages)
Landscape Installation (198 KB - 3 pages)
Landscape Maintenance (292 KB - 4 pages)
Lawn Aeration (93 KB - 1 page)
Lawn Waste Disposal & Composting (114 KB - 2 pages)
Mowing (175 KB - 2 pages)
Mulching (279 KB - 2 pages)
Parks, Golf Courses, Large Landscapes (191 KB - 5 pages)
Pesticide Application (290 KB - 5 pages)
Pesticide Storage (306 KB - 4 pages)
Production Practices (195 KB - 5 pages)
References (145 KB - 17 pages)
Regulatory Awareness (120 KB - 2 pages)
Retail Practices (106 KB - 2 pages)
Revegitation of Drainageways (132 KB - 5 pages)
Riparian Buffers (278 KB - 2 pages)
Tree Roots (195 KB - 5 pages)
Turf Management (150 KB - 7 pages)
Water Budgeting (136 KB - 5 pages)
Woody Plants (149 KB - 4 pages)

Author: The Green Industries of Colorado Greenco, 2004
File: Free Book, PDF (in parts see above)
Audience: Written for landscaping professionals, but has good information for homeowners and do-it-yourselfers.

Review
Extensive guide to water efficient and conserving landscaping practices. Specifically geared towards Colorado, but probably useful to most areas of the West and even the entire United States, Canada and Mexico. Includes a variety of design, installation, growing and maintenance issues. Each section has key references and websites for further reading.

Issues covered include:

• Introduction - acknowledgments, purpose and limitations, background, definition of best management principles, literature review
• Drought and General Water Conservation Practices for Landscape Management- turfgrass irrigation practices, irrigation system maintenance, turfgrass maintenance, fertilizer application, mowing, landscape installation
• Drought and General Water Conservation Practices for Nurseries, Greenhouses and Growers - reduce wasted water runoff, improve irrigation efficiency, collect and reuse water irrigation runoff
• Education, Public- basic guidelines and suggestions
  Education, Employees - basic guidelines and suggestions
• Fertilizer Application - basic guidelines and seasonal issues for applying fertilizer, nitrogen application for various plant types, special regional and soils type considerations
• Ground Preparation - basic guidelines and suggestions, regional and soils type considerations
• Herbaceous Plant Care - basic guidelines, regional variations, list of drought tolerant annuals and perennials
• Irrigation Efficiency - basic guidelines, best watering times, irrigate per plant type, regional considerations, recycling runoff, winter watering
• Irrigation System Design - design principles, alternate water sources, water conserving equipment and methods, document and follow-up, regional considerations
• Irrigation System Installation - basic guidelines, testing, rain sensors, regional considerations
• Irrigation System Maintenance - basic system maintenance practices, managing changing water needs, regional variation
• Landscape Design - design principles: irrigation and drainage, soils, plant selection and placing, buffers and wetlands, water features, regional adaptations
• Landscape Installation - erosions and sediment control, site protection, planting and landscaping installation, regional considerations
• Landscape Maintenance - basic guidelines, weed control, leaves, buffer zones, sediment, regional variations
• Lawn Aeration - basic guidelines, why, when and how
• Lawn Waste Disposal & Composting - disposal, composting, what not to compost, regional considerations
• Mowing - proper length and when to mow, mulching, hot summer considerations, weed control
• Mulching - proper procedure for mulch planting beds, types of mulch, maintenance
• Parks, Golf Courses, Large Landscape Design and Maintenance - design, construction, maintenance, storm water control
• Pesticide Application - general guidelines, integrated pest and plant health care management, application practices, disposal and record keeping, regional considerations
• Pesticide Storage - application and handling, storage, spills and disposal, regional issues
• Production Practices - for nurseries, greenhouses and growers. general guidelines
• References - list of websites and sources of additional information about the topics discussed. if you are really into these topics, dig in
• Regulatory Awareness - legal issues concerning pesticides, riparian buffers, wetlands, storm water, ground protection, water rights, landscape ordinances, backflow prevention, cross connection controls, fire, wildlife, utilities, local considerations
• Retail Practices - maintaining healthy low water plants for sale
• Revegitation of Drainageways - plant selection, site prep, seeding and planting, maintenance, regional considerations
• Riparian Buffers - how to preserve, and buffer areas next to streams and other bodies of water
• Tree Roots - avoiding excess soils over tree root systems, structural roots locating and how deep, selecting and handling trees, planting, mulching, remediation, definitions, root ball
• Turf Management - design, installation and maintenance of turf, laying sod, regional considerations
• Water Budgeting - 2 approaches, formulas and examples for calculating landscape water water needs, regional considerations
• Woody Plants - care of woody plants, deep and slow watering, regional considerations
  

Detail drawings include:

• Education, Public- sketch of water wasting homeowner and house
• Ground Preparation - diagrams of water holding capacity of soils
• Irrigation Efficiency - head to head sprinkler spacing
• Irrigation System Design - drip irrigation diagram
• Irrigation System Installation - rain sensor installation
• Landscape Installation - silt fence barrier diagram
• Landscape Maintenance - nice photo of yard
• Mowing - drawings of proper turf root growth
• Mulching - nice photo of mulch being installed
• Pesticide Application - photo of bugs on a branch
• Pesticide Storage - diagram of combination mixing and storage area
• Riparian Buffers - photo of stream
• Tree Roots - diagram of root ball
• Woody Plants - diagram of deep watering
  

Related Links
www.greenco.org
www.irrigation.org
www.watersaver.org/saveourshade.asp