Keeping It Green

Tips for Water Conservation and Fall Overseeding

By Glenn A. Miller, CGCS

We all know California is facing serious drought conditions. The Governor and State Water Resources Control Board have established significant conservation requirements for water agencies throughout the State. Most local water districts are required to reduce overall water usage by 15%, by reducing outdoor water use. According to drought.gov, about 40% of the United States has been experiencing drought conditions since mid-August, 2021. Summer heat and on-going drought conditions have taken a toll on Coachella Valley golf courses and HOA common areas alike.

With fall rapidly approaching, community managers should review their common areas with association board members and landscape professionals to determine if turfgrass areas are functional or not. The Coachella Valley Water District (CVWD) has established guidelines for water conservation which became effective June 14, 2022. This emergency regulation requires CVWD to implement all demand reduction actions under Stage 2 of CVWD’s Water Shortage Contingency Plan; and prohibits the use of potable water for the irrigation of non-functional turf at commercial, industrial, and institutional sites, including within HOAs. In those guidelines, non-functioning turf is defined as “turf that is ornamental and not regularly used for human recreational purposes or for civic or community events.” Non-functional turf applies to turf or property that the HOA owns, not residences. Therefore, the prohibition does not prevent individual homeowners from irrigating grass. However, it does prohibit the irrigation of non-functional turf (with potable water) on property the HOA owns. The prohibition does not apply to turf that is regularly used for recreation and community activities.

Community managers should note that all water agencies retain the authority to enforce the irrigation ban if there is a documented violation. HOAs are encouraged to be pro-active and reach out to their local water representatives to request assistance with a site assessment for their community to ensure proper compliance.

Here are several water-saving changes your HOA can make right away: • Set irrigation controllers to use 15% less water on grass or install Smart Irrigation Controllers; • Water landscaping at night to minimize water loss to evaporation. Spray irrigation during daylight hours is now prohibited; and • Install water-efficient landscaping and save approximately 55 gallons of water per square foot annually. Apply for a turf conversion rebates or irrigation equipment to save water and resources but remember to apply for grants before you start any work.

THE OVERSEEDING PROCESS

The annual overseeding process is an aesthetic amenity of applying perennial ryegrass seed to an existing turfgrass area to thicken the turf or maintain year-round color. Overseeding is essential for the tourism industry, golf courses and HOA communities that rely on green grass to greet the hundreds of thousands of guests and residents each year. Actually, that is what our golfers, guests and residents expect. This year is going to be a unique year for the overseeding process with high summer heat, increased seed prices, and local water restrictions playing a part in the overall process. A vital component of overseeding is choosing the right perennial ryegrass seed. What are your goals for the overseeding process including quantity of seed needed and quality of turfgrass expected? Are you looking for turfgrass color or quality of turfgrass? This will help you determine the best grass seed varieties for overseeding or reseeding the turf areas in your community or golf course.

In the Coachella Valley, I recommend varieties that will thrive in our desert climate and growing conditions. Consider drought-resistant seed varieties to help avoid future drought damage and excess watering, even if they may be more expensive than other varieties. IMPORTANT! Check with your local water agency to determine if daytime watering is allowed, and know the penalties for noncompliance.

Overseeding golf courses requires consistent amounts of watering to germinate the cool weather grass seed. The technique has worked for many years, but this was before California entered another year of drought with mandated water restrictions. The local golf course industry has been implementing alternative overseeding methods for years. Many golf course superintendents are cutting back on water consumption by not overseeding the golf course roughs or non-essential turfgrass areas so that only the fairways, tee boxes and putting greens are being overseeded. Also, a lot of the golf courses and resorts have converted to using non-potable water by utilizing Colorado River water or recycled water, giving those properties less water restrictions than other water users.

I encourage community managers and the HOA’s golf course landscape committee members to review their landscape maintenance budgets now to determine how potential increased seed and water expenditures may impact their budget moving forward. With proper preparation and execution of the overseeding process you can produce an exceptional turfgrass product that your community and residents expect. Soon enough though, we are all going to have to consider looking outside the box about overseeding and start imagining our Coachella Valley without green grass and flowers.

Glenn A. Miller is a Certified Golf Course Superintendent and Vice-President of Operations of Southwest Landscape & Maintenance and can be contacted at Glenn@swlandscape.net.