Horticulture Fact Sheet
H-00-060

Environmentally Friendly Landscape Practices

Cooperative Extension Service
The University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

By Robert R. Westerfield, Extension Horticulturist and
Daryl Pulis, Master Gardener Advanced Training Coordinator

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Georgia Homeowners spend thousands of dollars each year on fertilizer, water and pesticides for their landscapes. Much of this is applied incorrectly or unnecessarily, wasting money and polluting our environment. With proper planning, planting and maintenance, a healthier landscape can be created with less expense, less work, and less damage to the world around us.

Planning

• Planning is the first step to a better landscape. Plants that are suited to the site need less fertilizer, water and pesticides. There are four essential components of planning:
• Site Analysis -- Check sun, wind and drainage before choosing your plant. A plant that needs shade will do poorly in the sun, becoming stressed and insect prone. A plant that needs good air circulation will likely need a fungicide to keep disease under control if planted in an area with no air movement. Plan to control water runoff during rainy periods. This may include diverting downspouts, planting across the slope to slow the water so that it will have a chance to soak into the ground, or using a groundcover on steep areas to prevent erosion.
• Size -- Learn what the mature size of your plants will be. A common mistake is to choose plants that will quickly outgrow the site. These plants will either need constant pruning or replacement in a few years. Crowded plants grow poorly, and are more prone to insects and diseases.
• Water Needs -- Develop a landscape that is water efficient. The practice of developing a water-wise landscape is called Xeriscape, pronounced "Zera-scape." Often mispronounced as "Zero-scape," it conjures up the idea of cactus and rocks. On the contrary, following the principles of a Xeriscape will give you an attractive landscape that is difficult to tell from a traditional one, but water, fertilizer and maintenance needs will be much less.
• Group plants with similar moisture needs together so that water is not wasted on plants that don't need it. Many established shrubs and trees can go several weeks without supplemental water, while annual flowers may need more than an inch of irrigation per week.
• Plan practical turf areas and use mulch, shrub borders or ground covers in other areas. Practical turf areas might include a play space or an area that sets off the home's front entrance to contrast with planted beds.

• Plan on using flowering shrubs and trees for color rather than just relying on annuals and perennials. Plan your flowerbeds where they will provide impact for the least effort. Annual flowerbeds are high maintenance, and require more water than other parts of the landscape.
• Plants - Choose the right plant for the right place.
• Choose plants that are resistant to pests and diseases. These plants will require fewer pesticides and fungicides.
• Consider heat and cold hardiness of plants. Learn the hardiness zone for your area and choose plants suited to your area. Hardiness zone maps tell how low the average minimum temperature is in an area. Heat zone maps are also available which consider how many days per year the temperature exceeds 86 degrees. Heat and cold are a limiting factor for many plants.
• Many native plants are suitable for home landscapes and are adapted to extremes of Georgia weather. However, native plants need an environment similar to that of their natural habitat if they are going to thrive in the landscape.
• When purchasing plants, check them carefully to ensure that you are not bringing insect pests into your garden. Look for good color and strong growth as well. Avoid a plant with spots, mildew or other defects. It is a good idea to inspect the root system for possible damage. To do this, invert the plant and pot and gently pull the pot from the rootball. Dead and decayed roots mean that the plant was not well taken care of and will not grow well in your landscape.

Planting

• Planting properly is the key to healthy plants that are able to resist drought, insects and diseases. Soil preparation is critical. A well-prepared planting bed, dug to a depth of 12-15 inches and enriched with organic matter, encourages strong root development for shrub masses, islands, and flower borders.

• For group planting, dig the bed and remove rocks and clods. If a soil test indicated a need for lime, add it now. Then incorporate approximately 2 inches of coarse organic matter such as bark mini nuggets or chips plus 2 inches of fine organic material such as compost. This will give immediate results from the finer material, plus longer-lasting effects as the larger material breaks down. Peat moss by itself is not recommended because it breaks down very quickly in Georgia's climate. It is also very difficult to rewet once it dries. Be sure to thoroughly mix the organic matter with the native soil.
• If planting individual trees and shrubs omit the organic matter but break up the native soil in a wide area around the planting hole. The panting hole should be at least twice the diameter of the root ball.
• Be sure to loosen up and spread apart the root ball of container plants to encourage roots to grow outward and to allow water to penetrate into the root mass.
• Before planting, check sub-surface drainage by filling the hole with water and allowing it to drain, then repeating. If water is in the planting hole more than an hour drainage is poor and needs to be corrected before planting. A slope is no guarantee of good sub-surface drainage. Raised beds or drainage tile may need to be incorporated into the site to improve the conditions.
• Mulch immediately after planting with shredded bark, pine straw or other organic material. Mulch moderates soil temperatures and reduces water needs. Mulch also helps prevent weeds, prevent erosion, and eliminates damage from string trimmers and lawn mowers.
• Apply mulch 2 to 4 inches deep and extend it past the drip line of your plants. To prevent disease and insect damage, pull mulch away from the stem or trunk of the plant.
• Do not use plastic under the mulch. Plastic film severely limits water and oxygen movement to plant roots. Landscape fabrics may be used, but weed and grass seeds may blow onto the fabric and root through it, making removal difficult. Two or three layers of newspaper may be dampened and placed on the ground under the mulch. It will break down gradually, but it will help to suppress weeds and conserve moisture while your plants are getting established. Modern black and white newspaper inks are soy based and do not pose a threat to the environment.
• Many mulches are available. Organic mulches are best because they slowly release nutrients and improve soil quality as they break down.

• Suitable mulches include pine straw, shredded leaves, pine bark nuggets, mini-nuggets, shredded hardwood mulch, and shredded cypress. Shredded products and pine straw are preferred on a slope because they are less likely to wash away during rain.
• Avoid heavy applications of grass clippings, which mat and repel water. Peanut hulls may be readily available, but are not recommended because of their potential for carrying pest problems. Fresh wood chips are also often available for free in some municipalities, but should be aged before use. Fresh chips may release toxic substances into the soil and absorb nitrogen in the break down process.

Maintenance

• Watering should be done according to plant needs. Newly planted trees and shrubs need frequent watering. Once established, many plants can survive weeks without supplemental irrigation.
• When possible, use drip irrigation or soaker hoses because they apply water to the roots of the plants where it is needed. Sprinklers, on the other hand, can waste 30-50 percent of the water applied.
• When using sprinklers, water after dew has fallen in the evening and before it begins to dry in the morning. This will avoid prolonging the period when foliage is wet. Wet foliage is more susceptible to fungus diseases.
• When you do irrigate, apply enough water to wet the soil to a depth of 6 to 8 inches to promote deep root growth. Soil moisture sensors are now available for automated systems to prevent over-irrigation.
• Change times weekly according to rainfall patterns. A rain gauge will help you to match supplemental water application to rainfall.

• Check sprinkler heads at least once per season to ensure that they are applying water evenly and not wasting water on walks, drives and streets.
• Irrigate lawns and ornamentals in the evening between the hours of 9 p.m. and 9 a.m. This will cut down on evaporation and not encourage diseases.
• Water lawns only when they need it. Many lawns do not need regular watering. If footsteps are left when you walk across the lawn, or the lawn has a blue cast, you might need to water. Many turfgrasses such as bermuda can be allowed to go dormant during times of low rainfall; they will recover when rainfall returns to normal.
• Check the soil at the root zone for moisture before watering, or let plants tell you if they need water. Some annual and perennial flowers and shrubs may wilt in the afternoon heat but will recover by morning if moisture is available in the soil.

• Fertilize according to a soil test. Soil pH is critical to efficient use of fertilizers. If pH is too high or low, plants can't use the fertilizer that is applied and will perform poorly. Excess fertilizer may also enter waterways polluting lakes and streams.
• Fertilizers are available in several forms, from liquids to granules, and slow-release forms. Slow release fertilizers release nutrients as the plants need them, according to temperature and moisture availability. This allows more even plant growth while avoiding loss of nutrients to leaching and run off.
• Fertilize according to the soil test report or the label recommendations. Too much fertilizer will burn plants or cause weak, spindly growth that is more susceptible to insect attack.
• Several types of "organic" fertilizers are available, both liquid and dry. The dry forms offer the same benefits as slow-release syn-thetic fertilizers, being less likely to leach away, and slowly being made available to the plant. They typically cost more than synthetic fertilizers, and they may be needed at higher rates than synthetic fertilizers to apply the same quantity of nutrients. They may contain needed micronutrients, however, and many add beneficial organic material to the soil.
• Before applying fertilizer, calibrate your spreader. Calibration methods vary according to different brands of spreaders, so contact the manufacturer or dealer if you are uncertain. If not properly calibrated, the spreader may apply too much fertilizer, which will not only damage your plants but also may cause run-off and ground water pollution.
• Sweep up any fertilizer that is spilled onto walks, driveways and streets. Spilled fertilizer can cause serious pollution problems when it runs off into storm drains and into streams and lakes.
• Remember that most mature trees and shrubs need little or no supplemental fertilizer. They get many of the nutrients they need from the breakdown of organic mulches.

• Avoid fertilizing during dry periods. Fertilizing stimulates new growth, which requires more water.
• New lawn fertilizers made of corn gluten meal provide nitrogen and may suppress some weeds.

• Pruning -- A properly spaced plant in the landscape should not need heavy pruning for several years. If pruning to reduce size is needed within 5 years after planting, then you have probably chosen the wrong plant for the location.
• Pruning may be needed to shape a young plant, to open up a very dense plant to allow good air circulation, or to remove dead, diseased, or damaged tissue.
• Avoid shearing. Shearing not only is high maintenance but also increases the plant's need for water. Selective thinning of branches is preferred. Thinning gives a more natural shape and does not have to be done as often as shearing.
• Pruning at the proper time is important. In general, prune spring flowering shrubs immediately after flowering, and prune summer flowering shrubs before spring growth begins. Avoid fall and winter pruning of spring flowering plants because it will remove flower buds. It also may decrease cold hardiness.
• Avoid pruning during times of drought. Pruning stimulates growth, which requires more water.
• Insect and Disease problems are fewer with good landscape management practices. Walk around your landscape regularly to become familiar with the normal color and growth for your plants and look for abnormalities.
• Insects and diseases do not cause most problems on landscape plants. Poor drainage, severe heat, cold, drought, mechanical damage, herbicide drift and overfertilizing commonly cause problems.
• Most lawn problems are caused by poor management. Mowing to remove no more than one-third of the grass blade, at the recommended height for your turf type, fertilizing according to soil test results and watering deeply but infrequently will help reduce weed, disease, and insect problems.
• Check for damaged or diseased plants, and shake an occasional branch over white paper to dislodge insects.
• Identify the problem before you act. Many times the insect on the plant is not causing the damage. In fact, less than three percent of the insects in the world are pests, the rest are neutral or are beneficial pollinators or predators of other insects.
• Do all you can to preserve beneficial insects. Beneficial insect populations rebound more slowly than do pest populations. This means that if we damage the beneficials as we try to control the pests, the pest population will grow very quickly and may leave us with more severe problems than we had before.
• Catching a problem early allows for treatment before the disease or insect infestation becomes overwhelming. Many times, pruning the infected branch or dislodging insects with a strong jet of water is all that is needed.
• If you think that a pesticide or fungicide is needed, contact your Cooperative Extension Service for information on the best product to use and the proper time to apply it. Many insects and diseases are only vulnerable to pesticides at certain life stages. Applying pesticides at the wrong time won't help and may cause more problems. Also consider using organic chemical alternatives because they are often less harmful to humans and the environment.
• If pesticides or fungicides are needed, read and follow all label directions exactly. Remember, pesticides are poisons, and they can be dangerous to people, pets and the environment if misused.

Remember -- Homeowners apply seven times more chemicals per acre than those used in agriculture, according to some studies. Much of this runs off into lakes and streams or leaches into groundwater. By following the management techniques outlined in this fact sheet, homeowners can reduce the total amount of chemicals and water needed in their home landscape. By choosing plants that are best suited to the local environment, using correct water and pruning techniques, and maintaining proper pH and soil fertility, you will help promote a healthy landscape that will need fewer chemicals.

Suggested References

University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service Publications

Care of Ornamental Plants in the Landscape. B-1065
Control of Lace Bugs on Ornamental Plants. B-1102
Flowering Annuals for Georgia Gardens. B-954
Flowering Bulbs for Georgia Gardens. B-918
Flowering Perennials for Georgia Gardens. B-944
Ground Covers. L-121
Soil Preparation and Planting Procedures for Ornamental Plants in the Landscape. B-932
Soil Testing for Home Lawns and Gardens. L-387
Xeriscape: A Guide to Developing a Water-Wise Landscape. B-1073
Coping with Watering Restrictions in the Landscape: A Compilation of Low-Maintenance Plants for Georgia Landscapes. H-91-009
Mulching: Feed Your Landscape, Not the Landfill. MP-438

Other Publications

Gardening with Native Plants of the South, Wasowski and Wasowski, Taylor Publishing
Gardening 'Round Atlanta, Aronovitz and Werner, Eldorado
Landscape Plants of the Southeast, Halfacre and Shawcroft, Sparks Press
Manual of Woody Landscape Plants, Michael Dirr, Stipes
Native Shrubs and Woody Vines of the Southeast, Foote and Jones, Timber Press
A Southern Gardener's Book of Lists, Lois Trigg Chaplin, Taylor Publishing

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