Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service‘s Healthy Lawns and Healthy Waters Program will work with the Tarrant Regional Water District to host a residential rainwater harvesting and turf management training on April 14 for Denton County.
The free event will be at the Annex Building of the Upper Trinity Regional Water District’s Event Center from 1-5 p.m.
“The Healthy Lawns and Healthy Waters Program aims to improve and protect surface water quality by enhancing awareness and knowledge of best management practices for residential landscapes,” said John Smith, AgriLife extension specialist, College Station.
More updates and materials related to the training will be sent via email to those who RSVP. At the event, there will be a drawing for a free smart irrigation controller.
On the agenda
Smith said attendees will learn about the design and installation of residential rainwater harvesting systems as well as appropriate turf and landscape species based on local conditions and other practices.
“Management practices such as using irrigation delivery equipment, interpreting soil test results and understanding nutrient applications can help reduce runoff and make efficient use of applied landscape irrigation water,” he said.
Fertilizer and irrigation advice will also help residents and the surrounding environment.
“Proper fertilizer application and efficient water irrigation can protect and improve water quality in area creeks,” said Dean Minchillo, Texas Water Resources Institute program specialist in Dallas. “And collecting rainwater for lawn and landscape needs reduces stormwater runoff.”
Soil testing
Participants can have their soil tested as part of the training. They can pick up a soil sample bag with sampling instructions and the Urban and Homeowner Soil Sample Information Form at the AgriLife Extension office in Denton County and at the Upper Trinity’s office in Lewisville.
Bags containing soil samples should be returned to the location where they were obtained prior to or by one week after the training. Soil samples may also be brought to the training where the samples can be transferred into a sample bag. Samples should not be mailed to the lab.
Samples will be grouped into one submission and sent to the AgriLife Extension Soil, Water and Forage Testing Lab in College Station for routine analysis, including micronutrients, pH, conductivity, nitrate-nitrogen and other parameters.
The training will include information on how to understand soil test results and nutrient recommendations so residents can interpret results once the analysis is mailed to them.
Funding for the Healthy Lawns and Healthy Waters Program is provided in part by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality through a Clean Water Act grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The project is managed by the Texas Water Resources Institute, part of Texas A&M AgriLife Research, AgriLife Extension and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University.
Attendees can RSVP to the event online or contact Smith at john.smith@ag.tamu.edu or 979-204-0573 with any questions.
