Cicadas of Utah

A shed skin from a cicada found near the U of U.

Cicadas are well known in some parts of the country, but unless they are the sexy ones that emerge in large groups after many years of hiding underground they are ignored by the public. This has caused a common misconception that Utah does not have any cicadas!

This is an odd situation because those of us that spend time in the canyons of the Wasatch Front know very well the screech of the local cicadas. Less common, much less common, is the opportunity to take a closer look at one of the natives. In all the years I have walked and hiked in this region I do not ever recall seeing a live cicada. I am sure I must have see their shed skins, I cannot for the life of me remember seeing one. Until this last summer (2022) I had never seen a live Utah cicada. Surprisingly enough, this one was not in a canyon, instead it was in a developed foothill area in Salt Lake City, not far from the U of U. 

I encourage you to open yourself up to new explorations of the common areas in your life. Whether it is your own backyard or your workplace there is something new waiting for your if you just take a few seconds to see it!

A live cicada found near the U of U.

 

Late Season Veggies

The gardening season is almost over and all that remains to be done is harvesting, a bit of weeding, and putting the garden to rest, right?

Not so fast!

Most of the same vegetables that you planted in the spring are also happy in the cool autumn weather. So go over your list for your March and April plantings and most of them that mature with out a lot of fussiness will be good for planting mid August.

Here is a quick list:

Beets
Turnips
Cabbage
Kale
Lettuce
Onion
Rutabaga
Spinach
Peas
Garlic
Swiss chard
Mustard greens
Dandelion

Have fun with your fall garden!

March Classes from USG

March class schedule:
Seed Swap
1 Saturday 3-6pm
FREE

• Come share your seeds and meet other gardeners from Utah County!

Eco-garden Fundamentals (Permaculture Fundamentals)
8 Saturday 3-6pm
FREE

• Learn how to think nature friendly in the garden.

Cool Weather Planting
15 Saturday 3-6pm
$20 at the door, Early registration only $15

• Hands on gardening for March planting, including lists of what to plant and when to plant it.

Fruit Tree Care

Rescheduled for April

• Pest control, thinning, and other tips for good fruit on your trees.

Building the Plant Community (Plant Guilds)
29 Saturday 3-6 pm
$20 at the door, Early registration only $15

• How to blend plants in the same beds so they help each other and make your life better.

For more information contact Alex Grover at:
utahsustainablegardening@gmail.com

All events happening at Pioneer Book in downtown Provo.

Color in a Drought

This was taken at foreclosed home in Draper UT in September of
2013. The yard was planted with many drought resistant plants
several years before being abandoned. Not every spot was as colorful
as this one, but only the lawn looked worse than the neighbors.

The idea that waterwise plantings in Utah have to be gravel and cactus is absurd. While there are a few spots with little other choice, most of the Wasatch Front is open to a huge array of colors and plants. The planting above combines introduced 'Blue Mist' spirea with native rabbit brush. Both plants do well in Utah with little care.

If you want to cut down on your landscape water, the best way is to chose the right perennials and shrubs. But remember, don't over water them!

If live in Utah County and need help, give me a call.

Manana!

Mowing Your Lawn for Drought

A lawn repair at Lehi city hall. Repairing turf is very water
costly and should be avoided durring water restrictions
and hot periods.

With the ongoing drought in Utah I thought a little advice on preventing mowing from damaging Kentucky bluegrass is in order.

Most folks understand that drought causes stress on turf grass and many other plants. What they don't realize is that their weekly ritual of mowing and trimming can be just as damaging to their lawns. When these stresses hit a lawn it needs more water to help it recover from the damage.

So what to do to reduce lawn stress and damage? Try these tips:

• Set the mower height to 3" or more. This gives your grass more sun energy to heal and to send roots down deep to find deep water.
• Drought stressed bluegrass will grow more slowly, so it does not need to be mowed as frequently. As long as you take off one third or less of the grass leaf when mowing, it won't hurt to mow every two weeks. Mowing even less frequently may be possible.
• Keep your blade sharp. A dull blade shreds the grass and requires more water for the grass to recover. If the blade is checked every time the mower is used it never becomes a problem.
• Get a mulch mower and use the mulching feature. The small grass clippings will break down and add carbon to the soil. The carbon will help slow down evaporation so water can go to the lawn instead. Mulch mowing does not create a thatch problem, it actually helps solve it.

If this list looks familier, it should. These are the same recommendations that everyone should be familier with for creating a healthy strong lawn in normal years.

It is also never too late to look at reducing or eliminating turf!

Tips for a Green Lawn During a Drought

Lehi City hall during the 2013 drought.  In a bad year,
governments need to take the lead in conserving water!

I am not a fan of huge lawns, but that doesn't matter because they are already here and most people like them. What I hate most about lawns is the way people water them. Too often as I walk down the street I see water running over sidewalks and down gutters. This is bad enough on a normal year in the desert, but in a drought it is criminal!

Below are a few tips to get the most out of your lawn without using extra water.

• Switch from impact heads (old fashioned rainbird sprinklers) and spray nozzles to rotor heads and mini rotor nozzles. Rotors are found in nearly every hardware store, but for the minis you will need to go to a professional sprinkler shop. These shops are always glad to help you, but you may have to wait for the help.
• Fix any broken lines, heads, and nozzles. If you have leaks you are letting money run down the gutter.
• Adjust your sprinklers so that all of the water hits the lawn rather than the sidewalk or house.
• Water slow and deep, the rotors and mini rotors are made to do this. 
• On sandy soils water will move through quickly, so watering deep will take less time than on clay. On clay and loam soils you should be able to water only once a week if you can get the water deep enough.
• Get a screwdriver with an 8" blade to test how deep your water is going. Eight inches is about how far down the feeder roots for bluegrass go, so that is how far you are trying to water.
• Be willing to accept some brown spots on the lawn. Brown during a drought year is a sign of civic leadership!

Good luck, and remember, you can always plant something that uses less water than turf grass.