[skisickie]

How alive does your yard (grass) have to be to get credit for replacing with rock? Does anyone know?

[JM95]

Maybe you can grow marijuana in your yard for medical purposes.

[CCCVDUR]

I do not understand why people want to "remove" grass and "replace" it with gravel and other plants. The natural vegetation in all of the S.W. desert towns (Vegas, Phoenix, Tucson, Flagstaff, and Albuquerque) consists of grass that turns green during the rainy season.

The unusual move by "smart growth" proponents to remove grass is therefore inconsistent with the natural vegetation of the region. In southern Nevada, a natural yard that would never even require irrigation would consist of grass, creosote bush, brittlebrush, prickly pear cactus, mesquite trees, and oak scrub if you're near one of the canyons (such as by Red Rock).

Gravelscaping contributes to excess runoff over driveways, and consequentially overtaxes the water reclamation system. Natural grass, brittlebrush, creosote, prickly pear cactus, and other plants absorb rainfall and stop all runoff. Just go out to Lake Meade and see the natural vegetation.

Gravelscaping also contributes to the urban heat island effect, since gravel reflects sunlight, therefore raising the temperature in your yard and increasing your air conditioning costs.

And, who wants to stretch out and sunbathe on rough gravel? If it's dead brown grass during the dry seasonS in Vegas (April-June; September-November/December), you can still lie down on the ground, or, pitch a tent for your kids.

I don't know if the sand and gravel industries are lobbying the Smart Growth proponents in our local City planning departments. Logic certainly raises this question, given that the idea wastes your money, water, electricity, and makes it impossible for families to play and pitch tents in their yards.

Furthermore, the various fruit trees will do better in an environment of natural vegetation and grass w/ mycorrhizal fungi facillitating nutrient uptake, VERSUS growing on a drip line buried in gravel!

[CCCVDUR]

Originally Posted by airics

do you get the water from the las vegas valley water district.. if so, dont pull it out until they come and measure your lawn.. they pay you to take it out if you put desert landscape in... as for types of plants.. not so sure myself but i have fruit trees that do well (apricot, apple, lime, orange, peach, and plum)... i just planted tomatoes so i can let you know on that.. for the other stuff, we have a fan palm, queen palm, and something that flowers trumpets.

That's ridiculous. Albuquerque does the same thing, and for no good reason. There is NOTHING wrong with brown grass turning green during the winter/spring rains and again during the summer monsoons. Brown grass and natural vegetation + mycorrhizal fungi and cryptobiotic crusts PREVENT runoff into Lake Mead by way of driveways and washes.

The SNWA should be VERY concerned about the huge expenses of handling and processing EXCESS RUNOFF during summer thunderstorms into Lake Mead by way of the water reclamation system.

It costs MUCH more money to irrigate NON-native desert plants on a DRIP line, than to just allow brown grass to remain non-irrigated year round.

When I lived on the shore of Lake Mead in '01 there was NO irrigation, and the natural vegetation was GREEN from SEASONAL RAINS ALONE, and that was a DROUGHT season ('01-'02).

Sounds like the gravel/rock industry is PAYING your local politicians. ???

As I get older I become more and more cynical that the Baby Boomers have screwed the financial future for my generations (X and Y). And, they paid for my science degree. When they bought there first house, there were no impact fees, no smart growth, no foreclosures and NO GRAVELSCAPING!

[skisickie]

the answer is that all of the grass has to be alive. dormant is ok.
before I do anything I am going to try to get the grass to look good with very little water. There is no way I am keeping as much grass as the home has though.

[olecapt]

Originally Posted by Tom Lane

That's ridiculous. Albuquerque does the same thing, and for no good reason. There is NOTHING wrong with brown grass turning green during the winter/spring rains and again during the summer monsoons. Brown grass and natural vegetation + mycorrhizal fungi and cryptobiotic crusts PREVENT runoff into Lake Mead by way of driveways and washes.

The SNWA should be VERY concerned about the huge expenses of handling and processing EXCESS RUNOFF during summer thunderstorms into Lake Mead by way of the water reclamation system.

It costs MUCH more money to irrigate NON-native desert plants on a DRIP line, than to just allow brown grass to remain non-irrigated year round.

When I lived on the shore of Lake Mead in '01 there was NO irrigation, and the natural vegetation was GREEN from SEASONAL RAINS ALONE, and that was a DROUGHT season ('01-'02).

Sounds like the gravel/rock industry is PAYING your local politicians. ???

As I get older I become more and more cynical that the Baby Boomers have screwed the financial future for my generations (X and Y). And, they paid for my science degree. When they bought there first house, there were no impact fees, no smart growth, no foreclosures and NO GRAVELSCAPING!

Well yes and no. Yes there is some grass in the desert...but not much. I have hiked much of the alluvial plane at the foot of the Springs and don't think I ever saw a grassed area big enough to pitch a tent.

The "grass" that SNWA is chasing is eastern style lawns maintained green. That is the standard Las Vegas lawn. They take something close to 7 AF of water per acre.

Runoff is not piped to Lake Mead. It is caught in catch basin and allowed to percolate in or evaporate. There is of course still natural runoff but not a lot from the developed areas.

I too think a bit of grass a good thing. SNWA however does not require you pull it all. Just gives some of the cost of replacing what you choose to.

[skisickie]

I like very little grass and even in my primary residence I have desert plants. I am coming up with a plan to use the water run off to recycle a stream of some type or at least to water. Thinking of doing something like Frank Lloyd Wrights Kentuck Knob. Used it for bird baths etc.

[airics]

Originally Posted by skisickie

the answer is that all of the grass has to be alive. dormant is ok.
before I do anything I am going to try to get the grass to look good with very little water. There is no way I am keeping as much grass as the home has though.

Paint it!

[skisickie]

Spray paint!!! good idea
I might not even worry about it till next year
Time is on my side with this one. I think I used all my tax credits for this year with all of the other energy conserving stuff I put in.

[airics]

Originally Posted by skisickie

Spray paint!!! good idea
I might not even worry about it till next year
Time is on my side with this one. I think I used all my tax credits for this year with all of the other energy conserving stuff I put in.

No not spray paint. It is a dye. Go to YouTube and look up grass painting