What a difference a year makes. Lakewood Ranch was having trouble with turf that was installed next to a trafficked roadway. In the photo on the top you can see how the turf was in poor condition. In the photo above you can see how they extended the landscape beds to eliminate some turf (high volume irrigation area) and replaced the St. Augustine with Zoysia. This is a considerable reduction in water usage. Through out the entire community Lakewood Ranch has converted over 10 acres of turf into landscape beds. Based on recommended irrigation levels this equals a savings of over 7 million gallons.
Reclaimed water from a water treatment facility can hold high salt levels. To help reclaimed water recipients manage their landscape, here is a list of common landscape plants grouped by their chloride salt tolerance level. When referring to the plant list, please note the list is intended as a general guide and the chloride salt tolerance level for many landscape plants has not been documented. A more comprehensive listing of Florida-friendly plants that includes information on salt tolerances is located in the Florida-friendly plant listing developed by the University of Florida or at www.FloridaYards.org. For other specific lawn and gardening information, contact a Master Gardener at the Manatee County Extension Office by calling 941-722-4524.Poor drainage and pooling water may also allow accumulation of salts in the soil. Adjust slopes, eliminate compacted soil and amend soil structure to help improve landscape drainage problems. If leaf yellowing occurs, sprinkler heads may need to be adjusted so the spray pattern avoids direct contact with plant foliage. If leaf yellowing persists, it may be necessary to use drip irrigation to water the more sensitive plant varieties.
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