Monthly Meeting: October 11, 2015

(Click "Read More" for the full story!)

Speaker: Ron Hoffmann, owner of Morris Nursery
1837 Patterson Rd,
Riverbank, CA 95367

Ron gave an outstanding and informative presentation this month. He came loaded with plants of many varieties that are both drought tolerant and beautiful.

One of the highlights was his advice on lawns: "We do not believe in, nor do we support the browning of Modesto lawns as a water saving measure at this stage. Lawns can be maintained with reasonable health, following a few important steps:

1. Set your mower height at the highest possible setting. The taller grass blades will shade the soil, protecting it from drying out too quickly.

2. Never mow more than 30% off the top of your lawn at one time. Mowing more will damage and stress the lawn, requiring more water to recover.

3. Consider mowing once every 2 weeks at this higher setting.

4. Feed your lawn with a good organic lawn food, such as Dr. Earth Lawn Fertilizer. It will naturally release the nutrients more slowly to the lawn, and contains beneficial microbes that help maintain good lawn health. This feeding should last for 3 months.

5. Water your lawn for about 20 minutes - TOTAL. Allow about 1 hour between each cycle so water can soak in.

6. Do all your watering between 3 AM and 8 AM for the best lawn health - try to avoid watering between 7 PM and midnight. The high evening temperatures, combined with the addition of moisture creates the perfect conditions for lawn fungus to grow."

After Ron spoke, we discussed the first steps we need to take towards organizing our March 2016 Camellia Show at The Gallo Administration Building. 

Christmas Party Info! 
We also selected the location for our annual Christmas Dinner, which will be at Bel Piatto Cucino Italiano again this year. Members of any Northern Camellia Society are invited to attend, Sunday, December 13, 2015 at 5 PM. - map - If you plan on attending, please RSVP by December 1, 2015 to Barbara Bort (209) 537.9945. Cost is only $10.00 per person, you may pay at the door. The meal will be an Italian Buffet with 3 entree choices, salad, bread, and dessert. 

For those who wish to participate, we will be doing a gift exchange, with the maximum gift price being $15.00. We hope to see you there!

---

"If you opt to take your lawn out to save water, resist the urge to replace it with artificial turf or rock. One of the benefits of lawns is that they keep the area around your house much cooler. You will be more comfortable outside and your air conditioner will not have to work as hard. Artificial turf or rocks cause air temperatures to rise significantly, and a common side effect of letting your lawn go brown is that you will also shut off the water to your lawn trees. Trees do not have deep enough roots to reach the aquifer and must be watered deeply, albeit infrequently- to stay healthy. In may cases lawns and shrubs are being watered at the same time by the same station. Simply turning off the sprinklers can put great stress on both trees and shrubs, and you risk losing them as well."
​
- Ron Hoffmann, Morris Nursery