Help with plant care during drought offered on Earth-Kind website

COLLEGE STATION — Rain has been scarce across most of Texas, but there is a flood of information on an Earth-Kind website aimed at helping plant lovers ease their landscapes through the drought.

“We have a lot of different tools to help out,” said Martin Anderson, Texas AgriLife Extension Service web administrator for horticulture. “All of the information that would help someone is in one place.”

Before heading out to a hot, dry flower bed, Anderson suggested, one could explore http://earthkind.tamu.edu/drought.

Earth-Kind Landscaping is an AgriLife Extension program that “uses research-proven techniques to provide maximum garden and landscape enjoyment while preserving and protecting the environment,” according to the website.

“What we’re trying to do is provide information that anyone across Texas can implement and get good landscape performance with minimal inputs and drought tolerance,” Anderson added.

One feature he pointed to is an Earth-Kind plant selector, which rates plants based on how well they would do in different areas of Texas.

“This will give a person a quick, easy look at the best plants for a particular area,” he said.

Along with the online information, several publications are available for download from the site, he said. Topics include water conservation, energy conservation in the landscape and  recycling in the landscape, for example.

“A lot of the information is not region specific because the techniques can be applied across the state,” Anderson said. “It’s a comprehensive area for people to look at the Earth-Kind methods to help protect their landscape during a drought. “

The site also provides information on contacting a county office of AgriLife Extension.
-30-