Turf management and rainwater harvesting training set for Oct. 4 in New Braunfels
Free soil testing will be available
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service’s Healthy Lawns and Healthy Waters Program will host a residential rainwater harvesting and turf management training on Oct. 4 for Comal County.
The free event will be from 1-5 p.m. at the AgriLife Extension office in Comal County, 325 Resource Drive, New Braunfels.
Attendees can RSVP at hlhw.tamu.edu/workshops or by contacting John Smith, AgriLife Extension program specialist in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Bryan-College Station, at [email protected] or 979-204-0573. Attendees who RSVP to the event will receive updates and training materials via email.
The training is offered in collaboration with the Upper San Marcos Springs and the Geronimo and Alligator Creeks Watershed Partnership.
“The Healthy Lawns and Healthy Waters Program aims to improve and protect surface water quality by enhancing awareness and knowledge of best management practices for residential landscapes,” Smith said.
Learn residential landscape best practices
Participants will learn about the design and installation of residential rainwater harvesting systems and appropriate turf and landscape species based on local conditions and other best practices.
“Management practices such as using irrigation delivery equipment, interpreting soil test results and understanding nutrient applications can help reduce runoff and make efficient use of applied landscape irrigation water,” Smith said.
Dean Minchillo, Texas Water Resources Institute program specialist, Dallas, said proper fertilizer application and efficient water irrigation can protect and improve water quality in area creeks. Also, he said collecting rainwater for lawn and landscape needs reduces stormwater runoff.
Annalee Epps, AgriLife Extension specialist and watershed coordinator for Geronimo and Alligator creeks and the Upper San Marcos Springs watershed, will also discuss updates on activities to improve and protect water quality in those watersheds during the event.
Free soil testing offered
Participants can have their soil tested as part of the training. The training will include information on understanding soil test results and nutrient recommendations to help interpret results once the analysis is mailed to them.
The soil sample bag and analysis are free to Healthy Lawns and Healthy Waters Program participants.
Residents can pick up bags, sampling instructions and the Urban and Homeowner Soil Sample Information Form at the AgriLife Extension office for Comal County.
Bags containing residents’ soil samples should be returned to the location where they were obtained prior to the training or soil samples may also be brought to the training. Do not mail the soil sample to the lab.
Samples will be sent to the AgriLife Extension Soil, Water and Forage Testing Lab in College Station for routine analysis, including micronutrients, pH, conductivity, nitrate-nitrogen and other parameters.
Funding for the program is provided in part by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality through a Clean Water Act 319(h) grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The project is managed by the Texas Water Resources Institute, a unit of Texas A&M AgriLife Research that combines expertise across the agencies of Texas A&M AgriLife.
