NEIGBC Meeting 5-4-06 Permaculture

Dan Earnst from Earth Source, Mo Palmer, landscape designer and Sue Kruse, Master Gardener talk about sustainable landscaping and practical applications for homes.

Dan Earnst introduced himself and his company. They have an installation and restoration branch called Heartland Restoration

40 acre native seed nursery near Ashley – sell to public

Their services include:

• site planning
• residential
• parks

How does the growing population effect our environment in terms of residential development?

Provide opportunity for green choice.

One example is Schererville Farms

• uses oak hickory forest as feature
• halved lot size from 3/4 acre
• left wetland, less streets, less utility installation cost
• more private, cant see into neighbors back yard

Challenge to market-informing realtors, residential planners.

Lack of Soil Stabilization causes:

• nutrients and pollutants carried off
• fill pipes with top soil, subsoil
• pollutes local bodies of water

Another example is Schillton meadows:

• development around storm water retention facility
• slow water so sediments have a chance to drop out

Water detention on site can be beautiful

One technique for dealing with storm water is a storm water Bio-swale

contains mixed plantings in gravel with tile system

bay to trap sediment before it enters waterways

Another option is to take storm water out of pipe and into 15 foot channel, as was done on a golf course

-slows water

-plantings

-landscape feature

Native Plants

-occurs naturally without human intervention (landscape plants can escape into nature and become invasive)

Examples: Black-eyed Susan, Coneflower

Advantages:

-no insecticides

-minimal herbicides

-no watering

-attract wildlife

-groundwater infiltration

-soil stabilization

-increase connection to nature

-sense of place (helps you to identify where you are)

-help educate others

-aesthetics

Lawn

-how much do you need

-how do you maintain it

-grass will go dormant in heat of summer

-set mower higher - keeps weeds down and keeps grass healthier

Prairie project

little blue stem-monoplant-use next to prairie as transition area

need several years for perennials to establish themselves

woody species native to Indiana:

• red maples
• red oak
• redbud
• hawthorn
• viburnum

Planting Techniques & Maintenance

• plug planting-most expensive, but also most effective
• still needs maintenance
• burns-1 or 2x per year
• hand pulling weeds

How do we identify beauty? Are dandelions actually ugly?

Ways to make your lawn more environmentally friendly:

• Hand cut lawn with push mower
• Spot weed treatment

Environment

-need to learn about

-Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring woke people up to what was going on around them

Master Gardeners-through county extension office

cutting edge information, organic

Allen county office had14 different gardens used for teaching

We need to be more educated consumers

No mow grass?

• turf type tall fescue, soft fluffy mix, mow twice a year (can buy at Hoham Smith in Auburn)
• Buffalo grass-native, can seed but more effective if you plant plugs
• Little Blue Stem Grass-available at Heartland Restoration-seed from native stock, hardy for this area

How to install a native plant prairie:

• have to get rid of native plants
• spray with round up type product after mowing (round up is gone from soil in a short time)
• Can also till several times, however, if you till you will bring weed seeds to surface, also lose carbon base which harms soil

How to maintain a native plant prairie:

• burn at least once if not twice a year. Ash will allow ground to heat up faster in the spring
• if you mow you have to remove detritus to allow sunlight to penetrate soil

For more information visit:

www.earthsourceinc.net