Linda Goldman (BOD V. P. and liason for trees, shrubs, and beautification) and Richard Percival (BOD Secretary and liason for turf and irrigation)

The landscaping committee is to oversee all the common area mowing, fertilizing application, herbicide application, pesticide application, weed and cattail control, needed repairs, beautifying the development, pond maintenance, pump maintenance, natural areas, trimming of trees and bushes, replacement of trees, painting, parking lot maintenance, basket ball maintenance, seeding, new landscaping construction, contractual compliance and signs.

If you have a question or concern, please email Leann at brookwoodsub@msn.com and she will forward it onto the appropriate person. All irrigation issues must be addressed in writing via email to Leann so she can directly forward them onto the common area maintenance sight manager.

Note: Homeowners need to be aware that if their POC (point of connection) or saddle from the irrigation main supply line breaks, this will be a cost to homeowner for repair. If it is a main irrigation line only, Brookwood (all homeowners) will pay for the cost on natural failure. Sometimes we will not know where the break is until we uncover the problem. We ask all to work with the committee on this issue.

Watering TIPS

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  Brookwood Water Conservation Tips
  Landscape Water Conservation
  • Visually inspect your sprinkler system 2-3 times a month during daylight hours. Check and fix any tilted, clogged or broken heads. Although watering at night is recommended, you won't notice problems with your system unless you see it in operation.
  • Avoid watering your landscape during the hottest hours of the day (10 am until 6 pm) to minimize evaporation. (Here in Brookwood you will follow your time schedule per the area you live in, if you don’t know it just call Leann)
  • Water your landscape in cycles by reducing the number of minutes on your timer and using multiple start times spaced one hour apart. This allows the water to soak into the soil and avoids runoff.
  • Use multiple start times: Our clay, shallow soils cannot absorb water very fast. Runtimes over 15 minutes for sprays and 30 minutes for rotors should be divided into two cycles (these are just estimated times). For example a 15-minute runtime scheduled to start at 1 am and the second start time at 3 am will result in 30 minutes of watering. Most controllers have 2-3 start times on the same program. Runtimes should be further reduced if the area is sloped. For example 3 start times of 5 minutes each.
  • Water your lawn only when it needs it. If you leave footprints on the grass, it is usually time to water.
  • Try to add more days between watering. Allowing your lawn to dry out between watering creates deeper roots and allows you to water deeper and less often.
  • Water less frequently, but deeper, your current schedules may apply water very frequently (4-5 days per week). This is more than the necessary amount of water. With frequent irrigation, the grass roots do not grow to their maximum depth because they are receiving a very regular watering at the surface of the soil. Instead, it is recommend thoroughly saturating the soil profile with deep, infrequent waterings. When this occurs, the roots try to grow to their maximum depth to reach as much of the available water as possible. This will result in a more drought tolerant grass. We recommend watering your stations on a frequency of once every 2-4 days in the summer. (The older your lawn the more time you can get between waterings) In the fall and spring, evapotranspiration rates will be lower, so run-times can be decreased.
  • Turn your sprinkler system off during or after a rainstorm and leave it off until the plants need to be watered again.
  • Consider installing an automatic rain shutoff device on your sprinkler system.
  • Install drip irrigation systems for trees, shrubs and flowers.
  • Check your sprinkler valves for leaks when checking all your heads.
  • Avoid watering your lawn on windy days.
  • Place a rain gauge in your backyard to monitor rainfall and irrigation.
  • Test soil moisture with a soil probe or screwdriver before you water. If the soil is moist, don’t water!
  • Watch out for broken sprinklers, open hydrants, broken pipes and any other significant water losses in our common areas. Be sure to notify Leann if you see any thing that looks like a problem.
  • Make sure the water coming out of your sprinklers is not misting and drifting away in the wind. This is usually caused by too high of pressure—if necessary, install a pressure reducer on your sprinkler line.
  • Turn back your automatic timers in the spring and fall. Water only once or twice a week during the spring and fall.
  General Lawn Maintenance
  Did you know that most lawn problems are a direct result of over watering? Maintaining your lawn properly will help you save time, money and water!
  Mowing
  Is your lawn shorter than your carpet? Mowing your lawn at such a short length hurts the grass, wastes water and encourages more green waste.
  By raising your lawn mower height another ½ to 1 inch, you are promoting the conservation of water in grass. Grass will shade itself, as it grows longer, reducing its overall water need. This, in turn, reduces the growth rate of the grass- meaning less frequent mowing! Experts recommend cutting grass to a total length of 3 inches, and removing no more than one-third of the leaf blade per mowing.
  Stressing
  Ever heard the expression "What doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger"? In order to make your grass heartier, try stressing it out! By going an extra day without water here and there, you are promoting deeper root growth. The deeper the roots are allowed to penetrate the soil, the better overall health of your lawn. Roots will only grow as far as they need to in order to get water. If you are always giving them water up near the surface of the lawn, the plants have no incentive to grow deeper. You can easily check your rooting depth by using a soil probe or screwdriver. Try waiting as long as possible in the spring to water your grass. The longer you wait, the healthier your lawn will be in the summer months. (Be careful if you’ve seen the movie Flat Liners you can understand that you shouldn’t take your lawn to far into the stress zone though)
  Fertilization
  Fertilizing your lawn encourages healthy plant growth. In this case, however, MORE IS NOT BETTER! Fertilize sparingly, as you can actually over stimulate plant growth, making the lawn more susceptible to dry conditions and disease. Additionally, the more fertilizer applied to a lawn increases the likelihood of harmful chemicals running off into streams or seeping into groundwater. The combination of over-watering and over-fertilizing can be dangerous to both plants and humans!
  Take Care of Your Trees
  How to Water Trees
  
  Ways to keep trees – especially smaller ones – healthy:
  
  • Prune properly. Learn how to do it yourself by taking a class, or hire a professional.
  • Don’t prune lower branches until they are at least 1” in diameter.
  • Avoid hitting trees with lawn mowers or trimmers. Wounds at the base will cause life-long problems for a tree.
  • Remove grass around the base of the trunk; it competes with the tree for water and nutrients.
  • Fertilize trees lightly to speed growth – trees love nitrogen. Apply fertilizer when you fertilize your lawn, or topdress the area with compost.
  • Fight insects with insects. Introduce beneficial insects to take care of aphids and other pests. (Additional information is available at www.growgreen.org)