The objective of Xeriscape maintenance is to discourage water-demanding new growth on plants. In other words, keep plants healthy, but do not encourage growth at all times. Depending on your current level of maintenance, this may require you to fertilize less often with less fertilizer, to prune only when necessary and lightly when essential and, of course, to irrigate less. Remember, a Xeriscape-type landscape is a low-maintenance landscape. By working smarter, not harder, in the landscape, you’ll save time, energy and water without sacrificing the beauty of the environment. Proper watering, weeding and pruning, mowing, and limited fertilization and pest control will keep your Xeriscape healthy and beautiful. Mow your turf grass high (maximum height of one inch for Bermudagrass and two inches for others) and often and leave the short clippings to decompose and replace nitrogen in the soil. Every time you cut your grass, you weaken the root system to some degree, and the more you cut the top growth, the more you restrict root system development. When you remove more than 40 percent of the top growth, the roots stop growing. By mowing high you encourage the development of a deep root system, which is a key to drought tolerance and weed resistance. Higher grass also shades the soil more, acting as a living mulch.
3. References
Florida’s Water Manegement Districts, 2004. Water Efficient Landscaping: PreventingPollution&Using Resources Wisely, EPA Water Resources Center, 15 p. Kelly, J., Haque, Mary., Shuping, D., Zahner, J. 1991. Xeriscape: Landscape Water Conservation in the Southeast, Clemson University, 37 p.
Smith, C. R and Larson, R. 2003. Xeriscape Plant Selections and Ideas, North Dakota University, USA.
Texas Agricultural Extension Service, 2003. Xersicape: Landscape Water Conservaiton, The Texas A&M University System, 16p., USA.
United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2002. Water-Efficient Landscaping: Preventing Pollution&:Using Resources Wisely, 15p.,sUSA.
Wade, L., James, T., Coder K. D., Landry G. and Tyson, A. W. 2002. A guide to developing a water-wise landscape, University of Georgia Environmental Landscape Design Department, Georgia.
Welsh, D. 2000. Xeriscape: North Carolina, National Zeriscape Council, 28p, USA.
[1] Cited by Arias 2003
[2] Colonel William Light, planner of the city
[3] Cited by EAFIT 2010, pg. 51
[4] Two names are used for the river either Aburra or Medellin. The first corresponds to a tribe of preColumbian inhabitants’ name, and the second to the name that the Spaniard conquerors gave to the city in resemblance to a village in Spain.
[5] La Violence (1948-1958) Tensions between the two traditional parties, the Conservatives and the Liberals, led to a civil war. The violence, which left between 100 000 and 200 000 dead, ended with the establishment of the National Front (1958-1975), an agreement in which the conservative and the Liberals decided to share power even alternation in the presidency every four years, thus excluding all leftist movements (Rozema, 2007).
[6] Colombian Law 2002, Decree 1729
[7] An extension of 380 Kms.2
[8] Developed in 2003 and revised in 2006 by the author of this chapter, for Bogota local planning and environmental authorities
[9] Rural, etymologically means wasteland, opened by and for mankind. This is within the expansion of the hominid frontier, the place where man can live and generate rurality.
[10] The dehesa is a savannah Spanish landscape type.
[11] Compact forests of evergreen and large species (e. g. maritime pine and eucalyptus).
2. Compact medium-sized woodlands (evergreen and/or deciduous, ex. native woods of oak, umbrella pine…).
[12] According to The World Bank data, 51 % percent oft he world’s population lives in urban areas as of 2010. (http://data. worldbank. org/indicator/SP. URB. TOTL. IN. ZS/countries/1W? display=graph)
[13] In 2011, The Ministry of Public Works and Settlement was closed down by a decree-law and KENTGES studies are now being carried on by General Directorate of Spatial Planning, The Ministry of Environment and Urbanization.
[14] From now on "urban landscape" and "open and green spaces" will be used as synonyms in the chapter.
