Shifting from Grass, fertilizer and mowing, to natural plants, and waterless growth for a small HOA - Ask Extension
i am in touch on behalf of a small HOA in Boulder, Co. We have berm boundaries on one side and a farmers water ditch on the other.
We are look...
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Shifting from Grass, fertilizer and mowing, to natural plants, and waterless growth for a small HOA #866941
Asked May 03, 2024, 4:54 PM EDT
i am in touch on behalf of a small HOA in Boulder, Co. We have berm boundaries on one side and a farmers water ditch on the other.
We are looking for support to take out grass, watering systems, and fertilizers for a more natural colorado planting program. We are hoping this might be of interest to the master gardner program. Or can you, could you guide us to a program that can. I have reached out to the boulder county email address provided on your site and have heard nothing back in a week.
Boulder County Colorado
Expert Response
Hello,
Thanks for your inquiry about lawn conversion. The Master Gardener program primarily provides education, information, diagnosis and analysis of home garden issues. We don't take on the labor or design of projects such as yours, but are very happy to provide you with resources for pursuing your lawn conversion. Quite a bit is happening in this area currently, and good resources are available. The following publication is a fairly comprehensive list of information about removing turf and suggestions for replanting.
https://planttalk.colostate.edu/lawn-conversion/
You can also take a look at the lawn removal program that is coordinated by Resource Central:
https://resourcecentral.org/lawn/
Just put in your municipality (Boulder) and it will take you to the grant page. If HOA's are eligible and your project qualifies, you can get up to a $500 grant to support your efforts. Resource Central also sells Gardens in a Box ( it may be a bit late to order) which include xeric and native plants and installation plans.
Most of your work will have to be done by yourselves or contractors (especially for the irrigation)--I'm not aware of any groups that would take this on as a project. But I wish you the best on this--it's an exciting project!
Thanks for your inquiry about lawn conversion. The Master Gardener program primarily provides education, information, diagnosis and analysis of home garden issues. We don't take on the labor or design of projects such as yours, but are very happy to provide you with resources for pursuing your lawn conversion. Quite a bit is happening in this area currently, and good resources are available. The following publication is a fairly comprehensive list of information about removing turf and suggestions for replanting.
https://planttalk.colostate.edu/lawn-conversion/
You can also take a look at the lawn removal program that is coordinated by Resource Central:
https://resourcecentral.org/lawn/
Just put in your municipality (Boulder) and it will take you to the grant page. If HOA's are eligible and your project qualifies, you can get up to a $500 grant to support your efforts. Resource Central also sells Gardens in a Box ( it may be a bit late to order) which include xeric and native plants and installation plans.
Most of your work will have to be done by yourselves or contractors (especially for the irrigation)--I'm not aware of any groups that would take this on as a project. But I wish you the best on this--it's an exciting project!
