DEMONSTRATE INTERMOUNTAIN HYDRO-ZONES AS A TOOL TO OVERALL REDUCTION OF WATER USE IN LANDSCAPES

• Sponsoring Institution: National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• Project Status: COMPLETE
• Funding Source: OTHER GRANTS
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 0192203
• Grant No.: 2002-38880-01374
• Proposal No.: 2002-06209
• Project Start Date: May 1, 2002
• Project End Date: Apr 30, 2003
• Grant Year: 2002
• Program Code: [UF]- (N/A)

Recipient Organization
UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY
(N/A)
LOGAN,UT 84322

Performing Department
PLANTS, SOILS & BIOMETEOROLOGY

Non Technical Summary
Utah is the 2nd driest state in the nation. Over 50 percent of culinary water in Utah is applied to landscapes. Demand for water to irrigate urban landscapes is increasing in the Intermountain West while water supply varies greatly with desert driven climate conditions. Demand is driven largely through irrigation of turfgrass in residential, commercial and recreational landscapes. Many cities in the Intermountain West are adopting water conservation measures to reduce demand. Low water use landscaping with drought adapted plants, mostly native, is a major component of these water conservation measures. However, availability of these native plants to meet demand is limited because of growth characteristics that restrict production in the prime West Coast nursery production regions, and by the lack of interest by the larger nurseries. Research to determine the optimum level of irrigation required for water wise plants in the Intermountain West will be conducted. Additional investigation into new and emerging plant varieties that show promise as landscape plants will also be conducted. Then, to convey the proper information to the homeowner, the plants will be arranged in natural or designed settings that the homeowner can identify and adopt. The research will assist in developing a broad palette of well adapted plant materials to be used in the urban landscape and adopted by plant growers.

Animal Health Component

40%

Research Effort Categories

Basic

20%

Applied

40%

Developmental

40%

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
102	0630	1060	30%
102	0720	1060	15%
102	2199	1060	10%
111	0630	1060	15%
111	0720	1060	15%
111	2199	1060	15%

Knowledge Area
102 - Soil, Plant, Water, Nutrient Relationships; 111 - Conservation and Efficient Use of Water;

Subject Of Investigation
2199 - Ornamentals and turf, general/other; 0630 - Chaparral and shrub lands; 0720 - Pinyon-juniper;

Field Of Science
1060 - Biology (whole systems);

Keywords

landscaping

water requirements

native plants

water conservation

plant adaptation

nurseries

seed collection

demonstration

lysimeters

water use efficiency

soil plant water relations

ornamentals

exotic species

plant collection

data collection

weather

remote sensing

performance evaluation

best management practices

transplanting

tree mortality

optimization

comparative analysis

shrubs

landscape plants

measurement

cultural practices

evapotranspiration

irrigation

water quality

Goals / Objectives
1. Establishment of on site production nursery to include native and adapted exotic trees shrubs perennials and annuals 2. Collection of native plant species 3. Establishment of on site demonstrations of plant hydrozoning 4. Interaction with Utah Climate Center in obtaining weather data 5. Access NASA remote sensing data as a tool for evaluating best management practices in large landscapes

Project Methods
Objective 1 1. Replicated studies of transplanting large plant material. Highend construction projects generally require the installation of large caliper trees with an associated high cost. Many plants suffer damage, weakened health or death due to the transplanting process. Studies will be conducted to determine optimum transplanting techniques including pot in pot technology to insure plant health. This will enable traditional methods to be evaluated against enhanced transplanting techniques. 2. Planting of native and adapted exotic trees, shrubs, perennial and annual plants. The primary research function of the Utah Botanical Center will be to establish and evaluate a wide range of plant material for determining their potential and use in the landscape. A sizable on site production nursery will be established at the UBC to grow native and adapted exotic plants that are not readily available in the wholesale or retail markets. 3. Lysimeter research and educational demonstration. Three lysimeters will be installed to allow direct measurement of plant water use by trees. This is an excellent education tool to illustrate real time water use with different landscape cultural practices. Objective 2 Collection of native plants that have potential as landscape plants is needed. Controlled harvesting of unique specimen plants with landscaping potential will be done from indigenous remote locations across the Intermountain West and is required to begin the process of propagating them for eventual release in the retail market. Some plants will be harvested completely while cuttings and seeds will be collected from others Objective 3 Evaluation of native and adapted plants will be done in part by planting in the gardens in specific irrigation zones. These demonstration areas will provide homeowners valuable information about plant water relationships and proper plant placement. Additional plants will be established in line source irrigation plots where the amount of irrigation can be closely controlled and quantified over a gradient. This will allow the quantitative evaluation of plant water use and requirements needed to assist plant growers. Objective 4 Water conservation in Utah will collaborate with the Utah Climate Center to utilize climatic data to provide evapotranspiration measurements. These measurements can then be used as a guide for irrigation. The UBC provides a unique opportunity to receive evapotranspiration data and use it in management practices to determine its optimum utilization and application and to compare with surrounding landscapes. Objective 5 Use NASA remote sensing program at Utah State University to evaluate best management practices for landscapes and nurseries, particularly irrigation and fertilization requirements. This study will help examine the impact of nurseries and landscapes on water quality and water conservation.

Progress 01/01/03 to 12/31/03

Outputs
Progress based on the project objectives include: 1. establishment of on-site production nursery. Status: 1.5 acres of pot-in-pot nursery have been installed including drain systems, over 1000 pots of various sizes and drip irrigation and fertilization systems. 2. collection of native plant species. Status: in progress. Collections of Utah Juniper ecotypes have been targeted. Dwarf rabbitbrush seed has been collected and propagated. Three species of allium have been collected and targeted for PhD research. Germination studies are underway for various native species. 3. establishment of on-site demonstrations of plant hydro-zoning. Status: in progress. A one-acre water conserving residential demonstration landscape has been installed in conjunction with a model sustainable demonstration home at the Utah Botanical Center. 4. Interaction with Utah Climate Center in obtaining weather data. Status: to be developed in 2004. 5. Access NASA remote sensing data as a tool for evaluating best management practices in large landscapes. Status: this objective has proven impractical due to unforseen cost associated with integration of data systems.

Impacts
Anticipated impact of the pot-in-pot nursery and associated research will introduce nurserymen to the methodologies and best management practices associated with effectively and efficiently growing plant materials in the Intermountain West. Hydro-zoned demonstration areas will illustrate appropriate options for water efficient landscape installation opportunities in context with high mountain desert ecosystems.

Publications

• Phillips, N., Drost., and Varga, W. 2003. Chemical Treatments Enhance Seed Germination in Perideridia gairdneri. Proceedings of 26th IHC-Environmental Stress, Eds. K.K. Tanino et al., Acta Hort. 618, ISHS.
• Mee, W., Barnes, J., Sutton, R., Cerny, T., and Johnson, C. Waterwise: Native Plants for the Intermountain West. USU Press. 2003.
• Croft, A. 2003. The Production of Native and Adapted Plants for the Intermountain West using the Pot-in-Pot Nursery Production System. MS Thesis, Utah State University.

Progress 05/01/02 to 04/30/03

Outputs
Accomplishments related to project objectives include: 1. establishment of an on-site production nursery. Accomplishment: 1.5 acres of pot-in-pot nursery have been installed including over 1000 pots of various size and drip irrigation and fertilization systems. To date, the nursery contains production of concolor fir, bigtooth maple and gambel oak trees. A segment of the nursery has been reserved for a graduate thesis project to evaluate soil-less media in pot-in-pot nursery production. 2. collection of native plant species. Accomplishment: numerous species of plants indigineous to the Intermountain region have been collected and seed harvested. Evaluations are in progress to determine potential adaptiveness for use of these plants in constructed landscapes. 3. establishment of on-site demonstrations of plant hydrazoning. Accomplishments: a one-acre water-conserving demonstration landscape was installed in conjunction with a model sustainable demonstration home at the Utah Botanical Center. Plants are designed in hydrazones with the majority placed in low to no water-use zone. The plants used are native to the Intermountain region or well-adapted to local climate conditions.

Impacts
Improved production methods are needed for native plant producers in the Intermountain West. Improved production capacity will assist the green industry in a transition to using more water-conserving plants in built landscapes. Citizens need education regarding use of native and well-adapted plants in built landscapes. A sizable pot-in-pot nursery operation has been installed at the Utah Botanical Center enabling study of native plant production methods. Best management practices are being investigated. University researchers and students are involved in these investigations. An on-site residential landscape demonstration has been constructed in a highly visible location. Native and well-adapted, non-invasive landscape plants have been installed. Various irrigation methods are also demonstrated. Interpretive signage, volunteer docents and other means of communication are being developed to share this information with the public. The pot-in-pot nursery is assisting in the development of production methods that create cost-effective processes for growing native plant materials in a commercial nursery business. This has led to additional collaborative investigations with a prominent local nursery. This collaboration includes graduate student research both at the nursery and the Utah Botanical Center. The long-term social ramifications of this work will encourage the public to integrate use of drought tolerant plants in built landscapes. This will result in the reduction of water resources used for outdoor irrigation. Net savings could reach over 60 percent of current usage.

Publications

• Phillips, Nathan; Drost, Daniel; and Varga, William. Chemical Treatments Enhance Seed Germination in Perideridia gairdneri. 2003. Proceedings of 25th IHC-Environmental Stress, Eds. K.K. Tanino et al., Acta Hort. 618, ISHS.
• Book. Mee, Wendy; Barnes, Jared; Sutton, Richard; Cerny, Teresa; and Johnson, Craig. Waterwise: Native Plants for the Intermountain West. USU Press. 2003.

Progress 01/01/02 to 12/31/02

Outputs
Progress based on the project objectives include: 1. Establishment of on-site production nursery. Status: in progress. Nursery/greenhouse manager selected and hired. Selection of pot-in-pot location completed, ground prepared, circulation established, preliminary irrigation installed. Desired plants have been chosen. Selected plants have been propagated for transfer to the pot-in-pot system. 2. Collection of native plants species. Status: in progress. Various native plant species have been collected including: Yampa (Perideridia), Indian parsnip (Orogenia) and selected native onions (Allium). Germination studies are underway. 3. Establishment of on-site demonstrations of plant hydro-zoning. Status: in progress. Various upland areas have been seeded for site stabilization preparatory to expanded plantings. Various ornamental landscape plantings have been installed in proximity to built facilities based on orientation, soil condition, and other Intermountain West climatic factors. 4. Interaction with Utah Climate Center in obtaining weather data: Status: To be developed in 2004. 5. Access NASA remote sensing data as a tool for evaluating best management practices in large landscapes. Status: To be developed in 2004.

Impacts
Anticipated impact of the pot-in-pot nursery and associated research will introduce nurserymen to the methodologies and best management practices associated with effectively and efficiently growing plant materials in the Intermountain West. Hydro-zoned demonstration areas will illustrate appropriate options for water-efficient landscape installation opportunities in context with high mountain desert ecosystems.

Publications

• Phillips, Nathan; Drost, Daniel; and Varga, William. Chemical Treatment Enhance Seed Germination in Perideridia gairdneri. 2002. Poster at American Society of Horticultural Science Annual Meeting.