This is an article from the Houston Chronicle about this week's free seminars. You need to pre-register, details below.
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service's Healthy Lawns and Healthy Waters Program will host a one-day, residential rainwater harvesting and turf management training this month.
“The Healthy Lawns and Healthy Waters Program aims to improve and protect surface water quality by enhancing awareness and knowledge of best management practices for residential landscapes,” said John Smith, an AgriLife extension specialist based in College Station.
Attendees will learn about the design and installation of residential rainwater harvesting systems, as well as appropriate turf and landscape species based on local conditions and other practices.
“Management practices, such as using irrigation delivery equipment, interpreting soil test results and understanding nutrient applications, can help reduce runoff and make efficient use of applied landscape irrigation water,” Smith said.
Rachel Windham, a planner with Houston-Galveston Area Council, will discuss updates on the council's activities to improve and protect water quality in this watershed during the event.
“Proper fertilizer application and efficient water irrigation can protect and improve water quality in area creeks, and collecting rainwater for lawn and landscape needs reduces storm water runoff,” said Dean Minchillo, AgriLife extension program specialist in Dallas.
Houston-area residents can choose from three locations:
• Harris County: June 27 at Trini Mendenhall Community Center, 1414 Wirt, in Houston
• Galveston County: June 28 at the Texas A&M AgriLife County office, 4102-B Main, in LaMarque
• Montgomery County: June 29 at the Texas A&M AgriLife County office, 9020 Airport, in Montgomery
The free event will be in-person from 8:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Online registration is required.
Attendees who RSVP to the event will receive updates and materials related to the training via email. Register at hlhw.tamu.edu/ or contact Smith at john.smith@ag.tamu.edu or 979-204-0573 with any questions.
Participants can have their soil tested as part of the training. The soil sample bag and analysis are free to Healthy Lawns and Healthy Waters Program participants.
A quart-sized sealable plastic bag can be used, or participants can pick up a soil sample bag with sampling instructions and the Urban and Homeowner Soil Sample Information Form at one of the AgriLife Extension offices listed above. For Harris County, visit the Extension office at 13105 Northwest Freeway, Suite 1000, in Houston.
Bags containing residents’ soil samples should be returned to the location where they were obtained prior to or within a week after the training. Soil samples may also be brought to the training, where organizers will have soil bags to transfer the sample into. (Participants are asked not to mail soil samples to the lab.)
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