Why we grow UC Verde Buffalo Grass at Takao Nursery
April 30, 2009
From the boss man, Danny Takao:
With the current drought conditions we face here in California and other parts of the country, the new California garden will need to change to accommodate our growing population. With the increasing population here in California the pressure on our water resources will continue regardless if we get rain next year. One of the greatest user of water in our landscape is our cool season fescue type grasses. The inputs of fertilizers, chemical sprays and water doesn’t make much sense anymore. We need to change the way we think about our gardens and the way we live. And we need to do it now….
UC Verde Buffalo Grass
When I first learned of UC Verde Buffalo Grass it was from a catalog from High Country Gardens in New Mexico. David Salman is a leader in regards to low water landscape in New Mexico. After reading about the Buffalo Grass I put it in the back of my mind to follow up again when I had more time. I knew this grass was interesting but at the time 5 years ago water was not an issue.
A couple of years ago I had to go a Green Roof Conference in Minneapolis to see about becoming a grower of green roof modules. By chance Wayne Thorsen from Todd Valley Sod Farm had his booth next to the Live Roof booth. (Todd Valley Farms owns the rights to UC Verde , Prestige and Legacy developed by UC Davis and UC Riverside and the University of Nebraska. ) I couldn’t believe this because I had forgotten all about the buffalo grass. Anyways Wayne and I got to talking about UC Verde and a month later Wayne callled to say we could be a plug producer in California. Later on Wayne called Tom Hawkins from Florasource ( Our marketing and sales partner) to go see the trials at UC Riverside. UC Riverside and UC Davis are the breeders of UC Verde. What I saw at the trials really made me a believer in UC Verde. What UC Riverside did was establish plots of different drought tolerant turfs and then turn off the water. The only green blocks in the trials were UC Verde. The Zoysia and Bermuda grasses were completely dead. It was really a amazing sight.
Since that trial we have started our own trial plots here at the nursery and have become a firm believer even more. UC Verde creates a really deep root system and the ability to transpire very slowly in hot weather. Making this grass ideal for our central valley heat. The only negative about UC Verde is the dormancy period from late November to early March. But the straw color of the grass during dormancy can be painted with turf paint or left natural. It’s quite strking with the dormant colors.
As our world gets closer to the tipping point there is something we can do to help and use less water in the process. UC Verde Buffalo grass is that solution. I’m glad to be a part of this and I hope California can see we need to use less water but still have our green gardens.
Go Green with Buffalo Grass!
April 29, 2009
UC Verde Buffalo Grass is extremely drought tolerant using up to 75% less water. Did you know that approximately 50-70 percent of our residential water is used for landscaping, most of it to water lawns, which total approximately 20-30 million acres in the United States. With all of our drought issues here in California that’s a huge amount of water to be unneccessarily wasting. The grass does go dormant in the cold winter months, but that can be addressed by using a grass colorant which will last up to 13-14 weeks and looks pretty realistic. A small draw back to all the savings you’ll incur in water and money.
A new grass we are now carrying is Bella Bluegrass. Though not as drought tolerant as the UC Verde Buffalo Grass, it also uses less water and it does not go dormant. The great thing about the Bella Bluegrass is it’s low maximum height of just 3-4 inches tall. Which means less or even no mowing required, saving the environment from air pollutants caused by lawn mowers and also saving you lots of time! Did you know that the use of gas-powered lawn mowers contributes five percent of the nation’s air pollution. A gas-powered lawnmower emits 11 times the air pollution of a new car.
Both varieties are available now! Contact us to learn more or to place an order.
Mandevilla Red and White Stripes!
April 25, 2009
Darren just potted up a couple of the Mandevilla Red and White Stripes at home - one of Suntory’s newest varieties that we’ll be offering! Available for shipment this summer on a limited basis; order yours today! 
– Even Kaiser and Niko love it!
Succulent garden in the making!
April 22, 2009
Darren planted up a cute little succulent garden in the backyard this weekend. Now we just have to get the dogs to quit running through it and hopefully Niko won’t go to the bathroom in there anymore!
Look who’s visiting the office today!
April 22, 2009
Connor (our office manager Traci’s son) and Pops
Check out Danny on GPN’s HortTV!
April 8, 2009
Click on this link: http://www.gpnmag.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=packTrials and then click on the Sun Parasol Video on the right hand side under Currently Playing!
