8 Ways to Conserve Water When Landscaping

Canadians use approximately 330 litres of water per person, per day.

Imagine what that number would look like if we were all a bit more water-conscious. Here are 8 ways to conserve water at home and keep your outdoor space looking its best without being wasteful:

1. Know What to Plant

Understanding your local climate and soil type is key to selecting plants that thrive with less water. Choose varieties that are well-suited to your specific conditions.

2. Consider Drought Resistant Plants

Incorporating drought-resistant plants like succulents, sage, or lavender can significantly reduce your water consumption while adding unique textures and colours to your garden.

3. Raise Your Mower Blades

Longer grass blades provide shade that helps retain soil moisture and reduce evaporation. Try raising your mower blades to allow grass to grow a little taller.

4. Adjust Sprinklers

Ensure sprinklers are targeting plants, not sidewalks or driveways. Regularly check and adjust sprinkler heads to maximize their efficiency.

5. Use Mulch

Mulch helps to retain moisture in the soil, reduces weed competition, and keeps plant roots cooler. Spread a layer of organic mulch around your plants.

6. Prioritize Your Watering

All plants are not created equal – some need more water than others. Identify these plants and prioritize watering them, especially in the hotter months.

7. Be Mindful When Cleaning

Sweep patios and sidewalks instead of hosing them down. You’ll conserve water and prevent the runoff of pollutants into storm drains.

8. Maintain Your Pool the Smart Way

Cover your pool when it’s not in use to prevent evaporation. Also, regular maintenance can help avoid unnecessary water waste due to leaks.

Starting An Outdoor Project? Let Us Help!

Our facilities are huge, and we carry a massive variety of supplies for any kind of project.

Whether you’re working on a large renovation, or doing simple touch-ups, we can help you find unique and eye-catching colours and styles.

Want To Learn More?

If you want more information on ways to conserve water at home, contact us! With climate change and resource scarcity issues surrounding us, it’s always wise to learn more sustainable tips. At Grand River Natural Stone, we’re always happy to help.

The post 8 Ways to Conserve Water When Landscaping This Summer (With Infographic) appeared first on Grand River Natural Stone.

You can do a lot to build a more environmentally friendly garden.

• Use local plants.
• Stick to the rules and don’t use banned pesticides.
• Coat your topsoil with mulch.

The biggest impact, however, comes from using less water to maintain your garden.

That means planting drought tolerant plants so you can use less water without losing the colour and enjoyment your garden brings.

Drought tolerant plants still need to establish themselves in your garden, so water them like any other plant in the first season. Their roots will grow larger and deeper than other plant varieties, and a well-established drought tolerant plant will do better with much, much less next year.

The best drought tolerant plants for Ontario

Ontario is home to lots of colourful, drought tolerant shrubs, perennials, grasses, vines and trees.

In no particular order, your low-water garden will still enjoy colour and variety, and draw bees and birds, with these plants.

Shrubs like…

• Tamarisk
• Ninebark
• Dwarf Burning Bush
• Butterfly bush
• Ivory halo dogwood
• Smokebush

Or flowering plants like…

• Geranium
• Echinacea
• Hosta
• Lavender
• Hens and chicks
• Daylilly
• Yarrow

Experienced low-water gardeners love Mediterranean plants. Some require no water through even the most painful heatwaves. They’re well suited to low water, poor quality soil environments.

Don’t forget ornamental grasses. There are thousands of varieties, and all are drought resistant.

How does mulch help lower my water use further?

Adding mulch to your garden greatly reduces the amount of water lost to evaporation.

Even if you water your plants with a drip system feeding the roots almost directly, you inevitably lose moisture to evaporation.

Mulch creates a barrier between the heat of the sun, the wind, and your moist soil – locking that moisture where it’s needed most.

And more, mulch:

• Inhibits the germination and growth of weeds in your soil.
• Helps regulate the temperature of the soil so plants or trees don’t get stressed from low to high summer temperature fluctuations.
• Breaks down very slowly, improving composition and preventing it from becoming too compact.
• Increases biodiversity in your yard by giving a variety of insects and other tiny creatures homes and shelter.

Get the full benefits from your mulch by adding a layer of at least 2-3 inches and maintaining  it as long as you have plants in your garden.

Trees and shrubs benefit all year round, so do vegetable gardens in the summer.

Rake the mulch seasonally to freshen up the colour.

We can help with the mulch for your drought tolerant garden.

Cedar, pine, black or red – whatever matches the look you want – are all in stock right now.

Stop by and stock up today and finish your project up this weekend.

The post How to Build a Drought Tolerant Landscape appeared first on Grand River Natural Stone.

If you have an unusually wet property, this time of year might be your least favourite.

Even though the sun is out and every day is a little warmer than the last, all you can think about is the saturation in your back yard and the moisture pushing in on the foundation of your home.

The soil on your property is like a sponge – it can only absorb so much water. When it hits the limit, the water does things you don’t want. Your basement floods, your landscape erodes – generally bad stuff happens.

But it doesn’t have to!

You can control the way water moves around your property. Ditch your dread of spring with a ditch (we did that on purpose) that acts like a gutter and downspout inside the soil in your yard.

Install a drainage trench in your yard that collects the excess water and transports it to the lowest part of your land, away from your home and expensive landscaping.

How it works

Thousands of gallons of water probably flow downslope in the soil toward and through your property. You need to collect and channel it just like a gutter collects snowmelt or rain.

All you need to build is a simple trench that can be anywhere from 2 feet to 10 feet deep.

The most important factor dictating the depth of your trench is:

• The elevation of the lowest spot on your property.

The trench relies on gravity to move water, so you need enough fall (drop from the top of the trench to the bottom of the trench) to make sure the water flows through the trench to the lowest part of your property.

What supplies do I need?

You need:

• Perforated drain pipe with a sleeve to stop sediment from clogging the drain and a cap for the high end.
• ¾’ drainage stone or 3/8’ washed peastone (whichever you prefer, as both work well). Enough to fill up most of your trench.
• A non-woven geotextile to wrap the stone and pipe to keep clean.
• A trencher (you can rent from any hardware rental store), or a shovel and some elbow grease.
• A hand tamper to lightly pack your backfill on the surface.

The trench should run in a line that protects your yard, your foundation and your basement. It’s a defensive substructure. An L or U-shape might work best, if your property slopes at multiple angles.

The trench should become level right at the lowest point on your property. It should look natural where it meets level ground.

Dig the trench, place the wrap, lay the pipe, fill with stone.

Water always takes the path of least resistance.

After your trench is dug:

• Line it with the geotextile wrap (sold as commercial filter fabric in some places).
• Run the drain pipe from end to end (don’t forget to clip on your cap at the high elevation).
• Fill the trench with stone to about 3 inches below grade.
• Fold the wrap over the top of the stone, so the stone and pipe are completely protected.

Since the stone is easier for water to get through than smaller, denser sand or clay particles, that’s where it’ll go.

The trench can be as thin as 6 inches and it’ll still do a great job.

Now you have a trench with a pipe and some drainage stone or peastone wrapped in fabric.

Take some of the material you excavated and cover the last inch or so of trench, then pack it down lightly with your hand tamper.

Don’t get too vigorous – it doesn’t happen often, but some homeowners crush their new drainage pipes by getting aggressive with the packing.

And just when you thought you were done…you are.

It’s a job you can complete in a single day and will help your family avoid thousands of dollars in repairs from a flooded basement or washed out landscape.

Grab the stone you need (we’ll help you figure out exactly how much you should get) from us today so you have all the supplies ready to get your trench done this weekend.

Call Grand River Natural Stone or stop by to talk to a member of our team. We’ll get you started off right.

The post Drainage For Unusually Wet Properties appeared first on Grand River Natural Stone.

This is the companion piece: making sure it’s safely and properly shut down before the cold weather arrives.

FALL PREPARATION

Even though you may want to keep your pond running into autumn, it’s a good time to clean it out before the temperatures drop to 10˚C (50˚F) because:

• Any fish in your pond are still active enough to be strong swimmers. The chances of them getting injured as you clean around them are low.

• It’s a lot easier to clean pond water when it isn’t partially frozen and/or full of heavy seasonal debris (like fallen leaves or stray mulch).

Start by cleaning the water’s surface by scooping up leaves with a net (make sure to avoid picking up any fish).

Pump out a little bit of water

Once you’ve cleaned the surface water, remove a little bit of water from your pond.

This will make it easier to hand scoop any topsoil or other gunk that’s stuck to the wall lining of your pond (including any edges, shelves or irregularly-shaped areas).

Any debris you can’t reach with your hands, blast off using a hose.

It’ll end up back on the water’s surface (which you can scoop away again with your net).

At the same time, you’ll also replenish the water you just pumped out.

Plant care

Pond plants are nice to look at and are beneficial to your fish.

They’re also a significant source of fall debris.

As your plants begin to die off:

• Prune away dead stems to prevent water decay
• Take non-hardy plants (like tropical lilies or water hyacinths) indoors for the winter
• Hardy plants (like water lilies) can be moved to the deep end of your pond
• Any bog plants you have can be covered with straw or other insulating aggregates

Cover your pond

Once the pond is clean, install a pond net to rest above it; like a hammock tied between two trees.

A pond net will catch any leaves, branches or other debris and keep it from falling into your pond.

Here are some things to keep in mind as you secure your pond net:

• Suspend it at least 18” from the water surface of your pond
• Tie the edges of the net tight to make sure debris doesn’t slip through them

Lastly, be certain to check your net regularly to ensure it doesn’t sag into the water.

If it does, it can be dangerous to your fish and provide a spot for leaves and junk to collect and get caught in.

CLOSING FOR WINTER

Shutting down your pond for the winter is all about:

• The pump
• The filter
• The UV clarifier

If you recall, winter 2015 started out very mild. In fact, the first real significant snowfall didn’t even occur until the end of January 2016.

There’s no guarantee that won’t happen again.

Turning off the pump

Some people, even in the middle of winter, like to keep their pump running because it creates warm water at the bottom of the pond.

That’s where your fish will hang out in the winter. So it’s a perfect environment for them to be comfortable.

Of course, you can also turn off the pumps and filter for the winter.

If you do, it won’t harm the fish because:

• Cold water has more oxygen than warm water
• Fish tend to breathe slower in winter (they use less oxygen)
• Bacteria won’t grow in winter (so you don’t need the filter to clean it away)

Drain everything

Should you decide to turn off the filter for winter, make sure to completely drain all your pond pump accessories:

• Plumbing pipes
• External pumps
• UV supplies

If you’re storing your supplies in an unheated area (like a garage or shed), double check that every last drop of water has been drained out.

Otherwise, water drops can freeze into ice drops.

As a result, your piping items can crack and break over the season.

Your best bet is to store any equipment you have indoors in a warm and dry location.

Winter fish care

It may sound cruel, but leaving fish (especially koi) in your pond during the winter is actually

good for them if:

• Your pond is at least 18” deep
• It has little to no water circulation

Delicate fish like goldfish, bubble-eyed fish or lionheads should come inside for winter, though.

Remember, warm water tends to sink to the bottom of your pond. In winter, that’s where your fish will be anyway.

They won’t hang out by the surface, so there’s little chance of them becoming frozen or too cold.

One last thing: once the temperature gets below 4˚C (39˚F), you can actually stop feeding your koi fish.

Don’t worry: they won’t starve. They have enough stored energy to sustain them during the winter.

Come to us for all your needs

Whatever you need to close your pond for fall and winter, we’ve got the experience and products to make sure it’s done safely.

Contact us with your questions or ask for a FREE quote on any of our products.

The post The Right Way to Close Your Backyard Pond for Fall & Winter appeared first on Grand River Natural Stone.

• Use more water than usual in order to maintain a nice, green lawn, or…
• Put the sprinkler away and watch the grass dry out and turn brown

It doesn’t have to be an either/or proposition, though.

By following some helpful water-conserving lawn care tips (and some municipal regulations – more on those later), you can keep your water bills low while still having a good-looking lawn.

Before you pull out the hose or sprinkler, you should…

Step on your grass

Prior to watering your lawn, take a nice, leisurely walk on it.

Look back at the footprints you’ve just made:

• If they instantly disappear, and
• The grass springs right back up

Then your lawn is in good shape and doesn’t need to be watered at that time.

Put the lawnmower away…

How often do you cut your grass?

Whatever your regular grass cutting schedule is, you should reduce it. By as much as 50% if possible.

Grass that’s longer in length tends to be more tolerant of hot, dry conditions (as well as being more weed resistant) than shorter grass.

…But keep its blades sharp

Meanwhile, when you do cut your grass, make sure your mower’s blades are nice & sharp.

Dull blades tear grass, which means they need extra water to heal and grow back properly.

Don’t pick up grass clippings

After you’ve mowed your lawn, leave any grass clippings there.

They’ll break down and provide healthy nutrients your grass can use to grow and stay strong.

Adjust your irrigation system sprinkler heads

If more water from your sprinkler system is landing on things in your backyard such as:

• Interlocking pavers
• Patio stones
• Landscaping rocks

Or other hardscaping materials than your actual grass, make sure to reposition the heads accordingly.

Follow local watering by-laws

In case you aren’t aware, here are the watering by-laws for each Grand River Natural Stone location:

Kitchener

Designated watering times are 5:30 am – 10:00 am and 7:00 pm – 11:00 pm.

Ending house numbers & watering days are as follows:

• 0 or 1: Mondays
• 2 or 3: Tuesdays
• 4 or 5: Wednesdays
• 6 or 7: Thursdays
• 8 or 9: Fridays

Stoney Creek & London

• Home addresses ending in 0 or even numbers (2, 4, 6, 8) are permitted to water lawns on even calendar dates
• Home addresses ending in 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 are permitted to water lawns on odd calendar dates.

Fergus

Designated watering times are 5:30 am – 7:00 am and 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm

• Home addresses ending in 0 or even numbers (2, 4, 6, 8) are permitted to water lawns on even calendar dates.
• Home addresses ending in 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 are permitted to water lawns on odd calendar dates.

Enjoy the best of both worlds

This summer, keep the green lawn you’ve worked so hard to maintain.

At the same time, help the environment (and your wallet too) by using less water than necessary.

And if you need any help with your lawn (such as getting fresh topsoil for those very bare spots), all you have to do is contact us.

We’ll get back to you – fast – with all the information you need.

The post Water-Saving Lawn Care Tips appeared first on Grand River Natural Stone.

Over winter, did you miss the gentle sounds of water flowing through your backyard pond?

And did you miss the relaxing feeling which comes with watching pond fish swim to and fro?

Well, now that spring is here, you can finally put your pond back into service by following these steps.

Step 1: Give the pond a thorough inspection

The winter may have damaged your pond, the liner or other water features like:

• Filters.
• Pipes.
• Hoses.
• Decorative pond landscaping rocks.

So give your pond a careful checkup and remove, repair or replace any broken elements as needed.

Step 2: Clean the pond

More than likely, the winter has had some impact on your pond in a few ways:

• Leaves: Even if you installed leaf netting when you closed your pond, chances are that a few leaves got through and settled on the bottom. Make sure you scoop them out.

• Organic matter: Any plants which weren’t totally removed may leave a film of organic matter on the pond bottom. You’ll need to scrub that off.

If you’re not thrilled at the prospect of manually cleaning out your pond (and frankly, who can blame you), then use a pond vacuum or other suitable landscaping supplies to do the work for you.

Step 3: Start the pump

Your pond’s pump has been shut off for winter; now’s the time to turn it back on.

You don’t have to wait until it gets super-warm to do it, either.

When the temperature hits 10 degrees Celsius, feel free to start your pump.

Once the pump is activated, don’t just leave it to run. Make sure you’ll be around the house for at least a few hours.

Every so often, check the pump to make sure it’s working properly and that it’s sending water back into the pond.

Step 4: Clean the filter

Before fully cranking up your pond system, make sure to give the filter a good cleaning.

Just like the pump, the filter’s been off for the winter.

It’s probably covered in bacteria, topsoil particles and other pollutants which will compromise its performance.

Step 5: Test the pond water

Use a pond-testing kit to check for:

• Ammonia: Pond fish (mostly koi) release ammonia through their gills. Too much ammonia will harm the fish and put extra strain on the pond’s filter.

• Nitrite: Not as harmful as ammonia, but nitrite can still harm your pond fish. Adding some live plants to your pond will help keep nitrite levels low.

Levels for both elements should be zero. If they aren’t, you’ll need to change the water and test again.

Step 6: Get your fish ready

If you’re stocking your pond with fish, spring is when they’re most vulnerable to developing health problems.

The shock of transitioning from one water source to another (in the case, your pond) and the introduction of foreign bacteria can cause infections.

To protect your fish before they go into your pond, you should add pond salt.

This replaces electrolytes, potassium, sodium, calcium and magnesium – all of which fish lose when they’re stressed.

Step 7: Feed your pond fish

The weather is warm. Your fish are hungry.

When the water temperature goes above 10 degrees Celsius (and stays there), that’s when you can start feeding your pond fish.

Something to remember is that there are different fish food options for spring, summer and fall.

Spring fish food is easier to for fish to digest and has high level of fats.

Step 8: Add plants to your pond

As the water temperature goes up, it’ll be time to add plants (either new plants or those which survived the winter) to your backyard pond.

A few things to note:

• You can fertilize your plants; just make sure to use an aquatic plant fertilizer.
• If any plants are overgrown, divide them before planting in your pond.
• Make sure any mulch is removed from the plants or pots.

Come to us for all your needs

Whether you’re opening your pond or wanting to construct your own pond this year, Grand River Natural Stone is your source for great products and helpful advice.

To get more information on either, contact us with your questions or ask for a FREE quote on any our landscaping supplies.

The post The Right Way to Open Your Backyard Pond for Spring appeared first on Grand River Natural Stone.

Make your yard the one everyone else talks about—something you can be proud of.  But first let’s take a minute to go over some quick decisions that need to be made before you start your journey into becoming a pond owner:

Site selection

Choosing the location to construct your pond is key to an attractive, healthy, low maintenance piece of beautiful landscape.  Since we tend to spend more time indoors than out, it would make sense to put your pond where it can be enjoyed through your windows as well.

Your pond should be built on level ground in an area that receives a fair amount of sun.  Having it where you have easy access to water and electricity can be quite helpful as well.  Putting your pond under trees where it will catch leaves or pine needles throughout the year will call for the endless chore of cleaning out the pond.  Also, do not construct your pond in low spots within your yard.  This can cause potential flooding during heavy rain.

Once you’ve picked your location, Grand River Natural Stone offers a wide variety of stones you can use to border, build or enhance the look of your pond:

• Flagstone
• Armour stone
• Retaining walls

Fish or no fish

Some people like to enhance their pond experience with different types of goldfish and Koi.  The maintenance of your pond will, of course, be a bit more with the caring of your fish, by keeping the water relatively balanced as well as different diets for the fish; however, the anesthetic may be worth it. Before purchasing fish for your pond contemplate on whether or not you are willing to take the extra time to add this lively feature.

Sizing a liner

There are three types of liners to choose from when building your pond

• Pre-formed
• Concrete
• Flexible

Normally concrete stone is not used due to it not being as economically feasible, as well as issues with eventual cracking.  Pre-formed ponds are generally for ponds sized 50 to 200 gallons.  They are easy to drop in, but ensuring that the pond is stable and balanced takes a bit more time than a flexible liner.

Also, you are limited in shapes and cannot customize your pond to your liking.  Flexible liners offer the most options in terms of the size and shape of your pond.  They are very durable, easy to install and conform to any shape hole.

You can DIY and we can help

Regardless of the location, size, or liner you choose to use, Grand River Natural Stone carries ideal landscaping enhancements to make your yard that paradise on earth you’ve always wanted.

Contact us and let’s get you started on your dream yard today.

The post DIY Pond Construction appeared first on Grand River Natural Stone.