Guidelines for Your ELake Yard
Our yards are an important component of E Lake. Just as water quality is essential to the lake, a Florida friendly yard is as important not only to our lake environment, but also to the ecosystem as a whole. Here are some guidelines on how to manage your yard here at E Lake.
It is always best to plant native plants. Native plants attract wildlife which uses them for food, shelter, and nesting. These plants are low maintenance and are very drought tolerant. They are storm resistant and require less water and fertilizer. Here are some places to buy native plants:
- Adopt a Tree – free trees, native, fruit, and flowering www.miamidade.gov you are allowed 3 trees per household.
- Plant Creations 28301 SW 172 Ave. 305-248-8147 www.plantcreations.com
- Verber’s Jungle 21605 SW 197 Ave. 305-242-9500
- Tropical Audubon – native plant sale Feb. 18th (9-5), Feb. 19th (9-3) 5530 Sunset Dr. (Doc Thomas House)
- Fairchild Gardens – Spring sale in April and Members Day Sale in Oct.
- FNPS (Florida Native Plant Society) – Native Plant Day held each spring at the Deering Estate – call
- www.abettersouthflorida.org (holds native plant sales)
Visit or call these places to get a list and see which native plants would be best for you and your yard. There are simply too many to list here. Seeing is the best way. Ask the attendant which plants are best for butterflies and which require the least amount of maintenance. There are a myriad of palm tees and bushes. Coconut palms go best near the water and on your beach. Royals seem best in your front yard. Decide on palm tree patterns to line your driveway.
Many lake residents ask about which plants attract butterflies. A visit to Butterfly World just north of Ft. Lauderdale will give you all the information and more. There are some illegal plants to avoid. These are called invasive plants. Examples of what not to plant are: Melalucca, Australian Pines, and Brazilian Pepper/Florida Holly. These plants soak up water, grow everywhere and are not indigenous.
Use mulch at the base of your trees and bushes. Mulch retains moisture, prevents erosion, and suppresses weeds. When distributing the mulch underneath your plants, be sure to leave a 2” space or “ring” around the trunk or base, to prevent rot. This allows the plant to breathe. The recommended depth of mulch is 3 inches. Most homeowners go to Home Depot and purchase bags of Cypress mulch, but are not sure just how much to buy. Here’s the rule of thumb:
By the bag = 1 bag containing 2 cubic feet covers 8 square feet (2ft x 4ft)
By the bale = 1 bale of pine straw covers 18 – 20 sq. feet
By the yard = 1 cubic yard covers 108 sq. feet (9ft x 12ft)
By the truckload = 1 mini pickup holds 1.5 yards and covers 162 sq. feet (9ft x 18ft)
By the full sized pickup = holds 2.5 yards and covers 270 sq. ft. (9ft x 30ft)
If you are just buying bags of mulch containing 2 cubic ft.
With a desired depth of 3 inches, use this chart:
If your plant bed is 25 sq. ft. = 3 bags
If your plant bed is 50 sq. ft. = 6 bags
If your plant bed is 100 sq. ft. = 13 bags
Replenish your mulch once or twice per year. Don’t mulch under citris trees and do not put mulch near the water line. Remember to never put any black dirt closer than the top of the slope for your plants. Black dirt, even covered by mulch will seep down with heavy rains muddying up our water. Mulch to close to the water will also migrate into our lake. Only use sand from the top of the slope to the waters edge.
It is important to fertilize appropriately as well. Do not fertilize anything close to the top of the slope down to the water at any time! Fertilizers are nutrients that promote plant growth which is exactly what we don’t want in our lake. No fertilizing anywhere close to the lake !
For palms, use Palm Special fertilizer: new improved 8-2-12 Fertilizing 2 to 4 times per year. Call Atlantic Fertilizer listed below. This palm food combination is also good for grass and other plants. Make sure there is no Milorganite within 30’ of your palms. It is important to note that palms are not trees. They are plants and a wound never heals or seals. Do not cut the green palm fronds as the plant uses them for nutrients. Fertilizing your grass involves a different combination: (15-0-15 or 16-2-8), which is a slow release nitrogen fertilizer. These number combinations on each bag represent the concentration of three elements: Nitrogen – Phosphorous – Potassium. The grass growing season is spring and fall. Apply iron in the summer for greener grass. Look at the tag on the fertilizer bag for information on spreading. Different element combinations require different application techniques. Using Weed and Feed is not recommended and is only legal to use 2 times per year. It is an herbicide which will shortly be removed from the market. Again, do not fertilize grass anywhere near the top of the slope of your yard down to the water. Only use sand.
Speaking of sand, many ask about how to manage the grass shoots growing out of the sand on the beach. It is permissible to use Roundup for grass control on your beach. Use it very sparingly and only apply it when there is no wind and no rain for 6-8 hours. A better method of control is to hand pick the grass blades out of the sand. Experts say however, it is ok to use Roundup very carefully and only under the conditions listed above.
Water your lawn efficiently. Here’s food for thought: people in Florida use more water to irrigate lawns than the total used by all other states, east of the Mississippi River, combined. More than half of our water use is outdoors, most from drinking water sources. 30% - 60% of potable water (treated for drinking), is used for maintaining lawns. Most E lake residents are aware of this and simply tap their sprinkler system into the lake. This makes good sense. Many homeowners also incorporate a device that senses rain and restricts the sprinkler system from operating if it’s raining outside. There is a free service called the Mobile Irrigation Lab (305-242-1288), which will evaluate the amount of water required for your yard, depth of ground penetration for a well, and gives suggestions on how to increase the overall efficiency of your irrigation system. Or, go on line at www.miamidade.gov and request a free water conservation kit.
For a list of Certified Arborists: go to www.floridaisa.org or Mario Navarrete (Island Tree Service) 305-367-2458 / 305-246-8649. Never remove more than 25-30% of the canopy of a tree, at once. Pruning and trimming should not be noticeable. Use the new improved Palm Special fertilizer (8-2-12), which can be obtained at the Atlantic Fertilizer Company located in the Redlands (SW 183 Ave and 260 St. and they will deliver the fertilizer free if the purchase order is over $150.00. Atlantic’s phone # is 305-247-8649. Although Atlantic is the preferred supplier, other fertilizer manufacturers are Lesco and the Howard Fertilizer Co.. Many residents use a yard service to cut the grass, trim the plants, and maintain the trees. Make sure that each employee and the owner are well aware of the special considerations that are intrinsic to E Lake. It is desirable to select a company whose owner has earned a certificate for training in Florida Green Industries or Best Management Practices for Protection of Water Resources in Florida. These courses are available at the Miami-Dade Extension Office, as well as online at: www.dep.state.fl.us/water/nonpoint/pubs.htm
Some lake homeowners use the Tru Green Chem Lawn company to manage their landscaping. This is an excellent company that is very environmentally educated. They use a phosphorus free fertilizer and are able to detect unwanted pests and bacteria, well in advance of landscape destruction. Whether working in your yard yourself, or hiring a company to do it for you, make sure all are aware of the basic rules of E Lake yard management. An environmentally correct yard, promotes a clean lake, which contributes to the value of your E Lake home.