Spring cleaning and gardening season is here or for others right around the corner. Thinking of getting in the gardening spirit here soon?
PCWD offers free wood chips to our customers. If you are interested in wood chips just come on by the Dutch Flats location anytime. It is great for gardening, holding in moisture of soil and makes a nice added touch to spruce up your yard or potted plants.
You must bring your own materials to gather or shovel and haul the mulch or wood chips away. If you are planning on gathering a large amount on your own, please let us know in the office as we want to be sure there is enough for everyone.
Check out this great video of a brief overview of our Dutch Flats location.
The world that we live in today is a world where an ever-increasing population places larger demands on the earth’s finite resources. The manner in which we use these resources, determines the kind of world we leave to our children and future generations.
Water is a precious commodity in southern California. More than 70% of California’s total precipitation falls in the northern half of the state, however, 80% of California’s water demand is in the southern portion of the state. Southern California largely depends on water imported from northern California and from the Colorado River. Both local and imported water sources can be severely affected by drought, and imported water supplies have become increasingly uncertain as a result of demands by other regions. Currently, all mountain communities are facing water shortages that make water conservation increasingly important! Over demands have caused many residents to realize that preservation of our mountain environment and quality of life depends substantially on how we manage our limited water resources.
Conservation must become a way of life!
The situation today is crucial. The quickest, most certain way to begin to save water immediately is to conserve water at home. Less than half the water you use is used inside your home. The rest is used outdoors, mainly watering home landscaping. Most families can reduce water use by simply changing and learning to reduce water waste inside and outside our homes.
Outdoors:
Scale back and limit landscaping
Water your lawn only when it needs it (in the morning or late afternoon)
Reduce or replace lawn areas with spaces like patios and walkways
Review, repair, and retrofit irrigation systems so they are water efficient and deliver only water that is needed
Re-landscape with plants that use less water and retrofit or install appropriate irrigation to match
Pick up wood chips here at Pine Cove Water District; Adding a layer of mulch around trees and plants will help reduce evaporation and keep the soil cool
Instead of a water hose, use a broom to clean driveways and sidewalks
Indoors:
Limit your showers. Also, fill the bathtub halfway or less
Turn off the faucet when you brush your teeth
Install low-flow shower heads in the bathroom
Install a water-efficient toilet
When it’s time to replace appliances, choose a water-efficient dishwasher and washing machine
Run ONLY full loads in the dishwasher and washing machine
Fix leaky faucets and toilets as quickly as possible
December billing (due January 5, 2023) is going out this week. If you get emailed bills, you should have already received yours.
This months mailed billing included our Winter Newsletter, Evacuation Checklist, and Property Hardening. Click here to view those items.
The bi-monthly minimum is $77.00 for two month billing period, excluding any water usage. Water usage is billed as follows:
$7.00 per thousand gallons from 0 to 7,500 gallons
$9.00 per thousand gallons from 7,500 to 15,000 gallons
$11.00 per thousand gallons over 15,000
Water bills are mailed around the 1st of the Billing Month (even months). All bills are due and payable by the 1st of the following month (odd months). Any bill not paid by the due date will be termed delinquent and subject to a $15.00 late fee and/or termination. If shut off, a reconnect fee of $75.00 will be charged, in addition to the current amount due, to re-establish service.
There are several ways to pay your bill.ACH Auto Draft is a free service; the payment is automatically taken out of your bank account (filled out form required). You can log on to your account online, and pay with a Visa/Mastercard/Discover, or E-check. To register your account online, you will need your account number, and the Municipality Code which is PineCoveWDCA. Go to www.pcwd.org and click the “Billing” tab and the Payment option link. Next, click on the www.ub-pay.com link and register your account from there. You can come into the office and pay by check, cash, or card (one person at a time). Call with a credit/debit card (Please note that there is a convenience fee of $3.00 per hundred dollars charged if using a credit card). Drop payments thru the slot on the front door or mail a check or money order.
Thinking gardening time is just around the corner? Just in time for spring cleaning, the PCWD offers free mulch and wood chips to its customers. If you are interested in either wood chips or mulch just come on by the Dutch Flats location anytime. Both are great for gardening, holding in moisture of soil and they make a nice added touch to spruce up your yard or potted plants.
You must bring your own materials to gather or shovel and haul the mulch or wood chips away. If you are planning on gathering a large amount on your own, please let us know in the office as we want to be sure there is enough for everyone.
If you need a larger load of either call the office and we can deliver a dump truck load for $125 delivery charge.
APRIL SPECIAL Get a dump truck load of WOOD CHIPS for ONLY $75.00 Our deliveries are around 9 cubic yards and you just need to indicate where to leave the pile.
There is no doubt that mulching builds soil, reduces the need to water, and helps control weeds. But what does it do to protect plants from the cold? In many climates, perennials will survive just fine without any protection. In cold areas, snow is an excellent insulator; it keeps plants underground at a temperature around freezing and protects them from the worst of winter conditions. If we could be sure that there would be a good layer of snow throughout winter, our gardens wouldn’t experience many problems at all. Without snow or other mulch in tough winter months, however, plants may suffer heaving and freezing, which can damage their root systems.
The best time to apply winter mulch is just after the first hard frost. By putting mulch down at this time, you will help stabilize the temperature of the soil right around freezing. Applying mulch too soon may delay freezing and encourage heaving and thawing. Applying it too late may cause the roots of plants to experience temperatures below that which they can handle.
Pine bark or wood chips are the best mulches; they enrich soil as they degrade. A layer of mulch about 4 to 6 inches deep over the plants works well. Most perennials will pop through the mulch in spring. If the plants are young, small, or newly planted in fall, you may need to clear some of the mulch in spring so that the plants can emerge without difficulty through the winter protection.
Organic mulches cushion the soil from compaction and erosion caused by heavy winter rains while safeguarding the soil’s storehouse of nutrients. In addition, winter mulches can enhance the cold tolerance of perennial vegetables, herbs and fruits, helping to insure a strong comeback in spring.
Recently laid wood chips to keep the roots nice and cozy
The what, why, how, and where
What are woodchips? Woodchips are small pieces of wood.
Why would I want woodchips in my garden design? The most common way of using woodchips for gardening is to spread them on the ground as mulch.
How? It is important to remember that, as with any permaculture technique, every site is different and every plant species has its own unique requirements. You may find woodchip mulching in one part of your site does not work, while in another place it does wonders. • Spread the woodchip mulch at least 2-3 inches deep • Plant seedlings in the soil just below the woodchips • It may be too difficult to move the woodchip layer for seeds which are small or closely spaced, such as carrots, beetroots, spinach, and onions, so maybe use a different mulch material if you are planning to grow these kind of crops • Squash grow particularly well in woodchips
Where can you get woodchips? We currently have a large pile at our Dutch Flats location that Pine Cove residents can go and gather as much as they’d like for free. Special for December – have a truckload delivered for only $100
As a Pine Cove resident, you are welcome to our offer of FREE Wood Chip for your Garden. Our wood chips are from local wood and kept as clean from twigs and leaves as possible.
We have an abundance of wood chips at our Dutch Flats location that you can help yourself to. Please bring your own materials to gather or shovel and haul the wood chips away. If you need a larger load call the office and we can deliver a dump truck load for a delivery charge. Our regular rate for delivery is $125 but we are having a SPECIAL FOR DECEMBER where you can get a delivery for ONLY $100. Our deliveries are around 9 cubic yards and you just need to indicate where to leave the pile. If you are planning on gathering a large amount of wood chips on your own, please check in with us at the office first, as we want to be sure there is enough for everyone.
We still have a small amount of compost if you would like that as well. Same pick up or delivery situation; help yourself to the pile at Dutch Flats or call for a delivery at $125 a load.
Pine Cove Water District hours M-F 9am – 12pm, 1 pm-4pm 951-659-2675 or email info@pcwd.org
Winterizing with wood chips to try to prevent the roots from freezing. Looking forward to more growth next Spring.
I recently read an article in The San Diego Union-Tribute dated July 13, 2020 that said butterfly plants are in short supply. They cited the pandemic-fueled gardening boom as well as public’s awareness of shrinking monarch population and wanting to help increase it. The Center for Biological Diversity put a release out on March 13, 2020 that stated the yearly count of monarch butterflies overwintering in Mexico shows a decrease of 53% from last year’s count and is well below the threshold at which government scientists predict the migration could collapse. They attribute the decrease of Monarchs to milkweed being devastated by increased herbicide spraying in conjunction with corn and soybean crops that have been genetically engineered to tolerate direct spraying with herbicides. Additionally, they are being threatened by other herbicides and by neonicotinoid insecticides that are toxic to young caterpillars and decrease the health of adult butterflies.
At the Pine Cove Water District, we were lucky enough to procure several new narrow-leaf milkweed as well as tropical milkweed for our butterfly garden. We’ve even seen a couple of visitors and look forward to seeing more as we come to the end of the season.
There’s a little guy hanging upside downAnother bigger guy across the garden
What can you do to help?
Plant the right milkweed. According to The Laid-back Gardener, Monarchs seem to like common milkweed best but also fed happily on swamp milkweed. Apparently, butterfly weed isn’t too well liked in the caterpillar community.
Cut your milkweeds back. Prior to blooming, cutting back the plants make them more attractive hosts for caterpillar larvae. Research at Michigan State University shows that female monarchs prefer to lay their eggs on fresh young stems that haven’t flowered yet. Heavy pruning doesn’t harm the milkweed plants and they quickly rebound.
Know your sources and avoid pesticides, insecticides, and herbicides. When purchasing flower starts or seed, know the source. Make sure they are all natural and have no pesticides. Additionally, keep that same mind set when amending your soil and use natural compost like the compost we supply at the Water District to Pine Cove residents.
Plant additional flowers to feed adults. Although the female monarchs only lay their eggs on milkweeds and their caterpillars only feed on those same plants, adult monarchs feed on nectar of additional flowers like Wild Bergamont, Mountain Mint, Pale Purple Coneflower, and more. Try to provide a wide range of flowers that bloom through the entire growing season. It is also suggested that you grow single plants isolated from others by mulch or wood chips (which the Water District also can supply to Pine Cove residents) instead of mixing them as the butterflies rely on seeing the plant shapes to know where their food is.
Thinking gardening time is just around the corner? Just in time for spring cleaning, the PCWD offers free mulch and wood chips to its customers. If you are interested in either wood chips or mulch just come on by anytime the piles are located just past the office outside the yard fence. Both are great for gardening, holding in moisture of soil and they make a nice added touch to spruce up your yard or potted plants.
You must bring your own materials to gather or shovel and haul the mulch or wood chips away. If you need a larger load of either call the office and we can deliver a dump truck load for $100 delivery charge.
There must have been a lot of yard work and gardening going on over the weekend because when we arrived this morning, both piles were depleted! This means Pine Covers are amending their soil so it retains moisture better and putting down wood chips to keep the moisture in the soil. We are working on getting more compost as well as wood chips, so if you didn’t get yours, do not worry. I will post here on the blog as soon as our supplies are replenished. We are so happy to be able to provide these items to Pine Cove Water District customers free of charge.
Remember, if you need a large amount of either item to check in with us at the office first, as we want to be sure there is enough for everyone. Now is the time to be outside cleaning up your yard, doing your fire abatement, amending your soil and adding a layer of woodchips to keep moisture in. These are all very necessary chores that need done, so get them done now so you can enjoy the summer with peace of mind knowing you are doing all you can to keep your mountain home safe and that you are helping to conserve water.
Looks like nothing but sunny days for the next week. While I wish I could say rain or snow is coming, it just isn’t so. Now is a good time to get out into your garden and add some compost and mulch to help your soil absorb and retain more water. That way your outdoor watering will become more efficient and you will use less water.
We are offering FREE compost and mulch to all Pine Cove Water District customers in order to help them conserve water outside in their gardens. Yes, you heard right. FREE!!! You can help yourself as the piles of compost and mulch are located behind the water district garage/workshop right here on Marion Ridge Road. If you need an exceptionally large amount, such as a dump truck full, please stop by the office or give us a call during regular business hours. Our phone number is 951-659-2675 and we are open Monday thru Friday from 9 am until 4 pm. We want to be sure there is enough for everyone, so please be considerate if you plan to take a large amount so that we can make arrangements for that. Otherwise, just help yourself.
According to Gardening for Dummies, putting down a layer of mulch in your garden will usually provide the following benefits:
Inhibits weed germination and growth. (Weeds are not only unsightly, but they also steal resources from desirable garden plants!)
Holds in soil moisture, protecting your plants from drying out quickly
Moderates soil-temperature fluctuations (This benefit is especially valuable during that turbulent-weather period in spring when you don’t want your plants to be stressed.)
In cold-winter areas, protects plant roots from winter cold and helps prevent frost-heaving, in which plants are literally pushed out of the ground by the natural expansion and contraction of the soil as it cools off and heats up
In hot-summer areas, helps keep plant roots cooler
Depending on what you use, adds a bit of welcome nutrition to your garden as it breaks down
So come on down and get yours today and make your plants and trees happy and save water in the process. We also have bluebird houses available to all Pine Cove Water District customers as well. Pick yours up today.
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