#LandArchSD

October 18, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Join the Conversation in San Diego!

Thank you for visiting our site and we hope you will participate in our social media project for this year’s ASLA Annual Meeting in San Diego. The purpose of this page is to explain our project and to give a brief overview of the social media tools we will be utilizing. This year promises to be the most attended annual meeting in history and we are really excited to be a part of it. Jason Castillo (@JA_Castillo), Brian Phelps (@brian_phelps) and Boyd Coleman (@CDGLA) will be leading a panel discussion for the educational session entitled Social Media Strategies for Landscape Architects on Wednesday, November 2, 2011 at 1:30 PM. We hope that you will join us as we discuss the results of this project and other exciting social media applications being utilized within the profession today.

 

THE EVENT:

#LandArchSD will encourage the more than 6,000 landscape architects descending upon San Diego to participate in sharing, via social media, their experiences and perspective of the City’s urban environment and public spaces. The event will provide an opportunity to create a useful database of information about the City while at the same time raising awareness of landscape architecture. By the end of the conference, it is anticipated that the data set from this event will provide valuable insight for the City of San Diego and its citizens about their urban environment.

The event will compile location based data about the City through posts, tweets, photos, videos, and more, using mobile devices such as a smartphone or tablet computer. Information documented could include your favorite spaces and/or details, observations about the how spaces are used and ways to improve the utilization of these spaces, and/or teach people about landscape architecture through examples. As landscape architects, we have a lot of information to offer. Let’s make it known to more people.

IMPORTANT: USING HASHTAGS 

The main tool for organizing the information during the event will be the use of the hashtag #LandArchSD. It should be included in all posts during the project.

For those of you not familiar with the use of the hashtag, it is simply a word or string of letters without spaces preceded by the “#” symbol. We will be using #LandArchSD during the event. The purpose of the hashtag is to provide a searchable keyword or identifier that will allow anyone searching on social networks to see everything posted that contains the #LandArchSD hashtag.

During and after the conference, anyone will be able to search Twitter with the #LandArchSD hashtag and see all information posted that includes the hashtag.

TWITTER:

If you are not a member of Twitter, we encourage you to join; it’s free and you can sign up for an account at twitter.com. The majority of the information compiled during the event will be on Twitter. For a brief tutorial on how to use Twitter, click here.

With Twitter, you can post comments up to 140 characters in length. You can include photos or videos in your post as well. It is important that you use the GPS features of your mobile device when posting during the event. This will help others see where the data was posted.

A few points to remember, if you use Twitter, please remember to use the hashtag #LandArchSD in all of your tweets and photos related to the event. Also, for those new to Twitter, use the “@” symbol in front of someone’s Twitter name to send them a tweet directly. If you see something someone else posted that would like to re-share, use the “retweet” function (RT). If you have any questions, please reach out to Brian, Jason, or Boyd and we’ll be happy to assist you.

INSTAGRAM:

Instagram is a separate, free photo sharing application for the iPhone and it can be downloaded to your iPhone through the iTunes app store. The application allows you to post photos to both Instagram and Twitter and includes many fun photo filters to add interest to your photos. Please make sure that if you use Instagram that you use the hashtag #LandArchSD and the “post to Twitter” feature in the application. This will assure your information is included in the information being collected. If you don’t have an iPhone or you use some other photo application, you can still upload your photos to Twitter and/or our Facebook page and tag them with the hashtag #LandArchSD

FACEBOOK:

We have created a Facebook page for this project and hope that you will click on the link below and “Like” our page. This will provide you with updates as we get closer to the conference and will also allow you to see some of the things happing around San Diego. We also invite you, once you’ve liked our page, to post comments, questions, and suggestions while you prepare for the conference.

While at the conference, you can continue to use the Facebook page to leave posts or to participate in on-going discussions. We encourage you to upload your photos to the Facebook page. The Facebook page can be found here.

FOR THOSE WITHOUT A MOBILE DEVICE:

We encourage those without a mobile device to participate from their desktop/laptop. It is important to remember you can still upload to the Facebook Page or Twitter without a smartphone. You can upload your photos taken with a digital camera, add your observations on the Facebook page or Twitter or simply join in on the conversation on the Facebook page. Just remember to use the hashtag #LandArchSD so your post can be seen.

FOLLOWING / FINDING THE INFORMATION WITHOUT A SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNT:

If you would just like to follow the event as an observer, you can follow through various search tools without having an account with any social media platforms. You can follow the Facebook Page and/or you can use Topsy.com to search for the hashtag #LandArchSD. The following is a link directly to the search: #LandArchSD.

We hope that this gives you a brief overview of the project. If you have any questions please reach out to us and let us know. We look forward to seeing you in San Diego!

 

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Rainwater Harvesting Project

October 1, 2011 By Leave a Comment

One of the challenges with landscaping in the desert is the lack of annual precipitation and the need for supplemental irrigation. Current estimates of annual rainfall for Phoenix average 8.3 inches per year. As you can imagine, water is a very precious commodity here. One of the concepts in landscape design that has always interested me is rainwater harvesting. Having lived in apartment complexes prior to buying the townhouse we live in now, I never had a chance to experiment with different rainwater harvesting techniques.

Planting Bed and Supper

When we bought this townhouse, there was a hedge of oleanders between our and our neighbor’s driveway that always scratched my car as I pulled into the garage. After living in the home about a month I had the landscapers remove the oleanders and dig up as much of the roots as they could. As you can see, they did a nice job. The grey hose you see in this photo is a flexible “sleeve” that houses the cable feed to our townhouse.

Once the oleanders were removed it occurred to me that the scupper for the roof drain was located directly above this two-foot wide strip and I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to try a rainwater harvesting experiment. My first idea was to install a downspout to the scupper and attach a French drain underground to move water directly from the roof into the narrow planting bed. I even thought about digging a sump pit near the asphalt pavement just in case we got a heavy summer monsoon rainstorm. However, the HOA did not approve the gutter so I had to come up with a plan B.

The cable sleeve has been buried, the site rough graded and plants being spaced evenly.

My plan B was to plant a few arid plants (agave and cactus) that wouldn’t require much water in the planting bed, and then create a swale that would channel the runoff water from the roof, into the planting bed, and to each of the plants. Although it is difficult to see in the photo, I terraced the planting bed with small berms between the barrel cactus so that any larger water flows would back up and percolate into the ground and hopefully not wash the rock mulch into the street.

Plants planted and granite spread. Bring on the rain!

Once I finished laying out the plants, rough grading, planting, and fine grading, I spread 3/8” sized Madison Gold granite as a ground cover. I estimated that I would need a half a ton, however, the landscape company delivered more than a ton so I spread the granite extra thick so that the berms or the swales wouldn’t be seen. Once the granite was spread, everything was complete. Now I only had to wait for the next storm.

As you can see, a few months after the installation, we had a rainstorm in which we received 6/10” of rain. The scupper drained the rainwater into the swale, watered the plants, and the berms held the water and didn’t wash the decomposed granite into the street. We did have a little wind so I spent the next afternoon raking up the leaves and debris, but over all, my project was a success.

Result of our first storm and 6/10" rain.

I know this was a small project, but I was excited to see it work and can’t wait to try other techniques on future larger projects. If you’ve had experience with rainwater harvesting and would like to share your story, please leave a comment below or if you’re on twitter, send us a tweet.

If you haven’t had a chance to check out our Facebook page, please do so and if you’re so inclined, “Like” us there. We would greatly appreciate it!

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DIY Patio Irrigation System

July 27, 2011 By Leave a Comment

With summer temperatures in excess of 110 degrees for most of the summer, adequate water is very important to the health and viability of your landscape plants.  Living in a townhouse, I have a small courtyard patio and most of my landscape plants are in containers.  Because of this, ensuring that my plants receive enough water throughout the summer is extremely important.  It seems that every year I lose one or two plants to lack of water because, quite frankly, I forget to water them. Last winter I installed a drip irrigation system so that this summer, my plants will thrive in the desert heat. All supplies were purchased at Home Depot and I spent less than $100 total.

Drip Irrigation Supplies

The above image shows the supplies I purchased at Home Depot. Now let’s get started. The first step is to lay out your 1/2 inch drip tubing along the perimeter of your patio and cut into pieces for each segment. Note that this tubing is designed to be buried but will be okay when left above ground. Using the 90 degree ell compression fittings, you’ll need to insert the end of the tubing into the fitting. Be prepared to use a little elbow grease here, it takes a bit of pressure to properly seat the fitting over the tubing. I’ve found that by grasping the tubing approximately 3-4 inches below one end and working the fitting back and forth (clockwise, counterclockwise, clockwise, etc.) while pressing together, the fitting will seat. You should feel the tubing hit the stopper when it is properly seated.

Tubing with 90 degree ell

Once your 1/2 inch tubing is in place, you can then attach the end caps as needed.  The end caps have a threaded cap that can be unscrewed to flush any dirt or debris that might work its way into the system. This shouldn’t be an issue if the tubing will be left above ground, but if you plan to bury your tubing, be sure to flush the system before installing the 1/4 inch drip tubing. The next step in our project is to install the controller and connect it to our pipe. There are three fittings in addition to the controller that are very important.  The first is the backflow preventer. This keeps the irrigation water from backing up into your potable water supply in your house, should the irrigation line become clogged. The second fitting is the pressure reducer.  The water pressure from your hose bib can be anywhere from 40-75 pounds per square inch (PSI) as it exits the spigot. I chose a 20 psi reducer so that I don’t blow the emitters off of the 1/4 inch drip tubing when the system kicks on.

The controller

The controller connected to the spigot.

The third fitting is the threaded adaptor that allows you to connect the pressure reducer to the 1/2 inch supply tubing. This is illustrated in the photo above. The completed controller setup is shown below. Once it is all connected, unscrew the end caps and flush the system until clear water exits the tubing at all ends.

The completed controller assembly

When the system is flushed, reattach the end caps and position your containers where you’ll want them. Once in position, measure enough 1/4 inch drip tubing to extend from the 1/2 inch supply tubing to the top of the container and cut to length.  I’ve found it’s easier to attach the emitter and barb connector to the drip tubing before inserting the barb connector to the 1/2 inch supply tubing. Using the punch you’ll punch a hole into the 1/2 inch supply tubing as shown below.

Barb connector and punch.

Punching hole for 1/4 inch drip tubing.

Hole punched in 1/2 inch tubing

Once you’ve made the hole in your 1/2 inch supply tubing, insert the barb connector with the 1/4 inch drip tubing attached and secure in the container with a stabilizing stake.  A quick note on emitters: Emitters are available in various forms. There are color coded emitters that are available in 1/2 gallon per hour (GPH), 1 GPH, and 2 GPH.  There are also emitters that allow you to adjust the flow rate by twisting the top of the emitter. I prefer these emitters because I can adjust the amount of water given to each plant based on plant type and container size and provide sufficient water without overfilling the container. Once you’ve installed drip tubing to each of your plants you are ready to program your controller. Be sure to leave your spigot turned on so that when the controller turns on water will flow through the system.  Also, if you can’t dedicate a spigot to your irrigation system exclusively, you can install a “wye” hose connection to the spigot and have one side open and always on for the irrigation system and the other side can be manually turned on and off when needed. For seasonal watering guidelines, here’s a great resource from the Water Use it Wisely website. As always, I hope this guide has been beneficial to you.  Feel free to reach me on Twitter if you have any questions or send me an email (see below for email address).

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