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We need your feedback! Please take our survey to better understand yard and landscape practices that may help with heat, drought, heavy rain, flooding, poor drainage, standing water, and plant loss. If you have any questions about this survey, please contact [email protected] or [email protected].
Purpose: Develop Louisiana-specific, science-based landscape best management practices that reduce freshwater demand, protect runoff water quality, and improve resilience to drought, heat, hurricanes, and flooding while keeping functionality and attractiveness.
Quantify the landscape water cycle and water quality impacts.
Identify social acceptance factors and adoption barriers.
Develop BMP recommendations for resilient homes and landscapes.
LSU AgCenter LaHouse Research and Education Center, Baton Rouge, LA
The project team envisioned small demonstration plots that can be used to evaluate the urban water cycle and assess landscape resilience across dynamic weather conditions.
Prior to the start of the project, LSU AgCenter Facilities Planning Department designed and constructed four roof structures on concrete pads at an elevated height to ensure drainage water capture once the plots are formed. They also designed the slopes and estimated the dirt work needed to complete the project as planned.
Due to the specialized nature of this project, it took some time to identify the best contractor, confirm designs and pricing, and work through the university contract process before construction was authorized. The timing resulted in authorization during the busy summer season, so it took a few months to be worked into the contractor’s schedule.
If you are looking for a licensed horticultural professional or licensed irrigation contractor, check out the website for Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF) Horticulture Commission. You can find lists of licensed professionals and also contact information for LDAF if you can’t find what you’re looking for.
Louisiana Horticulture Commission | Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry
A landscape contractor purchased all materials, finished prepping each bed including final sloping, installed drip and sprinkler irrigation, and planted each landscape. Each plot was sloped toward the center point to isolate drainage and collect plot-specific data during wet weather events.
An EC System uses a sensor to measure gas fluxes. In this case, it is used to measure the water vapor leaving the plant and soil surface as it moves into the air, which represents actual evapotranspiration (ETa). ETa represents the amount of water leaving the soil profile through evaporation from the soil surface and transpiration through the plant. Additionally, weather and soil sensors were installed to capture temperature, relative humidity, solar radiation, wind speed, rainfall, and soil moisture.
Fun Fact: In collaboration with the LaCADIAN weather network, a weather station node was temporarily added in co-location with the EC System. To access LaCADIAN data for any of the 24 permanent locations, please visit www.lsuagcenter.com/lacadian.
The plant material was assessed for survival rates after significant freeze events occurring during the winter months. There was an approximate 95% survival rate for newly planted material.
To fully capture the water cycle, equipment to measure irrigation, drainage, and runoff were installed. With the help of several graduate students, the project team installed the following:
While this two-year grant ends on June 30th, this project has been established and data collection will continue while we work to obtain additional funding and support.
This year’s drought has been rough on some of the plots while others are now thriving. While data collection is on-going, this year will serve as full establishment of the plant material. Next year’s data will tell a lot about how these landscapes perform in a residential setting.
