Fire danger--it doesn't seem to matter what type of weather we get, fire anger is always perilous, especially for rural and hillside residents. But you can breathe easier if you remember three R's: remove fuel, reduce fuel and replace fire-hazardous plants with fire-resistant landscaping. * Flammable native brush, weeds and grasses can be replaced with plants that are inherently less flammable. That means you have to remove the "fuel" around your yard first. Weeds and brush can be cut down with a string trimmer and then sprayed with a weed control method of your choice. Reduce fuel by pruning shrubs and trees within your defensible space. * As far as replacing them with fire-resistant landscaping, please note right up front that all plants will burn if exposed to enough heat. But, most fleshy-leafed plants will smolder a lot longer before burning, since their foliage doesn't contain oils that make some brush explode in flames.
The fire-retardant plant list includes groundcovers to use in cleared areas around rural homes. Many states have laws that require a 30-foot defensible space around all structures in rural areas. However, this space can extend to 400 feet if your home is down slope from a steep hillside.
Among the more common groundcovers are iceplant, sedum, ivy geranium, African daisy, myoporum, periwinkle (Vinca major or minor), ornamental strawberry, rosemary, rockrose (cistus) and star jasmine. These groundcovers can also reduce fire danger around tract homes.
Some shrubs with fire resistance are wild lilac (ceanothus), Australian fuchsia, strawberry tree, live oak, saltbrush, western red bud, cotoneaster, escallonia, toyon, oleanderm pyracantha, raphiolepis and pittsosporum.
At all costs, if you live in a hillside or rural area, remove these highly flammable plants: scotch broom, Algerian ivy, bamboo, pampas grass, eucalyptus, juniper and pine.
Shape and growth are important, too. Upright rosemary, for example, is not fire retardant, but trailing rosemary is.
All homeowners should cut back plants as needed and remove dead growth. In addition, remove leaves and needles from roofs and gutters. Trim any portion of trees extending over buildings or within ten feet of the chimney.
Other maintenance chores involve removing the low branches of large trees. Remove the bottom ten feet of branches to prevent fires from using the tree as a ladder. Using non-flammable materials where possible in the garden is always a good idea. For example, at the base of trees and shrubs, replace vegetation with mulch, such as bark, rock or gravel. In fact, anyplace there is bare dirt where weeds can grow, consider replacing with a mulch.
Finally, make sure your home has easily read and positioned address numbers legible from a main and traveled roadway. The fire department has to know where you are before they can help.
--Article by Keith Muraoka
Source
Point your browser to WWW.CACTI.COM, a full online shopping website for aloes, agaves, euphorbias, and many other drought tolerant succulents. 80% percent water content also provides for superior fire resistance that enhances home safety during brush fires. Over 80 species grown hard under full exposure, not in a greenhouse, and ready for your gardening pleasure.
No comments:
Post a Comment