Exciting things are happening in the grounds department here at St. Edward’s. During these drought-torn years here in Texas, Grounds & Automotive Supervisor Will Chavez and his team have been working hard to make the most of the available water to keep campus beautiful each and every day. Through a clever use of resources, sophisticated technology, and serious dedication, campus visitors wouldn’t even know that the state is experiencing stage-two drought conditions. How many of us have heard how beautiful our campus is because of its grounds?
On top of efficient water usage, the lawns are being kept greener longer with the exclusive use of organic biological fertilizers, which allow for grass to require 25% to 50% less water than chemical landscapes. It’s also a more eco-friendly method of pest control. Even the equipment used to maintain the lawns uses clean burning fuels like compressed natural gas and propane.
If you take a stroll by the campus apartments, you’ll notice that buffalograss has been planted in the lawns that surround them. Buffalograss is a fine-textured, low-water-use native grass that grows throughout the Great Plains from Minnesota to Montana and south into Mexico. This warm-season perennial is exceptionally cold and drought-tolerant, with no known diseases or insect problems. Its low-maintenance nature makes it perfect for furthering St. Edward’s commitment to sustainability.