Adding mulch to your planter beds provides many benefits including:

• Retaining moisture and reducing watering requirements
• Helps to keep the weeds down therefore reducing herbicide use
• Provides nitrogen during decomposition, reducing fertilizer need
• Increases the aesthetics of the landscape

The free mulch is available at 9 locations, including:

Lake View Terrace

Address: 11950 Lopez Canyon Rd. Los Angeles, CA 91342 (near Sylmar)
Hours of operation: Everyday 7:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M.
How to get there: Directions Delivery schedule: Everyday (except weekend)

Sheldon-Arleta

Address: 12455 Wicks St. Los Angeles, CA 91352 (near Sun Valley)
Hours of operation: Everyday 7:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M.
How to get there: Directions Delivery schedule: Tuesday and Thursday

West Valley

Address: 16600 Roscoe Pl. Los Angeles, CA 91343 (near North Hills)
Hours of operation: Everyday 7:00 A.M. – 6:00 P.M.
How to get there: Directions Delivery schedule: Wednesday and Friday

Donald C. Tillman

Address: 15800 Victory Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 91406 (near Van Nuys)
Entrance South of Densmore Ave. Intersection
Hours of operation: Mon-Fri 7:00 A.M. – 4:30 P.M., Sat 8:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M.
How to get there: Directions Delivery schedule: Monday

West L.A.

Address: 6001 Bowcroft St. Los Angeles, CA 90016
Hours of operation: Everyday 7:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M.
How to get there: Directions Delivery schedule: Thursday

East L.A.

Address: 2649 E Washington Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90023
Hours of operation: Fri-Sun 9:00 A.M. – 3:00 P.M.
How to get there: Directions Delivery schedule: Wednesday

Elysian Valley

Address: 3000 Gilroy St. Los Angeles, CA 90039
Hours of operation: Everyday 7:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M.
How to get there: Directions Delivery schedule: Monday and Thursday

San Pedro

Address: 1400 N Gaffey St. Los Angeles, CA 90731 (near San Pedro)
Hours of operation: Everyday 7:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M.
How to get there: Directions Delivery schedule: Friday

N. Mission Rd.

Address: 850 N Mission Rd. Los Angeles, CA 90033
Hours of operation: Tue/Thu 10:00 A.M. – 1:00 P.M. & 2:00 P.M. – 5:30 P.M.
How to get there: Directions Delivery schedule: Thursday (compost) and Friday (mulch)

For further information contact James Kurz at the Bureau of Sanitation (818) 834-5128 or visit http://www.ci.la.ca.us/SAN/srpcd/mulch_giveaway.htm. For more information on how the city processes their compost and mulch visit this link http://www.ci.la.ca.us/SAN/srpcd/mulch_compost.htm. For sprinkler repair issues contact LAsprinklerrepair.com at (800) 339-2102 or by email at info @ wcgminc.com.

Did you know that as much as 50% of your water usage occurs outdoors? That’s significant! By applying some or all of the following tips you can reduce the amount of water your household uses dramatically. Here’s my tips in no particular order:

1. Add mulch to planter beds. Mulch helps to retain moisture and can reduce watering requirements.
2. Aerate turf areas. Aerating can improve drainage and reduce compaction which will help the soil absorb water better and reduce runoff.
3. Maintain your irrigation system. Broken heads and lines can be a major source of wasted water.
4. Adjust controllers often. Adjust your controllers often to compensate for changes in the weather.
5. Install smart controllers. Today’s higher end controllers have many water saving features including the ability to add rain shut offs, moisture sensors, and ET sensors.
6. Reduce turf areas. Turf is one of the highest users of water. Reducing the amount of turf in the landscape will in turn reduce your water consumption.
7. Use plants with low water requirements. Use plants that are adapted to the area and require less water in your landscapes.
8. Install low-volume type irrigation systems. Use drip irrigation or bubblers where possible.
9. Retrofit existing spray-head nozzles with new multi-stream rotor nozzles. Nozzles such as the MP Rotator use up to 30% less water and irrigate more evenly.
10. Water early in the morning. Watering earlier in the morning helps to reduce evaporation.