Letters to the Editor: Let your lawn die, but don’t plant natives just yet

To the editor: I am delighted that Los Angeles is conserving more water and property owners are being encouraged to remove their water-gulping lawns and plant California natives in their place.

As a certified (by the National Wildlife Federation) backyard wildlife habitat steward and San Fernando Valley Audubon Society board member, I’ve been urging property owners to do just that for the last 20-plus years.

But not now. This time of terrible drought isn’t the time to plant natives.

Yes, let your lawn die. But because natives (like all plants) need regular watering to get established so they are drought tolerant, and that usually takes a year or two, this is not the time to plant. Wait until we have some wetter winters to plant natives.

Alan Pollack, Woodland Hills