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In the NoCo

This summer was tough on Front Range lawns. Here’s why autumn is an ideal time to help your landscaping recover

A new scorecard ranks states based on laws and policies that promote the efficient use of water, from how states regulate water utilities to drought planning.
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This summer left yards across the Front Range devastated. Brown, dry patches of grass are everywhere – and so are yards that have been taken over by bindweed, thistles, and spurge.

Experts at Colorado State University Extension say they've been getting lots of calls from anxious homeowners with similar problems. And they say fall can be a great time for some lawn rescue projects to help get the yard ready for next year – which, hopefully, will be a little kinder to our landscapes.

Alison O'Connor is a horticulture specialist with CSU Extension. She joined Erin O’Toole with answers to some of our most pressing lawn questions, and advice for how and when to start a fall yard project.

If you enjoyed this interview, check out a few of our other conversations with CSU Extension experts, including how to care for trees during a dry year, how Colorado law is on your side if you want to xeriscape your yard, how to protect your plants from pesky bugs, or why an aspen tree might not be the best choice for your yard.

KUNC's In The NoCo is a daily slice of stories, news, people and issues. It's a window to the communities along the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The show brings context and insight to the stories of the day, often elevating unheard voices in the process. And because life in Northern Colorado is a balance of work and play, we celebrate the lighter side of things here, too.
As the host of KUNC’s news program and podcast In The NoCo, I work closely with our producers and reporters to bring context and diverse perspectives to the important issues of the day. Northern Colorado is such a diverse and growing region, brimming with history, culture, music, education, civic engagement, and amazing outdoor recreation. I love finding the stories and voices that reflect what makes NoCo such an extraordinary place to live.
Brad Turner is an executive producer in KUNC's newsroom. He manages the podcast team that makes In The NoCo, which also airs weekdays in Morning Edition and All Things Considered. His work as a podcaster and journalist has appeared on NPR's Weekend Edition, NPR Music, the PBS Newshour, Colorado Public Radio, MTV Online, the Denver Post, Boulder's Daily Camera, and the Longmont Times-Call.