Transform your landscape by replacing thirsty turf with a water-wise native plant flower bed! Apply for a Go N Grow Garden rebate provided by Save Tarrant Water.
Applications open July 1 – September 1. Limited quantities available.
Apply as soon as possible! Go N Grow Gardens will sell out quickly!
Start killing your grass during summer and get free native plants to plant this fall!
Remove
125 square feet of grass
Purchase a
Go N Grow Garden
Receive a
$85 Rebate
Basic Requirements
Must be a Tarrant County resident
One rebate per household
Must remove at least 125 sq ft of turf grass lawn and replace with a Go N Grow Pollinator Native Garden
Must remove and cap all irrigation heads in the turf removal area, unless converting to drip irrigation
A Go N Grow Pollinator Garden must be purchased and planted
Must submit a pre-application to confirm eligibility
How It Works
STEP 1: TAKE PHOTOS
Take photos of the area where you plan to remove grass and plant your Go N Grow Garden. Take photos of any sprinkler heads in the area AND any that spray water on the garden area – these will be the sprinkler heads that will be removed.
Area must be at least 125 sq. ft. of turf grass lawn.
Area must be in full or part sun (at least 8 hours of direct sunlight a day).
STEP 2: SUBMIT A PRE-APPLICATION
Show us the photos of where you plan to remove grass and irrigation to plant your Go N Grow Garden by submitting a pre-application. If the area is approved, you will receive a confirmation email within 5 business days. If the area is not approved, you will receive guidance on why and be eligible to apply again. Pre-applications must be received by September 1.
STEP 3: PURCHASE A POLLINATOR GO N GROW GARDEN
We recommend you purchase the Go N Grow Garden as soon as possible after they go on sale. The gardens sell out quickly! Only the Pollinator Garden is eligible. Only gardens that will be picked up at one of the Tarrant County locations are eligible.
STEP 4: PREP YOUR AREA AND PLANT YOUR GARDEN
Completely remove at least 125 sq. ft. of turf grass in the area. Remove all sprinkler heads in the grass removal area and all sprinkler heads that water the area. Pick up your Go N Grow Garden on September 27 at your chosen Tarrant County location. Plant your garden plants and apply mulch in the new bed.
- Plant garden according to instructions provided with the Go N Grow Garden.
- At least 2 inches of mulch must be applied on entirety of bare ground after planting.
STEP 5: TAKE FINAL PHOTOS AND SUBMIT A POST-APPLICATION
Take photos of all removed sprinkler heads, all capped sprinkler lines, newly planted plants and entire mulched garden area. Submit a post-application by clicking the post-application link in the approval email. Post-applications must be received by October 15.
- If converting to drip irrigation, make sure to take photos of the drip lines before covering with mulch.
- If the area does not have automatic/permanent sprinklers, omit sprinkler photos and include more photos of the planted area.
STEP 6: APPLICATION REVIEW
If all requirements are met and the final post-application is approved, you will receive a confirmation email by October 31 and a full $85 rebate for your Go N Grow Garden will be issued. If the post-application is not approved, you will receive guidance on why and be eligible to apply again, as long as it is before October 31.
- Care for and maintain your garden according to instructions provided with the Go N Grow Garden.
- Your garden will need to be hand watered until it is established.
Summer Solarization Instructions
1. Mow: Mow site low. Avoid additional disturbance as it may promote weed growth.
2. Trench: Dig a trench around the perimeter of the site to at least 4″ deep. The trench is optional but it holds the plastic down and prevents plant growth from the sides.
3. Prepare site: Ensure site is free of large rocks or any object that may pierce the plastic. Verify that soil moisture is not excessively dry, if so, deeply water site.
4. Cover site with plastic cover: Place thick, clear plastic sheet over site by pulling it taut on either side and burying the edges into the trench to prevent airflow. It may help to weigh down the center of the plastic with rocks or bricks to prevent uplift.
5. Check regularly: Periodically check the cover for punctures from wildlife or weeds regularly. If there’s a puncture, quickly repair it with clear packing tape.
6. Ready for takeoff? After the hot summer, check under plastic for plant growth. If the plants are all dead, you are ready to plant in fall.
For more detailed instructions, visit the Pocket Prairie blog.
Manual Grass Removal Instructions
At least 125 square feet of turf grass lawn will need to be removed. Turf grass area must be healthy prior to removal. Grass may be dormant in late winter or early spring, but must be thick and healthy. Areas of bare ground or weeds do not qualify. Removal area must be in full or part sun (at least 8 hours of direct sunlight a day).
All vegetation will need to be completely removed. This can be done with a sod cutter, manually removed with a flat shovel, or the area can be tilled and raked. There should be no roots, runners, or leaves left after removal.
Why Do I Need to Cap My Sprinklers?
Similar plant types with similar water requirements need to be grouped in zones together.
Once established, the native Texas plants will not need to be watered much, if at all.
Native Texas plants need very little water and turf grass needs a lot. If turf grass is being removed from a previously all grass zone and replaced with native plants, continuing to water that area with the turf zone will either result in over-watering the new plants or under-watering the remaining turf in the zone. Eventually, one or the other will suffer.
Most sprinkler zones that cover turf have rotor heads. Rotor heads work well for large areas of low growing vegetation. Once the garden grows up, rotor spray will be blocked by the taller vegetation and beat the taller plants down.
Lastly, the purpose of this program is to encourage water conservation. Continuing to water the area in the same way it has always been watered defeats the purpose.
Sprinkler Removal Instructions
New garden beds must be free of permanent automatic spray irrigation to qualify for this program. If you have sprinklers, you will need to remove and cap the components. This includes unscrewing and completely removing the sprinkler head, then capping off the sprinkler line.
Converting from spray irrigation to drip irrigation is also eligible, however the entire sprinkler zone will need to be converted. There are retrofit kits that make this conversion easy and they already include the necessary filter and pressure regulation. Spray irrigation and drip irrigation cannot be on the same zone. Drip lines will be attached to one of the sprinkler heads and all other sprinkler heads in the zone will need to be capped. For more information on drip irrigation conversion, watch this video .
Areas without permanent automatic spray irrigation also qualify provided it meets grass removal requirements.
Did you know we have a no-charge residential sprinkler system evaluation program? Click here to learn more.
What to Expect
Eligible pre-applications will be approved within 5 business days after the submission. Approvals will be sent to the email address provided in the application. If the area is not approved, you will receive guidance on why and be eligible to apply again. The approval email will also include a link to the post-application. All pre-applications must be received by August15, but Go N Grow Gardens will likely be sold out well before that deadline.
Post-applications open on September 27, the day you will pick up your Go N Grow Garden. All post-applications must be received by October 15. Eligible post-applications will be approved by October 31. Approved rebates will be $85. The rebate will be issued by Rooted In and applied to/refunded to the payment method you used to purchase the Go N Grow Garden. Approvals will be sent to the email address provided in the application. If the area is not approved, you will receive guidance on why and be eligible to apply again, as long as it is before October 31.
Additional Stipulations
- Existing flower/garden beds are not eligible.
- Pre and Post applications must be submitted in full and approved to get a full rebate.
- Rebate available to first 50 approved applicants.
- Converting to drip irrigation is eligible if the entire sprinkler zone is converted to drip.
- Areas without automatic/permanent irrigation are eligible.
- TRWD reserves the right to use photos submitted in applications for program promotions. Identifying information such as name and address will not be used.
- TRWD must be allowed to inspect the area if requested.
- The Go N Grow Garden plants must all be planted in the ground in the newly created 125 sq. ft. garden bed. Plants cannot be planted in containers.
- The planted area shown in the photos must be the same area that was approved in the pre-application.
