Native Grasses in existing "lawn"
rmverb
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
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ZachS. z5 Platteville, Colorado
5 years agormverb
5 years agoRelated Discussions
renovating existing lawn and expanding lawn
Comments (12)Here is a suggestion that may help. Normally, our Virgina soils are acidic. I would get a soil test done for your lawn and for this fall concentrate on adding any lime or fertilizer. I will tell you unless you want to do a lot of watering that starting new grass is not the best idea (gee, wonder how I know) with the rain deficit we've had this summer and fall. If you can core aerate or add compost, so much the better, but not a big deal either. Plan your garden beds and get those ready for the hostas. If you happen to run across clearance prices at the big box stores on fescue or shady mix you could throw that seed down this winter and I think you'd be surprised at how much comes up in the spring. Even with the delayed DST this year I think we've only got about 4-6 weeks left of good growing season. I'd concentrate on the soil this fall and next spring in preparation for lawn renovation next fall. Hope this helps....See Moresuggestions for native grass lawn
Comments (2)Thanks, any good suggestions on how to kill my old lawn? I noticed this morning that the soil on the lower slope of my lawn is damp despite many weeks of not watering it so death by drought may not be sufficient....See MoreNative grasses as a lawn
Comments (2)Not really, if you are tyring to achieve the manicured lawn aesthetic - then you probably don't want to use natives. Most are bunch forming grasses that perform better when left unmowed. There a few "sod" forming native grasses, western wheat grass and side oats grama, but I am not sure if they are native to Tennessee and I wouldn't recommend mowing them regularly either. Why would you have to cut your lawn on regular basis? HOA? If you live in a neighborhood regulated by HOA and you have to maintain some type of turf grass, I would recommend that you research organic lawn care. There is a pretty good description in the FAQ page on the organic gardening forum. Or you can ask some questions in the lawn care forum about what type of grass is best for your soil and your climate....See MoreNative grasses as a lawn
Comments (2)For low-cut, formal lawns I don't think there are a whole lot of native grass choices. Buffalo grass is the only one I am aware of, and I am not sure just how easy it is to grow or how it looks - I have never grown Buffalo Grass. A different idea might be to have some of the high traffic areas of the lawn planted in a typical lawn grass, then use native grasses in other areas and cut them a little higher and less often. Lots of grasses such as Little Bluestem and Sideoats Grama will do fine if mown at maybe four to 6 inches height. They would look pretty normal - something like the rough on a golf course. The whole thing could look very manicured if you keep the edges groomed....See Morermverb
5 years agoZachS. z5 Platteville, Colorado
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoNative Dee
5 years agoJay 6a Chicago
5 years ago
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ZachS. z5 Platteville, Colorado