Microclover lawn...
SeattleMCM
5 months ago
last modified: 20 days ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (8)
artinnature
25 days agolast modified: 25 days agoRelated Discussions
Trying Earth Turf lawn seed
Comments (11)Yep, it's getting quite wild in here. Knock on the door and I'll take you for a tour :-) In summer it's wonderful, so many leaves everywhere, a jungle of green. Winter is bleak but the evergreens are growing. Eventually the skeletons of the deciduous will also be massive and interesting. Lots of birds. 17 giant sequoias and they are doing very well. Read that they really like Portland. Lots of other evergreens, but they're slower. The grass / mix of groundcovers is very beautiful. Eventually it will all be miniature ivies. I seriously thought of moss but don't have time to keep leaves off it. Have a blower/vacuum and just bought a shop vac, have rakes, but sheer volume, could never keep the moss clean enough. The rain last night was so luscious and welcome. These trees LOVE rain! For those thinking of alternative "lawns," the Fleur De Lawn or ecolawn disappears in winter, at least in my yard. I don't want any brown or mud so that is a drawback. But the miniatures ivies will completely cover everything in a few years, whew. The BEST thing I did beside planting lots of trees, lots of variety, was put down large flagstone paths everywhere I have to walk. The mud was unbearable and dangerous. Now I can run around the yard even in the pitch black middle of the night moving sprinklers and it's safe and easy. Fleur de Lawn is not meant for high traffic so if you don't have pets or children, use flagstones or stepping stones or something durable for your walking paths. Pets or children: Don't plant Fleur de Lawn....See Moreseeking advice for lawn alternative sun/part sun
Comments (53)I think it's amazing this thread went on so long with no mention of St Augustine. UC Verde and all the other buffalo and prairie grasses are for full sun. Kikuyu is one of the most invasive imported pest plants short of kudzu. The others mentioned are ground covers that do not repair themselves. Dichondra will die annually from flea beetle. They wipe it out faster than you can diagnose it, but it returns from seed. Fescue, in my opinion should be formally outlawed in CA unless you live west of the 5 in San Diego and Orange counties and west of the 405 in LA. North of the 10 it can be grown on the west slopes of the coastal range, but not in the valleys. St Augustine is a real turf grass, unlike many of the alternates mentioned. It spreads to repair itself under the dog feet, is very shade tolerant, also sun tolerant, and it will crowd out other grasses when mowed at the mower's highest setting. St Aug comes as pieces of sod on a pallet. Cost is about a dollar per piece covering about 2 square feet. It spreads 10 to 15 feet per year in all directions, so if you don't cover the entire area at one time, it will take over and cover for you. St Aug takes as much water as any turf grass if you want it to remain green. If you stop watering it for more than a month, it might die completely, so it differs from other grasses in that regard. But I have revived it from beyond the grave at my my new residence in the Texas Hill Country. St Augustine is considered to be a water hog, but that is pure myth. All grasses need 1 inch of water, once a week, in the hottest heat of summer. This goes for the cool season grasses in the north and the warm season grasses in the south. In Phoenix both bermuda and St Augustine need 1 inch every 4-5 days, but in the rest of the country it only needs it once a week. This time of year in your area you should be watering 1 inch, all at once, every 2-3 weeks. The problem with fescue is it needs water 3x per week in the summer and that dries up your aquifers and lakes. Not sure why you think you have clay, but you likely don't. I don't recall any brick factories in your area, so I'm skeptical. After 12 years of moderating three lawn forums, fewer than 10 writers really had clay. Your soil might have clay like properties, but those can be fixed. Even real clay can be fixed, but you have to have a good soil test along with a good reading of the soil test before you can fix it. 9 times out of 10 people who think they have clay have no clay at all but they do have fine silt and a salt imbalance (calcium, sodium, magnesium, and potassium). You can't know what the problem is without the chemistry test. A secondary issue causing hard soil is allowing the soil to dry completely such that the beneficial microbes in the soil are depleted and unhealthy. That can be fixed by spraying the soil with any clear shampoo at a rate of 3 ounces per 1,000 square feet. Follow that with 1/2 to 1 inch of water and let it go for 3 weeks. At the same time feed the soil with an organic fertilizer like alfalfa pellets, corn meal, soybean meal, or even Milorganite. Compost and/or manure won't do the same thing as the fertilizer. The deep moisture creates a perfect environment for the microbes. The organic fertilizer feeds them. Hard soil is easy to fix. The best soil test in the US is from Logan Labs in Ohio. Yes, it's been tested against all the other labs. Get their $25 test and post the results on the Lawn Care forum and you'll get about $250 worth of free advice from people who know specifically what to apply, when, how much, how often, and where to get the stuff. If you want to see some alternate grasses in action, visit Descanso Gardens and the Huntington Library in Pasadena....See MoreExperience with microclover? New construction yard
Comments (13)Thanks so much for the feedback! Just to clarify, I'm not looking for a no-mow/no-maintenance yard, but I don't want to spend time babying a grass lawn that doesn't want to live here. :) The clover, however, seems happy and thick, and I have no problem letting it take over and maybe adding some microclover seeds. I also have four little kids, and heartily enjoy my weed bouquets they bring me, so having a pristine lawn may never make it onto my wish list. Having even coverage in the yard would be nice though, instead of this: Taken yesterday. Many of the dark green patches are clover. The coverage from the clover seems even and lush, but is slightly on the tall side (kids small toys and shoes seem to disappear in it easily). The patch to the left of the front porch is several inches taller than all the other clover patches (maybe because it's in morning shade?). The reason I'm asking about microclover in particular is because I have to do a thorough search in the clover patches before mowing the yard, and thought implementing microclover at this point may cut down on that small inconvenience. (But I don't want to be swayed simply based off advertising, so thought I'd ask for direct experience with microclover, and hear some of the downsides as well). Definitely won't be pulling anything up to put down seed, so I suppose it would be a grass/clover mixture in the yard. Thanks for the link to your thread, jb...glad to hear you're happy with it! Any tips on where to buy and dispersing the seeds? Hearing of others who are happy with a clover yard is really convincing me that this is the way to go. Thanks again for the great points, folks! You've got me thinking! Edited to add: The only area of the lawn that would be taken over by clover is what you see in the picture. Out of frame to the left is our vegetable garden, and directly behind where I'm standing is a wooded area. Also curious if anyone has experience with a clover lawn and chickens?? We don't have chickens now, but are thinking of getting a few next spring (not totally convinced this will happen). Will they destroy a clover lawn?...See MoreMicroclover Yard Alternative?
Comments (3)Your description and plan are getting clearer and sounding good. A previous suggestion was to contact your county cooperative extension service. Specifically talk to someone who knows pasture management or look it up online. That can help direct you to the specific grass and clover species that will be best for you locally. Native plant lists will also help. Once you have an identified list of plants, go seed shopping. There are tons of great online grass and wildflower seed sources where you can get exactly what you want. They are also an excellent place to learn about plants and all the options for a grass clover meadow. Here is one Prairie Moon. I feel certain you can find seed sellers even closer to you. Added: I better call it a grass clover lawn. I expect it to be mowed in a manner that suits your life style. The word meadow might set some people on edge....See MoreSeattleMCM
25 days agolast modified: 25 days agogardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
24 days agolast modified: 24 days agoSeattleMCM thanked gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)SeattleMCM
22 days agodchall_san_antonio
21 days agoSeattleMCM
20 days agolast modified: 20 days ago
Related Stories

LANDSCAPE DESIGNSo Long, Lawn: 6 Walkable Ground Covers to Consider
These trample-proof, low-water plants can lower your water bill while greening up your garden
Full Story
EARTH DAYThe Case for Losing the Traditional Lawn
Work less, help the environment and foster connections by just saying no to typical turf
Full Story
LANDSCAPE DESIGNIs It Time to Consider Fake Grass?
With more realistic-looking options than ever, synthetic turf can be a boon. Find the benefits and an installation how-to here
Full Story
SeniorBalloon