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Best Seed Mix for Lawn with Foot Traffic?
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Posted by wobsie 10 (My Page) on Wed, Sep 30, 09 at 18:37
| In one part of our yard, we'd like to have a lawn area for our small kids to play on. Probably about 20' x 20'. The yard is bare dirt right now. We're in San Diego, on (very) rocky clay loam. Do you have any recommendations for a lawn seed mix? We want something that is low-water, but can handle a moderate amount of foot traffic.
Thanks. |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Best Seed Mix for Lawn with Foot Traffic?
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| I think the low water lawns tend to be the type you grow from stolons or plugs like St. Augustine, Kikuyu, Bermuda, and Zoysia. The first three are tough and take lots of traffic. They all go dormant in winter when you don't have to water them at all. In my experience, the seed mixes such as Marathon, or the ryes, fescues, and bluegrass mixes have high water requirements and they don't take traffic well. Have you considered astroturf? They make some that are really pretty- but I hear they cost more than fine wool berber. Renee |
RE: Best Seed Mix for Lawn with Foot Traffic?
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| San Augustine can take lots of foot traffic. I grew up on the Gulf coast and it was green all year. Unless you have hard freezes, plan on watering and mowing all year. I've been looking into drought tolerant lawns for a small backyard with dogs. I think I'm going to end up sodding with St. Augustine because it will hold up to the traffic the best. If you use plugs, plan on several months for the lawn to fill in. |
RE: Best Seed Mix for Lawn with Foot Traffic?
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| I must confess that I love my St. Augustine lawn. I give it fifteen minutes, two times a week for water. It stays green all year if I continue to water in winter, or it goes dormant if I stop watering. Most of mine is in shade from a California Pepper tree, so it holds the moisture pretty well. It narrows to a four foot wide walkway in full shade, and the dog rips down it when she goes after squirrels, so that area is thinner and has a few bald spots. It is very thick where it gets full sun. I like the feel of it, but it is itchy on bare skin. In our soil, it doesn't require fertilizer. It's perfect for croquet parties! Unfortunately, it's pretty expensive, but you can plug it to save money. We never bought any; it was planted sixty years ago by grandpa. We just move plugs to fill in new spots. 
Here's Zoysia. It does not take the traffic as well, and it grows so slowly! It's really expensive. Five bucks a square foot. It took THREE YEARS for this three foot wide walkway to fill in:
 Renee |
RE: Best Seed Mix for Lawn with Foot Traffic?
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| Wow. Lovely lawns. Esp the Zoysia. |
RE: Best Seed Mix for Lawn with Foot Traffic?
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| I think I've narrowed down my choices to Bermuda, Buffalo or Tall Fescue. I should be able to plant them as seeds, right? Where's a good place to buy the seeds in/near San Diego? And will these stay green (i.e., not go dormant) if I keep watering year-around? Thanks. |
RE: Best Seed Mix for Lawn with Foot Traffic?
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| tall fescue would be my choice, |
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