Eco-lawn (-- too good to be true?

15 years ago

Hello:

I live in Ontario, Canada. The current "hot new thing" is eco-lawn (check out www.wildflowerfarm.com). It consists of 7 different types of fescue that have (according to website) long roots, slow growth habit, fine grass blades that flop over when long. Does not require frequent mowing or watering. I've heard/read lots of good things, but have also listened to skepticism from my local garden center. What are your thoughts on this?

Comments (4)

yarddoctor
15 years ago
Dear Mitanoff,

Thank you very much for your inquiry. Ah, the grass is always greener on the other side. I have seen the web site and understand the concept. It will work where you are, but not everywhere due to climates. The fine leaf fescues are perfectly suited for this. There is no doubt that once established (this will require some persistence and patience) you can reduce inputs. You also can mow it often at a 3 inch height and get a pretty good look. It is not going to look like Kentucky bluegrass ever, and if your neighbors have something different than this, you will stick out. That is my two centsÂ worth.

Again, thanks for the question and let me know if you have more.

Respectfully

Trey Rogers, The Briggs & Stratton Yard Doctor, YardDoctor.com
pjb999
15 years ago
That product does sound good. Would it be suitable to be "mixed into" an existing lawn? I didn't realise finer grasses were more drought-tolerant, I've always preferred the broader greener (and more thirsty I guess) parts of the lawn which is definitely a bit patchy. To top it off it needs aerating and top dressing, and we have a large dog who is no doubt responsible for the brown patches on the lawn, which is mostly "hers"

I'm not after a showpiece but would like a healthier lawn, we are in Kamloops, BC which is quite arid - we get all of 12-14" (350mm or so) of precipition total, per annum, so it's not much. Most people here water a lot, I'm not so comfortable with it, having lived in Australia for many years, I'm into water conservation. We are also at a fair altitude, I would guess at least 1800' so the warmer seasons are noticeably shorter.

I fully intended to top dress this year with a pickup load of compost from the recycling centre but haven't yet taken my canopy off to get the stuff yet (that's my excuse) and wonder if I should wait til spring, or can I do it in the fall? I'd like to aerate, top dress and seed, I was considering temporarily fencing off half the lawn for a few weeks to keep the dog off the part I'm working on.
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You may be doing to your property what I did to mine over the past twenty years and am now trying to rectify. As a rabid environmentalist back then, and still only slightly modified, I have always prioritized saving the planet over how my personal environment looks, inside and out. As I've always been a messy person anyway, the results have not been good, and I am looking at spending my 50s correcting for those errors, inside and out (unless we just burn the place down!) - we called the outside my "uglification project" for a long time. Not that this is the place for those true confessions, but I thought of you as I read the thread linked below which, although it discusses the indoors, can be applied to the outdoors. You can certainly replace lawn with random pieces of plastic, wood, and garbage, but I don't think it will lead to you being happy in the space or with the look. My difference was perhaps that I was fully plant-crazy certified, and working toward an objective of making space for my plants, so there was some overall trajectory to the process. But like Frankie, I'm not hearing an overall purpose in what you're doing, and that is a recipe for disaster. I didn't actually make a success of it until my husband and I sat down and made a plan for the back yard that addressed how we were going to USE it as people, and in the front, how we wanted it to LOOK and FUNCTION. And the truth is, using your garbage to kill the lawn doesn't keep the stuff out of landfill, it only delays it going in. If you can recycle soft plastic, getting it dirty just removes that option. Mulch, with or without layering, will definitely do all that better - contact a tree service and see if they can bring you a load. You may be romanticizing the dandelions on the basis of using no herbicide, but (a) you don't have to use herbicide to get rid of dandelions, and (b) although pretty in spring, dandelions are not romantic or environment-friendly; they are an aspiring monoculture. Dandelions, like norway maples, do not have any plans to coexist with other plants but rather to displace them. That is what they are equipped for and it is why they are called weeds. Whether weeds are 4 inches or 40 feet tall, they are in takeover mode. Dandelions, buttercups, and many others, if you show any mercy, they will later show you none, and as they do not respect property lines, your choices will land on your neighbours, and they will use more herbicide. I have frequently thought that municipal herbicide bans would be far better formatted as bylaws requiring people to be responsible with their own property maintenance by controlling weed growth. Across the street and down the alley there are a few uncontrolled (and very dense!) patches of dandelions that render my own earnest efforts at control laughable, and hopeless. Anyway, it's your journey, and prior to mine I might not have listened to anyone who'd trod the path before me either. The good news for you is that grass is easy to kill. But filling the void it leaves is quite another thing. KarinL PS have you considered an electric mower? Not as locally polluting, does have an impact of course, but likely managed better than most people tune their gas lawnmowers. Here is a link that might be useful: Organizing the House forum thread
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Here's been my experience with fine fescue. (creeping red only) Mine that is in full sun held its color. It has held up to the drought better than any other grass. It has needed some fertilizer. More than I was hoping to give it. It took a really really really long time to establish and also germinate. It looks very plush like a meadow in scotland or something. The color is great ('Florentine'). It looks unique. It holds up to some regular traffic such as right in front of a gate that I use daily. But for high traffic it wouldn't be my first choice. I have most of mine growing in a partly shady area with a drainage problem so the ground stays moist. Knock on wood, no fungus yet there. It is actively growing! And very fast at that. It is not a "No-Mow" grass if you want to keep it lawn-short. Mine grows faster than all my other grasses, KBG, tall fescue, bent and bermuda. So I encourage you to try it if you want but those varieties on that site might be fine tuned for canada. It doesn't mention anything other than being a proprietary blend. I also get a little nutzso when someone calls a bag of grass "eco-something". There's nothing ecological about having a lawn. Let's just clear that up right now. Luckily you can check the ntep ratings for fine fescue in VA. Linke below Moral of the story.... sod is a heck of a lot easier if you can get it easily in your area. Here in GA it is next to impossible to get sod unless it's winter time. Not including that tropical weed stuff that some people plant. Here is a link that might be useful: VA ntep ratings fine fescue
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pjb999
15 years ago
I should add, I use a push mower with no catcher so am mulching the grass somewhat as I go, I'd prefer to keep it that way, only downside is the dog does track some clippings in, but the push mower is good exercise anyway!

As for fertilising we need to keep it as natural and minimal as possible owing to the dog (her stomach's a bit sensitive) - she is 'fertilising' the lawn herself somewhat and we do have dung beetles here so the lawn's getting a little bit of natural aeration if I miss a few dog poops over a couple of days, sorry if that's too much info!
kodoz
15 years ago
We went with an eco mix in the back yard--ours was a perennial rye, yarrow, and chamomille mix, with some super short wildflowers thrown in. The first 2 years we watered, mowed (to 3 inches), and fertilized about half as much as we were putting on our non-eco-friendly front yard, and it looks pretty nice (and smells nice when cut too). This season I've been testing it out how long we can let it go without water or mowing. After 1 hot week with 1 watering, the grass is dormant but the chammomille, yarrow, and wildflowers are blooming (in contrast, the front yard is lightly stressed with 3 deep waterings per week). The lawn is less than 6 inches high (mostly from the flowers), and we haven't mowed in ~3 or so weeks. BUT...it was my first attempt at putting a lawn in, and during this test I've discovered that the coverage for the yarrow and chammomille wasn't complete. Areas with only rye grass are brown and pretty awful looking. I'll be posting elsewhere to see if anybody has suggestions for remedying the incomplete coverage.

Eco-lawn (-- too good to be true?

Comments (4)

yarddoctor

pjb999

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