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Old 07-02-09, 10:59 AM   #1
beatr911
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Default Ecolawn anyone?

Ok, so we are finally getting ready to put in a yard at our recently constructed house. We have two areas that we would like to put a lawn-like substance in. Big lawns are nice to play on but are time and resource hogs so I'm looking for an alternative.

The total area is about 16,000 sf. Full to moderate sun. Very gentle to flat slope. Area is western Washington State. Summers are bone dry for about 3 months, rainy and cool the rest of the year, moderate freezing during the winter. Needs to withstand sunday afternoon wiffle-ball games, occasional frisbee, soccer, etc. by one or two active families.

The goal is a low maintenance surface that is fairly uniform in appearance and texture, nice to look at, nice to play on, has sufficient durability, doesn't require mowing often, doesn't require watering often, keeps weeds in check, controls erosion.

Alternatives I've looked at are:
Artificial turf. Expensive, like $30,000+ and a 15 year lifespan, then the disposal landfill donations and replacement headaches and cost.

Perennial rye. Cheap and persistent but gets dry and crunchy in summer and not barefoot friendly when dry. Grows on any soil and apparently improves soil over time. Already have some in other areas to prevent erosion.

Ecolawn groundcover mix: These look promising. Here is a link to one source, other suggestions are welcome. Wildflower Farm. Apparently surface preparation can be minimal and watering and mowing are 2-3X per year.

So does anyone have any experience with ecolawn mixes or other alternatives?


Last edited by beatr911; 07-02-09 at 11:04 AM..
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Old 07-02-09, 02:57 PM   #2
TimJFowler
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Exclamation Go Native!

How about Native Grasses?

Find a local nursery that specializes in plants that are native to your area and they should be able to tell you what grasses are available for planting.

I've planted a blue grama and buffalo grass lawn which are both native short prairie grasses in my area. It took a while for the lawn to establish as I started from grass seed and I (deliberately) don't water the lawn very much. I'm also looking at seeding in a few more varieties of native grasses to hopefully create a more resilient, prairie-like yard.

The mixed wildflowers are also a great idea - but I doubt they'd stand up well to wiffle ball games and active use. Probably better to use wildflowers in beds where they are away from foot traffic.

What kind of trees do you have around the house? If you don't have any fruit or nut trees, having a landscape that produces food is pretty great. Otherwise, I again recommend native trees - less care, less maintenance, and they can be quite unique in the usual suburban landscape.

FWIW,
Tim
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Old 07-02-09, 05:24 PM   #3
beatr911
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I'll have to look into which of the ingredients are native. We are definitely trying for zero required maintenance and have it still look nice, some maintenance and have it look great. Total yard area including the house, future garden beds, patio, etc. is about an acre. We are rural-ish on about 6 acres. The rest is completely native with mature douglas fir, big leaf maple and alder trees. Planning some fruit trees in terraces about 30' from the house, but will have to do something to keep the deer from eating them before they mature.

We have a local organic nursery, but they appear to have mostly plants for beds. I'll ask about grasses and groundcover alternatives, they'll likely at least know something I don't about resolving this if they don't stock a solution.
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Old 07-03-09, 10:11 AM   #4
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Ya, I agree with Tim. The Ecolawn looks good too. I think Scotts has a drought resistant seed as well. Just remember that if you're going to cut it, cut it high. Scotts also has an Ecosense lawn fertilizer that you can apply every 6 weeks.
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Old 07-07-09, 09:00 AM   #5
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I have used the wildflowerfarm mix (eco-lawn) and it is NOT a wildflower mix, although they do sell those as well. The eco-lawn is a low maintenance, drought tolerant mix of fescues...it looks just like a normal lawn and it's even grown in under my trees. I like to keep it short so I mow it every 6 weeks or so.
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Old 07-07-09, 09:06 AM   #6
beatr911
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Thanks NoraJ! That's what I'm looking for, someone with actual experience with this widely marketed stuff.

Please share your experience with it such as how long it took to establish, the traffic it sees and how it holds up, how it differs in the sunny and non-sunny areas, watering and fertilization habits and the lawns responses to it, etc, etc.
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Old 07-07-09, 09:54 AM   #7
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I started with a fresh space, although I was told overseeding is possible. I called Wildflower Farm and they advised me against using any topsoil due to weeds it often brings in, so I just raked up my existing soil (apparently it's not picky), spread the seed and rolled it down. I watered it for the first few weeks and started to see sprouting in just a week. This was last summer and it's full and looks just like a regular lawn now. I don't water it at all anymore and I have never fertilized it......it has grown in both the sun and shade in my yard. We see regular family traffic on the space and haven't had any problems so far. It has really cut down my maintenance time and water costs.
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Old 07-07-09, 01:57 PM   #8
beatr911
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Cool! Thanks for posting your experience.
Just what I was looking for! I hope others consider it as well. It really seems like a good idea. Now for my own personal test...
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Old 07-28-09, 05:47 PM   #9
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peanuts make a pretty decent groundcover, you can mow if you want. Not sure about water requirements.

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