Replacing lawn, need suggestions for alternatives

[Justin]

Hey y'all, I decided over the weekend to replace my back lawn with something requiring less water and care. I figure if I do that, my water bill will be much lower and my yard maintenance will be much less. I have no clue, however, what to replace my lawn with. Any ideas or suggestions? This area gets some traffic, but not very much, and almost none during the work week, so I think that expands my options.

[Palmdude]

How about peanut grass? Low maintenance, drought resistant, you can walk on and mow it and it gets covered in orangey yellow flowers. You also don't need to fertilize it as it fixes it's own nitrogen from the atmosphere.

[Justin]

Do you have no mow it? I'd prefer something that doesn't require any mowing.

[Alicehunter2000]

Not much....several varieties of peanut grass. Some only get a few inches tall. It spreads by rhizomes just like peanuts and looks really nice. It is ok with sandy soils as well. Great stuff, most lawns should be replaced by this groundcover IMO.

[redbeard917]

I'm a fan of super dwarf mondo grass. I'm using it to replace lawn where there is too much shade. I doubt it can take much foot traffic, but does seem to do well around stepping stones.

[Palm crazy]

Hey y'all, I decided over the weekend to replace my back lawn with something requiring less water and care. I figure if I do that, my water bill will be much lower and my yard maintenance will be much less. I have no clue, however, what to replace my lawn with. Any ideas or suggestions? This area gets some traffic, but not very much, and almost none during the work week, so I think that expands my options.

Check out this website to start with. May help give you some ideas. http://www.gardenista.com/posts/fields-of-green-5-favorite-lawn-substitutes

[David in Berkeley]

Here in coastal California, it's hard to beat Dymondia margaratae as a low water lawn substitute that takes foot traffic. Carex divulsa or Ophiopogon japonicus minimus are good too.

[trioderob]

dymondia hands down

[SubTropicRay]

I love the common Asiatic Jasmine. Hottentot Fig (Carpobrotus edulis) is another good choice.

[Funkthulhu]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bouteloua_dactyloides

Buffalo Grass!

Gets used a lot around here when they want to conserve water. Rarely mowed, and when it goes dry/dormant it turns a beautiful golden color.

[trioderob]

one major problem with dymondia - which would be the ultimate ground cover for California is that weeds can intrude.

that was what ultimately made me give up and plant cacti and succulent

for a small controllable area its perfect

[LJG]

Buffalo grass would be great if it didn't go dormant and look dead in late fall to early spring. I looked at replacing a lot of my lawn with UC Verde a few years ago. The guy selling it warned me that some will think it looks dead in winter. Also, it doesn't grow well in shade. Which many lawns might have in summer.

Rob is right about dymondia. I had a huge area covered with it and weeds never stopped growing in it. I wonder if Dimension would work in dymondia like it does my lawn?

[Moose]

Mulch - no mowing, no watering and improves the soil quality. A few bromeliads for color - no muss, no fuss.

[MattyB]

I have a seemingly never-ending battle with weeds (Oxalis and crab grass) in my diamondia. I'm pretty good about staying on top of new projects to help them get established, but I'm afraid I might have lost the battle with this one. Plus the diamondia is very sensitive to glyphosate, so when I try to spot spray the Oxalis (because you can't pull it) the diamondia will die back and it's so slow to get established. ugh.

[Pedro 65]

Bluemetal/ Gravel and your choice of plants in ceramic pots ? Pete

[Palmdude]

I'm wanting to get rid of my front lawn that covers my septic field but that's a whole other topic, hmmmmm

Edited April 9, 2015 by Palmdude

[Palmaceae]

I'm wanting to get rid of my front lawn that covers my septic field but that's a whole other topic, hmmmmm

I am with you on that Rob, I have one too and it is such a waste of land!

[LJG]

I have a seemingly never-ending battle with weeds (Oxalis and crab grass) in my diamondia. I'm pretty good about staying on top of new projects to help them get established, but I'm afraid I might have lost the battle with this one. Plus the diamondia is very sensitive to glyphosate, so when I try to spot spray the Oxalis (because you can't pull it) the diamondia will die back and it's so slow to get established. ugh.

So true Matt. Mine has tons of the various euphorbia weeds that never stop growing too. I really want to buy Dimension. It works awesome in the grass. I never get weeds or kikuyu grass anymore.

[Justin]

I should mention that this lawn is 11,000 square feet, so inexpensive is better.

[Gonzer]

Hockey rink.

[MattyB]

I think Diamondia would be crazy expensive and would take forever to fill in that large of a space.

If I had a very large flat area like yours, I'd kill all the grass using glyphosate, then bring in a few hundred yards of mulch to get a blank slate. Then I'd lay out some paths. Then I'd plan out some mass plantings of things that are easily propagated, like succulents, cactus, aloe, etc. and plant huge swaths of the same species like you'd see at a botanical garden or really nice commercial landscape. Set up some pre-spaced emitter dripper lines and run that station once every 21 days in the summer and turn it off all winter.

[DoomsDave]

Justin, I recall that you had a nice big lawn. And, no doubt the water bill to match.

I think Matt's idea is the best. If you can eliminate or almost eliminate watering that will keep weeds way way down.

Do like I did and plant a jungle of palms instead of a lawn. Once the palms grow up the weeds get shaded out, though nothing matches the majestic sweep of a lawn.

If you want to plant football on it, or have the dogs gambol happily on it, there's really no substitute for grass, though that peanut relative sounds worth trying.

I've seen ice plant used as a lawn substitute, but it won't take foot traffic. And for the love of all the gods, DON'T plant dichondra.

[_Keith]

you can always do like the old timers and have a swept dirt lawn.

[Silas_Sancona]

Great suggestions.. Surprised no one here in Florida has referenced Sunshine Mimosa (Mimosa strigulosa) Another widely used lawn alternative here. Ferny foliage and bright lavender puffball type flowers are attractive to the eye, as well as butterflies and bees. Have seen this stuff thrive in 90% sand in places that get no supplemental irrigation under our version of punishing full sun.

Between both this and Perennial Peanut (peanut grass) have noticed that the Mimosa seems to hold up better in winter. Peanut we have at the nursery dropped all foliage or yellowed up during the brief cold spell we had. Really wonder how it would hold up under winter conditions back in CA. Mimosa didn't blink. Thinking of sending some to friends back in San Jose for them to try.

-Nathan

[Pedro 65]

I should mention that this lawn is 11,000 square feet, so inexpensive is better.

Truckloads of Cinder, drive all over the Island and look for some good , easy, solutions that stand out and help the penny drop ?

[Ben in Norcal]

I wouldn't have thought you'd even need to water lawns in Hawaii? Or is this in Vista?

[Justin]

Vista. Hawaii lawn is just fine.

[Justin]

Well, to be fair, Vista lawn is just fine as well - actually nicer than the one in Hawaii, with far less weeds. But I can't justify the cost to water and the cost to mow any more. Sad day.

[trioderob]

I think that Mattys suggestion is really the only way for our area and its what I did.

[Dr. George]

Um, so how about lawn paint - gmp

From today's LA times: LA Times 4.10.2015.pdf

[Kevin S]

I say you should plant South African aloes and Cycads both of them don't need much water.

[Sandy Loam]

Can you just keep a smaller patch of grass but use MattyB's idea for the remaining space surrounding it? The grassy patch would only need to be big enough for people to play with their kids when you have company over. Kids can play soccer on a space much smaller than a soccer field.

At least, that way you will still have a small patch of grass when needed, and won't regret the drastic change of 100% lawn inhilation ---- although I tend to agree with the recently outspoken drought experts who say that there should never have been lawns in Southern California in the first place.

I'm talking about keeping a small patch of lawn in your backyard, not your front yard. You might as well just go with some Palm Springs/Phoenix-style xeriscaping on the front lawn because, in the USA, nobody uses their front lawn anyway. American front lawns seem to be for display only. Plus, good xeriscaping looks amazing! We only wish we could get away with it here in Florida the way you can in SoCal and Southern Arizona.

[_Keith]

Here I am facing day upon day of rain that you would love to have, and I would love to have your Mediterranean climate and all of the palms you can grow and other plants that I can't. You have all of that wonderful outdoor furniture permanently, that just molds and mildews in our rains and heat. For every day I can spend comfortably outside in my yard, you can spend 2, and you don't have to swat mosquitoes, gnats, and flies. Rip out that lawn with a smile, my friend.

[Tropicdoc]

Lol I often think that Keith. We all have our climate issues. The problem is we have a hard a hard time embracing where we live. I guess the grass really is always greener someplace else!

[_Keith]

Lol I often think that Keith. We all have our climate issues. The problem is we have a hard a hard time embracing where we live. I guess the grass really is always greener someplace else!

I am in SoCal routinely. Spent the whole week there last week, and will be back there in another month. In two weeks I'll be in NorCal. They have incredible weather in that state for enjoying the outdoors. I was born in Louisiana, and God willing, will die here. I love where I live. And I do feel bad for my Cali friends with the drought, but there is always a trade off for climates. Don't get me wrong, I'll stick with mine, but all in all, theirs doesn't look all that bad, even if it is hold the grass.

[Ben in Norcal]

Hope to see you on the Norcal swing, Keith!

[Pando]

It's ironic that the nice weather over here is due to lack of frequent rainfall, well, lack of bad weather (kind of obvious, that). There is very little standing freshwater around anywhere, so very few bugs. Pretty much all the water here is imported from up north (aqueduct) and from the Colorado river. The real question is whether it's sustainable for 23 million thirsty residents over a long term, lawns or no lawns. Without imported water, this place here would be inhospitable for the most part, and it's the technology that keeps it going.

I heard from somewhere that California may be slowly coming out of the wetter period that has lasted many decades and settling into a mega-drought period, as these cycles can be seen from geologic evidence.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2014/09/02/california-megadrought/14446195/

Edited April 12, 2015 by Pando

[_Keith]

Hope to see you on the Norcal swing, Keith!

Ben, I'd love to catch up with you guys again. Week after this I will be way up in Redding, Ca. Pretty sure that is not palm territory, but I am hoping to score a nice bottle of wine driving up from the Sacramento airport. I'll be back in San Jose last week of July and for sure will try to plot out an open day.

[Justin]

Right now the plan is to kill the lawn (turned off the water the other day), wait for everything to dry out over the summer, then put down thick mulch in the fall and go from there. We'll see what happens...

[_Keith]

Right now the plan is to kill the lawn (turned off the water the other day), wait for everything to dry out over the summer, then put down thick mulch in the fall and go from there. We'll see what happens...

Good luck Justin.