Lee Ann et al.
It takes awhile and some work to establish native grasses and
wildflowers.
Unless you plant in November and hope for just the right spring rains
which will be what I do with the 5 acre CRP ground.
Buffalo grass can be really tough to establish from seed.
For my yard I will have to water a little bit several times a day just
like
regular turf grass seed.
No I can't just wait and mow what grows. Do you know what musk thistle
is?
Hen bit? Pig weed...the list of really fast invasive weeds goes on.
They have weed control boards here. Weeds are serious business in ag
country.
You don't control them they'll come control them for you and send you
the bill.
Mary
****************************************
Joy spreads the heart, and with a general song,
Spring issues out, and leads the jolly months along.
--John Dryden
****************************************
So what do you think you are going to do?
The thing is, if the conditions are hostile to the usual methods of =
growing
a lawn, then it's going to be expensive to start and maintain the usual
lawn.
While it's true that I am a bit extreme in the other direction, there is
plenty of middle ground.
It's important to understand that most weeds don't like being mowed or
walked on. If mowed properly, large areas tend to self select toward
grasses. In my situation, I could nudge my lawn more toward grasses by
using a lot of lime because our acidic soil encourages mosses and acid
loving plants to take over. I don't consider moss or wild strawberries =
to
be noxious weeds (although they do create a variation in color and =
texture
that would drive a golf-course manager mad.) I found the grape =
hyacinth;
btw, they are in the lawn. Some of the actual grasses could use a =
haircut
right now but I don't want to mow the tops of the hyacinths. I also =
have
white and purple violets and patches of something blue that comes on
later(bugbane?).
We don't know much about your situation (forgive me if I've forgotten
earlier posts) but whatever it is, you can look at the natural, open =
areas
around you and get some ideas.
Middle ground; let us know how it turns out. I'm sure you will come up =
with
something interesting.
Esther Czekalski
Marie S
Sent: Friday, May 06, 2005 6:41 PM
To: GARDENS@LSV.UKY.EDU
Subject: Native grasses - was 5 gal buckets
Lee Ann et al.
It takes awhile and some work to establish native grasses and
wildflowers.
Unless you plant in November and hope for just the right spring rains
which will be what I do with the 5 acre CRP ground.
Buffalo grass can be really tough to establish from seed.
For my yard I will have to water a little bit several times a day just
like
regular turf grass seed.
No I can't just wait and mow what grows. Do you know what musk thistle
is?
Hen bit? Pig weed...the list of really fast invasive weeds goes on.
They have weed control boards here. Weeds are serious business in ag
country.
You don't control them they'll come control them for you and send you
the bill.
Mary
****************************************
Joy spreads the heart, and with a general song,
Spring issues out, and leads the jolly months along.
--John Dryden
****************************************
****************************************
Joy spreads the heart, and with a general song,
Spring issues out, and leads the jolly months along.
--John Dryden
****************************************
I have a book on native, natural lawns and it shows a photo of a shady, =
all moss lawn. It is the most beautiful lawn I've ever seen!
Mary, if you can give us a few more details on conditions, I'll look it =
up in that book and see what they recommend.
I'm about to head out to lead a botanical wildflower walk. From all the =
calls and emails I've gotten, we should have quite a crowd today.
Lee Ann
So what do you think you are going to do?
The thing is, if the conditions are hostile to the usual methods of =
growing
a lawn, then it's going to be expensive to start and maintain the usual
lawn.
While it's true that I am a bit extreme in the other direction, there is
plenty of middle ground.
It's important to understand that most weeds don't like being mowed or
walked on. If mowed properly, large areas tend to self select toward
grasses. In my situation, I could nudge my lawn more toward grasses by
using a lot of lime because our acidic soil encourages mosses and acid
loving plants to take over. I don't consider moss or wild strawberries =
to
be noxious weeds (although they do create a variation in color and =
texture
that would drive a golf-course manager mad.) I found the grape =
hyacinth;
btw, they are in the lawn. Some of the actual grasses could use a =
haircut
right now but I don't want to mow the tops of the hyacinths. I also =
have
white and purple violets and patches of something blue that comes on
later(bugbane?).
We don't know much about your situation (forgive me if I've forgotten
earlier posts) but whatever it is, you can look at the natural, open =
areas
around you and get some ideas.
Middle ground; let us know how it turns out. I'm sure you will come up =
with
something interesting.
Esther Czekalski
Marie S
Sent: Friday, May 06, 2005 6:41 PM
To: GARDENS@LSV.UKY.EDU
Subject: Native grasses - was 5 gal buckets
Lee Ann et al.
It takes awhile and some work to establish native grasses and
wildflowers.
Unless you plant in November and hope for just the right spring rains
which will be what I do with the 5 acre CRP ground.
Buffalo grass can be really tough to establish from seed.
For my yard I will have to water a little bit several times a day just
like
regular turf grass seed.
No I can't just wait and mow what grows. Do you know what musk thistle
is?
Hen bit? Pig weed...the list of really fast invasive weeds goes on.
They have weed control boards here. Weeds are serious business in ag
country.
You don't control them they'll come control them for you and send you
the bill.
Mary
****************************************
Joy spreads the heart, and with a general song,
Spring issues out, and leads the jolly months along.
--John Dryden
****************************************
****************************************
Joy spreads the heart, and with a general song,
Spring issues out, and leads the jolly months along.
--John Dryden
****************************************
****************************************
Joy spreads the heart, and with a general song,
Spring issues out, and leads the jolly months along.
--John Dryden
****************************************
