Lawn Replacement

11 years ago

last modified: 11 years ago

I am finding mowing more and more difficult and would like to make a change. My back yard is quite large and full of typical midwest (MO, zone 5) grass mix. It's April 2nd as of this writing and the yard is already tall and ugly and past due. :(

Ideally I'd like to roundup the entire lawn and overseed the dead grass with some kind of groundcover seed. The problem is, I don't know what kind. It's too large of an area to remove the grass so I really need something that can just be seeded right on top of the dead grass (maybe a little raking, but not a complete removal).

I prefer something green, or with minimal coloring. It's part sun in patches and mostly shade in the rest. There is light to moderate foot traffic - only one child plays out there and it's not every day or any kind of rough and tumble activity.

I considered the "no mow" grass but honestly it's not to my taste. The ones I've seen merely bend over at a certain height. That would never fly with my neighbors. I need something really short.

Honestly I'd love to do the whole thing in moss and have a "woodsy" sort of vibe but it's slow growing and probably not practical to get started. I think the weeds would take over long before I could get the moss established and thickened enough to cover. I need something faster growing and that will spread and kind of take over things for me.

I know I'm asking the impossible but any suggestions?

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Comments (4)

arbpdl
Original Author
11 years ago
Irish Moss "sounds" wonderful here ...

http://www.outsidepride.com/seed/ground-cover-seed/irish-moss-groundcover-seed.html

If I oversow this on top of the dead (round up dead) current lawn, will it take off?
arbpdl
Original Author
11 years ago
What about HERNIARIA GLABRA? If I were to plant the "plugs" now, well within a couple weeks, would they be sufficiently spread by September? I'm supposed to host a gathering here in late September which is adding to the stress of getting my back yard in some sort of decent shape.
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gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
11 years ago
Irish moss is not really a moss at all and does best in a lot of sun and adequate water. The rupturewort (Herniaria) can work very well - very shade tolerant, low growing and stands up well to foot traffic. But slow growing and will take some time to fill in from plugs. I seriously doubt you will have that much coverage by September, but it depends on how close you plant the plugs. Blue star creeper (Isotoma or Pratia depending on variety) could be another choice and quite a bit faster growing.

It's hard to find seeds for groundcovers - starting from plugs is much more common. And personally, I'd remove all traces of the lawn before planting. One, it will look much better and you will also remove any potential of regrowth from a less than complete kill. And if you do plant from seed, you want that dead grass out of there so seeds can make proper contact with the soil for good germination.

If this is a large area, you might want to consider converting to more of a planting area with low growing shade tolerant perennials and shrubs rather than just focusing on a groundcover. You can always include hardscaping like walkways or even a paved seating area to reduce the total planted area yet allow for good circulation.
User
11 years ago
I'm seriously considering overseeding my lawn with nitrogen fixing Dutch Clover (I think that's the one) seed. It stays green and doesn't grow too tall. It of course attracts bees while in flower.

There seem to be quite a few online sources for bulk seed.

It used to grow wild in my lawn and I cussed it and it died out LOL! Now I want some of it back, go figure!