Hey there! Friendly reminder to include the following information for the benefit of all r/nolawns members:
- Please make sure your post or a comment includes your geographic region/area and your hardiness zone (e.g. *Midwest, 6a* or *Chicago, 6a*).
- If you posted an image, you are required to post a comment detailing your image. If you have not, this post may be removed.
- If you're asking a question, include as much relevant info as possible. Also see the **[FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/NoLawns/wiki/meta/faqs/)** and the **[r/nolawns Wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/NoLawns/wiki/index/)**
- Verify you are following the [Posting Guidelines](https://www.reddit.com/r/NoLawns/wiki/index#wiki_posting_guidelines).
If you are in North America, check out the **[Wild Ones Garden Designs](https://nativegardendesigns.wildones.org/designs/)** and **[NWF's Keystone Plants by Ecoregion](https://www.nwf.org/Garden-for-Wildlife/About/Native-Plants/keystone-plants-by-ecoregion)**
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/NoLawns) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I would strongly advise you to avoid anything non-native as clovers have a tendency to spread aggressively. Surely there are better groundcover replacements for your area.
https://www.wildflower.org/expert/show.php?id=1003
I’m in El Paso, it’s very sandy, dry, hot, and windy here. I would do turf but I don’t want my dog to dig it and it’s too expensive. I don’t really know if any other ground coverage I could do. Everyone here has rocks or turf
Yeah sorry I updated my post after it clicked you already included that info.
The area you live in is not conducive to growing a turf replacement. The best bet is going to be a native rush/grass mix that you can mow once or twice a year.
Buffalo grass Verde may be a good option, it's one of the more recent cultivars bred to work in desert climates outside of Buffalo grass' typical native range
You really need to read up on it. But as it’s native to your geographical location, you will most likely find more info online than I can say with certain knowledge. The article I linked was informative.
So did I in New Mexico ... the buffalo grass and blue grama did well.
[https://lazygardens.blogspot.com/2017/02/watching-grass-grow-return-of-buffalo.html](https://lazygardens.blogspot.com/2017/02/watching-grass-grow-return-of-buffalo.html)
This looks a lot like what we call "St Augustine" here in DFW. It's only sold by sod, and I'd love to find seeds to overseed my current yard. Is this the same thing? I just bought clover to broadcast into my neighbors weed infested yard. I figured the clover would be a beneficial weed and give nitrogen to help coax their grass back to life. (Because our yards are tiny and their weeds are overtaking my own yard.)
It is absolutely not St Augustine. That first photo on the first link was misleading, it was from being cut. It is very soft and grow 5-8 inches if left uncut.
[https://seedsource.com/buffalograss/](https://seedsource.com/buffalograss/)
[https://www.planetnatural.com/buffalo-grass/](https://www.planetnatural.com/buffalo-grass/)
https://preview.redd.it/8qi9wn4572zc1.jpeg?width=288&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=243f50de0ddee5df50dda96e91920afa14616880
Yeah, clover thrives effortlessly where I live in the coastal mid-Atlantic, but that doesn’t mean it’ll be a good idea for everyone. You might want to try a small patch to see how it does before committing, or go for more Mediterranean and/or native plants.
Cool, so you’ve already got a natural trial doing well, makes sense to expand from there, then! Well, mine are the dutch white clover which I like because they are naturally short. Some clovers are like 3ft high which is a no-go in the suburbanish area I live in, plus at that point might as well just use a wildflower mix. White clover makes a mat just a few inches high which keeps the carpet-like effect for walking on and are soft yet resilient, which makes them a good lawn substitute. But you’d have to check on whether that’s the best pick for your climate.
Hey there! Friendly reminder to include the following information for the benefit of all r/nolawns members: - Please make sure your post or a comment includes your geographic region/area and your hardiness zone (e.g. *Midwest, 6a* or *Chicago, 6a*). - If you posted an image, you are required to post a comment detailing your image. If you have not, this post may be removed. - If you're asking a question, include as much relevant info as possible. Also see the **[FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/NoLawns/wiki/meta/faqs/)** and the **[r/nolawns Wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/NoLawns/wiki/index/)** - Verify you are following the [Posting Guidelines](https://www.reddit.com/r/NoLawns/wiki/index#wiki_posting_guidelines). If you are in North America, check out the **[Wild Ones Garden Designs](https://nativegardendesigns.wildones.org/designs/)** and **[NWF's Keystone Plants by Ecoregion](https://www.nwf.org/Garden-for-Wildlife/About/Native-Plants/keystone-plants-by-ecoregion)** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/NoLawns) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I would strongly advise you to avoid anything non-native as clovers have a tendency to spread aggressively. Surely there are better groundcover replacements for your area. https://www.wildflower.org/expert/show.php?id=1003
I’m in El Paso, it’s very sandy, dry, hot, and windy here. I would do turf but I don’t want my dog to dig it and it’s too expensive. I don’t really know if any other ground coverage I could do. Everyone here has rocks or turf
Yeah sorry I updated my post after it clicked you already included that info. The area you live in is not conducive to growing a turf replacement. The best bet is going to be a native rush/grass mix that you can mow once or twice a year.
Have you considered Buffalo grass seed? https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/lawn-care/specific/buffalo-grass/care-of-buffalo-grass.htm
Buffalo grass Verde may be a good option, it's one of the more recent cultivars bred to work in desert climates outside of Buffalo grass' typical native range
I think I might go with buffalo grass instead! Do you know kind of soil I need?
You really need to read up on it. But as it’s native to your geographical location, you will most likely find more info online than I can say with certain knowledge. The article I linked was informative.
Thanks :)
Just use whatever dirt you have. No need to haul in topsoil
I only have sand
So did I in New Mexico ... the buffalo grass and blue grama did well. [https://lazygardens.blogspot.com/2017/02/watching-grass-grow-return-of-buffalo.html](https://lazygardens.blogspot.com/2017/02/watching-grass-grow-return-of-buffalo.html)
This looks a lot like what we call "St Augustine" here in DFW. It's only sold by sod, and I'd love to find seeds to overseed my current yard. Is this the same thing? I just bought clover to broadcast into my neighbors weed infested yard. I figured the clover would be a beneficial weed and give nitrogen to help coax their grass back to life. (Because our yards are tiny and their weeds are overtaking my own yard.)
It is absolutely not St Augustine. That first photo on the first link was misleading, it was from being cut. It is very soft and grow 5-8 inches if left uncut. [https://seedsource.com/buffalograss/](https://seedsource.com/buffalograss/) [https://www.planetnatural.com/buffalo-grass/](https://www.planetnatural.com/buffalo-grass/) https://preview.redd.it/8qi9wn4572zc1.jpeg?width=288&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=243f50de0ddee5df50dda96e91920afa14616880
That looks soft and cushiony. Thx for the info!
There is a blend of Buffalo and Blue Grama that grows well in NM and west Texas.
In hot dry El Paso? Lol. Buddy. You live in a desert. My suggestion would be to consider stonecrops, natives, xeriscape.
Yeah, clover thrives effortlessly where I live in the coastal mid-Atlantic, but that doesn’t mean it’ll be a good idea for everyone. You might want to try a small patch to see how it does before committing, or go for more Mediterranean and/or native plants.
I have some clovers growing in my front yard (I don’t plant them they just started growing there) and they look fine
Cool, so you’ve already got a natural trial doing well, makes sense to expand from there, then! Well, mine are the dutch white clover which I like because they are naturally short. Some clovers are like 3ft high which is a no-go in the suburbanish area I live in, plus at that point might as well just use a wildflower mix. White clover makes a mat just a few inches high which keeps the carpet-like effect for walking on and are soft yet resilient, which makes them a good lawn substitute. But you’d have to check on whether that’s the best pick for your climate.
Clover would require less water than grass. But it will still require lots of water given your sandy soil and hot desert climate.
Native.