Where can you get real grass that doesn't need mowing
Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2016 4:52 am
I have been reading online that you can get real grass that does not require mowing. What is a good type to get and where can I get it ?
You said you are in California, but that encompasses a wide range of climates. Where in Calif? What cold-hardiness zone?
You can get no mow grasses. But you need to understand that in return for freeing yourself from the lawn mower and reducing your carbon footprint, you have to let go of the expectation of the perfect, short, even, deep green golf-course effect misguided suburbanites strive for.
Buffalo grass - a nice native grass, 4 - 6" tall depending on rainfall, drought tolerant but not shade tolerant, grayish green a bit courser that typical turf grasses. Zone 5-8.
Dwarf mondo grass - non-native, 3 to 4" tall. This drought-tolerant grass has very low, carpetlike growth and is suitable for xeriscaping. Only hardy in zones 7 & 8.
There are commercial no-mow grass seed blends you can look for. Dwarf Fescue Lawn Seed Mix brands itself as a low-growing turf grass that is hardy in USDA zones 4 through 10. Wildflower Farms has Eco-Lawn another Fescue blend that very slowly grows to 9" but the grass blades bend over so it looks shorter. No-Mow Grass is 50/50 blend of bent grass and short alpine fescue. It grows to be only 3-4" tall. They have a northern and a southern version.
Look on line for them or check with a good local nursery (NOT big box store) or reputable landscapers. If you are in a hot dry summer area, grass seed cannot be planted until fall, but you can be doing your research and getting the area ready.