Eco Friendly Grass that Does Not Grow

There are grasses that do not grow, at least not so high that you have to get out the mower. Unless you are using an old fashioned rotary mower, mowing the lawn can use up a lot of gas or electricity and that is not a good thing when the country is becoming very energy conscious. Not only that, these low growing grasses need less chemical fertilizer and are drought hardy, needing less water than a regular grass.

There is another eco factor that many people do not think of. When you mow your lawn and add the cuttings to your compost pile, you are also adding any of the weed control chemicals that you used on the lawn to the compost you are going to use on your vegetables. They look like their more traditional cousins, so no one will know just how easy your lawn job is unless you tell them. Low growing grasses are the perfect answer for areas that are hard to mow such as a steep slope or if you have a very large property.

These low growing grasses are actually a blend of different seeds. If you live in the colder northern climates, look for a combination of hard and creeping red fescue. Just make sure the soil is well drained. It will grow to be about 6 inches high. If you want it shorter, just mow about once a month and only take off about 1/3rd. Only water when it is very dry and it never needs fertilizer. It is important to use a blend of fescue because they compliment each other. Hard fescue grows in clumps and leaves spaces between. The creeping red fescue will fill in the empty spaces making for a smooth up broken surface.

In choice is very limited in the Southern States. In most places, Centipede grass is used. It is a creeping grass; growing low to the ground- just 3 to 5 inches in height. It will grow in the south east without any trouble as long as there is no hard frost. It only needs to be fertilized once a year and very drought and weed resistant.

The place to go for the exact right blend for your area is your local garden center. The low growing grass seed mixes have not been around that long and there are more of them being developed. There are even some that are a mix of grass and low growing meadow flowers that will give the lawn the look of a county meadow or pasture.