"Terry Collins" wrote in message
...
eddiec wrote:

thanks everyone for the info!

I'm having a hard time getting a lawn going on the desert in my backyard
(Melbourne). If oats are out is there any other grass-like plant (rye,
barley?) that will form a tough lawn more easily than grass?

Do you mean that kikuyu wont grow there?

Just mulch it and leave it.
Seriously I have areas of 3m squared and about 7m squared where the
grass had been totally removed and all I did was to dump leaf
dropping/mulch there from elsewhere.

The grass will eventually grow back into it as the nutrients become
available.

I can guarantee you that Kikuyu will grow in Melbourne. I have extremerely
sandy soil down by the bay and I have kikuyu come between a crack in some
concrete that is at least 4 metres from any other grassy patch. the only
good thing about the kikuyu is as you said, it recovers very quickly. mine
practically dies off over summer but bounces back with a vengence over
winter/spring.