A few days ago there was a lengthy discussion about how often lawns needed to
be watered. My current lawn, small monkey grass (liriope), the kind that has
fine blades and grows to about 8 inches, was sprigged in the spring of 1995. I
have photo links below. This grass has not had water applied since the day it
was sprigged in and has never shown any signs of distress, even when we were
going through the worst dry months these past 4 years here in Georgia. It is
always the dark green color year around and weeds can't make their way through
it. I do have to walk over it in May & June and pull up tree seedlings that
sprout up through it, mostly pine, tulip popular and sycamore. This takes 1/2
day each time. That, and cutting with the lawn mower in March and again in
September is the total lawn care needed for this lawn. I do apply a light
application of 8-8-8 fertilizer mixed 50% with dolomite limestone just after
cutting in March.

The photo here is an overall view from the street
http://avionclub.org/full_grass_lawn.html

The view here is a close-up showing the texture of the grass and the current
height of 6 inches.
http://avionclub.org/full_grass_depth.html

The dirt before starting this lawn was North Georgia red clay. I hauled in
enough well rotted horse stable cleanings to cover the whole lawn to a depth
of over 10 inches. I then used a rototiller to work it into the soil to over
12 inches deep from the original clay surface, giving me a soft loamy soil
over 16 inches deep. Nothing has needed to be done since.

Tom J
who likes his lawn

"Tom J" wrote in message
...
A few days ago there was a lengthy discussion about how often lawns needed
to
be watered. My current lawn, small monkey grass (liriope), the kind that
has
fine blades and grows to about 8 inches, was sprigged in the spring of
1995. I
have photo links below. This grass has not had water applied since the
day it
was sprigged in and has never shown any signs of distress, even when we
were
going through the worst dry months these past 4 years here in Georgia. It
is
always the dark green color year around and weeds can't make their way
through
it. I do have to walk over it in May & June and pull up tree seedlings
that
sprout up through it, mostly pine, tulip popular and sycamore. This takes
1/2
day each time. That, and cutting with the lawn mower in March and again in
September is the total lawn care needed for this lawn. I do apply a light
application of 8-8-8 fertilizer mixed 50% with dolomite limestone just
after
cutting in March.

The photo here is an overall view from the street
http://avionclub.org/full_grass_lawn.html

The view here is a close-up showing the texture of the grass and the
current
height of 6 inches.
http://avionclub.org/full_grass_depth.html

The dirt before starting this lawn was North Georgia red clay. I hauled in
enough well rotted horse stable cleanings to cover the whole lawn to a
depth
of over 10 inches. I then used a rototiller to work it into the soil to
over
12 inches deep from the original clay surface, giving me a soft loamy soil
over 16 inches deep. Nothing has needed to be done since.

Tom J
who likes his lawn



How is it for wear and tear from kids/animals? Has anyone heard of it being
used in the north central Texas area? By Dallas? Is it expensive? Easily
available? Sorry for the shotgun questions, just curious....I've got half
an acre of bermuda grass, and an acre of...well...weeds. Trying to figure
out what to do....wondering if this would work in my region.

Mary

"Mary Marzano" wrote in message
...

"Tom J" wrote in message
...


The photo here is an overall view from the street
http://avionclub.org/full_grass_lawn.html

The view here is a close-up showing the texture of the grass and the
current
height of 6 inches.
http://avionclub.org/full_grass_depth.html



How is it for wear and tear from kids/animals? Has anyone heard of it being
used in the north central Texas area? By Dallas? Is it expensive? Easily
available? Sorry for the shotgun questions, just curious....I've got half
an acre of bermuda grass, and an acre of...well...weeds. Trying to figure
out what to do....wondering if this would work in my region.

This grass is not for a lawn that has traffic on a regular basis. It will
only stand light foot traffic, and because of the height it needs to maintain,
is not for kids play area. The normal use of this grass is for border around
other plantings.

I'm sure it would be available in your area, but is very expensive ($2.49 per
2" square in my area) unless you do what I did, and that's buy a couple of
square feet and pull it apart into individual plants to sprig an area at the
rate of about 5 or 6 inches each way, wait for it to shoot out the underground
runners in each direction and produce many more plants, and repeat until there
is plenty to sprig the whole lawn. My lawn is about 60 X 80 feet, so it took
me about 3 years to grow enough plants to sprig 3 inches each way, then it
took 2 years for it to go weed free solid.

Tom J

Tom J wrote:

A few days ago there was a lengthy discussion about how often lawns needed to
be watered. My current lawn, small monkey grass (liriope), the kind that has
fine blades and grows to about 8 inches, was sprigged in the spring of 1995. I
have photo links below. This grass has not had water applied since the day it
was sprigged in and has never shown any signs of distress, even when we were
going through the worst dry months these past 4 years here in Georgia. It is
always the dark green color year around and weeds can't make their way through
it. I do have to walk over it in May & June and pull up tree seedlings that
sprout up through it, mostly pine, tulip popular and sycamore. This takes 1/2
day each time. That, and cutting with the lawn mower in March and again in
September is the total lawn care needed for this lawn. I do apply a light
application of 8-8-8 fertilizer mixed 50% with dolomite limestone just after
cutting in March.

The photo here is an overall view from the street
http://avionclub.org/full_grass_lawn.html

The view here is a close-up showing the texture of the grass and the current
height of 6 inches.
http://avionclub.org/full_grass_depth.html

The dirt before starting this lawn was North Georgia red clay. I hauled in
enough well rotted horse stable cleanings to cover the whole lawn to a depth
of over 10 inches. I then used a rototiller to work it into the soil to over
12 inches deep from the original clay surface, giving me a soft loamy soil
over 16 inches deep. Nothing has needed to be done since.

Tom J
who likes his lawn

the tips of your grass blades dont look as good as they should. I see some that
dont look cut evenly. They look like they been whipped off with a weed wacker or a
dull mower blade. I see tan coloring on the tips.
Hows your mower blade?

"Die Spammer !!!!!" wrote in message
...


the tips of your grass blades dont look as good as they should. I see some
that
dont look cut evenly. They look like they been whipped off with a weed
wacker or a
dull mower blade. I see tan coloring on the tips.
Hows your mower blade?


That's the only draw back with this grass. It has to be cut too high to use a
reel mower, and the sharpest blades on rotary mowers will still leave the
split ends, even with the mower set 2 inches lower in front than in back so
only the front is cutting.

I've tried different blades and even use a whetstone on one and had it knife
sharp and the tips still split. That photo was taken at about a foot away.
Standing up and looking at the grass, it looks great, especially when compared
to the neighbors when it turns dry here next month!

Tom J

In article ,
"Tom J" wrote:

That's the only draw back with this grass. It has to be cut too high to use a
reel mower,

A Scott's reel mower can be set to 3 inches high.

"Greg" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"Tom J" wrote:

That's the only draw back with this grass. It has to be cut too high to
use a
reel mower,

A Scott's reel mower can be set to 3 inches high.

This grass does best if not cut lower than 4 inches. I can live with the
split ends 2 times a year, and still use my 35 year old rotary mower. The new
grass blades grow and hide the cut ends in a month. :-)

Tom J

In article ,
"Tom J" wrote:

This grass does best if not cut lower than 4 inches.


Wow! 4 inches. My wife and daughter freak out if I set the mower to 2.5
inches. G