Native Plants

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A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.

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topic	question
Groundcovers Turf Grasses or Grass-like	Looking for a native turf grass for the Houston area July 25, 2013 Looking for a native turf grass for the Houston area. In some of your 2012 responses, you stated that "The good news is that research into turf-type grasses native to the coastal region is in the pla... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer
Diseases and Disorders Turf Grasses or Grass-like	Problem with Habiturf. Is it dormant or dead? July 24, 2013 We planted habiturf in spring 2012. It's beautiful. But since last summer, we have had one area that seems to go dormant much more rapidly than the rest, even though it receives the same amount of ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer
Problem Plants Turf	How to control Yellow Woodsorrel in Habiturf? March 19, 2013 Last year we planted Habiturf in our front lawn and prepared the ground as directed with organic compost. This year we have an infestation of low growing yellow oxalis which we believe came in with t... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer
Turf Grasses or Grass-like	Lawn grass for Erath County, TX October 02, 2012 We live in Erath County in TX on ranch land. We are relatively dry. Our soil is combination of clay and red soil (brought in for building pad), and sandy. We have a sloped area, about 30%, that we w... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer
Diseases and Disorders Drought Tolerant Turf	Drought-resistant and grub-resistant grass for Smithville TX October 02, 2012 I want a drought resistant grass for a sunny area that is also resistant to grubs. I have lots of grubs but want a healthy soil of good microbes. Any ideas? Zoysia, Buffalo? I noticed that Tech Turf r... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer
Invasive Plants Turf Grasses or Grass-like	Nutgrass in Lakeway TX Habiturf September 30, 2012 I just installed a new septic system with drip field. Planted habiturf over the whole area. The habiturf is doing good, but I was away for a while and the nut grass has taken over several areas. It s... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer
Shade Tolerant Turf Grasses or Grass-like Herbs/Forbs	Low maintenance grass for shade in Conroe, TX September 15, 2012 What is the best low maintenance grass to plant in front lawn shaded, no traffic area? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer
Turf Grasses or Grass-like	Grass mixture for Spicewood TX August 14, 2012 I want to seed a bare sand limestone area about 2 acres in size. Assuming "normal" Texas hill country weather and the availability of moderate water for sprinkling is there one mixture that you reco... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer
Diseases and Disorders Turf	White mold on Bermuda grass August 07, 2012 I tried searching and could not find info for this on your website. What causes mold in Bermuda grass and how can I get rid of it? Tried fungicide as recommended by garden center in austin which did... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer
Wildlife Gardens Erosion Control Turf Grasses or Grass-like Herbs/Forbs Wildflowers	Plants to prevent erosion in IL August 02, 2012 We just got done building a house and have leveled all of the dirt piles. We do have a row of straw bales to help prevent the dirt from washing onto the neighbors property. It is the wrong time of ye... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer
Turf Grasses or Grass-like	Questions about Habiturf April 01, 2012 What does habiturf look like when it first emerges? Could you post some images? And how long will it take to begin to cover? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer
Turf Grasses or Grass-like	Need help with lawn that was sodded with Buffalo Grass in Dallas, TX. March 20, 2012 I had buffalo sod put down last March. It greened up beautifully until weeds just about covered it up. I tried hand pulling. My landscaper showed up with something that appeared to damage the buffa... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer
Planting Turf Grasses or Grass-like	Planting Habiturf in Houston, TX> March 08, 2012 First, I want to say thank you for such an informative site. You say that the Buffalograsses tend to do well in drier and well drained soil. My house has a lawn that drops about 10 inches in about... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer
Planting Seeds and Seeding Turf Grasses or Grass-like	killing grass on 1 acre before planting Habiturf March 04, 2012 I have an acre of full sun lawn on a slight slope in Dallas - would the habiturf be appropriate & if so, how do I go about killing off the existing weeds/crab grass before installing? Removing 3 in o... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer
Planting Drought Tolerant Turf Grasses or Grass-like	Do I need to cover my Habiturf planting with straw? March 02, 2012 I'm preparing to seed the Habiturf in my front yard in a couple of weeks. My dad has suggested I spread some straw to help protect the seeds. Your thoughts? Thanks!!! View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer
Turf Grasses or Grass-like	Native grasses and turf grass for VA February 08, 2012 I recently moved to Blacksburg, Virginia. I am becoming involved with a church here that recently started a grounds committee. There is some discussion within the group of which varieties of native ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer
Turf Grasses or Grass-like	Habiturf in Houston January 30, 2012 I want to install a Multi-Species Native Lawn, like HABITURF. However, I live in Houston, Texas and most of your information on this topic doesn't address my region. As I don't have a heavily shaded... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer
Diseases and Disorders Soils Turf Grasses or Grass-like	Habiturf installation after Take-All fungus January 24, 2012 Are other soil remedies needed (besides those listed in your Habiturf brochure) to install Habiturf on land which had a St. Augustine lawn which was decimated by take all patch. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer
Planting Drought Tolerant Turf Grasses or Grass-like	Need name of company with experience in Habiturf installation in Round Rock, TX. January 24, 2012 Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, I read the article about "NATIVE LAWNS: HABITURF� A MULTI-SPECIES MIX FOR NORTH, WEST AND CENTRAL TEXAS" Do you know any landscape companies/groups in Austin - Round Ro... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer
Turf Grasses or Grass-like	Will Habiturf work in Houston? January 20, 2012 I am looking to plant the parking strip between the sidewalk and street - about 6-7 feet wide. Would Habiturf work in Houston. The webside lists areas of Texas, but wasn't sure if Houston was incl... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer
Wildflower Center Watering Turf Grasses or Grass-like	Is installing irrigation with Habiturf a good idea in Round Rock Texas? December 05, 2011 Mr. Smarty Plants, I am in the process of planning a new lawn in my front yard. We have decided to plant the Habiturf seed mix (thank you, by the way). Originally, we planned on installing a spri... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer
Drought Tolerant Turf Grasses or Grass-like	Drought tolerant grass with little need for mowing for Hill Country of Texas November 17, 2011 What grass would you recommend for the hill country of Texas that is drought tolerant and does not need frequent mowing? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer
Invasive Plants Non-Natives Drought Tolerant Turf Grasses or Grass-like	Native replacement for non-native Bermudagrass in Leander TX October 16, 2011 We have Bermuda grass. Large patches have died due to the drought and our yard has been taken over by weeds and St. Augustine grass whose seeds must have blown in. Even when the grass was in great con... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer
Shade Tolerant Turf Grasses or Grass-like	Native grasses for shady yard in Austin September 04, 2011 I was looking at your research on native grasses to be used in a yard. I want to plant your native mix of seeds, but worry that there is too much shade in my yard. I live in central Austin and wante... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer
Compost and Mulch Turf Grasses or Grass-like	Native grasses for central Georgia August 06, 2011 We've just bought a 1990 circa house in Dallas, Georgia. It sits on a .62 acre lot. One half of the lot is woods, the rest is lawn. The lawn is covered mostly with weeds and wild strawberries. ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer
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