Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
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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Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
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Friday - March 27, 2015
From: Fullerton, CA
Region: California
Topic: Turf, Grasses or Grass-like
Title: Substitute for Habiturf in Fullerton, CA
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
Will habiturf grow/thrive in 92835 zip code? I think Im on 10a or 10b hardiness. I have clay soil. ThanksANSWER:
Habiturf™ was developed for Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and some areas of Arizona. It would not thrive in Fullerton, California. However, UC Davis has developed a buffalograss called UC Verde Buffalograss that is geared towards California soils and climate. In some areas of California it thrives quite well. You can see photos of UC Verde Buffalograss lawns growing in several Southern California cities on the website. It requires plenty of sunshine to do well—it does NOT thrive in the shade. The UC Verde Buffalograss webpage has instructions for preparing your site for a new lawn.
The City of Santa Barbara has an article, Water Wise Lawn Alternatives, that has three possibilities for grasses/grass-like plants that will grow in the Fullerton area:
- Agrostis pallens (California Bent Grass) Here is more information from University of California Cooperative Extension Sacramento County.
- Bouteloua gracilis (Blue grama) Here is more information from Las Pilitas Nursery in Santa Margarita and Escondido.
- Carex pansa (Sanddune sedge) Here is more information from Bay Natives in San Francisco.
- Carex praegracilis (Clustered field sedge) Here is more information from Pacific Horticulture.
You might find other articles on the City of Santa Barbara's Water Wise Landscaping page interesting, as well.
More Grasses or Grass-like Questions
Plants/grasses for a bioswale in Maryland
February 08, 2010 - Mr. Smarty Plants,
I'm looking for a good seed mixture, wetland plant/grass mix, to use in Bio-Swales in central Maryland. Can you help me?
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Habiturf for Round Rock TX
March 17, 2013 - Topic Habiturf. We have just aerated our lawn. We were planning on throwing out bermudagrass seed. We already have bermudagrass as well as many weeds in the lawn especially the blue stem clump grass w...
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Survival of native lawn in Hockley TX
August 02, 2011 - I'm on the edge of the Katy Prairie and a very large ranch with full blasting sun and completely open exposure. The soil is fill from the developers with more clay than sand, a minimum of nutrients,...
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Planting buffalograss from Surfside Beach SC
September 14, 2012 - How do I plant buffalograss along a lake? Do I just spread the seeds?
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Planting grass seed in Greenville SC
April 24, 2009 - What type of grass seed is best to use in a sunny/ shady area where some grass is already growing? And how is the best way to prep the area for seed and fertilizer or what should I do before and after...
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