Host an Event Volunteer Join Tickets

Your gift keeps resources like this database thriving!

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.

Help us grow by giving to the Plant Database Fund or by becoming a member

Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?

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.

Search Smarty Plants
See a list of all Smarty Plants questions

Please forgive us, but Mr. Smarty Plants has been overwhelmed by a flood of mail and must take a break for awhile to catch up. We hope to be accepting new questions again soon. Thank you!

Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.

 
rate this answer
Not Yet Rated

Saturday - March 17, 2012

From: Round Rock, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Planting, Grasses or Grass-like
Title: Prospects for newly-seeded Habiturf lawn from Round Rock TX
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

Re: Habiturf installation Can you provide feedback about how my newly seeded Habiturf lawn should look at various stages? I think I prepped the lawn properly, but I may have planted too early (March 2-3). We had a trend of warm days and expected rainfall, and I remembered how quickly winter turned to summer in 2011, so I dove in. 11-12 days later, I have a few sprouts, but they are tiny and far-spaced. The larger seeds in the mix don't seem to have germinated. I suspect Habiturf a slower-growing mix, but I have no idea what is "normal" and am a little nervous. So..will the germination continue/improve as we get later into the season? Do I need to continue watering daily until I see more sprouts, or do I follow the directions and back off to watering every few days? Or have I messed up and need to reseed? Thanks--

ANSWER:

We do not personally have any experience with planting a Habiturf lawn, but after attending a seminar with Dr. Mark Simmons, one of the developers of the grass, we would say you are doing all right. Without visiting your lawn, we really can't say if your results match the research plots at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. If you have not already done so, we suggest you read these articles written by experts on the subject, and match what you have done so far with the instructions in the articles.

Native Lawns: Buffalograss

Native Lawns: Habiturf - the Ecological Lawn Under "Frequently Asked Questions" on this website are links to two suppliers of this seed. 

Native Lawns

 

 

 

More Grasses or Grass-like Questions

Native Grasses for Quebec
August 21, 2014 - I saw an article in the Martha Stewart magazine on native grasses. I live in Canada in Rimouski, in the province of Quebec. I am wondering if native grasses would grow here in the region? Our hardine...
view the full question and answer

Problems with non-native St. Augustine lawn from Austin
October 06, 2013 - We have St. Augustine in our front lawn. There are some patches where the grass has entirely died but mixed in with the dead areas are little clumps of living grass. It seems to be spreading througho...
view the full question and answer

Habiturf care from Plano TX
July 03, 2014 - Five weeks ago, we planted a Habiturf lawn in our back yard. The grass looks great and is already about 6 inches. I have two questions to solve before we do the front yard. We have lots of purslane m...
view the full question and answer

Erosion control in Spicewood TX
March 20, 2013 - I am from a small community along the Colorado River a few miles East of Marble Falls. We are looking for a ground cover/grass to prevent erosion on on our beach front. We had planned to use Bermuda G...
view the full question and answer

Identifying native grasses in DeSoto TX
September 15, 2009 - I want to plant my 1.5 acre yard in a native grass; there are already some grasses growing there. How do I identify this grass? Thanks
view the full question and answer

Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today.