Native Plants

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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.