Low Water Lawn Alternatives

Low Water Lawn Alternatives

Friday, June 10, 2016

S&S Seeds, the Industry Leaders in low water California native plants, installs a Demonstration Garden of Water Wise Lawn Alternatives in Carpinteria CA.  We are proud to support low water landscaping initiatives with these new plant materials and efficient irrigation systems.

Working with Landscape Architect Gregory Mendonsa of Arcadia Studio, Santa Barbara and contractor Jim Talley/ Complete Landscape Services, S&S Seeds installed nearly 6,000 Sf of low water, low maintenance lawn alternatives at our front yard location in Carpinteria. Using state of the art irrigation design and materials, including the highly efficient Rainbird XFS subsurface drip line combined with Rainbird 1812 -12" stream rotor popups we are able to grow & display beautiful, lush green turf alternatives using minimal irrigation water.

Native California Grass Sod blends grown by Delta Bluegrass Co. will require approximately 50% less water than traditional turf type tall fescue varieties once established. In addition 'Kurapia' an evergreen, spreading ground cover in SOD form was installed to introduce our clients to this beautiful turfgrass alternative. Kurapia requires little maintenance and needs 60% less water than cool season turfgrasses. Once established Kurapia can be irrigated as low as 20% of ETo by drip irrigation and outperformed other turfgrasses in survivability and appearance at 40% ETo by sprinkler irrigation, as tested at UC Riverside.

The demonstration garden includes these four low water Turfgrass alternatives:

NATIVE MOW FREE™ SOD, A BLEND OF NATIVE CALIFORNIA FESCUE GRASSES

A low maintenance compliment to natural landscapes. This versatile grass mixture can be maintained as a turf lawn or left unmowed. This blend of Native Fescues will grow tall, then lean over for an informal meadow appearance.

  • Western Mokelumne fescue- Festuca occidentalis
  • Idaho fescue- Festuca idahoensis
  • Molate fescue- Festuca rubra 'Molate'

NativeMowFree 2wks-mc

NATIVE BENTGRASS/ AGROSTIS PALLENS SOD:

The industry's 1st choice for native lawn areas. Native Bentgrass™ delivers excellent durability, exceptional recovery and a dark green turf mat. Spreading form with below ground rhizomes and stolons above ground. 

NativeBentgrass2wks-mc

KURAPIA/ LIPPIA NODIFLORA L.'KURAPIA' HYBRID, SOD

Kurapia is an attractive vigorous, evergreen groundcover which requires very little water.  The plant tolerates light to moderate traffic, is shade tolerant, and will develop roots to 5' depth.

KurapiaSod2wks-mc

CAREX PRAEGRACILLIS, CLUSTERED FIELD SEDGE,

Plugs are planted at 9"-18" OC growing to 12" tall to create a meadow-like lawn alternative. Carex can be planted in summer, likes full sun exposure, tolerates wet and dry soil conditions, moderate foot traffic and alkaline soils. 

CarexPraegracilis2wks-mc