Inexpensive, aesthetically pleasing dog-friendly groundcover for the backyard?
Posted in Garden and Landscape and no responses… =[ Maybe my dog people can help me out if you have had a similar project?
So here's the deal... we RENT so I don't want to drop a ton of money on fixing up the backyard, but I want to make it as enjoyable as i can for the family within a reasonable budget. Currently we are working with small patches of grass and very compacted dirt...lots of weeds that I am getting sick of pulling! What can I get to improve the yard? We have a Lab that will be using the yard as well, so it must be dog friendly. Sodding the yard is out of the question since I refuse to dump that kind of money into a rental. Would seeding the bare areas help at all or would that be an exercise in futility? Any and all ideas are welcome!
Dichondra works great.
Dichondra is a warm season ground cover that grows close to the ground. It has broad, almost circular leaves and when mown low establishes a thick dense carpet look. Originally a weed, it is now used in many ground cover situations where normal grasses may not do as well. It has a bright green color and a cushion feel underfoot.
When the area is moistened, and raked the following day..you can broadcast the seed, and it takes over weeds, and crabgrass. It requires few mowings, and is dog-hardy.
Dichondra seed will sprout in 1-2 weeks during warm weather. The first leaves that appear will be long and narrow and will NOT look like true Dichondra leaves. In a week to 10 days after most of the seedlings are up, let the soil surface dry partly out between sprinklings. Gradually increase the amount of water applied with each irrigation while slowly reducing frequency.
I'll post some links:
http://www.lawngrasses.com/odd-varieties/dichondra.html
the above link says you need to spade the soil, but we had a burmuda and crabgrass yard, and just broadcasting a moist yard worked beautifully. Our region got down to 17 degrees, so I don't know how it would hold up in colder climates.
Valerie's Family #037 "You've Got to Believe" 10/19/87 Pt. 1
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