[PCA] NEWS: Goodbye to grass

[James Trager]

Well said, Mark. The work of the LBJWC on this is really good, but does
seem mostly geared to hotter and generally drier climates than where I
live in eastern Missouri, much less in still cooler and wetter climes
such as New England and Wisconsin. We still don't have very good
alternatives to planting fescue and/or bluegrass turf.

James C. Trager, Ph. D.
Biologist - Naturalist
Shaw Nature Reserve
P.O. Box 38
Gray Summit MO 63039
636-451-3512 ext. 6002


-----Original Message-----
From: native-plants-bounces at lists.plantconservation.org
[mailto:native-plants-bounces at lists.plantconservation.org] On Behalf Of
Simmons, Mark T
Sent: Friday, May 13, 2011 9:12 AM
To: Olivia Kwong; native-plants at lists.plantconservation.org
Subject: Re: [PCA] NEWS: Goodbye to grass

I really like my lawn - my low maintenance, species-rich,
drought-adapted native lawn.

While I agree that lawns can be replaced with alternative vegetation, I
think that the lawn is entitled to a place in the American landscape and
we should be careful of following the current fashion of demonizing
turf.  It's not the lawn that's the problem is how lawns are
manufactured. We take a usually single non-native species that's been
bred to rely on a life-support system of water, fertilizer, pesticides
herbicides, and a crazy mowing regimen.  If you look at native short
grasslands around the world its clear that, in contrast, they are low
nutrient, species-rich, systems which are at ecological quasi-
equilibrium usually maintained by grazing and or fire. Here at the Lady
Bird Johnson Wildflower Center we adopted an ecological approach to turf
by testing different mixes of native turf grasses and against a
commonly-used non-native turf lawn species (bermudagrass) and measured
performance.  The multispecies native mix needs less mowing, had less
weeds and was a denser,
  finer (better looking) turf. The results were just published in the
journal Ecological Engineering.  Sure it can go drought-dormant and
brown in summer if it's not watered.  But if that may be an acceptable
alternative to no lawn at all.  

My young children can't play baseball in gravel and agaves. And I want
to sink a beer on a Saturday evening bare foot in soft, cool turf. Let's
keep doing lawns, just do them smart . 

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6VFB-52P3GPC-1
&_user=108429&_coverDate=04%2F22%2F2011&_rdoc=29&_fmt=high&_orig=browse&
_origin=browse&_zone=rslt_list_item&_srch=doc-info%28%23toc%236006%23999
9%23999999999%2399999%23FLA%23display%23Articles%29&_cdi=6006&_sort=d&_d
ocanchor=&_ct=61&_acct=C000059713&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10842
9&md5=7cb49619575e745221c9314f7dce9b17&searchtype=a



-----Original Message-----
From: native-plants-bounces at lists.plantconservation.org
[mailto:native-plants-bounces at lists.plantconservation.org] On Behalf Of
Olivia Kwong
Sent: Friday, May 13, 2011 8:00 AM
To: native-plants at lists.plantconservation.org
Subject: [PCA] NEWS: Goodbye to grass

http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/homegarden/121578549.html

Goodbye to grass
By KIM PALMER
Star Tribune (Minneapolis)
Updated: May 11, 2011 - 7:41 AM

As the less-lawn trend takes root, a few gardeners are going all the
way, eliminating turf grass entirely.

See the link above for the full article text.


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