Is "Dichondra" still even a thing? (Grass, Lawn) (lawns, fertilizing)
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Does anyone still even use Dichondra for their lawn? Way back in the day it was a popular thing to have in Southern California. My dad was so proud of his dichondra lawn. It was fussy stuff, hard to keep looking good. I can still picture him out there fertilizing and mowing it. Babying it, really. It was beautiful but a PITA. He once made me get rid of a dog because of all the pee spots. (Dichondra is very susceptible to urine.) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dichondra
I remember Dichondra lawns. Lovely to walk through in bare feet. As kids we were often given the job of weeding it by hand with an asparagus tool. But we did need to keep it watered.
I also remember my parents fussing over their SoCal dichondra lawn! We kids were always being told to be careful and not to run around on it and mess it up. This would have been in the 1970s.
Snails loved dichondra. My parents would go out in the evening with a flashlight to stomp on snails together; it was like their date night.
It was a relief when they, and most of our neighbors, gave up on it and planted St. Augustine or something else that was hardier.
Does anyone still even use Dichondra for their lawn? Way back in the day it was a popular thing to have in Southern California. My dad was so proud of his dichondra lawn. It was fussy stuff, hard to keep looking good. I can still picture him out there fertilizing and mowing it. Babying it, really. It was beautiful but a PITA. He once made me get rid of a dog because of all the pee spots. (Dichondra is very susceptible to urine.) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dichondra
We have a dichondra lawn in our back yard, only because it's in dense shade where it's impossible to have a conventional lawn (which would be bermudagrass; we're in the Phoenix area). Right now it looks kind of sad, but once it warms up it really starts looking nice. It doesn't require much mowing, maybe once a month in the summer. The biggest headache is keeping the weeds out, as they either need to pulled by hand or carefully spot sprayed.
Yes, it does not like dog urine. Thankfully dogs seem to have evolved to "do their business" far away from the den (the house), so most of the pee spots are way in back by the fence.
So cool that you can have dichondra in the desert! Interesting that dichondra does well in AZ. I lived there for several years, but in the "arid belt" as opposed to Central Phoenix where the homes are more traditional.
My dad's lawns front and back were both dichondra, but the backyard got a lot of sun and didn't do as well. The front lawn did great as it was north, and shaded by trees. I can remember my dad out there for hours, weeding. He did use a tool, shaped like a screwdriver or a knife (don't remember).
I priced out dichondra a couple years ago and where I was living it was really expensive for a very small bag.
I priced out dichondra a couple years ago and where I was living it was really expensive for a very small bag.
The seed is certainly expensive at Home Depot. I haven't looked elsewhere, as the yard was already established when we bought our house. We've only needed some seed for patching areas that died. It does spread, so if you are patient it will repair itself. I'll guess it spreads 1-2 feet in a year here in Phoenix area.
I wouldn't recommend it for people who want a perfect lawn. It is a lot of work to keep it from becoming a weed patch. I pull the weeds that come out easily, and carefully spot spray the rest with RoundUp. I basically put the nozzle on the weed and give a small squirt of spray. The tiny dead spots fill in quickly, and since the ground cover is tall they're honestly not visible from a distance of 20 feet or so.
I also remember my parents fussing over their SoCal dichondra lawn! We kids were always being told to be careful and not to run around on it and mess it up. This would have been in the 1970s.
Snails loved dichondra. My parents would go out in the evening with a flashlight to stomp on snails together; it was like their date night.
It was a relief when they, and most of our neighbors, gave up on it and planted St. Augustine or something else that was hardier.
I forgot about the snails. Yes, I'll bet dichondra is like butter lettuce to a snail. I remember my dad out there picking snails all the time. I think he dropped them in a bucket of salt water. That's funny about your parents!
Wow, I remember our dichondra lawn in SoCal. I haven't heard about it since we left there in '67, lol. I've never seen any since.
When I got my first house in Mission Viejo, I discovered Korean grass that grows in clumps and bumps. It was so hard to get established and weeded until it filled in, but so much fun to look at. Neighbors called it the Smurf grass. Great on hillsides, no mowing. Common here in So. America too.
I have wondered a few times if dichondra is still a "thing" or not, too!
I remember Dichondra lawns. Lovely to walk through in bare feet. As kids we were often given the job of weeding it by hand with an asparagus tool. But we did need to keep it watered.
Yes it was, and my dad was always yelling at us kids to stay off of it!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sand&Salt
Wow, I remember our dichondra lawn in SoCal. I haven't heard about it since we left there in '67, lol. I've never seen any since.
When I got my first house in Mission Viejo, I discovered Korean grass that grows in clumps and bumps. It was so hard to get established and weeded until it filled in, but so much fun to look at. Neighbors called it the Smurf grass. Great on hillsides, no mowing. Common here in So. America too.
I have wondered a few times if dichondra is still a "thing" or not, too!
I guess it's a Southwest thing? Except luv4horses you're in NC, right?
Yes it was, and my dad was always yelling at us kids to stay off of it!
I guess it's a Southwest thing? Except luv4horses you're in NC, right?
I was a kid in Orange County CA. That’s where the parents grew a beautiful Dichondra front lawn. It was so pretty.
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