native grasses
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Thunder Turf Spring Mowing
Thunder Turf is a blend of three short prairie grasses (Buffalograss, Blue Grama, Curly Mesquite). Clearing Bermudagrass away from an area around the perimeter of the back garden and seeding these native grasses was an early months-long project here. This grassy area is now quite well established. It’s not pure, in that I know Bermudagrass… Continue reading
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Trimming The Clump Grasses
Around the perimeter of the back garden there is a strip of Thunder Turf, a blend of three short native grasses. Those grasses grow low to the ground and get mown a couple of times a year. Toward the back of the garden there is an additional area for native grasses (the triangle in the… Continue reading
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Thunder Turf Repairs
Around the edge of the back yard is a border of Thunder Turf, which is a mixture of three short native grasses. In the second year here, this area is now largely established, although a portion of it did get severely trampled during pond construction (see photo above). Mid November is usually too late to… Continue reading
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Boosting The Seed Bank In The Tall Grass Area
I have designated a small area at the back of the garden for mid-height prairie grasses. This is developing quite nicely, and I currently have there: Although the grasses that are growing are producing seed themselves, I decided for one more year to add a little extra seed for Little Bluestem and Sideoats Grama to… Continue reading
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Sideoats Grama
Sideoats Grama (Bouteloua curtipendula) is the state grass of Texas, a fact that I only recently learned. It’s a mid-height (2-3 ft) prairie grass that I thought would go well with the other grasses in my “tall grass” area: Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) and Waco Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans). I have purchased some Sideoats Grama seed,… Continue reading
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A Pleasant Surprise In The Tall Grass Area
There is a small area toward the back of the garden that I have designated for mid-height prairie grasses. Developing this area has been confounded by the fact that I am not very good at identifying grasses. Here’s a summary of what has happened in this area in the past year: In this photo, Waco… Continue reading
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Late Summer Mowing Of The Thunder Turf
Thunder Turf is a mix of three native grasses (Buffalograss, Blue Grama Curly Mesquite) that each grow only a few inches tall. They are all very drought-tolerant and need minimal care. The first thing I did when I arrived here in February 2023 was embark on the laborious process of removing all the Bermudagrass sod… Continue reading
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Working On The Tall Grass Area
Early on in my time here, I set aside a portion of the back garden to be an area for mid-height native prairie grasses and the one I particularly wanted to grow was Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium). I introduced that by plant and seed. Sometimes I plan one thing, but nature, increased knowledge, or random… Continue reading
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Little Bluestem Progress
Way back in the beginning of planning this garden, I set aside a small area for mid-height native grasses. The main focus was to be Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) introduced by seed and plant, but I also later acquired some seeds for Waco Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans) and plants of Gulf Muhly (Muhlenbergia capillaris). I am… Continue reading
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Native Grasses Get Mown Twice A Year
I don’t have complete coverage yet of my perimeter area of short native grasses (Thunder Turf), but there is a significant amount of grass there, nevertheless. These native grasses were chosen because of their deep roots, drought tolerance, support of wildlife, and minimal care. For instance, the mowing schedule is twice a YEAR! May is… Continue reading
About Me
Nature Lover.
Inquisitive Observer.
Student Gardener.
I invite you to join me on my journey to convert my sterile (from a nature point of view) new house lot to a healthy and diverse ecosystem, as I make discoveries, mistakes, and hopefully progress. I am not an expert or professional. The project started in February 2023 and the location is Seguin, Texas, USA.
Rewilding My Lot 