CALIFORNIA SILVER - Native Fescue Lawn Sod
: Festuca rubrum, Festuca occidentalis, Delta Bluegrass Native Mow-Free, Hillside Fine Fescue Blend, etc.
USDA ZONES 3-8
These no-mow meadow lawns are long, soft and sweepy with finer blades than other native ornamental grasses. They have the deepest green, softest look and do awesome on slopes and in slightly cooler climate regions (though can take some heat with part-shade). Ideal for accent lawns or moderately used areas.
California Silver is a blend of sophisticated fescue engineering from grass strains native to many regions of North America (including California) and Europe. It can handle light foot traffic only. Requires 50% of the water of conventional lawns. Suitable for slopes.
Suitable for Part Shade to Shade conditions ONLY in Southern California. Dense coverage means it's not ideal for interspersing wildflowers. But it does choke out weeds. Suitable for a variety of sun exposures in Northern California, even cool corners and less light. This no-mow fine fescue native blend grows in up to 70% shade in Southern California. It can handle life under oaks!
Mowing: Mow it to a 12" height about once a year to renew it's growth for the freshest look. Mow bimonthly at height of 6" once a month for more groomed look.
FAQ's
Around one week. Select your preferred delivery date at checkout and we'll do our best to make it happen! Please note: Alta Lawn Ultra - Kurapia Groundcover plugs are delivered on Wednesdays only.
Kurapia & California Meadow products come in sod or plugs. Plugs are small plants that you plant every square foot with the help of a bulb auger drill bit. Sod is like a green carpet you roll out and apply heavy pressure to bond with soil.
Kurapia grows very slowly when temperatures are cool, so rarely spreads much at all from late November to about February. If you're thinking you'd like to do plugs, just be advised that you will have to wait a little extra (and weed regularly in the mean time) for it to fill in fully. Sod on the other hand gives instant coverage.
California Meadow on the other hand has a mix of warm and cool season grasses so will fill-in at about the same rate most times of year. Though in general most plants spread faster with generous warmth.
Plugs are spaced at 12" but you can space further (just lower your squre footage order) if you're not in a rush. Or want to fill in with something else later. We have a 200 sq.ft. minimum on all lawn options. Orders under 400 sq.ft. are subject to a slight price increase to accomodate current shipping rates.
More or less the same as regular sod or lawn except with less fertilizer. Here's some basic guidelines:
HOW TO PREP YOUR DIRT
Remove Nasties: Pull out weeds, stumps & any plants you don’t want
Loosen ‘er Up: Use a shovel or tiller to loosen the top 4-6 inches of soil. If you have sandy or uncompacted soil this isn't necessary.
Groom: Remove smaller rocks & roots. clean it up so it’s smooth and buttery as possible.
Rake-in Amendments: Rake a light dressing of organic compost, lime &/or Mycorrhizae evenly across
the ground.
Wet soil: to a minimum of 6” deep to before laying down your sod. This will give a nice moist surface for the roots to bond with when lain down.
Irrigation requirements: sprinkler irrigation is recommended for all sod and most plug products (except in shadey or passively irrigated conditions). Hand-watering not recommended.
The first 2 weeks establishment requires multiple daily waterings. First month's establishment progresses to once a day watering. Then reduce to a regular 2x a week watering schedule (more may be required if planting in hot times of year). Native grasses typically need 2x a week waterings for heat waves in Southern California. Kurapia survives on 1x a week watering in times of water shortages but looks better with 2.
About half of these lawns require no winter irrigation! Contact us for details.
