Ruschia lineolata 'Nana'

[tinman10101]

hello all.  so its goodbye to grass!!!  wondering if anyone else is doing this in california.  i cant wait to see what it looks like all filled in but my research on this plant looks to be a no brainer on property owners who want to save on water usage.  i purchased these flats at HD which is better than ordering online.  they are also known as "carpet of stars" .  from what i heard, one can walk on them and pet friendly too (no wrestling on it though lol).  i plan to replace my whole backyard if it turns out well.  once established, they are on drippers so i should be watering about once every 1 - 1.5 weeks.  plus you never have to mow it and the only maintenance is trimming them if they climb over the sidewalk.  the hardest part was pulling out the old grass.  

cheers 

tin 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Silas_Sancona]

8 hours ago, tinman10101 said:

hello all.  so its goodbye to grass!!!  wondering if anyone else is doing this in california.  i cant wait to see what it looks like all filled in but my research on this plant looks to be a no brainer on property owners who want to save on water usage.  i purchased these flats at HD which is better than ordering online.  they are also known as "carpet of stars" .  from what i heard, one can walk on them and pet friendly too (no wrestling on it though lol).  i plan to replace my whole backyard if it turns out well.  once established, they are on drippers so i should be watering about once every 1 - 1.5 weeks.  plus you never have to mow it and the only maintenance is trimming them if they climb over the sidewalk.  the hardest part was pulling out the old grass.  

cheers 

tin 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'd be a bit skeptical of anyone suggesting this would tolerate much, if any foot traffic.. San Marcos suggests it is better utilized between stepping stones vs. used as a durable turf replacement. 

https://www.smgrowers.com/products/plants/plantdisplay.asp?plant_id=4521

Maybe not for your yard but, for anyone looking for drought tolerant turf, i'd probably research something like the UC Verde Buffalo Grass ( Now marketed as just " California Buffalo Grass" ).  There are other types of Buffalo out there, but the UC creation is the only one that seems to handle California growing conditions the best.

  U of AZ has been evaluating two native grasses since 2013 which may soon make their entry on the " Turf options " market. 

Unlike Bermuda, both species involved in the project survive on less than 14" of irrigation / yr., and handle full sun / punishing heat and cold well thus far, and have stood up to other " durability " tests that have been conducted in test plots. 

Like Bermuda or Augustine, they are C4 grasses ( Warm season growers )  Unlike Bermuda, they are bunch / tuft-type grasses, ..or spread slowly by stolons that are easy to keep contained.

If not cut, they are also great, low growing native grass options as well.

[tinman10101]

Thanks for your input Nathan.  I guess for me, it's perfect. There is barely any foot traffic in the front besides the occasional neighbors dog peeing on my front lawn. I've seen people walk on this grass substitute but like you said ... Maybe not heavy traffic.  For me, I think it will be perfect and I love the shade of green. 

[tinman10101]

I'll report back in a year with my experience 😜

[tinman10101]

well, its been one year and the rushcia has grown in quite well.  honestly i probably water it once a month and really like the way its looking.  HOA doesnt seem to mind either considering they made one of my neighbors put back sod after they put in AstroTurf.  

pros:

• i almost never water it now and definitely not during winter
• nice green color throughout the year
• minimal maintenance (edge with pruners for rhizomes growing over edging

cons:

• mounding from initial starter plugs (not exactly flat because plugs start growing upwards before outwards)
• maintenance around specimen plants (cutting rhizomes away from other plants)

in any case, I thought i would lend some experience.  i foresee this being a super easy grow for coastal people and surrounding SD areas just because you can pretty much set it and forget it.  i live in real harsh extreme heat and cold and its been such an easy plant to maintain.

i started planting it in areas in deep heavy shade and i noticed it gets leggy and takes much longer to fill out.