Subject: Draught resistant grass

From: [email-masked] (Scott Gravenhorst)
Date: 31 Mar 1995 17:10:17 GMT

Can someone please suggest draught resistant grasses for use in the Los 
Angeles area?

The conditions are:

1) red clay soil (with manure mixed in last year)

2) half the yard is in shade, half in full sun.

3) grass is mulched when mowed.

We always seem to get 'burn' where the sun shines during the summer

Thank you to anyone who can post or email me.

-- Scott

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From: [email-masked] (Dick Gilman)
Date: Mon, 03 Apr 1995 18:29:03 GMT

In an arid condition like yours you should be growing a warm
weather grass like , centipede, bermuda, zoysia etc.  these are all
warm weather grasses that resist drought.  Fescue a cool season
grass will grow as long as you water it and the temperture stays
cool at night.  No water and fescue dies!!!

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From: [email-masked] (Dick Gilman)
Date: Mon, 03 Apr 1995 18:29:03 GMT

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From: [email-masked] (Dick Gilman)
Date: Mon, 03 Apr 1995 18:29:03 GMT

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From: [email-masked] (sharon badian)
Date: Tue, 4 Apr 1995 14:14:12 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked] (Dick Gilman) writes:
|> In an arid condition like yours you should be growing a warm
|> weather grass like , centipede, bermuda, zoysia etc.  these are all
|> warm weather grasses that resist drought.  Fescue a cool season
|> grass will grow as long as you water it and the temperture stays
|> cool at night.  No water and fescue dies!!! 

Yes, fescue needs water but quite a bit less than other cool season
grasses. I had my lawn resodded with fescue last summer. My blue-grass
lawn needed to be watered 3 times a week in the hot, dry Colorado summer.
My fescue, after getting established, needed watering once a week. It
stayed green all summer. It also stays green all winter while all the
bluegrass lawns have faded to dull green or brown. It's a coarser grass
than bluegrass but it's not that bad. You'd think the stuff was dangerous
to walk on in barefeet after hearing some folks talk.

I don't know how well fescue does in Southern California. It's certainly
recommended as a drought tolerant grass in Colorado.
-- 
Sharon Badian
AT&T Bell Labs - Denver
[email-masked]