Is A Ground Cover Better For Your Lawn Than Grass?
Given a choice most homeowners would at first glance prefer a lawn of dark green thick turf. What could be better than this carpet of grass; a play surface for the kids and an aesthetic benefit to home values. The problem is, some areas of the property may not be ideal or even adequate to support that beautiful, golf course quality lawn we imagine. Specifically, grass, in order to grow thick and healthy, requires not just supplemental fertilizer, but lots of water and monitoring for pest activity and damage.
When to Use a Ground Cover Instead of Grass
Perhaps the most important growth factor for grass, beyond water, is sunlight. Even shade-tolerant varieties need a half day’s filtered sunlight to carry out adequate photosynthesis and growth. Without at least this much sunlight, the turf will gradually thin out, dieback and be replaced by weeds. If you are struggling with a lawn in the shade or where there is significant tree root competition for water, replacing the grass with a ground cover could be a wise and practical strategy.
Benefits of switching to ground covers:
- Shade tolerance
- No mowing
- Perennial growth
- Less water required
- Minimal to no fertilizer required
In a phrase, ground covers are very low maintenance and can solve a real problem where plants are needed in hard to maintain and shaded areas of the property.
How To Replace Grass Lawns With Ground Covers
Depending on your geographical location, there are a multitude of ground covers available at your local nursery. Planting and care instructions will be provided with each plant and, importantly, many plants have at least a minimum time guarantee of success. When shade, tree root competition, and remote locations are a problem at your home, why not consider a practical ground cover solution.
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