In 2007, the Ecosystem Design Group of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin, TX. created and began testing what they named the Habiturflawn. This alternative to the traditional non-nativelawn was made from a mixture of grasses native to the south and... Habiturflawns can be mowed like traditional lawns, or can be left to grow in their natural arching habit. The main ingredients of habiturf seed mixes are buffalo grass, blue grama grass, and curly mesquite. Learn more about how to establish a native turf grass lawn from the following Wildflower Center resources: How to Install Habiturf, Download a Habiturf Brochure. Long time NPSOT member, Jackie O’Keefe, planted a buffalo grass lawn years ago and offered her insights. In the event of a drought, the local habiturf grasses enter the dormant phase and, after the close of the drought, they sprout again. Lawns that are not native require watering during droughts or they’ll go to seed. How to Create a Natural Lawn for a Habiturf. Habiturf has all the aesthetic beauty of a traditional lawn with the drought-tolerance and low maintenance of native Texas grasses. This incredible Texas grass mix uses native Texoka Buffalograss, native Blue Grama, and native Curly Mesquite. Create a NativeHabiturfLawn by the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. When To Plant. Habiturf does best when planted in two times of the year. In the spring, after the last frost (Typically April & May). I’d already seen folks using it nearby. There’s even a local product ready-made for the purpose: Texas nativeHabiturf, sold as seed from Douglas King Seeds out near Splashtown. (Thunder Turf is a similar product from Native American Seed in Junction.) Native grass backyar pocket prairie John Hart Asher with Ed Fuentes of Central Texas Gardener Habiturf, created by the Wildflower Center to replace lawn in sun, combines buffalo grass, blue grama, and curly mesquite. Get their tips to prep, plant, and establish. Using the Habiturf blend as a starting point we are exploring our own mixes of native turf and forb species to create an adaptable “Eco Lawn” for Oklahoma. In a following post, I’ll share some of our experiences with this process and give some how to advice. Habiturf: The Ecological Lawn by the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. The thicker native grass mixture also developed half as many dandelions in the study as bermudagrass and buffalograss. A healthy Habiturflawn should thus require less herbicide to maintain. The lawn is the largest use Habiturf™, a mix of native grass species that was specially formulated for the project by the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. Over 65,000 cubic yards of quality soil was repurposed from a neighboring field. Known as HabitufTM, the nativelawn mix was developed by the university’s Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. The university has given a 10-year, nonexclusive license for Habiturf to Bladerunner Farms of Poteet, Texas. Habiturf, comprising prairie grasses, is a new option for lawns. It is drought tolerant once established. Courtesy photo.One new option for lawn grass is Habiturf, a mix of native grasses developed by the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin.
