Best GRASS LAWN Alternative - Lippia (Phyla Nodiflora)- Drought Tolerant, California Native, & Cheap
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- Опубликовано: 7 июл 2022
- I converted my thirsty, sprinkler-fed, grass lawn into a lush, pollinator-friendly, native ground cover lawn using Lippia aka Phyla Nodiflora aka Frog Fruit plant. I first tried Yarrow without much success, then put in drip irrigation and planted Lippia.
Cheap (less than $20/flat), stands up to light-moderate walking, requires very little water, loves sunshine and heat, and stays green year-round. Oh, and it is native (to California and other parts of the United States) too.
There are many lawn alternatives and drought-tolerant grass replacement ideas advertised - but Lippia seems to be overlooked. However, it used to be the "best substitute for lawn grass" in California (source:
archive.org/details/CAT31285317)
Kurapia is another alternative that is related to Lippia. However, it was much more expensive and, in my experience, less tolerant of cooler weather than Lippia. Kurapia is sterile, while Lippia is not. Lippia is also native to parts of California, and I am happy to have it spreading in the yard, attracting pollinators.
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Want to learn more about replacing your lawn with Lippia? Check out these links all about phyla nodiflora from others:
1. Calscape (California native range of Lippia info): calscape.org/Phyla-nodiflora-() (copy URL and paste if not linking, it is an odd one)
2. WaterWiseGardner (Lippia lawn photos): waterwisegardenplanner.org/pl...
3. Kurapia vs Lippia: • Kurapia Ground Cover v...
4. Lippia / Frog Fruit Lawn Success Story: • Barefoot Botanist: Fro...
5. Historical articles on Lippia in California: archive.org/details/CAT31285317 and sites.google.com/site/gillpri...
6. More Lippia Lawn history: • Finding California Pla...
7. Use of Lippia in Italy for lawns (great footage!): • Lippia nodiflora: Alte...
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Drip irrigation parts similar to my setup:
1. 1/4" tubing with 12" emitter spacing: amzn.to/3IsyCW5
(affliate
2. 1/2" main line irrigation tubing: amzn.to/3alBpUN
3. Drip irrigation fittings: amzn.to/3OT6LRq
4. Convert Sprinkler to Drip kit: amzn.to/3nMKtVN
5. Figure 8 End Cap for 1/2" main line: amzn.to/3ysecIv
6. Sprinkler to Drip direct converter (I use for small areas that don't need a main 1/2 line): amzn.to/3OWuwrI
I utilize affiliate links.
If you are in Southern California and interested in buying cuttings of this, let me know.
I'm interested. In HB.
We call that frogfruit here in Florida. We use it to replace all the grass in one part of the yard and all of backyard. We also use sunshine mimosa to replace the grass on side of the house.
All drought tolerant. All need no chemicals. All require no mowing. All have bees that love them.
thanks for making this video!
You are welcome!
Really nice
A most excellent video, chock full of usefull information 👍
Glad you liked it
This need more views!
Great video. I need to find some cuttings to start propagating for my project... Not many people talk about how easy it is to root cuttings. Thanks for the video.
If you are in SoCal and need cuttings let me know.
@@CatchCatchFish im in socal and i would love to get some cuttings... i would even edge for them.
@@jefferynelson6381 Send me a message on Instagram instagram.com/huntingtheriverking
Just saw a sidewalk area with these. Looked beautiful.
Yes they are!
Great job, I have installed a lot of Hybrid kurapia via sod form utilizing sub-surface drip irrigation. I have not seen very many contractors utilizing drip with Kurapia and am happy to see your success from using subsurface/surface drip also.
Tight job brother...🤙
Thank you! So far it is doing great. Definitely had best success planting in the summer.
Great video...👍
thank you
Thank you for the video Sir @IzzakWalton. Are there also Lippia seeds instead of small plants?
Love this! Thank you for the detailed information. I am in Central OK and have this planted in spots. Husband still likes his Bermuda lawn (EEK!) but we have about 1/4 acre of frog fruit. Had no idea it was so easy to propagate. Will this do well on a slop as well ?
Glad it was helpful!
I've been looking for plants for "edge scaping," as mulch tends to get thin at the borders, and then weeds take over. This looks like a good option!!
It is a great ground cover - but you will need to edge it to keep it from creeping over borders, or have a solid liner
@@CatchCatchFish It sounds like you are in the Inland Empire in CA, presumably. Where did you find it? I am in Los Angeles, and none of the nurseries or usual growers have it.
@@bethp.5861 I am. I have seen it once at Armstrong's Garden / nursery. They may be a source for it.
I previously got it at a small nursery and Riverside, however they only do wholesale now.
@@CatchCatchFish Ok, thank you. There are Armstrong Nurseries near me. They may be able to order it. I saw it in a recent commercial lawn to garden project and I thought it was a poor choice, the weeds would just take over. Wrong!! It filled in to be quite dense, with only a couple of weeds struggling to making it through.
Thank you SO much for this video! I am also a small youtuber and will be sharing my experience with my new lippia lawn but I am not sure I would be using lippia if it wasn’t for your video putting me over the edge to do it! Wondering if You’d be ok if I tag this video in mine and reference it as part of my joirney? So helpful!
Also a question! I have now removed the old sod and am getting ready to lay the drip. Wondering what you used and how far the emitters are spaced and if you have any thoughts on using drip tape? Also how deep did you lay the drip? It looks like a couple inches from the top of the soil.
Last question. I removed the sod by hand (as you did but not what you suggested). Do you think tilling the dirt is best for these plants to grow and spread? Or I am thinking of a no dig method: pop them into holes and then spread a layer of mulch over top. Thoughts??
Thanks for your help! For your video! And for the helpful info!!
Go for it! Thank you for the feedback, please send me a link to your video as well, I would like to see another lippia lawn.
My main line is a 1/2", and off of these is 1/4 drip lines with built in emitters, typically spaced 12" apart. I did experiment with the 6" emitter spacing, both worked fine, you'll just need more plants to start with for 6".
Drip was probably around an inch or so, but is quickly covered up by the mass of lippia growing over it.
I do think tilling would probably help, especially if your soil is very compact. I would be careful with mulch, I read somewhere that it can limit their growth (double check me on that).
I would love your input as to the local nurseries that carry lippia I'm in Redlands and am looking to change up my front yard.
I've seen it at Armstrong's. I had success calling smaller nursery's in Riverside and asking for it by name. My seller switched to wholesale only though
Hi there, I am planning to use Lippia too but i worry about how many bees it would attract.
I love lippia and am now creating a lippia front lawn. However, it is important to let people know the nuisance lippia is in the wild. It is a strong competitor, can grow on most soils, and spreads and spreads. So it is important to keep it under controls. I wonder about the seeds being spread by birds. Any way, try to be aware and conscious about it, please.
I hear you - but it is also a native plant - I don't worry too much about a native plant spreading exactly where it is native.
I'm planning on putting in a 15x15 area of phyla nodiflora. Any advice for a tool to use to dig holes for the plugs? And how many plugs did you use for your space?
I spread the plugs out by about 10 in to a foot. Of course, denser planting will cover the area faster.
I used a hand shovel, and also used a drill bit digging attachment. Both seem to work
Do you just cut them and they grow roots or is there a certain way to cut them?
You can you can cut it put it in water and it sprouts pretty good and quickly
I'm in LA and interested in clippings.
Send me a message at Instagram: instagram.com/huntingtheriverking/
Any idea how long the flowering season is? I have a daycare and thr kids would be barefoot. I'm wondering how long I'd have to make them wear shoes.
Seems to be from June through August for me, coincides with heat pretty closely.
Is Lappia atractive to squirrels as clover is?
I haven't seen the tree squirrels bothering it.
Where did you get it for $20/flat?
Hi! is lippia green in winter?
Mine is.
I planted 30 plants and rhe bunnies ate it. Any suggestions?
Sorry to hear that - I haven't dealt with rabbits.
I noticed you tread lightly on it. Do you believe it could handle a dog?
Wouldn't recommend a dog on it, especially with it digging.
How often do you cut the lippia(mow lawn)
I never cut it.
I do edge it, maybe 2-3 times a year
@@CatchCatchFish perfect thank you! Where do you buy it?
@@danieltapia6993 I've purchased it at Armstrong garden centers, and also at a local small nursery. It's worth calling around, many places don't carry it but it is available at some. You can also purchase it online.
I love this video. I’m having trouble finding kurupia maybe I will try this. I love attracting pollinators but my dog won’t be happy :)
I'm so confused... I've seen Lippia in some videos looking big and in other videos looking small. both With flowers
Excellent video, sir. I've been looking into possible alternatives to my centipede lawn. As you stated, Kurapia is just so, damn expensive...versus getting a few flats of plugs few a few hundred dollars. If I may ask a few questions? When you ripped out the old lawn, did you do anything to amend the soil? And, what kind of soil do you all have over there in SoCal? I personally live all the way here in North Florida. We get some brutal summers here, naturally. But I'm not sure how lippia would react to our brutal HUMIDITY as well? Not to also mention our "soil" here is mostly loamy sand. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thank!
Howdy!
I did throw some lawn amendment fertilizer on after initially ripping out the lawn, but that was for my first attempt with yarrow (lovely plant, didn't spread quick enough or tolerate heat as well). Then, when I rototilled it again, I didn't add much for the lippia if memory serves me right.
Not sure on the exact soil composition but it is definitely not loamy, just very crumbly, powdery when crushed - and annoyingly hard to dig in during the summer when dry).
I believe lippia is used in the south where the humidity is much higher (as you well know!) and I think it seems to tolerate humidity better than the dry, desert like heat we have here in SoCal, just based on seeing videos of people rooting lippia cuttings in the soil in more humid conditions (here I have to leave them in water to root).
Good luck!
@@CatchCatchFish Awesome, thank you very much for the reply.
Surprised you called kurapia a hybrid. They seem to just refer to it as a special selection. After reading the patents I saw they aren't simple selections but actually hybrids. People focused on natives would want that information.
Yes, and it's a shame that kurapia gets so much attention but the native, phyla nodiflora, does not.
A bit of info here:
"Kurapia is a hybrid from Phyla nodiflora and is sterile"
www.lawndelivery.com/blogs/news/kurapia-sod-with-free-delivery
Where to buy it from (located in bay area)
I purchased it at a small nursery in Riverside, CA. I've seen Armstong Gardens sell it too.
I’m not sure if Phyla Nodiflora (lippia) is an actual true native plant of California. Native as in was here before the settlement of humans. Some things I’ve read says it has naturalized in many places around the world, California being one of them. But as long as it’s not invasive and destructive then it’s probably fine.
Kurapia is the patented hybrid of this plant that’s sterile and is being used more often.
Thank you. I hear what you are saying. CalScape, "California Native Plant Society" considers it as a native, and has a map with estimated current range in the state. calscape.org/Phyla-nodiflora-()
I kinda want to like it but it looks like a weed
what is a weed? a plant you don't want.
Something can't look like a weed, you decide what weeds are
@@CSDragon so true
Rather jarring your pronunciation of lippia and kurapia....
I've watched several videos about each and I've only heard, "LIP pee uh" and
"ker OP ee uh"
🤷🏼♀️