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Lawn alternative #836953

Asked June 22, 2023, 6:29 AM EDT

Hello, looking for suggestions for a low maintenance lawn. Currently poorly established lawn with lots of "weeds." Sandy soil (though we do intend to bring in top soil.) Lakefront. Two dogs. Lots of deer in the area I would prefer to detract from the lawn as we're getting ticks. Would prefer to water rarely and mow only if desired (or not at all.) Spouse appreciates a traditional green lawn look overall, but I would love to include some ground cover too. Lot is lined with conifers and one corner has a clump of wild cherry trees. Otherwise open lawn. What native species should I consider?

Mecosta County Michigan

Expert Response

Hi Andria,

This is a tough question because none of our traditional lawn grasses are native to Michigan. Our native grasses tend to "bunch" rather than spread and create a green carpet. They also cannot handle mowing or lots of foot traffic (which can crush the crown of the plant or compact the soil so that roots struggle to grow). 

If you the look you want is uniform and green, then native plants are probably not the way to go. You can use traditional lawn grasses and maintain it with less input. In other words, you can have a nice lawn and not water it constantly and put fertilizer on it constantly. This takes some know-how. 

Here are some tip sheets that should help you.

Low Maintenance Lawns.

How to use less water on lawns.

A list of tip sheets.

If you are willing to depart from that traditional lawn, you might consider a "bee lawn." A bee lawn is a mix of grasses, flowering plants, native and non-native. Here is an article that includes a link at the end to a video about bee lawns. Here's another website from the University of Minnesota. 

Mowing is required of all spaces to keep them a lawn, whether grasses or low growing flowering plants. Otherwise trees and invasive species will come in and quickly take over. Taller plants also harbor ticks. (A study in Connecticut seems to link the presence of invasive barberry plants with increased numbers of ticks.)

It's important to note that mice carry ticks, as do dogs, rabbits, woodchucks,  other mammals, and birds. We have a few different kinds of ticks in Michigan. Here is a good guide for Michigan. Keeping a lawn mowed is key to preventing ticks because they use taller plants to grab onto you as you walk past. 

I know that this isn't an answer to your question per se. Please read the resources I linked above and then feel free to write back and ask more questions, get clarification, etc. 

Lindsey K. Kerr, MS, MHP (she, her, hers)
Consumer Horticulture Educator
Michigan State University Extension

Lindsey K. Kerr, MS, MHP (she, her, hers) Replied June 23, 2023, 2:47 PM EDT

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