Native Mow Free Sod and Native Grassland Sod

Native Mow Free Sod and Native Grassland Sod

This is George from Sod and Seed and today I'm going to be covering two longer-style grasses. We're going to have our Native Mow Free and our Delta California mix. You can read on or watch the video below to learn about these two native plants. 

Native Plants

The samples in the video were cut the day before,. They arrived at our shop but we were busy doing installations, so we couldn't get to them and bring them out to showcase. The two blends, the Native Mow Free sod and the Native Grassland sod, are two of our more popular blends in the native selection. As you can see in the video, they have a great green color to them!

Mowing Native Grasses

The sod sample in the video are regularly mowed. As you can see by their height, they are mowed but left to grow to a taller height, so the sod is left to grow out a bit. What you see in the samples in the video is an example of these two sod types with the wispy look to them. Generally, it is recommended to keep them at the height you see in the video. The Native Mow Free and the Native Grassland mix can be grown up to 12-18 inches, but at that height they can start to pose some challenges. For instance, the long blades laying over themselves and impeding an even distribution of watering.

Lawn Care Tip

One rule of thumb to always abide by is to never cut more than one third of the blade height at once. For instance, if we have the Native Mow Free or Native Grassland mix sod grown out to one foot, you only want to cut off three inches (can be four inches but three inches to be safe) and then work your way down to your preferred height each week.

CLICK HERE to view our Native Mow Free

Native Lawns

In the video, we cut out two sod samples. One sample for the Native Mow Free or No Mow sod and another sample of the Delta Grassland sod mix. Both grass types are going to have standard rooting. The Native Mow Free may have a little bit of a thicker mat and this is because it is a mix of fine fescues that grow really tight together. The Native Mow Free also offers great shade tolerance. 

Cutting Sod

You don't need anything fancy to cut through sod. For purposes of this video, or if you're at home installing your own sod, a standard sharp bladed knife will do the job. Note, the blade will go dull by the end of the day, so don't use a knife that you can't sharpen or that you really, really like. (Guys, try not using your wife's kitchen knifes.)

Native Grass Seed

As we know, both sod types featured in our video are native grasses, grown with native grass seed. The difference between our Native Mow Free and other Mow Free sods is that the seeds used to grow the Native Mow Free were sourced pre-1830. Essentially, grass seed from a preserved seed bank was used to grow the sod on land that had not been contaminated with foreign plants or seeds. With migration during this time, came many new plant types and seed types that mixed with the native plant life in the US. For example, some of the most popular sod types we see now were brought to feed livestock. 

Drought Tolerant Native Grass

One reason native plants are so important is that they were naturally occurring in the region, not brought from the outside. There were some parts of the country that had not been contaminated by settlers and this gave the opportunity to grow native grass seed. In the video, you'll see our Native California blend right next to our Native Mow Free sod. Both these native plants are fine-bladed grasses. They will both do well in mixed sunny-shady areas. The biggest reason we use natives is because of the 50% less water use.

Thank You!

If you have any questions about comparing these two types of grasses, feel free to give us a call. Our number here is 925-435-7874.

And have a good day!