Ecoturf is a lawn that stays green all summer, needs mowing only once every three weeks and, once established, rarely needs water or fertilizer.
Sounds like the answer to the problem with lawns: the continual maintenance and the environmental impact. Even though ecoturf looks green and soft and tidy enough, many of us are not buying it.
I talked with the Oregon State University researcher who developed ecoturf. Keeping a perfect green lawn is a losing battle in the Northwest, where undesirable winter annual grasses such as rattail fescue overpower desirable perennial grasses, he told me. He thinks there ought to be a better choice. Developing ecoturf is a non-funded pet project he has been working on since the mid-1980s. He doesn’t make any money off the sale.
Ecoturf mixes cost more and they take a little longer to get established. But once it’s established, the benefits outweigh traditional water-sucking lawns.
Look for ecoturf locally at major nurseries such as Molbak’s in Woodinville (425-483-5000) or Swanson’s Nursery in Seattle (206-782-2543). Call to check on availability. You also can order by mail from Nichol’s Garden Nursery (541-928-9280). It’s sold under various brand names such as Ecology Lawn.
If you’re already growing it, tell me how it’s working for you: dsmith@heraldnet.com.
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