A question I get quite often is what can I plant for a low maintenance type lawn? Soil type and the amount of available water will play a big part in what will grow best for a low maintenance strategy. Our soils are notoriously low in organic matter. All of the xeric type grasses will thrive better when soil conditions are improved. Incorporating organic matter like peat moss, aged manure or compost at up to 3 cubic yards per 1,000 square feet will definitely help. Incorporating this into the top 6 inches of soil is recommended.
Even drought-enduring grasses need water to get started. They also need occasional watering during prolonged dry spells. Several drought-enduring grasses are warm-season types. Blue grama and buffalo grass are a couple of examples. These two native grasses will perform well with deep irrigation about once a month. These grasses do best on a sandy or sandy-loam type soil. Heavy clay soils limit their adaptability. They are both slow growing and thus need infrequent or no mowing depending on the appearance desired. They are attractive when left unmoved because of the flower and seed head.
Outlying areas, where soil cover is needed but appearance and foot traffic are not as important can be planted to various course grasses. Some of these may be bunch types. Examples include smooth brome and wheatgrasses. The key to drought-tolerance, regardless of variety chosen, is deep root development. This is brought about by deep and through soil preparation and deep, infrequent watering.
