Sustainable Landscapes —

Converting Lawn to Prairie

Many of Vogt’s projects involve transforming a traditional lawn to a high-functioning native planting. His preferred method for killing lawn in one application of glyphosate and to allow the turf to die in place. He will then plant plugs into the detritus, which also provides some mulching services including moisture retention. “We use it because it won’t be residual in the soil. It’s just targeting the foliage,” reported Vogt. “Usually, one application does it and the more pristine the lawn, the warmer it is outside, the quicker it kills. We’ve had no problem plugging into these landscapes or having issues with plant growth. I don’t like using this stuff, so we only apply it once and as warranted in a turf situation. It’s a tool. It’s cost effective. It’s labor effective. You’re not disturbing the soil. You’re not bringing up weeds. You’re not having to use expensive machinery.”

Once the lawn is killed off, the site dictates the plants and what methodology is used to install the native species. Vogt prefers to use plugs on new sites but will also utilize seed mixes. “There’s a million variables to plant mixes and I base it all on the site,” commented Vogt. “There’s size of site, soil type, drainage, amount of sunlight, client goals, their timeline, and budget. Choosing plants for a small front yard is far different than 10,000 feet or an acre. There’s also timeline – if the client wants a fall install, then we have to use grass plugs and do it in early fall to give them enough time to root out. If we install in spring, we could also seed in a matrix of bunchgrasses, but seeding in the matrix can lead to more weed pressure the first year. If a client balks at a price point where I’ve proposed using all plugs, we can bring that down a bit by offering to try seeding the matrix and explain the caveats of doing so (more weeds, longer establishment time, etc).”

In the Midwest and across the U.S., lawn is the predominant home garden paradigm. More and more homeowners are becoming involved and interested in conservation. There are more requests to convert conventional turf to a native landscape that not only brings butterflies and bees to the yard, but also can help with stormwater, thrive in drought, and sequester carbon. Plus, it speaks to the sense of place of a landscape. “This is where we live. This is where we work,” extolls Vogt. “It can be really emotional, especially when talking with people. You know you’re going against the flow. You know you are subverting the dominant landscape, the dominant culture, when you take out lawns. And it’s not easy. I think the easiest part of doing these landscapes is actually installing the plants. The hardest part is the years that come afterwards and keeping up with management. Plus talking with and educating the neighbors, laborers,