Growing grass between pavers is an excellent way to enhance your landscape, adding texture and color all year long. Properly installed paver plants create a beautiful addition to any yard, but the question of whether you can grow grass between pavers remains.
The answer, as with many other landscaping questions, is that it depends on several factors.
The short answer is that you can grow grass between pavers with a little groundwork. The long answer, however, requires a more detailed explanation.
Let’s get into it
Can You Grow Grass Between Pavers?
You can grow grass between pavers. Grasses have a deep root system that will grow through the joints of brick or other hard surfaces, as long as there is enough soil to support them.
The best grasses for this purpose include creeping thyme and dwarf mondo grass because they spread slowly and require little maintenance to flourish. These are also both evergreen, meaning they will look good year-round.
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In time, they will expand and cover the gaps between the bricks. The key to success with this project is choosing a low-growing grass so that it does not overwhelm the space between the pavers.
Grasses grow between bricks perfectly, as long as there is not a walkway covering the soil. They do not like to be walked on and will die if they are constantly stepped on.
How to Grow Grass Between Pavers?
If you provide soil, lawn grasses may grow naturally to fill the spaces between the pavers or flagstone.
However, you may prefer a specific type of grass that will grow quickly and add ornamental character to your flagstones or concrete pavers. Here’s how to effectively grow your grass:
1. Preperation
Before you start trying to grow grass between pavers, you need to make sure that your soil is healthy and perfect for the task. If it’s dry, add some water.
If it’s too saturated, add some gravel or sand. Proper soil texture is key when growing grass between pavers. You will also need to fertilize and add some phosphorus to boost root growth.
2. Choose Grass
When it comes to your grass, certain types fare better than others in these difficult conditions.
If you want a hearty strain of grass that’s able to take the heat and bright sun, consider centipede or bluegrass. These two will grow between pavers the best.
St. Augustine is another option that does well between pavers, especially when you plant it in loose soil with some sand mixed in.
We Found Some Great Seeds Here
Bermuda grass works well if you layer more than one type of grass into your yard design, as it can handle both shaded and sunny areas quite nicely.
3. Seed or Sod?
Sod lasts longer and is more expensive, but seeding is much cheaper and faster. If you prefer to seed your grass, consider using a mixture of rye and bluegrass for the best results.
You can also add in some perennial ryegrass seeds to help fill in between the joints in your paver stones. Don’t forget to water your grass for about two weeks, but after that, it should be able to handle the heat on its own.
If you prefer sod instead of seeding, make sure that you lay down some weed barrier before putting down any new sod whatsoever.
This will ensure that weeds don’t end up coming through your grass and killing off healthy patches. Lay down your weed barrier about a week before you lay the sod so that it has time to settle in and dry out.
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4. Plant The Grass
It’s time to plant after you’ve prepared the soil and selected grass seed based on your climate. Spread the seed evenly in the moist soil and press it in to ensure complete contact with the soil.
Water twice a day and keep the top 2 inches of soil moist until the seed germinates, establishes, and is ready to be mowed.
Most lawn grasses germinate in one week and are established enough to mow or trim by hand by the sixth week.
Perennial grasses, such as Mondo grass, must be germinated in a nursery before being transplanted between the flagstones. They should be spaced and maintained as directed.
5. Caring For Your Grass
Once you have your grass seed in place, it’s time to start caring for it. Water using a misting hose or watering can keep the soil moist, but not saturated.
This will help keep the grass green even when there are natural fluctuations in temperature and rainfall throughout the summer months. If you do have a very hot area, consider installing a shade to help your lawn grasses thrive.
The type of grass that you have installed between your pavers can have a big impact on how well it grows. If you go with the right grass, then there is no reason why it won’t grow nicely in between your pavers.
How to Maintain Grass between Pavers
Once you have the right grass and it’s established, all that’s left is to keep an eye on it and water as needed.
Mowing the Lawn between Pavers
The lawn grasses need to be kept short for a few reasons. First, it looks nice and tidy. Second, if you allow them to grow too tall then they become difficult to walk on or mow over.
You don’t want long grass getting in your shoes or under your wheels when you’re mowing around your pavers. Make sure you use a mulching type motor when mowing, which cuts the grass up into small pieces and spreads it back over the soil.
Mulching blades are designed to reduce visible clippings from sticking in your lawn when they come off the blade.
Overseeding Lawn between Pavers
The best time to do this is after a gentle rainfall. This will help the seed settle into the soil and make sure it’s evenly distributed before you start mowing it down.
Once your grass grows a little, give it one more round of seeding. This is something you should only have to do once during the whole growing season.
Fertilizing Lawn between Pavers
This is a personal preference as some people don’t feel it’s necessary. However, fertilization will help the lawn to stay green and healthy throughout the growing season.
Another advantage is that it will help suppress weeds if you have any in your area, which can grow much faster than grass.
Weed Control for Lawn between Pavers
Use the proper type of weed control for your lawn grasses. If you go with Bermuda this is likely not an issue, but if you have St. Augustine or other lawn types then get the right product to spray on it to keep weeds out of your beautiful paver home entrances and walkways.
Maintaining the health of the turf grasses between your pavers will greatly reduce your need to weed-whack and increase the life as well as the beauty of your pavers.
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Tips To Grow Grass Between Pavers
There’s a reason why professionals choose to install grass between pavers – it looks great! The green color and texture are an excellent contrast to brick and stone pavers, and the sod provides a soft landing spot for feet.
However, there are several things you should consider before paving over your yard with paver plants.
In hot summers, grass between pavers may dry up and die. This is because the paver blocks sunlight from reaching the sod, which can cause it to become parched.
While this typically isn’t a problem in milder climates, there are several options you can use to make sure your grass remains healthy even when living between pavers.
Placing a layer of mulch beneath your sod creates an insulating effect, giving it the moisture it needs even during periods where sun exposure is reduced.
By covering the soil with organic matter, you also prevent weed growth between pavers. This keeps your yard healthy and enhances its beauty, creating a lush landscape all year long.
Another option for growing grass between pavers is to select a type of sod that thrives in low light.
For instance, fescue or bluegrass tends to do well when living beneath pavers, whereas Bermuda can become stressed during hot summers because it requires more sunlight than your bricks and stones will allow.
You can also plant creeping thyme between pavers instead of grass. The herbaceous ground cover has a nice, rich color that thrives with minimal sunlight and remains green all year long.
This is the perfect paver plant for those who aren’t as concerned with having an actual lawn living between pavers but still want to enjoy the benefits of green coloring and textural contrast.
Can Grass Grow Over Pavers?
Yes, Grass can grow over pavers. However, it will not be as tall as grass that is planted in soil and requires mowing.
If you want to grow grass over pavers but retain the look of grass that is planted in soil, consider putting down sod instead. You will get an even better lawn than if you were to plant grass into the spaces between your pavers.
Sod is already established and requires little maintenance. The cuttings are taken from mature blades so it is able to handle drought from rain or irrigation systems.
Conclusion
Whether you’re planting your grass between pavers for the first time or it’s been a few years and things aren’t looking so hot, there are some steps you can take to get that green lawn back.
We’ve outlined them above in hopes of giving you peace of mind when caring for your yard this summer!
If all else fails, we also have solutions like sod laying down which will make maintaining your lawn much easier.
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