Australian Astroturf

[PRK]

Rex, I'm glad to hear you had success. Sounds like a much better alternative to moss - especially for warmer climates. I'm going to give it a try in my layout and report back.

[Rex in Pinetop]

I put some of this in three years ago.  Some of it does survive the winters.  My annual maintenance consists of cutting out the dead parts each spring and clipping them during the season.  I haven't been able to get to grow flat so I have a bunch of mounds.  Still looks good though.

Rex 

[PVT Kanaka]

Patrick, Tom, and Renee:

 

Mahalo! (Thanks!)  I am certainly in the correct climate zone.  Due to a misunderstanding with a contractor, our raised bed garden is 4" of rock on top of fill dirt.  I have beenl looking for something that can either eek surival on rocks or would minimize the amount of top soil I'd have to mix into the rocks.  This might be worth a try if I see it.  For the moment, a drip sprinkler system would be a step too far, and, if that is a requirement, I'll have to pass.

Aloha,

Eric

[PRK]

PVT Kanaka

Whoa!  Give me some of that!  Any idea of the soil requirements?

 

 

I found a bit more information online:

"Australian Astroturf", Scleranthus biflorus & S. uniflorus

Light: Full sun
Soil: Well-drained, sandy or rocky soil.
Water: Regular water, drought tolerant when established.
Height: S. biflorus- 2-4” tall. S. uniflorus- 1-2”
Spread: Slowly, 6-10” in a year.
Hardiness: S. biflorus Zones 6-9, S. uniflorus Zones 7-10.

"Another moss look-alike that is in the Dianthus family. These adorable cushion plants are ideal for rock gardens, patios and paths, fairy gardens and much more. S. biflorus is the fluffier of the two species. S. uniflorus is the densest and a bit lighter green. Both species are evergreen and can tolerate light foot traffic."

http://portlandnursery.com/plants/plant-combos/moss.shtml

[Rene Schweitzer]

I fell in love with this stuff at a national convention and brought some home on the plane. I placed it on the west side of our house in a well-drained area. Sadly, it didn't survive the Wisconsin winter (Zone 5a). Perhaps it would do better in a warmer climate.

[ttrigg]

I tried and failed many times with moss ground covers that said full sun and little water. My late wife, a professional gardener, did a post mortum after my third failure. Her findings were that the deeper dirt was sucking all the moisture way below the reach of the plants. At her instructions I layed a new water sprinkler line to install a micro drip head watering system to the affected area, approximately 3 ft by 25 ft. This system delivered just under two gallons of water per hour. We found that 3 one hour waterings per day kept the plants in healthy condition and they thrived extreamly well. So well that it requires a sissor hair cut twice a year. My soil, 8 inches of compacted compost atop several feet of California white clay. This white clay is so nutrient poor absolutely nothing grows. 

[PVT Kanaka]

Whoa!  Give me some of that!  Any idea of the soil requirements?

[PRK]

Does anyone have experience using Australian Astroturf in their garden railroad? I discovered this ground cover option at a local nursery in Southern California. I'm planning to try it out, but I figured someone from the G scale community has used it before.

I've tried different types of moss to simulate grass, but none have really worked. They weren't meant for warm weather and full sun.

This plant is actually an evergreen, and according to the tag, takes full sun and little water. Sounds great!