Hi Lou,

Dichondra repens is ideally suited to moist conditions, but will do well in dry shaded areas also. Dry areas with full sun might be presenting a problem - is the area you're moving it from dry and shaded, or moist and full sun?

The problem might be transplant shock.

An easy solution would be to dig up sections of the plant, then pot them and slowly introduce them to the conditions of your desired other area (this is called 'hardening off', do a google for more info). But dry conditions in full sun might be too tough for Kidney Weed.

Being a stoloniferous plant, even one transplanted patch of material succeeding in a new area will eventually cover the area you wany it too, it grows pretty fast. So maybe pot half a dozen up, harden them off and then plant them out to increase your chances. You could even try seed.

Also finally, do you know that the tube stock you're getting actually is Dichondra repens? 7 out of 10 times, nurseries will market Dichondra micrantha as Kidney Weed under the umberella of a lawn replacement. This species is not native.

Thanks for that. I'll try protecting it from transplant shock as you suggest. The tubestock 'takes' well in the parts of "lawn' that I figure are the most difficult - which I decided to plant up as a test area first. The tubestock and what's already in the garden look absolutely the same and I'm getting the tubestock from a very reputable native nursery so I'm confident I'm getting what I'm seeking.
regards,

No worries, Lou.

The tubestock you're using has probably been hardened off already, hence why it is taking. By dividing what you've already got and letting it grow in a pot for a month to 6 weeks, you should solve your transplanting problems.

Good luck, Lou!

BTW, is the Merri Creek Society that you mentioned in your original post?

I've had great success transplanting Dichondra repens by cutting 10cm deep plugs out of established patches, using a cutter made from a jam tin. The trick seems to be to keep everything wet - both watering the source area before cutting, and making sure the plug goes into a wet hole (made with the same cutter). I transplanted into sunny areas, but sheltered the results with shade cloth on frames until it was established.
However I had considerable later losses due to drought. They were greater in sunny areas. I also had failures which I thought had more to do with my attempt to grow dichondra in an area that had been mulched (over the natural clay loam) with sand. Dichondra grows well in my naturally clayey soil, but in the sanded areas I don't think the roots, which are very shallow, got down to the good stuff.
Trish

Dear All!

I met Dichondra repens in an Italian town few weeks ago. It was a carpet made from it, and it was beautiful!

I'd like to ask you to help me to get know this plant. i would like to use it in my country, but i don't know it's climatic requirements. Can you tell me where can i find an all-in description about Dichondra repens?

Thank you in advance!
zanni

Does anyone know of a supplier, seed or plants, preferable north queensland?

Thanks for all that advice. The back garden is now thickly covered with the dichondra repens. Planting from pots did the trick, either starting with seed or pulling sections out of the garden & potting up. It did not die off as quickly as the remaining grass during the drought and revived more quickly once the rain set in last year. There are still a few weeds pushing through in a few places but it is getting so thick they won't survive for much longer. It does grow longer than I wanted in the shady areas (we have occasional snakes and I want it to lie very close to the ground so I can see them). However my husband no longer needs to haul the mower down the steep back yard to mow and it is a luscious green, healthy cover.

My Dichondra repens has been spreading very slowly over a shady back "lawn" for 2 years. Mowing every month during the growing season has kept it low, dense and lush.
I am now using a spade to transplant rectangles (20 x 10 cm and 10 cm deep) and dotting them over the rest of the sparse "lawn". Now that I'm watering before and after and with this mild Autumn weather the tendrils are ready to move into the moist surrounding soil. This is proving far more effective than my previous half hearted attempts at other times of the year. For a large area seed, although costly, would be easier.