Kikuyu in the Village
Most Village turf is a blend of Kikuyu grass that is native to the highland regions of East Africa, home to the Kikuyu people. This warm-season grass, which spreads quickly and thrives in areas with moderate temperatures, is seldom intentionally established as a residential turfgrass due to its highly invasive nature. Often referred to as a “super weed,” Kikuyu invaded the Village many years ago and has a strong foothold in the turf areas.
Landscaping Services staff asks residents for patience regarding the numerous requests made to reseed turf areas. Kikuyu goes dormant in cooler weather, often appearing dead in its dormant state. Once seasons change and weather warms, it takes several weeks for Kikuyu to emerge from dormancy and begin an extremely vigorous growth pattern. Kikuyu grass spreads quickly via its extensive underground root structure, or rhizomes, and vigorous horizontal surface stems, or stolons. Under ideal growing conditions, Kikuyu can grow up to 1 inch per day in the summer months.
Landscaping staff will review reseeding requests and over-seed where appropriate. Once the weather heats up, new seed is impractical, as it requires too much water. Water costs are at an all-time high, precluding any hot weather over-seeding.
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