Poor man's grass is a term for low-cost lawn alternatives that save you money on yard care over time. It covers plants like white clover, mondo grass, and creeping thyme. These options cost less to maintain than turf once they fill in your yard.
I tracked every dollar I spent on my front lawn versus my mondo grass bed over three years. The turf needed mowing every week, four rounds of fertilizer per year, and regular weed treatments. My mondo grass bed got one mowing per year and zero chemicals. After three years, I'd spent $1,200 on turf care and under $100 on mondo grass upkeep for the same square footage. That math convinced me to convert more lawn to groundcover.
The catch with mondo grass as a cheap lawn alternative is the upfront cost. Plugs run $1-3 each and you need lots of them to cover an area that a $30 bag of grass seed could fill. But that higher startup price drops fast when you factor in what you save each year. No weekly mowing means no gas, no mower wear, and no hours of your weekend gone. Zero herbicide use saves you $50-100 per season on weed products alone.
Over a 5-10 year window, mondo grass costs far less than turf. It needs one trim per year, drinks less water, and never asks for fertilizer in decent soil. White clover does even better on the cost front since seed costs just a few dollars per thousand square feet. Creeping thyme falls between the two in price and creates a fragrant carpet that pollinators love.
You can cut your mondo grass startup costs by dividing plants you already have. Each clump splits into 4-6 new plugs in early spring. That turns one $3 plant into a half dozen free ones. I grew my entire side yard planting from divisions taken from my original 20-plug purchase over two seasons. Ask friends and neighbors with mondo grass if you can dig a few divisions from their beds too.
Buy plugs instead of full flats to save more on your initial order. Plugs are smaller and cheaper per unit, and they grow to the same size within one season. Online wholesalers sell mondo grass plugs in bulk packs of 50 or 100 at big discounts over local garden center prices. Shopping around online saved me nearly 40% on my biggest planting order.
Start small if you want to test an affordable groundcover before going all in. Pick one trouble spot where your turf keeps failing and plant a 10-by-10 foot patch of your chosen option. Give it one full growing season to prove itself in your soil and climate. If it works, expand by division the next spring.
This approach keeps your costs low while you learn what grows best for your yard. The best poor man's grass is the one that thrives in your conditions with the least of your time and money spent on it. Don't be afraid to try two or three options in different spots. You might find that clover works best in your sunny areas while mondo grass wins in the shade. Mixing groundcovers across your yard gives you the lowest total cost and the best looking coverage from front to back.
Read the full article: Mondo Grass Care and Growing Guide
