Ornamental · Convolvulaceae
Dichondra
Dichondra
A soft mat of coin-shaped leaves that gives you a lawn you barely mow or a silver waterfall spilling over a pot.
Full sun
Every 3–7 days
60–120 days
USDA 8–12
Overview
Dichondra is a low, mat-forming groundcover in the morning glory family, and it's named for those small kidney-shaped leaves that earned it nicknames like ponysfoot and kidney-weed. It rises only an inch or two above the ground and travels sideways on stems that root as they wander, so just a handful of plants can grow together into a broad, soft carpet. In warm regions, many gardeners choose it because that gentle green mat beats a thirsty, high-mow lawn.
One name covers two very different plants, which is good to know early on. The green lawn forms, D. repens and D. micrantha, give you a lovely low-mow turf substitute that enjoys steady moisture. The silver-leaved 'Silver Falls' is a drought-tolerant trailer, loved for the way its felted stems spill over the lip of a container or basket. There's a wild cousin too, D. carolinensis, that tends to show up uninvited in weak turf.
None of it asks much of you beyond sun and good drainage, which makes it a kind plant to learn on. It welcomes full sun to partial shade and copes with a wide swing of temperatures, though it will rot in soggy ground and grows unhappy under constant foot traffic. Offer it a well-drained spot and a bit of patience while it fills in, and from there it mostly looks after itself.
Care
The short version: give it full sun to partial shade in well-drained soil, keep steady moisture for the green lawn types and a much drier hand for silver 'Silver Falls', and make sure there's good drainage every single time.
Light
Dichondra is happiest in full sun, yet it accepts partial sun and partial shade without grumbling, so a less-than-perfect spot is fine. The green lawn types hold their density better with plenty of light, and 'Silver Falls' shows off its bright silver color best wherever the sun can reach it.
Water
This is where the two kinds go their separate ways, so it helps to know yours. Green lawn dichondra loves steady moisture and drinks a fair bit, while silver 'Silver Falls' grows very drought tolerant once established and would rather have dry to medium soil. Both ask for good drainage, so water on roughly a 3 to 7 day rhythm and never let the ground sit soggy.
Soil
Settle it into well-drained sandy loam or a decent garden loam, because drainage truly matters most for groundcover use. A pH anywhere from 6.0 to 7.5 keeps it content, which means most everyday garden soil is already right where it needs to be.
Temperature
Dichondra takes a generous range in stride, from about 30°F to 100°F (-1°C to 38°C), which is why it does so well in warm-climate gardens. Cold is the one thing it can't shrug off, and 'Silver Falls' especially is frost tender and lost to a freeze, so plan for that.
Humidity
Ordinary outdoor humidity is all it wants, so there's no special level for you to chase. The only thing to watch is damp, crowded foliage, since leaves that stay wet too long can invite leaf spot.
Feeding
Feed it monthly through the spring and summer growing season, and it's hard to go wrong. Give the green lawn types a higher-nitrogen feed to encourage dense, even growth, and keep 'Silver Falls' on a much lighter diet so it trails gracefully rather than bulking up.
Pruning
Trim the trailing stems to shape the plant and keep its spread within bounds, which is worth doing since it roots at the nodes as it goes. The green lawn type is very forgiving here, so feel free to mow it or leave it unmown as suits you.
Repotting
Plan to repot container plants seasonally, particularly the fast-growing 'Silver Falls', and don't fret about getting the timing perfect. Move them up when roots begin circling the pot, when the rootball dries out quickly after watering, or when the stems spill well past the rim with little fresh growth.
Size & spacing
Each plant keeps low, just 1 to 3 inches (2 to 8 cm) tall, while spreading wide to reach 2 to 4 feet (60 to 120 cm) across. Space your plants far enough apart that the rooting stems can close the gaps and grow together into one continuous mat.
When to plant
Dichondra is a warm-season grower that doesn't care for hard cold, so timing helps it thrive. Start your seed indoors in early spring, around 6 to 8 weeks before your last frost, then sow or set plants out from April to May once the soil has warmed. You can look forward to quiet, inconspicuous greenish-yellow to white flowers in May and June.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Sow: early spring, about 6-8 weeks before last frost
- Plant: after last frost when soil has warmed, April to May
- Harvest: inconspicuous greenish-yellow to white flowers May to June
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 8–12
Temperature: down to -12°C
Troubleshooting
Most dichondra troubles come back to the spot it's growing in rather than any fault of the plant, so don't be discouraged. Thin patches, rot, and pest damage tend to follow heavy traffic, poor drainage, or a stand that simply hasn't filled in yet. Match what you're seeing below, fix the conditions first, and things usually turn around.
Yellowing and slumping in cold or waterlogged ground
When the soil stays wet and won't drain, you may see root and stem rot take hold, and a hard chill will undo frost-tender 'Silver Falls'. The good news is this is recoverable: open up the drainage, water with a lighter touch, and tuck potted 'Silver Falls' somewhere sheltered before the first frost arrives. Anything growing in well-drained sandy loam can simply be replanted come spring, once the ground has warmed again.
Fix:
- Improve drainage and reduce irrigation frequency
- Move container 'Silver Falls' under cover or indoors before frost
- Plant in well-drained sandy loam
- Replant in spring once soil warms
Patchy thin spots where feet keep landing
Try not to worry if the busy paths look sparse while the quiet corners knit together nicely, because dichondra is simply slow to settle in and was never meant for steady footsteps. The kindest fix is to keep it to small, calm spots and stay off the young mat until it has filled. When you do find thin areas, you can overseed them, keep them evenly moist, and offer nitrogen to coax fuller, denser growth.
Fix:
- Limit dichondra lawns to small, low-traffic areas
- Keep foot traffic off until the mat is fully established
- Overseed or plug thin areas and keep evenly moist
- Fertilize with nitrogen to encourage dense growth
Nibbled leaves and dark flecks on the foliage
A few flea beetles and cutworms will gnaw the leaves and clip off tender seedlings, and leaf-spot diseases like Alternaria can freckle the foliage when the weather turns damp. Take heart, because a healthy, thick stand handles most of this quietly on its own. Watering early in the day lets the leaves dry quickly, you can pluck off any badly spotted foliage, and your local extension is glad to suggest controls if the trouble keeps spreading.
Fix:
- Maintain vigorous, dense growth to outgrow minor damage
- Reduce leaf wetness by watering early in the day
- Remove and dispose of severely spotted foliage
- Consult local extension for control options
Toxicity
Here's a reassuring note for pet owners and parents: dichondra is not toxic. It doesn't show up on the ASPCA's poison lists, so cats, dogs, and the other animals around your garden can be near it without any risk. A pet that gobbles a lot of foliage might feel a brief, mild stomach upset, but the same goes for nearly any plant.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats None
You can relax about your cat here, since this is a safe plant for them. Should a cat graze a good amount of foliage, it might feel a quick, gentle tummy upset, just as it would with any greenery, and nothing worse than that.
Dogs None
Your dog is welcome to sniff around it freely. Gulping down a big mouthful of leaves could lead to a passing spell of loose stool, but there's no genuine toxin involved to worry you.
Horses Safe
You needn't fret about horses at all. The trailing stems and little kidney-shaped leaves hold nothing that would harm them, even if a horse grazes right across the mat.
Rabbits Safe
Rabbits are free to nibble the soft foliage to their heart's content, and plenty of them treat a patch like any other leafy green without any bother.
Livestock Safe
Grazing cattle, goats, and sheep have nothing to be wary of with this plant. It carries no toxin that would trouble a browsing animal.
Birds Safe
Both backyard and pet birds do just fine around dichondra. They're welcome to peck at the leaves with no harm done.
People Safe
You can keep this one near children with an easy mind. It isn't raised as food, yet a leaf in a curious little mouth carries no real danger.
Not poisonous, but pets that nibble foliage may experience at most mild, self-limiting GI upset, as with any plant.
Varieties
Dichondra isn't a single plant but a small family, and the right choice for you depends on whether you'd like a lawn, a trailer for a pot, or simply the know-how to spot the weed. Here are the three that are worth telling apart.
Dichondra repens / Dichondra micrantha
Its green, coin-shaped kidney leaves creep along on rooting stems, knitting together into a fine, barely-mowed lawn substitute and groundcover wherever the climate stays warm.
Dichondra argentea 'Silver Falls'
Felted silvery leaves tumble down quick cascading stems, giving you a tender, drought-tolerant trailing accent for containers and hanging baskets that's simply grown as an annual where winters turn cold.
Dichondra carolinensis
The wild Carolina ponysfoot is the creeping lawn weed you'll find appearing in thin, weak turf throughout the South.
How to propagate
Multiplying dichondra is wonderfully easy, because its stems put down roots wherever they brush the ground. Depending on which type you have, you can begin a fresh stand from seed, lift rooted pieces, or take a few cuttings.
SeedModerate
Spring, April to May after soil warms · Several weeks to months to form a dense mat
Most people begin a green dichondra lawn from seed, and it's a forgiving way to start. Sow it in spring, from April to May once the soil has warmed, and simply keep the ground evenly moist as it germinates. Give it a little patience, since it can take several weeks to months to weave into a dense mat.
DivisionEasy
Spring to early summer · A few weeks
Since the stems take root as they trail across the soil, you can gently lift rooted sections and relocate them in spring or early summer. They move over happily and settle into their new home within a few weeks.
Stem cuttingsEasy
Spring to summer · 2 to 4 weeks
Trailing stems root so willingly at the nodes that cuttings become the easiest path to more 'Silver Falls'. Take them anytime from spring through summer, and they'll send down roots in 2 to 4 weeks.
Myths
Dichondra is only ever a lawn weed, or else always a welcome lawn of its own.
Both can be true, and it really comes down to which plant you have in mind. The cultivated lawn forms (D. repens/micrantha) and trailing 'Silver Falls' are treasured ornamentals, whereas a wild dichondra like D. carolinensis creeps in as a weed where turf grows thin and weak across the South. On its own the plant is neither good nor bad; the species and the setting are what decide.