Ornamental · Convolvulaceae
Dichondra
Dichondra
A flat carpet of small round green leaves that serves as a lawn you rarely mow or pours over a pot in silver.
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, named for its small kidney-shaped leaves, the source of common names like ponysfoot and kidney-weed. The foliage sits barely an inch or two above the soil, and the plant travels sideways on stems that strike roots as they go, so a handful of starts can spread into a broad green carpet. Gardeners in warm regions choose it where a soft leafy mat beats a thirsty, high-mow lawn.
One name covers two very different plants. The green lawn forms, D. repens and D. micrantha, lay down a fine low-mow turf substitute that wants steady moisture. The silver-leaved 'Silver Falls' is a drought-tough trailer grown for the way its felted, pale stems spill over the lip of a container or basket. A wild cousin, D. carolinensis, creeps in uninvited through weak turf.
None of it asks for much past sun and sharp drainage. The plant takes full sun to partial shade and shrugs off a wide swing of temperatures, yet it rots in waterlogged ground and sulks where feet keep landing. Hand it a well-drained spot and a little patience while it fills in, and it mostly looks after itself.
Care
The short version: full sun to partial shade in well-drained soil, with steady moisture for the green lawn forms and a far drier touch for silver 'Silver Falls', and sharp drainage in every case.
Light
Dichondra does best in full sun, though it accepts partial sun and partial shade without much fuss. The green lawn forms hold a tighter mat in bright light, and 'Silver Falls' keeps its pale, silvery sheen strongest where the sun reaches the leaves.
Water
This is where the two forms split. Green lawn dichondra wants steady moisture and drinks heavily, while silver 'Silver Falls' turns very drought tolerant once established and leans toward dry to medium soil. Both demand sharp drainage, so water on roughly a 3 to 7 day beat and never let the ground go soggy.
Soil
Set it in well-drained sandy loam or a sound garden loam, since for groundcover use drainage counts above all else. A pH falling anywhere from 6.0 to 7.5 suits it, which puts most ordinary garden soil already in the right band.
Temperature
Dichondra takes a broad span, somewhere from 30°F to 100°F (-1°C to 38°C), which is why it settles so well into warm-climate gardens. Cold is the soft spot, and 'Silver Falls' especially is frost tender and cut down by a freeze.
Humidity
Plain outdoor humidity is all it wants, so there's no figure to chase. The one real hazard is damp, packed foliage, since leaves that stay wet for long stretches draw in leaf spot.
Feeding
Feed monthly across the spring and summer growing season. Hand the green lawn forms a higher-nitrogen feed to drive a thick, even mat, and keep 'Silver Falls' on a far leaner diet so it trails out instead of thickening.
Pruning
Cut back the trailing stems to shape the plant and rein in its reach, which counts since it spreads by rooting at the nodes. The green lawn form takes this in stride, so you can mow it or leave it unmown as you like.
Repotting
Potted plants want a fresh container seasonally, the quick-growing 'Silver Falls' most of all. Step them up when roots begin to circle the pot, the rootball drains dry soon after watering, or the stems pour well past the rim with little fresh growth.
Size & spacing
Each plant stays flat, just 1 to 3 inches (2 to 8 cm) tall, yet runs wide, reaching 2 to 4 feet (60 to 120 cm) across. Space the starts with enough room for the rooting stems to bridge the gaps and weave one unbroken mat.
When to plant
Dichondra runs on warm-season growth and bends little to hard cold. Begin seed indoors in early spring, roughly 6 to 8 weeks before your last frost, then sow or set the plants out from April to May once the soil has warmed. Look for inconspicuous greenish-yellow to white flowers across 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 trouble with dichondra comes down to where it sits, not the plant itself. Thin patches, rot, and pest damage tend to trail heavy traffic, poor drainage, or a stand that never closed in. Find the match below and put the conditions right first.
Sallow, slumping foliage in cold or sodden ground
When the soil sits wet and won't drain, the roots and stems start to rot from the base, and frost finishes off 'Silver Falls', whose silvery growth has no cold hardiness. Open up the drainage, water with a lighter hand, and bring potted 'Silver Falls' under shelter ahead of the first freeze. Plants given a gritty, well-drained sandy loam can go back in once spring warms the ground.
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
Thin, bare gaps in the green mat where feet pass
The little round leaves are slow to knit together, and the mat never holds up well where shoes land, so the well-trodden lanes stay open while quiet corners weave shut. Keep the planting small and out of the way, and stay off the carpet of foliage until it has closed in. Reseed the gaps, hold the soil evenly moist, and feed nitrogen to drive thick, leafy fill.
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 leaf edges and dark blotches on the foliage
Flea beetles and cutworms gnaw the small leaves and cut down soft young seedlings, while damp spells let leaf-spot diseases like Alternaria stain the foliage with dark marks. A thick, healthy stand grows past most of this without help. Water early so the leaves dry quickly, strip out the worst of the spotted growth, and check with your local extension if the marking 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
Good news for pet owners and parents: dichondra is not toxic. It doesn't appear on the ASPCA's poison lists, and cats, dogs, and the other animals around the garden can be near it without risk. A pet that wolfs down a lot of foliage might get a brief, mild stomach upset, but that's true of almost any plant.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats None
Cats are safe around it. A cat that crops a mouthful of the little green leaves might feel a short, mild stomach turn, no different from chewing any other greenery, and nothing past that.
Dogs None
Dogs can sniff and graze the low foliage with no concern. Gulping a large clump of leaves may bring a brief loose stool, but no actual toxin is in play.
Horses Safe
Horses face no risk from this one. The creeping stems and tiny kidney-shaped leaves hold nothing harmful, even when a horse crops the mat down.
Rabbits Safe
Rabbits can crop the soft little leaves at will, and many take to a patch as they would any leafy green without any upset.
Livestock Safe
Cattle, goats, and sheep grazing the foliage have nothing to fear. There is no toxin in the plant to harm a browsing animal.
Birds Safe
Garden birds and pet birds stay fine around dichondra. Pecking at the small leaves does them no harm.
People Safe
Fine to keep where children play. It is not raised for the table, but a leaf reaching a curious 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 is less a single plant than a small cluster, and the one you want turns on whether you mean a lawn, a trailer for a pot, or just the weed to know on sight. Here are the three worth keeping apart.
Dichondra repens / Dichondra micrantha
Round, coin-sized kidney leaves in plain green creep along rooting stems to build a fine, low-growing mat that stands in for a lawn or carpets the ground in warm regions.
Dichondra argentea 'Silver Falls'
Felted, silver-toned leaves stream down quick-running trailing stems, giving a tender, drought-tough cascade for pots and hanging baskets, kept as an annual wherever the winters bite.
Dichondra carolinensis
This wild Carolina ponysfoot is the creeping lawn weed that turns up in thin, weak turf across the South.
How to propagate
Dichondra multiplies easily because the stems root wherever they brush the soil. You can begin a fresh stand from seed, lift rooted pieces, or take cuttings, depending on which form you have in hand.
SeedModerate
Spring, April to May after soil warms · Several weeks to months to form a dense mat
For a green lawn of the little round leaves, seed is the standard route. Scatter it in spring, from April to May once the soil has warmed, and hold the ground evenly damp through germination. Give it time, because knitting into a thick mat runs several weeks to months.
DivisionEasy
Spring to early summer · A few weeks
Since the trailing stems strike roots as they creep over the soil, rooted sections lift cleanly and can be shifted in spring or early summer. They take to a new spot easily and root in within a few weeks.
Stem cuttingsEasy
Spring to summer · 2 to 4 weeks
The trailing stems throw roots readily right at the leaf nodes, so cuttings are the easiest path to more 'Silver Falls'. Snip them anytime from spring through summer and they set roots in 2 to 4 weeks.
Myths
Dichondra is nothing but a lawn weed, or else it is always a wanted lawn.
Both can be true, and it hangs on which plant you have in front of you. The garden lawn forms (D. repens/micrantha) and the trailing 'Silver Falls' are valued ornamentals, while a wild kind such as D. carolinensis creeps in as a weed through thin, weak turf in the South. No single verdict fits the plant; the species and where it grows settle the question.