Wicked Tuff Turf Hillside Stabilizer Seed

A slope that keeps washing out doesn’t need a pretty lawn — it needs roots that hold. This blend is engineered for exactly that job.

Old Cobblers Farm™ Wicked Tuff Turf Hillside Stabilizer is an erosion-control blend for slopes, banks, and disturbed soil — not an ornamental lawn. Unlike a turf mix, it prioritizes root development, soil binding, and survival in tough conditions over appearance. It pairs fast, soil-holding grasses with two nitrogen-fixing legumes that keep the stand going on poor soils without regular fertilizer.

Why this species mix

•     Creeping Red Fescue (43%): spreads via rhizomes to knit soil together; tolerates shade from nearby plants; low maintenance.

•     Perennial Ryegrass (33%): fast establishment for immediate erosion protection; fibrous roots stabilize the surface.

•     Redtop (8%): a native grass (Agrostis gigantea) that colonizes wet, acidic, and compacted soils where finer grasses fail. It’s coarse and aggressive — “weedy” for a lawn, but exactly what you want for stabilization.

•     Alsike Clover (8%): a nitrogen-fixing legume that tolerates wetter, acidic soils (pH 5.5+).

•     Empire Birdsfoot Trefoil (8%): a perennial legume with a deep 3–4 ft taproot that anchors slopes and accesses deep moisture; fixes 80–150 lb nitrogen per acre a year; yellow flowers (May–Sept) benefit pollinators.

Key Benefits

•     Holds slopes: spreading and deep roots anchor and bind disturbed soil.

•     Self-sustaining: 16% nitrogen-fixing legumes mean little to no fertilizer once established.

•     Wet and dry: trefoil and fescue handle drought; Redtop and alsike clover take seasonally wet ground.

•     Very low maintenance: often left unmowed; minimal long-term upkeep.

•     Pollinator-friendly: trefoil’s summer flowers support pollinators.

Best Uses

•     Slopes and banks over 15% grade

•     Highway and roadway cuts and fills

•     Retention-pond banks and swales

•     Stream banks (above the normal water line)

•     Construction sites, ditches, and any disturbed soil needing stabilization

Important Notes

•     ⚠ Alsike clover — toxic to horses: this mix contains alsike clover, which can be toxic to horses. Do not use it where horses will graze.

•     ⚠ Not an ornamental lawn: with coarse Redtop and legume flowers it looks rugged and naturalistic (“weedy”), not manicured. Choose a turf mix for high-visibility lawns.

•     Traffic tolerance is low — it’s not for foot paths; slopes shouldn’t be walked or mowed regularly anyway (use stepping stones or a defined path if needed).

•     Many slope plantings are left unmowed (stabilizes at 8–18 inches); if mowing, keep it at 3.5–4.5 inches, infrequently.

•     Legumes need at least 4 hours of sun for nitrogen fixation.

•     Seed only — not a fertilizer.

Why Choose Old Cobblers Farm™?

This blend is purpose-built for a hard job — stabilizing slopes and disturbed soil where ordinary lawn seed fails — combining fast, soil-binding grasses, a tough colonizer in Redtop, and deep-rooted nitrogen-fixing legumes for a self-sustaining, very-low-maintenance cover.