Frog Grass

Frog Grass (Axonopus compressus) Supplier in the Philippines

Frog grass is the Philippine name for a low, shade-tolerant, no-mow lawn grass, best identified as a dwarf, low-growing form of Axonopus compressus (broadleaf carpet grass). That is the same species the Philippines calls carabao grass (kulape), so the simplest accurate description is: carabao grass, but it stays short. It holds a lawn in partial shade and damp, poor soil where bermuda thins out, and it barely needs mowing.

We supply it at ₱100 per square meter, dropping to ₱85 per square meter above 10 sqm, and we confirm the grass by leaf and sod sample before you commit, because PH turf names are used loosely. For a finer, cleaner-install sun lawn, see our blue grass (fine zoysia) page.

What Frog Grass Is

Frog grass is a vernacular turf name for a low, compact, fast-creeping carpet grass sold by the square meter. The species is Axonopus compressus, specifically a dwarf form, and that is the same species as PH carabao grass. So frog grass is, in plain terms, the dwarf no-mow version of carabao grass. PH sellers do not usually attach a botanical name to it, so this page names it properly.

Do not confuse it with two things:

• Frogfruit (Phyla nodiflora). An entirely different plant, a creeping broadleaf groundcover (not a grass) used as a lawn alternative abroad. Similar-sounding name, unrelated plant.¹
• The fine zoysia. Some sellers loosely tag frog grass “Korean grass,” which is the blue-grass zoysia, a botanically distant plant. Rule it out by the broad carpet blade.

The Trade-Name Tangle

PH turf names overlap badly, and frog grass is in the thick of it. One marketplace listing bundles “Frog Grass / Blue Grass / Carabao Grass / Bermuda Grass” under a single title; a Bulacan farm sells “Frog Grass, also called Korean Grass”; another account treats frog grass as separate from blue grass but describes it as a short carabao grass (the opposite family from zoysia).

Net: “frog grass,” “Korean grass,” “carabao grass,” “blue grass,” and “bermuda” get used loosely and sometimes bundled on one listing. The only reliable move, and our standing rule: identify by leaf and habit, confirmed by a sod sample, never by the name alone.

Botanical Identity

No PH seller assigns frog grass a binomial, but the plant is identifiable. The broad, soft, blunt carpet blade, the fast low lateral spread, the shade tolerance, and the “short carabao grass” resemblance all point to Axonopus compressus, the broadleaf carpet grass. The accepted name is Axonopus compressus (Sw.) P.Beauv. per Plants of the World Online.² Crucially, A. compressus is the same species the Philippines calls carabao grass / kulape, so frog grass and carabao grass are not different species, they are the same plant in two growth forms:

• Frog grass is the dwarf, low form: stays at about 5 cm, rarely flowers, holds a tidy low lawn.
• Carabao grass is the standard taller form: foliage 15 to 20 cm with flowering culms 30 to 45 cm, leggier.

A nearby cousin, narrowleaf carpet grass (Axonopus fissifolius), is finer and less stoloniferous; A. compressus and A. fissifolius overlap and can hybridize, but the broad blade and fast spread point to compressus.³

Two honest caveats: “dwarf” is not a registered botanical cultivar name, so we cite the species (Axonopus compressus), not a fake cultivar; and the origin of the trade name “frog grass” itself is undocumented.

How to Confirm It by Eye

Use these tells to tell what a “frog grass” batch is:

• Frog grass (dwarf A. compressus): broad, flat, soft, blunt-tipped blades; low, dense, fast-creeping mat; stays short and rarely throws tall flowering stalks; thrives in shade and damp, poor soil.
• vs standard carabao grass (A. compressus, same species): the difference is form, not species. Carabao is taller, leggier, and sends up obvious flowering culms (30 to 45 cm). If it is flowering tall and standing up, that is standard carabao, not frog grass. The cleanest test: leave a patch unmowed, frog grass stays low.
• vs the fine zoysia (Korean / blue grass): zoysia blades are fine, stiff, sharp-pointed, dark green, denser and more cushioned, and sun-demanding, a completely different look from broad carpet blades.
• vs bermuda (Cynodon dactylon): bermuda has fine wiry blades, obvious runners, loves full sun, and goes leggy in shade. Frog grass has broad carpet blades and tolerates shade.

Characteristics

• Dwarf form of Axonopus compressus: broad, flat carpet-grass blades, kept low.
• Height about 5 cm or under; does not get leggy even in shade.
• Low, compact lateral creep by short ground stems; the laterals are obvious mainly when the grass climbs over something solid.
• Coarse-but-comfortable texture: not soft, not rough, fine for kids and bare feet.
• Slow grower, spreading only sideways. Slower than bermuda and carabao: it cannot outgrow weeds, and gaps between sprigs take a couple of months to close. Its one growth direction is low lateral creep. Honest expectation: slow.
• Propagated by division only (sprigs and plugs); rarely sets viable seed.
• Tolerates partial shade and some foot traffic, but not both at once.

Growing Conditions in the Philippines

• Light: partial shade to full sun. Holds in partial shade where bermuda thins, but does not survive dry shade.
• Water: needs consistent moisture. Tolerates waterlogged spots; dry conditions hurt it and summer browns the leaf tips.
• Soil: adaptable; tolerates poor and acidic soils. Shallow soil over compacted aggregate plus traffic creates persistent bald spots.
• Tolerance limits: partial shade OR some foot traffic, not both together. Survives wet and average light; does not survive dry shade.
• Fertilizer: debatable value. The slow grass takes up feed slower than weeds do, so feeding mostly helps the weeds. Light at most.
• Establishment: by sprigs, not blocks. Clear all weeds first and wait a few days for re-sprouts before laying.

Installation and Upkeep (the operator-honest part)

This is the genuine differentiator from blue grass, and buyers should hear it up front.

• Laid as sprigs, not blocks. Loose pieces are laid on prepared soil, dusted with soil, rolled flat, then watered heavily until they root. A full lawn arrives as sacks of sprigs laid by a team over a few days. Harder and slower to install than blue grass, which goes down like tiles.
• Prep is everything. Check elevation, bring in fine sieved soil, build subtle run-off channels, and remove every weed first, then wait a few days to catch re-sprouts before laying.
• Establishment is slow. Visible soil gaps between sprigs can take a couple of months to close. It is not an instant lawn.
• Upkeep is mostly weeding. The slow grass loses ground to faster weeds, so plan a regular weeding regime (one grower runs ~3 people for one day every two weeks).
• Periodic refresh. Every 3 to 4 years, lift and relay tired sections; good sprigs can be reused, so refresh mostly costs labor.
• Rolling smooths it. Roll with a concrete roller when the ground is soft (not mushy) to flatten knobby dimples.

The pitch is not “instant lawn.” It is “a low, no-mow, shade-friendly lawn for someone who will commit to the weeding, or pay you to.”

Frog Grass vs the Other PH Turf Grasses

• vs Bermuda (Cynodon dactylon): frog grass tolerates shade and needs far less mowing; bermuda needs full sun and frequent mowing but takes heavier traffic and recovers faster.
• vs Carabao grass (Axonopus compressus): same species. Frog grass is the dwarf low form; carabao is the standard taller, flowering, leggier form. Same plant, two growth forms, sold as two products. Customers who know carabao grass instantly understand frog grass as “the low, no-mow version.”
• vs Blue grass / Korean grass (fine Zoysia matrella): zoysia is finer, denser, more manicured, more sun-loving, and comes as clean easy-to-lay blocks that look uniform immediately, but it is pricier. Frog grass is more shade-tolerant, lower-mow, cheaper, and forgiving of wet and poor soil, but it is sprigged, slow to establish, and weeding-heavy. (Some sellers call frog grass “Korean grass” too, so confirm by the broad carpet blade.) See the blue grass page.

Care Highlights

• Mowing: minimal. It stays at 5 cm or under, the headline selling point.
• Water: keep consistently moist; tolerates waterlogging but suffers in dry spells. Water mornings or evenings, never midday heat.
• Weeds: the real job. Plan regular weeding; common invaders are standard carabao, bermuda, sedges, and Paspalum.
• Fertilizer: light at most; arguably optional.
• Pests: sod webworm caterpillars can kill big sections fast; treat with lawn insecticide and the grubs surface within minutes.
• Bald spots: fix with deep healthy sod plugs, not sprigs; fertilizer and shade do not fix them.
• Herbicide caution: one grower reports only Agroxone (MCPA selective) was safe and other products killed the grass slowly. Treat as one grower’s experience: spot-test, read labels, and do not let anyone apply an untested “lawn-safe” herbicide.

Sources