How To Spot Fake Kurapia Being Sold
Kurapia is very much like many game changing products, eventually fakes start to pop up in the marketplace. One question we often receive is – “My local nursery is selling Lippia in flats — is that the same as Kurapia?”.
The answer is always the same, No it isnt.
Kurapia New White and Kurapia Pink are the fastest-growing groundcovers in the industry — fast to establish, fast to fill in, and fast becoming the most sought-after lawn alternative on the market. But popularity has a downside. Like any in-demand product, Kurapia has attracted fakes, ripoffs, and illegal propagation. We spend a lot of time playing “whack-a-mole” with dishonest sellers, and it’s a problem we deal with continually.
The good news is that once you know how real Kurapia is grown and sold, identifying a fake becomes much easier. Here’s how to protect yourself.
How Is Real Kurapia Sold?
There are only a few ways authentic Kurapia ever reaches a customer. Knowing them makes counterfeits easy to identify.
– Real Kurapia is sold only as plugs. Kurapia New White and Kurapia Pink are currently available exclusively as plugs — 72 plugs per order, shipped directly from our grower in Fresno, California. That’s the only way to purchase real Kurapia.
– We ship directly to you. We don’t sell to nurseries to stock their tables. If you walk into a garden center expecting to find Kurapia plugs on a shelf, they won’t be there. Every order goes straight from our grower to the customer.
– We don’t sell other sizes or formats. No square “mud flats,” no six-packs, no gallons, no 3″ or 4″ pots. If someone is selling “Kurapia” in any of those forms, it isn’t ours.
– Every plug is grown in a patented Ellepot. Each plug is held in a special fiber pouch that the roots grow through — a design engineered to protect the root mass and give each plant the strongest possible start.
– Every plug arrives clean. Real Kurapia plugs come in a sterile, soilless mix that’s free of weeds, pests, and disease. Our product is grown in its own dedicated propagation environment specifically to guarantee the finest quality. This is one of the biggest differences between authentic Kurapia and the knockoffs — and it directly affects how your groundcover performs once it’s in the ground.
What Do Fake Kurapia Plants Look Like?
Counterfeit and imitation “Kurapia” generally falls into one of three categories.
Seed-Grown Lippia Nodiflora
This is a distant relative of our product — think of how the poisonous deadly nightshade is technically related to the tomato. Seed-grown Lippia (also sold as Phyla nodiflora) tends to die back in winter and go to seed, scattering itself across your yard and becoming a nuisance rather than a tidy, uniform groundcover.
“Mud Flats”
These are groundcovers grown in soil inside a square plastic tray. The installer either rips the entire flat out and lays it across the ground, or breaks it into small chunks to plant. It’s a wasteful, low-quality method: the plants come with a tiny root mass, and tearing them apart kills most of what you paid for.
Illegally Propagated Plants
This is the sneakiest category, because it can look like almost anything. It might be an unauthorized copy of our product, the older discontinued variety, or another strain of Phyla or Lippia grown from seed that vaguely resembles the real thing. Whatever it is, it’s usually grown in weedy, disease-ridden soil and rushed to sale the moment it looks good enough to move — the exact opposite of the clean, controlled process behind genuine Kurapia.
How to Protect Yourself From Fake Kurapia
See “Kurapia” at a nursery? Contact us. We don’t stock retail nurseries, so if you spot it for sale on a shelf, let us know. We’ll help make sure people aren’t ripping off our customers.
A landscaper claims they can get Kurapia in flats? Be skeptical. The same rule applies — if it isn’t our plugs shipped from Fresno, it’s a fake, no matter what they call it.
Know that Kurapia is not the same as Phyla nodiflora or Lippia. Anyone who tells you otherwise is spreading misinformation that can cost you real money and leave you with a weedy, failing yard.
When in doubt, order directly from us. We’re the sole producer of Kurapia, and we’re always happy to confirm whether what you’re being offered is the real thing.
Frequently Asked Questions About Fake Kurapia
Is Kurapia the same as Lippia or Phyla nodiflora?
No. Kurapia is a distinct, improved variety, not seed-grown Lippia or Phyla nodiflora. Seed-grown Lippia tends to die back in winter, go to seed, and spread invasively, while Kurapia stays uniform and controlled.
Can I buy Kurapia at a nursery?
No. We ship real Kurapia plugs directly to customers from our grower in Fresno, California. We do not sell to nurseries, so any “Kurapia” you see stocked on a nursery shelf is not our product.
What size does real Kurapia come in?
Real Kurapia is sold only as plugs — 72 plugs per order, each grown in a patented Ellepot fiber pouch. We do not sell Kurapia in mud flats, six-packs, gallons, or 3″ or 4″ pots.
How do I know I’m getting authentic Kurapia?
Order directly from us. Authentic plugs arrive in a clean, sterile, soilless mix free of weeds, pests, and disease. If you’re ever unsure, contact us and we’ll verify it for you.
Get the Real Thing
Genuine Kurapia is an investment in a beautiful, drought-tolerant, low-maintenance lawn alternative. Don’t let a counterfeit undermine it. When in doubt, order directly from us — a two-minute conversation can save you a full season of headache.
Thank You!