The Spruce / Adrienne Legault
Buffalo grass (Bouteloua dactyloides) is a warm-season grass native to North America.
Its low maintenance anddrought tolerancemake it a good alternative to othertypes of turfgrass.
As a warm-season grass, it even has relatively good cold hardiness.
The Spruce / Adrienne Legault
For a more manicured look, mow buffalo grass infrequently.
Or, for a natural look, leave it untouched.
Either way, buffalo grass is an attractive lawn alternative that cuts down on irrigation and landscape maintenance.
The Spruce / Adrienne Legault
It survives on very little rainfall.
What Is Buffalo Grass?
It spreads fast by seed and stolons, and it forms a dense sod.
The Spruce / Adrienne Legault
It forms dense clumps, reaching 8 inches in height and 12 inches in width.
Stolons andrhizomesare types of shoots that grass plants put out, allowing them to spread.
Stolons grow above ground, while rhizomes grow underground.
The Spruce / Adrienne Legault
It is not possible to overseed buffalo grass in another turfgrass.
The lawn will develop faster if you plant plugs 5 inches apart.
Keep the soil moist until the plugs become established.
The Spruce / Adrienne Legault
The sod method is the quickest, as you will simply roll out the sod.
For sod, keep the soil moist but not soaked until the root system has taken hold.
This includes having the soil tested and adding theappropriate soil amendments.
After that, you will have a verylow-maintenance lawn.
Moreover, some of the cultivars stay shorter (ideal for a no-mow lawn).
Fertilize buffalo grass twice a year with 1 pound of nitrogen per 1000 square feet.
Make one utility in late May to mid-June; make another in late July.
Weed control is a bit trickier.
It is safe to use a pre-emergent herbicide such as dithiopyr in spring.
However, using post-emergent herbicides such as 2,4-D on buffalo grass during the growing season can damage it.
A safer alternative is to wait until the grass is completely dormant and use glyphosate for weed control.
The cost for plugs falls in the middle of seed and sod.
Key Takeaways
Yes.
Buffalo grass is a good choice for a lawn,especially in low-rainfall regionswhere drought tolerance is a must.
Because of its stolons, buffalo grass does spread well as long as it is located in full sun.
It’s inexpensive if you grow it from seed.
Colorado State University Extension.
Management of Buffalograss Turf in Nebraska.
University of Nebraska Extension.
