Buffalograss Advice

Q. I am now growing your Cody buffalo grass at my home in Minneapolis. I love it and it does well here. I plan on moving to San Angelo in West Texas and would like to plant a buffalo grass lawn there. Would Cody work there or is there another type of buffalo grass that would work better that you recommend?

Wilbur,

I would use Cody in San Angelo as well. Thank you!

Q. Is Buffalo Grass USDA winter hardy for Iowa. I am in South East Iowa, USDA zone 4/5.

Michelle,

Buffaograss is winter hardy in your zone. This grass is very winter hardy and is growing successfully as far north as North Dakota and into Canada. Thank you!

Q. I live in Phoenix, AZ and would like to know if the buffalo grass would be able to handle the summer heat (115') and if so what variety would be best.

Brian,

Buffalograss is a warm season native grass and would be able to handle the hot, dry conditions of your location. If you have sandy soils, Blue Grama or a mixture of Buffalograss and Blue Grama will be better suited. On most other soil types, Buffalograss will establish very well by itself. I would suggest the Cody variety to you. Thank you!

Q. ordered Cody buffalo grass from you last spring. Would like to order a small quantity When will more be available? Thanks.

Richard,

We will have new crop available for sale in March of 2010. We have just finished harvesting the 2009 crop and will now begin to condition, prime, and package the product for sale. Thank you!

Q. I bought from you and planted some buffalo grass last year. It came up fine and I was very happy with it, but this sping and as of today it hasn't retuned. It just looks like dead grass. Do I need to water it to get it to come back?

I would first mow it very short to remove the dead material from last year. Removing this material will help to warm the soils faster. Buffalograss won't break dormancy until the soil temps are in the mid 50's to 60 degrees. Our Buffalograss here broke dormancy only a few weeks ago, so it is not a surprise that yours had not broken yet. Depending on the weather, it can be late spring before it greens up, especially if the spring had been unusually cold. Giving it a little water may help also if you have not received much rain this year. Don't over water however, as it will promote weed growth. Thank-you

Q. I live in Northern Nevada and want a lawn that is drought tolerent and low main. I want to cover 5,000 sq ft I am at the 5,100 feet and my zone and the winters are harsh and long. Completely different then the City of Reno which is in a low valley, I am up in the mountains. So will Buffalo grass work here?

You are right at the elevation where we stop suggesting Buffalgrass. At 5000 ft we have seen problems with survival. There is Buffalograss growing successfully above that elevation, but there must be certain conditions to support it. Well drained, heavy or clay type soils are important. Sandy or coarse, rocky soils will not work. Full sunlight (6-8 hours per day) is required. South facing exposures will also help. No shade can be present. I would also suggest a starter fertilizer when planting. If you have these conditions, I would not hesitate to plant Buffalograss. There may be a slight risk, but planting in the above favorable conditions should produce a good stand. You would need 15 Lbs. of Buffalograss to cover that area. Please let me know if you have other questions about this project. Thanks!

Q. Two questions. (a) Is the Cody Buffalograss that I have ordered from you already treated with potassium nitrate or will I need to do that? (b) Can I plant the seeds for my buffalo grass/blue grama mixture in Northern California in the spring (after frost) or do I need to wait until my daytime temperatures get into the 80's?

(a)The Cody Buffalograss is already treated with KNO3, you do not need to do it yourself. (b)The seeds can be planted in early spring, but they will not germinate until the soil temp reaches 60 degrees. Planting them later in spring will allow for faster germination and more options for controlling early spring weeds before planting. Thanks!

Q. will your buffalo grasses grow in ct? IF yes what type?thanks joe

I could not say for sure, but you are farther north than we ususally recommend planting buffalograss. I might suggest trying a small area if possible to see if it will survive. Clay type soils and southern exposure may increase your chances. Sandy or coarse soils and shade are conditions unfavoralbe to buffalograss. Thanks!

Q. I am ordering bowie buffalo grass, and want to be sure that I do everything possible to ensure good results. What do I need to do to ensure good germination and survival this first year?

The best place to start is with our Establishment and Management guide located here: http://www.stockseed.com/buffalograsses_est_mg_guide.asp. (let me know if you cannot see the link). After reading this information, if you still have questions... please let me know.

Q. I am looking for grass which I don't have to cut. Is Red Fescue the one?

Buffalograss is a great choice for a turf-grass that needs very little water, and no mowing... and still stays green through the heat of the summer months. If you look at this page http://www.stockseed.com/buffalograsses_default.asp you can learn more about buffalgrass, and this page http://www.stockseed.com/buffalograsses_product_display.asp?pid=424 will tell you more about Cody buffalograss (which I recommend for your area). Also, for some additional education, this page http://www.stockseed.com/buffalograsses_est_mg_guide.asp will tell you about establishment and management of buffalograss.

Q. I will be redoing my bluegrass lawn this spring. I am looking for a drought tolerant grass with bluegrass performace. I have experimented with bufflo grass - my wife does not like the long period of dormacy - we are in Central Washington. What do you suggest.

Our shady-mixture ( http://www.stockseed.com/mixes_product_display.asp?pid=444 ) has better drought tolerance, and is still a cool-season mix. And, our turf-type tall fescue blend ( http://www.stockseed.com/prairiegrasses_product_display.asp?pid=479 ) also provides better drought tolerance. Unfortunately, other warm-season turf-grasses still go dormant like buffalograss. Bowie buffalograss ( http://www.stockseed.com/buffalograsses_product_display.asp?pid=425 ) greens up eariler than the others, and stays green longer than the others... but is still a warm-season grass and will go dormant. What variety of buffalograss do you currently have?

Q. I have 1-2 acres of buffalo at present in a pasture behind my house. I would like to plant the mixture of prairie grasses on those two acres. Could you walk me through the planting process. Do I need to till the buffalo grass and kill to or can I plant the prairie grasses in the buffalo if I am patient. There is an erosion area within the area in which I am planting. Also, when do I plant? thank you for your help. John

What prairie grasses are you thinking about planting. Most will do fine with the buffalograss still present and growing. I do not think any control of the buffalograss will be necessary to establish native materials. In fact, our Prairie 3+ mixture has little blue stem, sideoats grama, blue grama, and... buffalograss!

Q. I WANT TO PLANT A MIXTURE OF WILDFLOWERS AND BUFFALO GRASS. I WANT THE PLANTING TO REMAIN SHORT, 2 FEET TALL AT THE MOST. YOUR HUSKER LI'L WILDFLOWER MIXTURE SOUNDS GOOD, BUT WHAT KIND OF BUFFALO GRASS WOULD I USE? WOULD THE BUFFALO GRASS TAKE OVER AND KILL OUT THE WILDFLOWERS? WHAT MIXTURE WOULD I USE SO THE BUFFALO GRASS WOULD NOT TAKE OVER. THE AREA IS ABOUT AN ACRE TO 1 1/2 ACRES, FULL SUN WITH PINE TREES GROWING THROUGHOUT.

We would recommend using Texoka brand buffalograss because it tends to leave gaps where the wildflowers can still grow through. It is important to keep in mind, however, that many of the plants in the Husker Lil Mixture may only live three or four years with or without competition (depending on the circumstances? they can live much longer too). If you have the desire to re-seed later (or, as the plants re-seed themselves), you may have trouble re-establishing wildflowers from seed because of the buffalograss establishment. We recommend using 2 lbs. per acre of the Husker Lil Mixture and 50 lbs. per acre of the Texoka buffalograss. You can find Texoka here: http://www.stockseed.com/buffalograsses_product_display.asp?pid=95 and the Husker Lil Mixture here: http://www.stockseed.com/mixes_product_display.asp?pid=79

Q. What is the difference between Bowie and Cody Buffalograss?

Cody comes from 16 parents, 8 males and 8 female plants. The parents were collected from Texas to Nebraska and include material from NM, CO, KS, and OK. Cody is adapted to many different soils and conditions. Bowie has four parents which are also in the Cody collections, but are from KS, CO and NE. Bowie has shown to be better adapted to the Northern Great Plains. Under higher maintenance, Bowie will provide a higher quality turf. click here to learn more about buffalograss

Q. What is the best type of grass for water conservation?

Buffalograss needs a deep soak only once per month from July through September (for higher maintenance areas) depending on natural precipitation.

It also will need a deep soak before winter if the soil is dry.

For low maintenance areas, buffalograss needs only occasional or even no watering.

Keeping the above facts in mind, buffalograss is the best type of grass to conserve water.

Q. I want to get buffalo grass started. The main place that I want to over seed is planted with tall fescue and is on a steep hill. Can I just over seed and the buffalo grass will take over the fescue or do I have to kill the fescue first?

The chances are not good that you will be successful by over?seeding buffalo grass into growing fescue. The only chance would be if the fescue is very thin with open bare ground between plants and would not be competitive with the small seedlings for sun and water. We recommend that you kill the fescue first. The second issue is making sure that the buffalo grass seed is plant into a good seedbed. Many times it is difficult because of dead thatch and roots. The buffalo grass seed needs to be in the top ? to ? inch of soil to be successful and when you are planting on a slope it is even more critical for the seed to be in the soil so it does not ?float? down the hill with a heavy rain.

Q. Why choose Bowie over other turf grasses?

Bowie has a wide range of adaptation extending across the entire country as well as Africa, Asia, Europe and South America. Prior to its release in 2001, Bowie buffalograss was ranked number one for turfgrass quality among seeded varieties at 28 locations evaluated in the 1991-1995 National Turfgrass Evaluation Program (seeded) Buffalograss Cultivar Test. Bowie has shown genetic stability by performing well consistently across years and locations.