Choose Buffalo Grass Seed For Low Maintenance Lawns

There is a special kind of grass that has grown wild on the Great Plains for many years. It is called buffalo grass. This grass has adapted to extreme changes of temperature, and it is strong and durable. It needs very little moisture to thrive and stay green. Buffalo grass seed produces a durable, easy to maintain grass cover.

Being different from other grasses, buffalo grass turns green later in the spring. With only a small amount of moisture it will remain dark green all summer. In the fall it quits growing, becomes dormant and turns a light beige color. It remains dormant throughout the rest of the fall and winter.

By using potassium nitrate, a person can cause this grass to germinate quickly. It will only take up to fourteen days. Another incredible characteristic of Buffalo grass is that from the time of planting, it can grow 5 inches before 50 days pass. It spreads and thickens by sending out runners like strawberry plants do. All of these things make it a relatively fast grass cover.

Buffalo grass is popular with home builders and road construction companies to control erosion. It grows best where it receives the morning sunlight. The soil should be well drained, and the sun should stay on the grass for at least six hours each day. This grass is strong, and it likes hot, dry areas.

Scientists have developed a new generation of buffalo grass. This new type is more dense because the roots are closer together, and it produces more plants by sending off runners, allowing it to cover the area faster the first year after it is planted. You don't have to worry about weeds, because buffalo grass is so thick, they can't grow in it.

Buffalo grass grows well in soils that aren't based in coarse sand. The problem of coarse sand can be remedied, if necessary, by adding organic material to it. In the spring, once the temperature of the ground reaches 60 degrees, buffalo grass seed can be planted. The cutoff date for planting it is 75 days before the average hard frost in the fall.

Ground preparation is very important. It should be tilled to between six to twelve inches in depth. Once it is tilled to the proper depth, break up the ground, and make sure there are no large clods so the roots can grow freely. Rake the surface, and get rid of any large weeds. Firm it with a roller until it is firm enough that your foot sinks no more than one-half inch.

Now it is time to plant. Since most people plant smaller spaces, the seed can just be broadcast across the top of the ground. Don't put it any deeper in the ground than one-half inch. The best depth to plant it is between one-fourth and one-half inch.

Buffalo grass seed is simple to use in every way. It doesn't need special ground preparation, it germinates fast and it's easy to maintain once it comes up. It will give you a thick, green grass cover faster than any other type of grass seed.