Buchloe dactyloides Buffalo Grass Seed and Plants
(BOO-kloe  dac-til-OY-deez)

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Buchloe dactyloides, Buffalo Grass is a popular lawn grass used in residential wildflower plantings, golf courses, and highway rest areas.  Buffalo grass becomes green early in the spring and turns an attractive golden color in fall.  It is drought resistant and needs little mowing.  As an excellent native forage grass, Buffalo grass is an important and widespread range grass in the Great Plains.  Plant in well drained soil and full sun.

Whent planting Buffalograss seed prepare a firm, weed-free seed bed on a well-drained site, loam to clay soil in full sun.  Plant when soil temperatures reach 60 degrees farenheight(16-C) in the spring.  Plant Buffalograss seeds 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep by broadcasting or drilling and firm the soil by rolling or watering.  Keep soil moist to ensure germination and seeding establishment.  Control weeds by mowing during establishment.  

Buffalo grass has become very popular as a low-maintenance lawn grass. This hardy grass stays green all summer with little or no care. It goes dormant at the first killing frost and turns a beautiful buff color until it breaks dormancy again in the spring.

Buffalo grass requires six-to-eight hours of sunlight and does especially well on hot, droughty sites where bluegrass dies out. It requires sunlight and well-drained soil and often is used for erosion control.

Uses

Erosion control: Buffalograss can be used on areas that do not receive a lot of rain but are affected by wind erosion, such as roadside cuts.

  Recreation and beautification: This grass can be used in parks and on school grounds, golf course roughs, and open lawns.

  Livestock: This is an important pasture grass for native and introduced animals.

  Description

Buchloe dactyloides (Nutt.) Engelm., buffalograss, is a perennial, native, low-growing, warm-season grass.  Leaf blades are 10 to12 inches long, but they fall over and give the turf a short appearance.  Staminate plants have 2 to 3 flag-like, one-sided spikes on a seedstalk 4 to 6 inches long.  Spikelets, usually 10, are 1/8 inch long in two rows on one side of the rachis.  Pistillate spikelets are in a short spike or head and included in the inflated sheaths of the upper leaves.  Both male and female plants have stolons from several inches to several feet in length, internodes 2 to 3 inches long, and nodes with tufts on short leaves.

  Adaptation and Distribution

This grass occurs naturally and grows best on clay loam to clay soils.  It requires little mowing to achieve a uniform appearance.  It has a low fertility requirement and it often will maintain good density without supplemental fertilization.  Buffalograss is well suited for sites with 10 to 25 inches of annual precipitation.  It is not adapted to shaded sites.

Establishment

Buffalograss is propagated by seed and vegetatively.  Establishment can be accomplished by seeding, solid sodding, or sprigging rooted and unrooted plugs.  If seeds are used, drill at 1/2 inch deep and provide firm contact between the seed and moist soil.  The seed may also be broadcast.  When broadcasting seed, harrow or rake the area in two directions immediately after seeding to work the seeds into the soil.  Broadcast seed must be covered with soil for the seeding to be successful.  With any method, the soil must be firmed against the seed.  Seedlings begin to appear 14 to 21 days after planting when moisture is available for germination.  The amount of seed needed to ensure a stand at the end of the first year will depend on the method of seeding, the quality of seedbed preparation, the availability of water for establishment, and certain climatic uncertainties.  All planting should be delayed until the danger of frost has past.  The time of planting depends upon the latitude of the location, and may extend to August 1 in lower latitudes.

  Buffalograss can be established from pieces of sod or sod plugs.  Sod should be planted on a well prepared seedbed in 18-inch rows.  Sod should be spaced from 6 inches to 2 feet apart; plugs should be planted on 12 to 24 inch centers depending on how quickly a complete cover is desired.  When planting, dig a hole deep enough to set a plant in with the grass blades above the ground.  Pack soil around the sod making sure not to cover with soil because the plant will die.  Once planted, the sod should be watered for about 3 weeks to ensure root establishment.

  Sprigs should be planted into soil that has been tilled to a depth of 4 to 6 inches.  Sprigging rate should be approximately 240 bushels of sprigs per acre, planted to a depth of 1 inch or less.  A planted site should be rolled to ensure good sprig-soil contact and irrigated within 3 hours after planting.  Newly planted areas will also require irrigation for several weeks to maintain a moist environment for root establishment.

  Proper seedbed preparation for planting a home lawn is essential.  Buffalograss will grow on heavy and compacted soils, but it is easier to start and maintain on good loam soils.  Heavy soils may be improved by applying good quality organic matter such as peat moss, aged manure, or compost.  Applying a phosphorus fertilizer stimulates seedling root growth, even on soils testing high in phosphorus.  Work the soil to a depth of 4 to 6 inches.  This may require plowing, discing, or tilling.  The seedbed should be uniform, friable, and well-packed.  Use tillage methods to control any weeds that may develop before seeding.

  Management

Buffalo Grass natural range extends from Minnesota, Manitoba, Alberta, and Montana south to Arizona, Louisiana and Mexico.  Gramineae (Grass Family)

The map below shows areas where Buchloe dactyloides plants grow wild, it is hardy over a wider area if planted.  

please email for shipping charges on ounce or pound quantities of grass seed.

Buffalo grass seed should be planted at a rate of 1 to 3 pounds per
1,000 square feet. Seeding at the higher recommended rate should provide
complete lawn coverage in one season. Seed should be planted at a
depth of ¼ to1/2 inch. Seeds may also be broadcast on the
prepared seedbed. Gently rake broadcast burrs into the soil surface and then roll to ensure good seed-to-soil contact.

After seeding, straw or other mulch may be applied at a rate of one bale per
1,000 square feet. Lightly water the seedbed daily when there is no rain. As
seedlings emerge and develop, irrigate less frequently but often enough to
prevent drought stress. Mow seedlings at a height of 2 to 3 inches when the
new seedlings have reached a height of 3 inches. Try to remove no more than
one-third of the vertical growth at each mowing. About six weeks after
seeding, apply a slow release nitrogen fertilizer at a rate of 1 pound
nitrogen per 1,000 square feet.

Patience and perseverance are often the key to establishing a buffalograss
lawn. Buffalograss does not germinate as a dense stand like tall fescue. One
seedling per square foot is adequate because buffalograss becomes
progressively thicker each year as the stolons spread. During the first and
second years, persistent attention to weed control may be required. Weeds
may be removed by hand or by spot spraying with Roundup.
Managing established buffalograss
Buffalograss is a low maintenance grass and will fail if overmanaged.
Established buffalograss requires only 1 or 2 pounds of nitrogen per 1,000
square feet per year. Select a fertilizer with a
nitrogen-to-phosphorus-to-potassium ratio of 3-1-2 or 4-1-2 and at least 35
percent slow-release nitrogen. Apply fertilizer at a rate of 1 pound
nitrogen per 1,000 square feet in June and repeat the application in late
July or early August.

Irrigate buffalograss only enough to maintain growth and prevent dormancy,
if desired. Buffalograss will survive extended drought but will lose color
as it enters dormancy. Overwatering will promote weed competition and may
increase the incidence of disease.

There are several options for mowing buffalograss. Where moderate to high
quality turf is desired, mow once per week at a height of 2 to 3 inches. For
low-maintenance areas mow at 3 to 4 inches every three to four weeks.
Buffalograss may also be left unmowed except for an annual spring mowing at
3 to 4 inches to remove old growth.

Annual weeds may be controlled with spring applications of pre-emergence
herbicides labeled for use on buffalograss such as Dacthal, Dimension,
Ronstar G and Surflan. Other preemergence herbicides may give equally
effective annual weed control. Broadleaf weeds, including dandelions and
plaintains, may be controlled with any of several products that contain
2,4-D and are labeled for buffalograss. For control of winter annual weeds
and invasive cool-season grasses like Kentucky bluegrass, spray Roundup on
dormant buffalograss in winter before greenup begins

Cody Buffalograss should be planted when soil temperatures are consistently
above 60° F (16º C). For
best results, plant in sites with 6 to 8 hours of full sun on well-drained
soil and soil moisture must be
maintained for at least 1 to 2 weeks after planting through irrigation or
natural rainfall. Under ideal
conditions, germination may begin within 14 to 21 days. Full coverage may be
attained in 60 to 90 days.
More time may be needed for establishment if planting early or late in the
season.

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Plant distribution map complements of USDA, NRCS. 2001. The PLANTS Database, Version 3.1
  (http://plants.usda.gov). National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.