Buffalograss

Description

Buffalograss is a short, 4-6″, stoloniferous, dense, sod-forming, palatable native grass common to the prairies. It is long-lived, soft-textured and either gray-green or blue-green in color.  This warm-season grass is commonly mixed with drought-tolerant Blue Grama in order to ensure solid color throughout the season.  It does not perform well in higher elevations or on sandy sites.

Buffalograss sends out above-ground stolons which are quite aggressive once mature.  Newer turf-type varieties are bred for disease resistance and a deeper green color.  May take 15 – 21 days or more to germinate.  Keep seeds moist until germination which may mean watering several times a day and using a mulch.

A warm-season grass means it will grow and green up when the temperatures are warm.  For planting that typically means waiting until mid to late spring for the soil and air temperatures to warm up.   In higher elevations, (7,000 – 7,500 ft. elev) plant only in open, south, or west-facing areas.  Planting can be done throughout Summer into Fall making sure that there are at least 6-8 weeks before the first freezes for your area.  Buffalograss will not survive at higher elevations.

Varieties: 

Pasture/rangeland: Improved II, Texoka,

Turf Type: Bowie, Cody, Sharp Shooter, Topgun, Bison

 Pricing is for Improved II (good for pasture and rangeland applications), call for pricing on other varieties.

Seeding Rate:

Small Areas: 2-3 lbs. per 1000 sq. ft.
Larger Areas for pasture:  15-20 lbs. per acre drilled, 20-30 lbs. per acre broadcast

Larger Areas for turf:  130 lbs/acre

The optimum time to seed is in the late Spring when the soil temperature is 70 – 75 degrees

With irrigation, the planting date can be extended into July and August. Fall plantings of untreated buffalograss seed are also successful, but maximum germination does not occur until the following spring. Treated seed planted in May will germinate in 10 to 14 days if moisture is adequate. Drill or rake in seed 1/4 – 1/2 inch into moist, fine soil that has been firmed down.

Go over seeded soil with a roller to firm seed into the soil.  Keep soil moist but not overly wet, until germination.  A general rule of thumb (depending on the current climate)  is to water daily for the first week, every other day for week two and every third-day week three.