Planting a Buffalo Grass Lawn

How to plant and maintain buffalo grass. A highly practical and attractive native grass for your lawn, Buffalo Grass is less thirsty than Kentucky Blue Grass.

Buchloe dactyloides 'Legacy®'Buffalo Grass
Item # 27050 		Buchloe dactyloides Legacy®
Legacy® Buffalo Grass

1 to 3 $41.00
4 to 12 $39.00
13 to 24 $37.00
25 or more $35.00
Buchloe dactyloides 'UC Verde™' Buffalo Grass
Item # 27058 		Buchloe dactyloides UC Verde™
UC Verde™ Buffalo Grass

1 to 3 $41.00
4 to 12 $39.00
13 to 24 $37.00
25 or more $35.00
Buchloe dactyloides 'Prestige™'Buffalo Grass
Item # 27053 		Buchloe dactyloides Prestige™ Buffalo Grass
Prestige™ Buffalo Grass

1 to 3 $41.00
4 to 12 $39.00
13 to 24 $37.00
25 or more $35.00
  • Topic: Grasses and Lawns
  • Author: High Country Gardens
  • Keywords: Buffalo Grass Plugs, Grass Lawn Care, Drill and Fill, lawns, grasses
  • Date: January 2004

© All articles are copyrighted by High Country Gardens. Republication is prohibited without Permission.

What is Buffalo Grass?

Buffalo grass is a highly practical and attractive native grass that is less thirsty than Kentucky Blue Grass. Like Blue Grama grass, it is a warm season grass, greening up in mid- spring and going dormant in late fall. It is very drought tolerant and has soft, comfortable-to-walk on blades, needing only several inches of water per month during hot weather.

Buffalo grass is well suited to poor soil at high altitudes, but it also appreciates light soil amendment. It makes a dense turf type lawn and has a thicker growth habit than Grama grass, which is a bunch type grass that tends to have small spaces between each plant.

Unlike Blue Grama grass which is best grown from seed, buffalo grass is best planted with plugs. Plugs are the most economical way to go when planting Buffalo grass. Buffalo grass seed is very difficult to germinate evenly, and the sod is very expensive.

One of the advantages of native grasses such as buffalo grass is they don’t have to be mowed, but can be if a more manicured look is preferred. Even if mowing is desired, the frequency might be once a month. If you choose to leave the grass uncut, it’s a good idea to mow it once in the early spring to remove the old growth and allow the new growth to be visible. This is much the same effect as grazing, which would have occurred naturally.

Also, if left uncut, a buffalo grass lawn will have a soft appearance and look nice if accented with some drought tolerant perennials to create the appearance of a short grass prairie.

When You Receive Your Plugs

  1. Remove the plug flats from the shipping boxes and water the plugs if dry. (When watering, note that plugs on the outside edges will dry most quickly and may need more frequent watering than plugs in the center.

    It’s OK to water only the outer plugs if the center plugs are still moist). Place the flats outside in a spot that receives morning sun / afternoon shade until you are ready to plant.

  2. Plugs shipped early in the Spring will be marked “I am a tender plant”. These plugs are greenhouse-fresh and need to be hardened off before planting. Place the flats outside in a morning sun / afternoon shade area for 7-10 days, leaving them outside at night.

    If a frost is expected, simply cover the trays with a sheet of plastic or a sheet or blanket for the night. Water as needed. Hardening off in cold weather will cause the plugs to change color from green to brown or greenish-brown. This is OK; the grass will re-green as the weather warms. Once hardened, the plugs are ready to plant.

Planting Options for your Buffalo Grass Plugs

When planting Buffalo grass plugs you have three options.

  1. You can plant into bare soil that has been enriched with compost and other fertilizers (see #2, Site Preparation),
  2. thoroughly strip off the turf grass and enrich the soil (see #2, Site Preparation), or
  3. plant directly into dead turf that has been killed with Round-Up herbicide without having to strip off the old turf (see #1, Planting Buffalo Grass into existing Turf).

Site preparation:

  1. Before planting buffalo grass plugs into bare soil, it is essential that the soil be enriched and rototilled to insure that the plugs grow vigorously and cover the area quickly.
  2. Proper soil preparation can be done anytime before planting the plugs. However, preparing the soil well in advance insures that the ingredients have begun to break down and the soil will have a finer texture.

    Use the following ingredients for best results.
    • Superphosphate (0-18-0): use 2 lbs/100 sq. ft. Bone meal or natural soft rock phosphate may be substituted at recommended rates on the package . Phosphorus is an essential nutrient for strong root systems and is readily available locally.
    • Planters II trace mineral fertilizer: Use 2 lbs./100 sq. ft. This natural trace mineral source provides essential trace elements and boosts the microbial activity in the soil needed to break down compost and improve nutrient availability.
    • Yum Yum Mix (or Gro-Power 5-3-1): Yum Yum Mix is used at the rate of 3 to 4 lbs./100 sq. ft. Or use Gro-Power at the rate of 1-1.5 lbs./100 sq. ft. Gro-Power is an economical enriched humas base formulation that adds major nutrients and beneficial microbes into the soil. When using Gro-Power, be sure and water 3 or 4 days in advance of planting to dissolve the fertilizer and settle the soil.
    • Compost: If available, add a well made thoroughly rotted compost (such as Soil Mender® ‘Blend’) at the rate of 1/2 to 1 cu. yd./100 sq. ft. (a 2-4” thick layer on top of the soil). Gro-Power fertilizer can be left out when using compost. Avoid old manure that has been piled for a long time but not actively composted; it will burn young roots when it begins to compost after mixing it into the soil. (Plugs will turn yellow with burnt tips.)
    • Rototill all ingredients completely into the soil to a depth of 4 to 6 inches.

Planting the BUFFALO Grass plugs into existing turf:

This is a real labor saving method when replacing an existing lawn. Assuming that the lawn was planted into well prepared soil (see above), planting through dead grass will save work by not having to strip off the sod and greatly reduce the amount of weed that sprout once the plugs have been planted and the site is being irrigated regularly.

  1. Don’t make the mistake of assuming a completely brown patch of Kentucky Blue Grass (or any other turf grass) is dead just from lack of water. It’s not. Many grasses will go dormant only to wake up when thoroughly watered a few times. Your plugs won’t grow successfully if planted into live turf grass.
  2. To safely plant into the existing grass, apply Round-Up herbicide at recommended rates to an actively growing (green) grass at least 14 days in advance of planting. Once the grass has turned brown and is dead, use a lawn mower on its lowest setting and scalp the dead grass as low as you can. It is now ready to plug.

Preparing the Buffalo grass plugs for planting:

  1. Before planting begins, the plugs should be well watered but not dripping wet. Make a single shallow 1/8” deep cut through the surface roots on each side and on the bottom of each plug with the corner of the plastic tag or a pocket knife. To speed transplanting, the plugs can be removed from the flat, scratched out, replaced in the open flat and then kept together in a shaded area until planting starts.
  2. To use the “drill and fill” method to plant plugs use a drill and a 1” wood drill bit to drill holes in the ground at the recommended distance from one another. “Drill and fill” works best when planting into dead turf grass. Drill holes slightly less than the depth of the plug, put the plug in your hole, step on it to insure a tight seal with the soil, and water thoroughly. Plant the plugs 6”—15” apart in a grid pattern. The closer they are planted, the more quickly the new grass will fill in the area.

    When planting into bare soil, a 1” thick layer of mulching material (e.g. Soil Mender Mulch, seed-free wheat or barley straw or another similar material) will shade the soil and keep it moist longer between watering and discourage weed growth.
  3. When mixing blue grama and buffalo grass, plant the blue grama plugs randomly amongst the buffalo grass plugs.

Weeding

  1. Weeds can sprout quickly with the T.L.C. and water that you are giving your plugs. These weeds must be removed so they do not smother the grass plugs. This should be done by hand removal or with the use of a broadleaf herbicide. Broadleaf herbicides kill only non-grass weeds, leaving the grass plugs unaffected when properly applied. Turfgrass experts recommend 2,4-D, an herbicide used to control weeds in corn and other crops for this purpose. However, it is important to not apply recommended doses when daytime temperatures exceed 75° F as some discoloration and growth retardation can occur.

    In addition, do not use formulations that mix 2,4-D with other herbicides (e.g. Trimec) as these mixtures may stunt growth of the grass. For safe application of any chemical, always follow the safety directions completely. Once a buffalo or blue grama grass lawn is established, it will normally form a thick sod that will rarely need additional weeding. If an additional application of 2,4-D is required to control weeds, favorable results can be obtained by applying this herbicide in the spring just as the grass is emerging from dormancy or in the fall when the grass begins to go dormant and the weeds are still green. For either time of the year apply when daytime temperatures are moderate (less than 75°F).

Watering Newly Planted Plugs

  1. Frequency: Water in newly-planted plugs thoroughly. The frequency of subsequent irrigation will depend on how quickly the soil dries. Water just enough to keep the soil damp (not muddy) to a depth of about 2”. Initially, this may require a daily regime (morning or late afternoon) for the 1st week or so. As the plugs begin to root-out and grow, watering can be reduced gradually to every 2-3 days, then to 1-2 times a week. (Plugs that are rooting-out will be noticeably greener and larger than those that haven’t caught hold just yet). After the first month, if it’s not too hot and dry, the plugs should require only weekly watering to keep them growing vigorously. This is only a suggested watering schedule. You should check the depth of soil moisture in several spots around the new lawn area before watering. It is better to let the plugs go a little dry for a day or two than over-water them.
  2. Sloped Areas: Be sure to mulch. Then water the soil with a fine spray just enough that the water doesn’t run off heavily. Wait until the surface water is absorbed, then re-water 2-3 more times until the soil is wet to a 2” depth.

Fertilizing Newly Planted Plugs

Buffalo Grass, when planted from plugs, will fill in more quickly when fertilized regularly with Earth Juice ‘Grow’ or other liquid fertilizers. Apply Earth Juice ‘Grow’ at the rate of 1 tablespoon per gallon of water once every two or three weeks until the plugs have grown together. When fall planting plugs, wait until your buffalo grass greens up in the spring to begin fertilizing. Use of the Syphonjet fertilizer applicator allows you to fertilize your grass using your garden hose and a water breaker nozzle.

Caring for an Established Buffalo Grass Lawn

  1. Watering: Once established, these grasses are very drought tolerant, but they may need extra water during the hottest part of the summer to keep them green and actively growing. When depending on natural rainfall, buffalo and blue grama grass may brown out in hot, dry weather but will green-up quickly after a few good rains. If your area receives less than 8” of precipitation annually, you may need to water every 2-3 weeks during extended hot, dry periods.
  2. Fertilizing: Buffalo grass needs to be fertilized annually. Apply a single application of Gro power 5-3-1 in early Fall at the rate of 1 lb. of actual nitrogen (N) per 1000 sq. ft. of grass. To measure the actual nitrogen in a bag of fertilizer, see below:
    • A 20 lb. bag of 5-3-1 fertilizer contains 5% Nitrogen, or 5% x 20 lbs., which equals 1 lb. of actual Nitrogen per bag.
    • A 20 lb. bag of 20-5-5 fertilizer contains 20% Nitrogen, or 20% x 20 lbs., which equals 4 lbs. of actual Nitrogen per bag.
    • Mowing: Mowing can be a helpful technique to thicken up a new lawn. Two months after planting, cut the grass to a height of 3”-4”. An established lawn can be cut 1-2 times during the summer if you want a more manicured look. Mowing is not a necessity and can be avoided altogether if you wish.

Creating A Flower Meadow

  1. Many varieties of deep-rooted native perennial wildflowers and ornamental clump grasses can be inter-planted in buffalo or blue grama grass to create a low maintenance wildflower meadow. Perennial wildflowers that work well include Berlandiera, Mirablis, Ratibida, Perovskia, Salvia pitcherii, Echinacea, Artemisia, Zinnia grandiflora, and Helianthus maximilliana. These wildflowers are most easily established after the grass plugs have taken hold and are being watered weekly or less frequently. Native grasses like Little Blue Stem (Schzachrium) and ‘Cheyenne Indian Grass (Sorgastrum) are beautiful when grouped informally into native turf grasses.
  2. For beautiful Spring color before the grass greens up, xeric spring-flowering bulbs can be inter-planted to spread and naturalize themselves in the lawn. Our fall catalog has a complete listing of naturalizing wildflower bulbs for native grass lawns.