Saving Water
One of the primary objectives of a well planned xeriscape is to limit or eliminate the use of high-water turf grass.Native grass lawns save time, mowing, and reduce chemical use.
 LEGACY® Buffalo Grass
changed the way people look at buffalograss turf. It has a dark blue-green color and only grows 3 to 5 inches high. It's dense canopy of fine leaf blades creates a very soft carpet. Will grow in shade, but spreads better in full sun.
 UC VERDE® Buffalo Grass
produces a dense turf of soft, bright-green, very fine leaf blades. It is exellent for the adverse conditions found in the lower valley of the desert southwest and California. UC Verde will grow to a maximum height of 4 to 8 inches in most locations
 PRESTIGE™ Buffalo Grass
outperforms all other varieties of buffalograss in the southern and southeastern United States. It has exceptional disease and insect resistance. Prestige also has fine soft blades with a stunning green color and grows to a height of 4 to 6 inches.
Buffalo Grass has survived for millions of years, through droughts, floods and insect invasions with no help from man or his chemicals. It is the only turfgrass that is native to the United States. Buffalograss has a very low water requirement and a deep root system that grows several feet into the soil. This root system allows it to draw water and nutrients from a large area. Buffalograss thrives on 1/4 inch of water per week. Water savings with buffalograss is astounding. Over one million gallons of water can be saved on every turf acre every year by replacing a high water use turfgrass like bluegrass with buffalograss. The timing of your natural rainfall will dictate when, and if, additional watering will be required. Buffalograss is highly resistant to common turf insects including; grubs, webworms and billbugs.
 In the High Country Garden waterwise publication Water-Wise Garden Care, David Salman notes that the idea of lawns in the West is changing. No longer is the lush, Kentucky Blue Grass the ideal. Living with droughts, it only makes sense to use native grasses.
 David Salman recommends sowing native grass seeds in late spring/early summer when night temperatures reach 60 degrees F. Seeding can continue through the summer months until 6 weeks prior to first average frost date. Grama grass is well adapted to poor soils and soil enrichment is not required; however improving the soil prior to planting will help sandy soils hold more water. Added nutrients will help the grass thicken up more quickly.
Helpful Articles on Low Water Lawns
|
Low Water Lawn Care
 Replace your high nitrogen chemical fertilizer regimen with our natural soil builders. Remember, healthy soil is green! Soils fertilized and mulched with natural and organic materials are living humus generating engines.
Low Water Grass Plugs
Legacy®, UC Verde®, and Prestige™ buffalo grass plugs have been developed for most of the U.S. View the map (left) and descriptions to choose the best buffalo grass for your area.
 ‘Hachita’ grass plugs are the most vigorous selection of this beautiful native grass from the western Great Plains. Beloved for its “eyelash” seed heads, it can also be mowed once a month to create a soft, inviting lawn. Quite xeric, ‘Hachita’ Blue Grama thrives in both sandy soils and clay! You can also interplant plugs with wildflowers to grow a colorful, low care short grass prairie (see photo). For a turf type lawn, plant plugs 4” apart. 4” tall (15” with seed heads). Zones 3-10.
Low Water Grass Seed Mixes
 'Hachita" Blue Grama Grass Seed is very easy and quick to germinate. Seeding Blue Grama is also a very economical way to cover larger areas. We recommend 4 lbs. of seed per 1000 sq. ft. Preparation of the area to be seeded is just like preparing for plugs. Seeds can be sown beginning in late spring—early summer when night temperatures reach 60 degrees F and continue through the summer. A seeding instruction sheet is provided with each order. ‘Hachita’ is a vigorous variety chosen for its ability to fill in quickly and make a dense turf.
 Low Work and Water Dwarf Fescue Lawn Seed Mix is your answer when striving to enjoy the beauty and benefits of a turf grass lawn without all the work and water. Our ‘Low Work and Water’ Dwarf Fescue Lawn Seed Mix will create the ideal low water, low maintenance, low-growing turf grass for yards and play areas.An excellent substitute for ‘Legacy’ ® Buffalo Grass and ‘Hachita’ Blue Grama Grass in areas of the country that receive too much precipitation for these native turf grasses.
 RTF Water Saver® Fescue Lawn Seed Mix
This new, premium fescue lawn seed mix is our top recommendation for a waterwise non-native turf lawn. RTF or rhizomatous tall fescue is unique from all other fescue grasses because this is the first non-clumping fescue that is “self repairing,” spreading into bare spots with rhizomes. This helps the turf maintain its thick, even coverage with much less frequent overseeding.
 'The'High Mountain' Native Grass Seed Mix
This mixture is designed for use in areas above 7,500 feet elevation. Seeding rate is 1-2 lbs. per 1,000 sq. ft. Best time to seed is either early Spring, or during Summer monsoons, even into late Fall. Germination will depend on amount of moisture present, either by natural precipitation, or through supplemental irrigation. These grasses will need two seasons in order to firmly establish.
 'The Western Trails' Native Grass Seed Mix
The Western Trails native grass seed mix, specially formulated for High Country Gardens, contains 12 of our very best and most beautiful western native grass species in a carefully formulated blend that will bind and hold the soil. The mix is suitable for a wide variety of soil types, all types of climates in areas west of the Mississippi, below elevations of 7,500 ft. and with rainfall amounts in the range of 10-25” per year. Sow at the rate of 2 lbs. of seed mix per 1000 sq. ft. All seed orders come with a seeding instruction sheet. Zones 4-9
|
NEW!