The Density of Buffalo Grass

Types

• Buffalograss traditionally was used as a grazing grass for cattle on the Great Plains. It wasn't until the 1930s that horticulturists began recommending it as a potential turfgrass. The oldest forms of buffalograss used for lawns created sparse lawns with lots of bare soil exposed between plants that were prime areas for weeds to pop up. Modern buffalograsses were bred and selected specifically for use in lawns, so they produce more leaf blades and an improved plant density. Names of modern cultivars include Bison, Bowie, Cody, Plains and Topgun.

Establishment

• Buffalograsses may be started from seed or as small vegetation sprigs. Scientists at Texas Tech University Erskine Research Farm in Lubbock, Texas, compared the success of the two planting methods in the mid-1990s. Initially, test plots of 100 square feet sown with buffalograss seeds created a denser lawn because of the thicket of seedlings' leaves. However, when young sprigs of buffalograss were planted in the same size test plot, only four plants were used, spaced about 36 inches apart. After four years of evaluation, density of the lawns were thickest on plots started by sprigs, not by seed.

Density

• Growth and coverage density of the 26 buffalograss cultivars evaluated in the study was measured based on percentage of living grass coverage in the test plots -- the higher the density percentage, the less bare soil exposed in the lawn. The lowest average density among cultivars was 62 percent, while the highest was 94 percent. The modern cultivars tended to produce denser coverages, mainly due to their selection for increased growth vigor. All grasses in the test were subjected to the same soil, light, watering, mowing and fertilizing regimen. When given a rating -- 0 for bare soil and 9 for dense thicket of lawn -- average ratings for all tested buffalograsses ranged from 6 to 7.7.

Growing Insight

• Buffalograss may also be established from sod. It's typical that sprigs/plugs or sods of buffalograss turn beige and look dead after planting for up to a month during the warm months as the roots establish. Compared to other common American lawn grasses, buffalograss is always less dense in comparison. Density of buffalograss diminishes quickly with shady conditions and in lawn areas with heavy, constant foot traffic, such as in play areas and athletic fields.

  Weeds are a constant concern with buffalograss, especially because of the long dormant season when weed seedlings can prosper without the grass growing and choking them out. Mow buffalograss no shorter than 2 inches, but it still looks attractive if unmowed, as it matures no taller than 3 to 6 inches.