No-Mow Desert Grass

Preparing the Ground

• Prepare the ground before planting no-mow desert grasses. Most no-mow lawns thrive in full sun. Access to water in very hot, dry low deserts is required, especially as plants become established. Improve the soil by digging or tilling in organic compost. Heavy soils benefit from the addition of sand. Level the soil surface. Spread a 3-inch layer of weed-free topsoil over the top. Water the area and allow weeds to germinate over two to three weeks before eliminating them, repeating the process. The prepared ground is suitable for plugs, sod or seeds.

Buffalo Grass

• Buffalo grass is native in widely diverse climatic situations, from Montana and into Mexico, and as far eastward as Louisiana. This warm-season perennial shortgrass grows between 2 and 5 inches tall, with a spread of 6 to 12 feet. Female Buffalo grass flowers inconspicuously at the base of the plant. Male plants produce visible flowers. Seed selections contain a male/female mix; plugs and sod are selective. Buffalo grass forms a dense, drought-tolerant sod, becoming lavender in the autumn and browning in the winter to a light tan. "Legacy" is a new variety developed by the University of Nebraska. It appears as lush as traditional bluegrass with the tough performance of Buffalo grass. "Prestige" is appropriate for mild-winter areas. Buffalo grass prefers heavy clay soil.

Fine Fescue

• Red fescues grow from seed into a natural meadow grass 3 feet tall. Chewings fescue grows densely in full sun or partial shade. It can be mowed if turf is desired. Red fescue requires thatching to keep it drought-tolerant. Slow-growing dwarf fescue seed mixes are available for low-maintenance in high-traffic situations. Festuca idahoensis is a U.S. native grass. "Siskiyou Blue" forms soft clumps of low-maintenance upright grass with blue spruce coloring. Fescues are widely adaptable grasses and are suitable in high and low desert regions. Consult nurseries for best-performing local cultivars.

Blue Grama Grass

• Blue grama is a bunching perennial grass native to the western Great Plains. The clumps grow 1 to 2 feet tall and 1 foot wide. Blue grama grass requires supplemental watering in low desert regions. It is an attractive natural lawn with wildflowers growing around it. Its mid-summer seed heads are a food source for small birds and rodents, and its foliage provides a habitat for lizards and toads. Blue grama " Hachita" creates a short-grass prairie landscape area when left unmowed. Blue grama is suitable for high or low desert regions.