Now I know what you’re thinking … historically growing Buffalo grass from seed is a difficult task and even commercial turf farmers have gone away from it, but the challenge has been so over-hyped the grass has adopted a reputation that it is impossible to grow from seed, which is incorrect. With the appropriate preparation, conditions and care during germination you could have yourself a low maintenance lawn for a third of the cost of having it turfed.
Firstly, you need to pick your location. Buffalo grass grows best in areas that receive 6 – 8 hours of direct sunlight and under-performs in the shade. An ideal location would be an open yard with not too many trees. That being said, you could always use a companion grass in the shaded areas if you desired.
Next you’ll need to prepare the soil. The grass grows best in warm soil, so the time of year you want to plant your seeds is the summer months (Dec – Feb). You’ll need to clear the soil of any existing vegetation. For best results, it would be wise to use a herbicide to kill off any remaining sub-surface root systems. Once the soil is clear you’re ready to start planting.
Using the com on a rake, create runs in the soil for the seeds to go in. Plant your seeds. The general rule of thumb is you use 1kg of seed per 100m2. Once you’ve planted your seed, use the com again to cross over your original runs horizontally. This embeds any seeds that were remaining on the surface into the soil. You’ll then need to water the soil. It will need to be watered every day for the first week, but scale it back to every two days from the second week onwards. In the ideal conditions germination should begin within 14 – 21 days, with full coverage in 90 days. The grass performs best at heights of 5 – 10 cm, so make sure to keep it regularly mowed.
And there you have it. A rugged, dependable lawn that didn’t put a hole in the wallet.
Product:
$53.50