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Care and maintenance of a new buffalo grass lawnBy Randy Buhler CSU Cooperative Extension, Logan County agent, agronomy Assuming you have been following this column for the last several weeks, planting turf type buffalo grass, you are now ready to consider the care and maintenance of your new lawn. Weeds are the universal problem for anyone trying to grow any crop. Buffalo grass shares this problem and has some special needs as compared to most lawn grasses. For the first two months of your new buffalo grass lawn, the judicious use of a lawn mower is the best answer to control most of the weeds that interfere with the establishment of your lawn. As weeds quickly grow taller than the buffalo grass plants, they can be topped with the lawn mower to keep them in check. Set the mower to just above the height of the buffalo grass. Keeping the weeds from growing over the top of the buffalo grass allows the grass to continue to develop while the weeds are stunted and held in check. Flat growing weeds like prostrate spurge and puncturevine avoid the mower blades. When these weeds are a problem, hand weeding will be necessary. Reducing the watering interval as the grass germinates helps delay weed growth. After two months, the buffalo grass should start to send out stolons. Stolons are short, horizontal stems that reach away from the original plant for a short distance, then touch down into the soil and start a daughter plant. This sod forming character of buffalo grass produces the total coverage of the soil that holds weeds in check. Avoid using herbicides on your buffalo grass the first season. Any of the hormone mimicking herbicides like 2,4-D and dicamba can kill or severely injure buffalo grass during warm temperatures. After the first full year of establishment, several pre-emergent (to weeds) herbicides are available to control the low growing weeds like prostrate spurge and puncturevine. During the dormant season for buffalo grass, Roundup (glyphosate) products can be used to remove winter annual grasses and weeds that commonly show up in our area. The height of the grass you maintain with your mower can have a strong effect on weed germination and growth. The taller the grass, the fewer the weeds. For people who want a dense, short turf for their lawn, plan to water, fertilize, and mow the buffalo grass. For those who desire a more natural landscape, the buffalo grass will stay at 4 to 6 inches with minimal mowing. The lower you mow the lawn, the more weed problems you should expect. In my own experience, I ran into one buffalo grass lawn that had a grub (masked chafer) problem. Insect problems are very infrequent but can happen. Check with your Extension office if you have a problem with dying or discolored patches after your lawn is established for more than one season. Buffalo grass is not a silver-bullet, foolproof answer to a perfect lawn. Buffalo grass has its place and is very well adapted to our climate and soils. Expectations of a dense, dark-green turf that withstands traffic and play without damage are not met by buffalo grass. For lawn requirements along those lines, other species are better choices. For something better looking in the home landscape than our native short grasses, the improved cultivars of buffalo grass are an excellent choice. Observe the requirements for successful establishment and growth of the newer buffalo grass cultivars and you should be amply rewarded. 9/15/08 Date: 9/10/08
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