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Buchloe dactyloides <br />Water Requirements <br />Recovery from drought <br />Sun /shade requirements <br />Color <br />Texture <br />Varieties <br />Growing season <br />Traffic tolerance <br />Mowing <br />Establishment <br />Miscellaneous <br />I 153 <br />G to 3 gallons /square foot /20 -week season. <br />every two weeks for green grass in rainless weather. <br />This grass will make an excellent turf without irrigation, but light irriga- <br />tion will keep it green, or will restore green quickly in very dry conditions. <br />Too much water will encourage invasion by cool season grasses, with the <br />possible exception of the new turf -type Buffalograss varieties. <br />Sun only. <br />Distinctly bluegreen. <br />Very soft when actively growing. <br />Native Buffalograss is shorter and requires less fertilizer than'TexOka' or <br />'Sharps' varieties, which were developed for cattle forage. Treated seed <br />Is essential for rapid germination. 'Prairie' Buffalograss is one of several <br />new turf -type Buffalograsses. It is a female cultivar that produces a very <br />thick turf that has resisted invasion by cool season grasses, even when <br />natural rainfall is high enough to cause considerable problems with wild <br />or forage varieties. It must be planted as sprigs, plugs, or sod. <br />Roughly from mid -May to early October in the Denver area. <br />Tolerates considerable traffic. Grass blades will wear off during the <br />winter, but regrow rapidly during the summer. Tolerates extremely <br />compacted soil. <br />Can be mowed at 11/2 to 2 inches, or left to grow to height of 4 to 6 inches. <br />Seed Rate: 2 to 3 lbs. /1000 square feet. <br />Season: Mid -May to mid -July (Denver area). <br />Hydromulch: Recommended on large, windy, steep sites. <br />Watering: 10 to 15 minutes, 3 times daily during germination. Every <br />other day for 4 days. Every third day for 6 days. Once per week for a <br />month, then every other week. More water will encourage weeds. <br />Weed control: If needed, one application of a granulated broadleaf <br />weed killer two or more months after germination. <br />Time to maturity: One season with good conditions. <br />Sod Blue Grama /Buffalograss sod in squares has been available in <br />Colorado for several years. 'Prairie' and other turf -type varieties <br />will probably be widely available soon. <br />Plugs Plugs have also been available for several years in Colorado. Plugs <br />and seed can be use;' together for quicker coverage. <br />The primary complaint with warm season •,:asses is about late green -up, <br />and the visibility of cool season grasses wn,.in the Buffalograss early in <br />the season. Mowing greatly reduces this problem. Buffalograss tends to <br />produce a better turf on clay soil than on sandy soil. Fertilize with care <br />—half the Bluegrass rate, once yearly, is a good estimate. Turf -type <br />varieties may greatly reduce, or even el: :ninate, the problem of cool <br />season grasses invading Buffalograss law: -. Selections may also be <br />developed that will be more cold toleran: and more tolerant of short <br />days in the fall. This will extend the growing season. Buffalograss is not <br />considered to be salt- tolerant. <br />