I don't know as much about these, because I decided they'd be brown for too much of the year. I'm trying some cool season natives, instead (western and streambank wheatgrass).

I found two very different answers at sites run by Texas A&M for buffalo grass. One said 7-10 days, and the other said that full germination may require 5-6 weeks.

One NM State site gave 15-21 days.

I googled buffalo grass germination and grama grass germination. I got similarly varied results for grama.

A&M
another A&M site

NM State site

bpgreen:

Thanks for the links. I have read your posts before about the western wheatgrass. Looks like a good choice. Have you posted any images of it? I think that for the area I put this in, southern exposure on a slope (and I want low water use) this is the best choice. I see blue grama growing wild on the roadside near my house. I don't mind if the grass goes dormant in the cooler months.

However, in my back yard (north side of house) I have an existing patch of tall fescue. If western wheatgrass was somewhat tolerant of shade I would've used that instead of the fescue. I have a preference of using natives over others when possible but with the native grasses it seems that none of them are shade tolerant (as far as I know).

I've been waiting for it to come in a little more before posting pictures. I'm also partly waiting for late summer to see whether it starts looking bad over time.

Right now, both wheatgrasses look pretty decent, and just a little lighter shade of green than the KBG.

I was thinking that you're too far south for western wheatgrass, but took another look at a map of where it's native, and it looks like it grows in abq (I could spell it when my brother lived there, but not anymore).

I just joined Garden Web a few minutes ago and ran a search on your topic! Western wheatgrass will do ok in Albuquerque. It just needs a bit more water. Grows to about two feet. I had some volunteers start up so I let it spread as I could.
Anyway, I seeded blue grama early last summer and it is only now looking great. However, it is bunchy or clumpy so I am looking at adding the buffalo and wondering what your experiences have been. I have hard clay, but the grama is doing just fine. Based on your posts, it is slow.

Welcome to Garden Web and welcome to the Rocky Mountain forum. Check in with skybird on the Who's here in 2009 thread.

Out of curiosity, how early does the blue grama turn green in the spring in ABQ? And how late does it stay green in the fall?

I think blue grama is a really attractive grass. The biggest problem with it IMO is that it's a bunch grass. It will spread a little through tillering and it will tiller more if it's mowed, but it will still have a clumpy look to it.

Adding buffalo grass to it will help to fill it in and many people plant a mixture of the two.

You've got two choices for introducing buffalo grass into your grama lawn. Actually, you didn't say it's a lawn setting, so I'm just assuming that part. You can either seed it or use plugs. Seeds are less expensive, but I think they take more to get started. Plugs are easier to get a lawn from, but they cost more.

I think if I were planting buffalo grass, I'd opt for plugs and I'd opt for plugs of a variety that is only available as plugs. I have a couple of reasons for this (aside from ease of establishment). For one thing, buffalo grass seeds are huge (almost the size of small peas) and are in sort of a burr, so they can make the lawn a bit uncomfortable for play, barefoot walking, etc. Also, the seeds tend to be up a little higher than the grass. Buffalo grass pollen can also be a problem for people with allergies. The plugged varieties don't produce seeds and also don't produce any pollen.

Thank you for the great advice, however....I just now read your post and, well, I had a bag of buffalo and thought I'd give it a try. That was before I read your response. Alas.
Well, it's worth a try. You are correct, it is a lawn setting, but mostly for the dogs; so I am not worried about the burr type seed. It is HUGE....but based on your posts, it sounds like it will take a couple of weeks to germinate.

Blue grama greened up mid to end of May. Really depends, I believe, on the amount of sun it gets. In one sunny and slightly more moist area, it greened up by early May and I have mowed it once but it needs it again. The more arid area, where I am adding the buffalo, the grass remains shorter and no need of mowing. Now, I prefer a longer look, especially since it is clumpy, the length hides the spaces in between. I can't remember when it browned up in the Fall. I didn't journal, a practice I am hoping to hone.

I have red fescue in a shady area and that is virtually indestructible as long as I deep water once a week.

Thanks for the info ref skybird...I need to search this network more carefully but it's summer and as you know, the yard beckons and I have little resistance.