A mixture of blue grama and buffalo would be ideal. You do have to water daily to get them started. Once established, cut back. Water deeply when needed. Must be at least 6 hours of direct sun. Not shade tolerant.

The only experience I have had with Buffalo grass was a patch planted at Temple Community College. It was a weed magnet. Any passing weed seed found a home in the Buffalo grass.
I think it was never intended to be a monoculture, but is a prairie grass meant to be one of several grasses in an area.
It was xeric, and didn't have to be mowed often, but it needed a dose of compost at least twice a year.
Personally, you couldn't give me a Buffalo grass lawn.

I don't live in North Texas, but I do have a Buffalo Grass "lawn." It is xeric, but that means it stays dormant brown pretty much all the time. Weeds, weeds, weeds. You need full sun and that is direct sun all day. It will quit growing in any spot that has shadow any part of the day. I definitely plan to add blue grama if we decide to keep it.

Fortunately it's in the backyard so I've encouraged wild flowers to grow and that's one of the best things about it.

I have had buffalo grass several years. It is growing in 8 plus hours of sun.

Plus's:
- I don't ever water it.
- Unless it is a really wet summer, it only needs mowing every 3 to 4 weeks.
- It doesn't spread everywhere like bermuda and augstine
- It looks great with the wildflower patch that is planted in it,

Con's
- It is not a thick grass so there are a few weeds but not any worse than any other grassy area.
- I wouldn't plant it where bermuda already existed. I think the bermuda would take over.

If I were planting again, I'd seed thicker or look longer for sod.

I did small patches of it and it takes fooorrreeevvveerrr to spread. It does allow weeds to grow.
In my yard, the competition between buffalo and bermuda, the buffalo grass is actually winning the battle and
should win out in the end.
I do not water any parts of my yard and it does fine, but as mentioned above, it spreads slowly and takes years to look "nice".

Okay, Thanks for the input, it sounds like the main complaints are weeds and slow to fill in.
I found this guy on the grass forum who documented his Buffalo grass lawn growing experience last year starting with buffalo plugs and it looks like he had a full lush turf within 16 weeks but he watered well until it was established, maybe that's why his filled in and choked the weeds so quickly. I guess once its established then you don't need to water it much at all or mow it.
I don't have any shade at all so no worry's there (for the grass anyway!) Maybe this year I'll try a small square in my yard and see how it grows.
Thanks!
Nik

PS What does the addition of the other grass type do to help?
Thanks!

Here is a link that might be useful: buffalo grass - watching it grow

I've had my Buffalo 602 grass sod yard (front and back) for a couple years now. It can get a little "weedy" in the early spring with stray wildflowers but it stays nice and green all summer when the neighbors' yards are browning from the heat. I only mowed the front 1x last year and didn't do the back at all! I have my mower set as high as possible and my yard looks great with very little water. I'll never go back to Bermuda.

Look into Turfallo grass. Google it. They even have a shade tolerant variety. Shouldn't be too much more than any other sod. It gets rave reviews too. I've seen a demo square of it at a home show, but I've never seen an actual lawn of it.

Thanks!
Actually, after I posted this thread and read what people had to say, I did some more searching and found Turfallo, that is what I am planning to use now. I finished prepping my test area today, tomorrow I will set up my temporary sprinkler system to get it off to the right start and then I will just have to wait for my plugs to arrive (they said it come in in April - that is tomorrow right?)

I posted this on another thread too, but I was part of an HOA landscaping project where I did quite a bit of reseach on turfalo. Unless it's come down in price considerably in the past year, it's very expensive. It's also not available in solid sod, only plugs. If there's any hint of bermuda in your soil, I think you have an uphill battle on your hands.

Since you've already committed to it, I hope you do have success with it. Keep us posted!

Thanks,
It costs $50.00 for 72 square feet (72 plugs spaced 12" apart). How did your HOA Pallisades Zoysia turn out? Does it require regular watering? I don't think there is any bermuda near the test area, but I am not sure I would care if I ended up with a mix, as long as I end up with grass that doesn't needs watering and only needs occasional mowing and most of all, cuts down on the weed seeds that end up in my flower beds whenever my yard guy mows!

I really want to hear about your results. Be sure to post pictures too. If I ever had to re-do a lawn, I'm pretty sure I'd use that too.

Will do! I am taking pics every day because it is fun and encouraging for me to look back and see the progress so I will post an update about 40 days after planting (when the plugs should completely fill in, according to the folks at Turfallo). That should be by Memorial day.

We can't wait that long! Go ahead and start posting them now so we can see the progress with you. PLEASE!!!

Well, okay...if you insist! I am still waiting for the plugs (any day now!)...I spread compost and corn gluten meal over the whole backyard including the test area and watered it in yesterday, so here are the before pics:

Hopefully next week I'll have some progress pics!

Oooh! I'm so excited for you! When those shrubs get bigger, you will have a fabulous yard. Did you round up yet? You gotta get those weeds/grass out before the plugs arrive! What's the white thing to the left of the awesome statue?

I personally like the wildflowers peeking up in the Buffalo grass. It gives my yard a mini-meadow look that I like and the bluebonnets and Indian paintbrush complement what's growing in the inferno strip between the sidewalk and curb. I think I'll sow more wildflower seeds in the grass next fall and extend the meadow look.

My plugs came late Wed, I finished putting them in yesterday:
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Redlodge, I think Buffallo grass with wild flowers sounds lovely (would love to see a pic!). But I would end up with more wild weeds than flowers, and my goal is to reduce weed seeds in the adjacent flower beds.

Lynmanrie I am only testing the grass in the area behind the statue (I know, it really looked like it should have been made into a rose garden after I prepared it, but alas, this is my moms house and I need low maintenance!)Are you asking about my sprinkler behind the statue or the bit of lattice hanging down in front?

Well it has been a week since I planted my plugs...

The plugs don't look much bigger but at least they are still looking healthy, I have only had a few small weed seedlings so far. I am hoping we get a little rain and it helps them take off (the plugs, not weeds!). The knockouts are sure busting a move!

Very interesting! (I bet your back hurt after planting all those plugs!)

I think it is going to look really nice when it gets established.

Lynn

I agree with the other Lynn. Keep us posted on the results. I was asking about the lattice looking thing, by the way.

Well, it looks like the rain did help, some of the plugs are really starting to spread, unfortunately the rain also moved most of the mulch to the lowest area in the back practically covering the plugs there so I will have to move it back. I had a few more weed seedlings but so far nothing seems to be coming up from under the cardboard/newspaper (knock on wood!). I fertilized yesterday for the first time, With that and the rain I hope next week there will really be a noticeable difference.
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Yes Lynn 1, my back still hurts - but this is the season for us gardeners to have backaches I guess! Lynn 2, here is a pic of the lattice thingy...It is a long story but basically it was my crude attempt at building lattice to provide strategic additional shade and privacy for the vantage point of the chair my mom likes to sit in!

It's really spreading quickly. I'm excited for you. (And your mom!)

Thats going to come in fine, once it's been in the ground a couple of weeks ween it off the water, by July you should just spritz it once a week for the runners maybe a soaking every other week if you get no rain, Mow it when the ground is dry this will help it spread, mow the buffalo 1st before you mow the rest of your yard to help prevent bringing weed seeds in

I have 3 types in the yard and haven't a clue which type they are, what the birds brought in, some seeds my brother in law bought and sod that I got the city to replace when they redid the sidewalks last summer, from your close up photo all of mine has a thinner blade than your turfallo

The established stuff I watered twice last year
mow it about 6 times not at all in July and August

I've transplanted the stuff the birds brought in, wider spacings than you've done, once established and after the early part of spring very few weeds

Well this is the halfway point if the plugs are to provide full coverage in 40 days...What do you think? Any bets? Per the instructions, I cut watering to 1/2" every other day after week 2. Still dealing with a few weed-lings but nothing serious, and still nothing from under the cardboard (knock on wood!).

I added another area on the right to make use of my left-over plugs (due to miscalculation of the original area). I still have 12 plugs left which I repotted into large containers, I may create a 12' long by 1' wide spot for them to the left.

Hi granburyflowergirl. I don't want to take away from your excellent documentation of this process, but for the sake of generating enthusiasm here for TechTurf, I'll post the pix I have. I know you've seen these pix but apparently many reading this thread have not. TechTurf really is an excellent buffalo variety and does not come in thin like other varieties. These pictures were taken in Lubbock several years ago.

This is ready to be mowed back down to 2.5 inches. Note that the seed heads do not shoot several inches up above the grass blades like other varieties of buff. It is also very dense when grown in full sun.
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This is a pic of a different lawn. This one is mowed to 3/4 inch high and still looks excellent.

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TechTurf is coming down in price. It was $75 several years ago.

Thanks dchall, I think the shade turf is still close to $75.00 for a 72 plug tray.

No way it will be full in 40 days. But it will make it and be nice. Keep the pictures coming. If I even need to do a lawn, that is definitely what I'll be using. Thanks, dchall too!

its coming along, seems to really like the high temps!

22 days till complete coverage???? Maybe :-)

Well, it gets an A for effort. I still don't think it will make it in 22 days, but maybe with the temps increasing it will.

Can you get more fertilizer like soybean meal or cottonseed meal, whichever is the cheapest? Do it now.

Lou, is there a reason to use one of those rather than the Lady Bug Brand "Johns Recipe" Organic liquid fertilizer that I already bought or should I just use more of that?
Thanks!

I just got back from a week in California and...WEEDS!!!! AHHHHHHHHH!!
Lynn, you are right, it definitely wont be turf by Memorial day but it is starting to look green all over from a distance (I am sure the weeds were contributing to this effect). After taking pics, I spent an hour pulling weeds but they were all seedlings, nothing coming up from beneath the cardboard so I am sold on that technique for prepping to ground.

Lou, would applying Soy Bean Meal have the same/similar effect as applying urea or ammonium nitrate? It has been suggested that I use one of those to encourage some beautiful princess 77 Bermuda that is coming up elsewhere in my yard.

It isn't running as fast as bermuda, but it is running pretty fast. I think once it gets established you'll be happy with it. Plus this warmer weather will probably give it the kick it needs!

You can try regular cheap fertilizer if you wish to speed it up a bit then use ordinary cheap feed grain thereafter to maintain them. 15-5-10 fertilizer of any brand (cheapest you can find) will be fine.

YAY! 9 weeks and it finally really looks like a lawn now! Thanks Lou, for the soy meal suggestion; I spread it over my whole lot and watered in with liquid molasses, I think that coupled with the heat has helped both the Tech Turf Buffalo and the Princess 77 Bermuda take off! My Mom's yard has never looked this good!
I now have a 2nd herd of buffalo and will see if it spreads faster than the first due to the heat.

Wow, that is looking fabulous! Looks soft as cotton, I love barefoot grass!

Pam

very nice. It's really that thick for buffalo grass!

Love it! Great job, Flowergirl!

Thanks all, It really is fabulous and soft and a lovely blueish green that the pics don't do justice to! Time will tell if you can really get away without mowing it, but so far so good!

Granburyflowergirl, great job on the lawn and the documentation effort. Do you have anymore updates?

Thanks waicklen, well since you asked...why yes, I do!

This pic was taken on 6-20-10:

7-2-10, note the huge pile of crabgrass to the left...I pulled this out of the Bermuda and it's only a drop in the bucket! There was virtually no crabgrass in the Turfallo (probably because I put the cardboard and newspaper down in March - just the right time to prevent the seeds from germinating):

I wasn't sure how it would respond to mowing so I had the 2nd patch (not the original test area) mowed first on 7-14-10:

7-23-10, original test patch is pretty shaggy looking at about 6-8 inches tall, 2nd patch looks good after mowing:

7-24-10 Baby's first haircut:

7-28-10, couple days after the first mowing, grass is brownish, all the green tips were cut off, I was worried...

...but it turned green again pretty quickly as you can see in the background of this pic taken on 8-12-10:
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I am very happy with it, it has weathered this heatwave well with very little attention, I think I watered it maybe 3 times this summer and I probably could have avoided mowing completely if I wanted to.

Well, just for fun here is a one year update. I still love this grass, I have only watered it twice this year and it is looking lush even with the drought! (These pics are from the end of May, I need to take some now to show the contrast with the neighbor's dead lawns).

One year:

after mowing:

It looks good, really great considering the drought. Buffalo grass is so low maintenance, we watered ours for the first time this year. It's hard to beat once a year mowing and no fertilizer or weed killer has been a bonus too.

If you do choose not to water it, it goes dormant and will green up as soon as it gets water.

That's buffalo grass? I thought it was blue grama grass. It looks pretty similar to what I saw at the park across from me.

It's pretty thick when fertilized (TruGreen) and watered enough. Part of it that receive no supplemental watering is 100% brown.

What a great thread. I would love to gradually replace my lawn because I hate mowing and watering it. I was thinking some kind of groundcover, but this sounds - and looks - perfect.

I hope you won't mind answering the following questions for me.
1. Where did you buy the plugs?
2. What did you put on top of your cardboard, in addition to the corn meal and compost?

Thanks.

Thanks, yes it is wonderfully low maintenance, I wouldn't have to mow at all if I had done the whole yard in it (that's the plan eventually).

Yes Lou, it's Turfallo (Tech Turf hybrid buffalo)

Sun-n-clay, I got mine from Marshall Grain in Fort Worth, they had to order it for me. I put a mix of compost and topsoil on top of the cardboard and pinebark mulch on top of that to help control weeds during the initial establishment when it had to be watered daily.

I removed the existing weeds/sod first from only half the original area and so that area was lower and got more topsoil but I couldn't tell any difference in terms of growth rate or weeds so I don't recommend doing that, it isn't necessary.

I received an email asking about how it compares to other grasses in winter. It started going dormant a little after the Bermuda and it took longer to go completely dormant. Here is a pic from mid November:

And it greened up completely a bit before the Bermuda as you can see in this pic from March:

I can't compare it to any other grass as that's all I have there.

This has been such a great thread, you are so good at documenting it will be a valuable resource when questions are asked in the future.

Watching dormant Buffalo grass green up is interesting in that it appears that the brown dormant grass blades go green all at once as soon as they get water without growing new blades. We aren't experts so this is just our observation, if someone can explain this we are really curious.