First of all, I am going to direct you to the first posting in this series titled “Do I need a cool-season or a warm-season grass?”. As you will see, the answer to that question is dependent on your location. Once you have decided that a warm-season grass is right for you, there will be a few more decisions that will be needed before you determine which one to choose.

One of the most important decisions is whether to seed the area or to establish it vegetatively. Many of the warm-season grasses require vegetative establishment. The reason for this is that many of the warm-season grasses either do not have viable seed available for purchase, or if they do, the vegetative types are superior to the seeded types. Vegetative establishment can be done by sodding the area or by using plant parts in the form of stolons (stems) or small plugs of living grass. This is generally much more expensive and difficult than seeding and seeding will generally be the best approach if high-quality seed is available for your location.

The warm-season grasses that are most often seeded are bermudagrass and buffalograss. These grasses overlap in their region of adaptation in the central part of the country (Kansas City). Bermudagrass ranges much further south through the southern states and can be found in Florida and the Gulf Coast. As the climate has warmed, the bermudagrass range appears to be moving further north, see (https://www.extension.iastate.edu/turfgrass/blog/bermudagrass-spreading-north). Buffgalograss is adapted to the central states of the transition zone and can be found as far north as the Canadian border. While it can tolerate cold winter conditions, its season when it remains actively growing is quite short in northern regions and its use is limited there.

Bermudagrass can provide a very high-quality turf and is the preferred species in its region of adaptation. It is like Kentucky bluegrass in the north. It is used on lawns, golf courses, sports fields, school grounds, cemeteries and other locations where a quality stand of grass is desired. Like Kentucky bluegrass, it has rhizomes underground. But unlike Kentucky bluegrass, it also has a stolon system which allows it to spread and recover above ground as well. It can provide a highly dense stand with good color that recovers easily from damage and will usually be the desired species in its region of adaptation for sports fields.

Bermudagrass is a general term that applies to a complex group of species. Common bermudagrass (Cynadon dactylon) originated in Africa and is widely used throughout the warmer climatic zones of the world as a forage grass for grazing animals. Common bermudagrass generally has a coarser texture and a heavier stolon that makes it less desirable than some of the other types for specialty turf areas like golf courses and sports fields. In the middle of the last century, scientists discovered that if they crossed common bermudagrass with another species of bermudagrass called African bermuda (Cynodon transvaalensis), the result was a hybrid with a finer-texture that provided a better quality turf. These hybrid bermuda are widely used, particularly when a low mowing height is required. The hybrids are often used on golf courses and sports fields, as well as lawns and other turf sites.

There is a problem, however, and that is that hybrids of these two species will not produce seed that is true to type of the hybrid and they must be established vegetatively. As a result, plant breeders have turned their attention in recent years to selecting better types of Cynodon dactylon that do produce a viable seed crop. These improved common bermudagrasses have a finer texture than the older types of common bermuda and provide a very high-quality lawn at mowing heights above 1 inch. The hybrids are still best for very low mowing heights on golf courses, but the use of the seeded turf-type common bermudagrass on lawns has increased rapidly in recent years because of the availability of seed.

It is very important that improved types of common bermudagrass are chosen for lawns. The older types of common bermudagrass are available at discount prices, but they will not provide the quality generally desired in modern lawns. Always buy from a reliable seed dealer that carry the new selections. They will have names such as “Rio” bermudagrass. Reputable dealers will also carry the old common types for use on grazing areas, so be sure to ask for the best turf-type bermudagrasses if your goal is a quality turf. They will be more expensive, but it will be worth the cost.

Buffalograss (Buchloe dactylodes) is native to the short grass prairie region of the United States, between the Missouri River and the Rocky Mountains and is very well adapted to Nebraska, western Colorado, and Kansas. While it is a warm-season grass, it can tolerate much colder conditions than bermudagrass and is often used a hundred miles or more north of the region of adaptation for bermuda. It provides a lighter gray-green turf than bermudagrass or the cool-season grasses and is less desirable for quality lawns. Its advantages include the fact that it is drought tolerant and very slow growing. There are lawns of buffalograss in the Midwest that are not mowed, with the exception of a single mowing in the spring before the grass breaks dormacy. The turf will generally get 10 to 12 inches high during an entire growing season. It is a stoloniferous grass and recovers well from damage.

Buffalograss can be seeded, which is a big advantage over some of the other warm-season grasses. Its seeds are found in burrs that are produced close to the surface of the ground. Buffalograss is dioecious, meaning that there are male and female plants. Staminate flowers that appear to be seedheads will grow above the canopy, but the seeds are in the burrs at ground level. That makes buffalograss hard to harvest and its seed is somewhat expensive. It is also difficult to seed because of the burrs and it may need to be spread by hand. The spreading stolons allow for a lower seeding rate, however, and seeding rates as low as 2 to 3 lbs/1000 square ft. can be used. There are improved cultivars of buffalograss, such as Sundancer. These improved types will provide superior turf quality to the common types available on the market.

Buffalograss is not for everyone. It will not provide the traditional dark green, dense turf that Kentucky bluegrass and bermudagrass provide. It is, however, very useful in low maintenance areas where irrigation is not possible. There are also individuals who prefer it for their lawn because of its low requirements for fertilization, mowing and irrigation. I recommend that if you are considering the use of buffalograss, that you look at some sites in your area that have been established to buffalograss for a few years. If that is what you’re looking for, give it a try. It may also have some uses on the golf course in some regions (https://www.extension.iastate.edu/turfgrass/blog/buffalograss-rough-isu-golf-course).

Nick Christians, University Professor of Horticulture, Emeritus, Iowa State University

books: http://www.amazon.com/Nick-Edward-Christians/e/B001H6SB7A/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

turf blog: http://www.iaturf.blogspot.com/

Fundamentals of Turfgrass Mgt. 5^th ed http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-1119204631.html

Web site: https://www.hort.iastate.edu/directory/nick-christians/

 

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