Ornamental · Poaceae
Buffalo Grass
Bouteloua dactyloides
An easygoing native prairie grass that keeps a lawn green on a fraction of the water.
Full sun
Every 14–28 days
28–120 days
USDA 3–9
Overview
So what's the deal with buffalo grass? It's a warm-season native that blanketed the shortgrass prairie from central Canada all the way down to Mexico long before lawns were a thing. It spreads by surface runners called stolons, knitting itself into a soft, blue-green to gray-green turf that hugs the ground. Where summers run dry and the soil's on the heavy, clay side, you'd be hard pressed to find a lawn that asks for less.
The big selling point is how little it wants. It runs on 50 to 75 percent less water than a Kentucky bluegrass lawn, hardly needs feeding, and it's totally fine whether you mow it here and there or let it grow out into a loose meadow. The catch? It browns off in winter and through a long drought, and it's not a fan of shade or heavy foot traffic.
Treat it like the lean prairie grass it is and it'll pay you back. Stick it in full sun on ground that drains well, go easy on the hose and the fertilizer, and it stays thick and weed-free. Fuss over it like a regular lawn, though, and you'll basically invite the weeds and disease it was built to shrug off.
Care
The short version: full sun and well-drained, heavier soil, hardly any water once it's settled, a light feeding at most, and mowing that's optional, not a chore.
Light
Buffalo grass is a real sun lover, so give it at least 6 to 8 hours of direct light a day. It doesn't handle shade well, which is why it thins out under trees and on the north side of buildings, while the open, sunny patches stay nice and dense.
Water
Here's the whole appeal in one line: once it's established, it gets by on 1 to 2 inches of rain or water every 2 to 4 weeks in summer. More water doesn't help and actually brings on weeds and disease, so save the freely watering for when a new planting is still taking hold.
Soil
It does its best in well-drained, heavier clay or clay-loam soils from drier country and isn't happy in sand. On high-pH ground you might spot iron chlorosis, which is just a yellowing of the blades, but it handles a wide pH range from 6.0 to 8.5 without much fuss.
Temperature
This is one tough grass, riding out anything from about -29°F to 104°F (-34°C to 40°C) across USDA zones 3 to 9. It greens up later in spring and browns earlier in fall than cool-season lawns, but that's it going dormant, not dying.
Humidity
It belongs in low-humidity, low-rainfall regions and has a rough time where rainfall runs high. Damp, muggy spots let cool-season weeds muscle in, so it's a far better fit for dry climates than wet ones.
Feeding
Feed it lightly, or skip it entirely: 0 to 2 lbs of nitrogen per 1000 sq ft a year does the job, split between late May to mid-June and late July. Pile on the food and you'll basically roll out the welcome mat for weeds.
Pruning
Mowing? Up to you. As a lawn, cut it to about 2 to 3 inches every 7 to 14 days, or as a meadow, leave it at 4 to 8 inches and mow just once or twice a year. Once it's established, you don't really have to mow at all.
Repotting
none
Size & spacing
The turf stays low at 2 to 8 inches (5 to 20 cm) tall and spreads by stolons to 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 cm) per plant, so give it time and it'll knit itself into one continuous mat.
When to plant
Buffalo grass is a warm-season grass, so the timing just follows the heat. You can seed it from spring through late July, or dormant-seed it in late fall so it pops up in spring, and plugs or sod go in after the last frost, with June being the sweet spot. Its little flowers come and go from June to August, and honestly, you won't even notice them.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Plant: Seed treated burrs in spring through late July, or dormant-seed October to December for spring germination; set plugs or sod after the last spring frost and at least 6 weeks before the first fall frost (June is ideal).
- Harvest: Inconspicuous green flowers June to August; dioecious, with male plants holding small comb-like spikes above the turf.
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 3–9
Temperature: down to -40°C
Troubleshooting
Most buffalo grass headaches come from treating it like a thirsty regular lawn or planting it somewhere it doesn't want to be. Take a look at the lawn before you reach for the hose, because brown usually means it's just napping, not dead. Find your symptom below, then tweak the inputs or the spot.
Thinning turf taken over by weeds
If a buffalo grass lawn goes lush and weedy, odds are it's getting babied like a regular lawn. Too much water and nitrogen give cool-season weeds exactly the opening they want, and a damp, high-rainfall spot just makes it worse. Dial the watering back to 1 to 2 inches every 2 to 4 weeks in summer, ease off the feed, and pull weeds by hand while the stand fills back in.
Fix:
- Cut back irrigation to only what is needed (about 1 to 2 inches every 2 to 4 weeks in summer)
- Reduce nitrogen to 0 to 2 lbs per 1000 sq ft per year
- Remove weeds by hand or spot-treat, especially in the first one to two years
- Avoid scalping; mow at 2 to 3 inches or leave unmowed
Patches that fade out under trees and in shade
Buffalo grass wants full sun and has poor shade tolerance, so it thins out anywhere it gets less than about 6 hours of direct light. Notice how the open, sunny parts of the same lawn stay nice and thick? That's the tell. Keep this grass for the bright spots and go with a shade-tolerant groundcover under trees and on the north side of the house.
Fix:
- Relocate buffalo grass to full-sun areas
- Use a shade-tolerant grass or groundcover under trees and on the north sides of structures
Bare, worn tracks where the lawn gets used hard
Buffalo grass has poor wear and traffic tolerance, so the damage shows up right where feet and tires keep crossing. Paths and play areas thin out while the rest of the lawn holds just fine. Reroute the traffic, or drop a tougher grass into the spots that take a beating, and maybe skip buffalo grass altogether for small, busy yards and sports fields.
Fix:
- Limit concentrated traffic on buffalo grass
- Reroute paths or use a more wear-tolerant grass in high-traffic zones
Straw-brown lawn that is slow to wake up
Brown buffalo grass is almost always just normal dormancy, not death. Being a warm-season grass, it browns off after the first hard frost and can also go dormant through a long summer drought, then greens right back up with warmth or water. The crowns are alive underneath the whole time, so the easy move is to wait for mid- to late spring, or give it a light watering if you want the color back sooner.
Fix:
- Wait for warm temperatures in mid- to late spring for green-up
- Apply light irrigation to break drought dormancy if green color is desired
- Accept brown dormancy as normal for this species
Toxicity
Got pets? Good news: buffalo grass is non-toxic and isn't on the ASPCA's list of poisonous plants. It's actually grazing forage out on the range, so it's safe around cats, dogs, and livestock alike. The one thing worth a mention is that grass pollen can stir up allergies in people or pets who are sensitive.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats Safe
Buffalo grass is safe for cats. A cat that nibbles a few blades might cough one back up, the way any grass can tickle the stomach, but the plant itself won't do any harm.
Dogs Safe
Dogs can run, roll, and graze on it without a second thought. The only thing to watch is the odd round of grass-eating that ends in a little vomit, and that's just the texture, not poison.
Horses Safe
It's good pasture grass, so horses graze it freely with nothing toxic to worry about.
Rabbits Safe
Rabbits can browse buffalo grass as part of a normal forage diet, since there's nothing in it that'd upset them.
Livestock Safe
Cattle, goats, and sheep have grazed buffalo grass on the plains for ages. It's nutritious range forage, not a hazard.
Birds Safe
Birds are safe around it and happily feed on the seed, with nothing in the plant to worry about.
People Safe
It's harmless to people. The one caveat? Grass pollen can set off hay fever in folks who are sensitive, but that's an allergy, not poisoning.
Like any grass, pets may nibble it and occasionally vomit, and grass pollen can trigger allergies in sensitive people or animals, but the plant itself is not poisonous.
Varieties
Buffalo grass comes in a few named cultivars, split between plug-planted female types bred for fine, dense turf and seeded types you can sow yourself. These are the ones you'll bump into most.
Legacy
Legacy is a female cultivar you plant from plugs, and it gives you a dark green, dense, low lawn with top turf quality and almost none of those scratchy male flower stalks.
Prestige
Prestige is another plug-planted female, and it brings bright green color, better chinch bug resistance, an earlier spring green-up, and color that hangs on longer into fall.
UC Verde
UC Verde is a fine, dense, low female cultivar the University of California bred for the warm low desert and California heat.
Cody
Cody is a widely adapted seeded cultivar with good density and drought tolerance, and it's the one breeders often measure newer types against.
Bowie
Bowie is a medium green seeded cultivar with fine texture, good density, quick establishment, and solid winter hardiness.
Texoka
Texoka is an older seeded cultivar that's still easy to find for both lawns and range plantings.
How to propagate
Want to start your own? You can grow buffalo grass from seed if you're patient and don't mind the work, or go with plugs and sod for a quicker, more even stand.
SeedModerate
Spring through late July, or dormant-seed October to December for spring germination · Full coverage in one season at higher seeding rates; can be labor intensive
Sow the treated seed burrs anywhere from spring through late July, or dormant-seed them October to December so they sprout the next spring. Bump the rate up to 1 to 3 lbs per 1000 sq ft and you can knit a full stand in one season at the high end, though it's a fair bit of work. And even though the grass is drought tolerant, water it freely while it's getting going.
DivisionEasy
After last spring frost, at least 6 weeks before first fall frost (June ideal) · Plugs can fill in within about 4 to 6 weeks when set closely
Set plugs at least 2 inches across and 2.5 inches deep, spaced anywhere from 6 to 24 inches apart, after the last spring frost and at least 6 weeks before the first fall frost, with June the sweet spot. The closer you space them, the faster the stolons knit together, and tight plantings can fill in within about 4 to 6 weeks. Want instant cover? Sod works too.
Myths
Buffalo grass needs the same watering and feeding as a Kentucky bluegrass or fescue lawn.
Nope, and here's the twist: it's a low-input native that pampering actually hurts. Pour on the water and fertilizer and you open the stand right up to weeds and disease, which is the opposite of what you wanted. Once established it gets by on 50 to 75 percent less water than Kentucky bluegrass and only 0 to 2 lbs of nitrogen per 1000 sq ft a year, so a light touch wins.