Out in the Garden: Buffalo grass does well in heat
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During the heat of the summer, you’ll find you'll spend a lot of money watering your lawn to keep it green.
If you're looking for a grass that’s very resource efficient, you ought to consider buffalo. Buffalo is a native grass, native to central parts of the country and the high plains of Texas.
It knows how to survive without extra water. Once it's established, you really don't have to water it at all.
The place where most people fall out with buffalo is that they like a lawn that's always green. Buffalo starts to brown at the first sign of drought.
It's a survivor. It knows how to shut down and hold its resources so that even during an extended drought it survives, then greens up again with the next rain.
If you try to keep it green like other lawns, you're going to end up watering it more than you do other grasses like Zoysia or St. Augustine.
The way to maintain buffalo is to mow it very little.
Let it grow to about six inches tall and lay over like a mini meadow. Once it’s established, it’ll essentially require no watering at all.
So if you're looking for the most resource efficient choice for a sunny area with that native look, and you don't mind the natural tawny color in the summer, buffalo grass may be just the choice for you.
can be seen each Saturday morning. Austin Area Garden Council President
offers a journey through area gardens, like the Zilker Botanical Garden. She offers advice on what and when to plant from flowers to herbs and more.