buffalo seeds (lawn)

[XT4V]

I live in Melbourne and with the crappy water restrictions, my yard looks horrible!

i'm redoing all the landscaping (new retaining walls etc) and grass is on the agenda.

I'm wondering if anyone can give me advice on this buffalo seed on ebay: http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Buffalo-lawn-...QQcmdZViewItem

it states buffalo seed is 21% content and turf type perennial rye is 79% content... quoting from ebay:

"turf type perennial rye is used as a nursery grass to stop weed invasion and help in the establishment of the dominant buffalo grass. Buffalo will eventually take over the blend once established"

anyone had experience with these seeds? if so, how did they perform?

my soil has a lot of clay in it and is very hard due to all the machinery on the block when home was getting built last year. should I do anything now while i'm gutting out the garden to help the soil, i.e. gypsum?

any advice would be appreciated

[Chesand]

I have a buffalo lawn (now full of weeds) and I planted it using runners from my fathers lawn many years ago. It will stay green in summer with a minimum of water but tends to brown off in winter.
I was not aware that you could get seeds.
I may be digging out a small area soon so if you want runners PM me.

[David L]

"turf type perennial rye is used as a nursery grass to stop weed invasion and help in the establishment of the dominant buffalo grass. Buffalo will eventually take over the blend once established"

This is a common practice when establishing a lawn from seed.
I can not comment on the success of using Buffalo seed except to say, don't expect to get Trade Mark varieties that people are raving about at pesent.

Some cultivation and the aplication of Gypsum at about one kilo per Sq metre would definately be helpful. It will require regular watering till established.

[oohsam]

Going off topic a little....Why dont u get a water tank so you can keep your grass nice and green. I have a great water tank that helps out..
My neighbour has hooked up his washing machine to his water tank and his grass is so nice and greenn...the whole street is envious...I will do the same.

Good luck with the grass. i had great grass now its all weeds...

[Pete J]

I live in Melbourne and with the crappy water restrictions, my yard looks horrible!

i'm redoing all the landscaping (new retaining walls etc) and grass is on the agenda.

it states buffalo seed is 21% content and turf type perennial rye is 79% content...

Buffalo is a good lawn - provided it is a soft type and you don't want to eliminate weeds by chemical means. It reacts dramatically (death) to many 'weeding' chemicals and can be a little abrasive to lie on etc. compared to couch etc.

[XT4V]

Going off topic a little....Why dont u get a water tank so you can keep your grass nice and green. I have a great water tank that helps out..
My neighbour has hooked up his washing machine to his water tank and his grass is so nice and greenn...the whole street is envious...I will do the same.

Good luck with the grass. i had great grass now its all weeds...

yeah, i'd love a water tank but at the moment finances are telling me not to do it, probably after christmas I will be in a better position and will be installing a slimline tank.

i've also thought about the grey water idea, but a mates dog drank some of his grey water from the garden the other day, and got very sick... so i'm a little worried about this approach.

[XT4V]

Buffalo is a good lawn - provided it is a soft type and you don't want to eliminate weeds by chemical means. It reacts dramatically (death) to many 'weeding' chemicals and can be a little abrasive to lie on etc. compared to couch etc.

when you say its a little more abrasive than couch, would couch be a better grass for a dog, i.e. more comfertable? i've got 1 little pug and about to buy another one soon..

[David L]

I don't know about dogs but the original varieties had saw tooth edges that caused itching to childeren when they rolled on it. It was also very course.
By the way I think the proportions in that seed mix should be the other way around for true value.

IMHO I would go for a couch variety.
I don't know anything about this stuff ARID but it may be worth a look. Google it.

[Planned LScape]

A blend of a summer/winter grass is a good idea, this way, providing you get sufficient water year round, it will always be lush and green. You can get blends from garden yards and nurseries too which have a mixture so you get the buffalo/couch/kikuyu thriving during summer, and when it goes a bit dormant during colder weather the rye/fescue/kentucky comes through and keeps it all green.

[Les Harris]

You could reasonably expect it to work as claimed but it still needs water. I am in Melbourne - Seabrook. I collect shower water in a 240 litre wheelie bin. I elevated the bin on bricks installed a garden tap near the bottom. I use a garden hose and modified soaker hose to get it out onto the lawn. It helps.

As claimed, the buffalo will eventually take over as it gradually chokes out the fescue but it is slow and still water dependent.

The alternative is to buy slabs from Bunnings, where I have seen a 1 m by .5 m slab for about ten dollars. This is pure buffalo but it will need as much water as you can gather to keep it going.

Tanks are becoming cheaper as production increases and anything is better than nothing. I am seriously considering clearing the non-buffalo lawn and putting down heavy mulch. I haven't got enough storage capacity for that as well as the buffalo lawn.

Les Harris

[rhancock]

yeah, i'd love a water tank but at the moment finances are telling me not to do it, probably after christmas I will be in a better position and will be installing a slimline tank.

i've also thought about the grey water idea, but a mates dog drank some of his grey water from the garden the other day, and got very sick... so i'm a little worried about this approach.

That's one of the reasons grey water should be distributed underground. There s a few threads on grey water if you want more info, but basic rules are:
* distribute at least 100mm undergroung
* Use within 24 hrs - don't store any longer
* Don't allow access to children or pets

Most regs also say that you shouldn't use it directly on edible plants, but I can't find an authoratative source that gives any useful guidelines.

Bunnies sell some water spikes you use with 13mm irrigation pipe that would solve your problem.

[Les Harris]

Yes, indeed, grey water isn't something that can be drunk but the lawn doesn't know that. The point about pets coming into contact with it is valid.

I am in the process of learning more about growing buffalo and the consensus of opinion so far is that it is chancey to grow from seed and is very slow growing into the bargain.

But I have found that it can be bought as seedlings from a particular supplier. It comes in a tray containing 108 established seedlings and I am looking for cost at the moment.

Will post the results.

Les Harris