Native Plants
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Saturday - February 28, 2009
From: Hurst, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Turf
Title: Grass for sunny Texas lawn
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
We lost our front yard(bermuda) last summer/fall due to grubs(we think). When and what type of grass seed do we do this spring to plant a new yard? We can't afford to lay sod. It's mostly sunny. We have not treated the yard with anything. It's all clover & weeds at this point. Thank you!ANSWER:
Mr. Smarty Plants thinks that Bouteloua dactyloides (buffalograss) would be ideal for your mostly sunny yard. Buffalograss, once established, requires little water (less than the non-native bermudagrass) and very little mowing. Please read our "How to Article", Native Lawns: Buffalograss, for more information about how to sow seeds and prepare your lawn. You can obtain seeds from one of our Associates, Native American Seed in Junction, Texas. They offer a seed mixture, Native Sun Turfgrass, that is a mixture of buffalo grass (66%) and another short turf grass, Bouteloua gracilis (blue grama) (34%) that has many advantages—little water required, no mowing or fertilizer and no diseases or pests. You can also find a very helpful article, Planting Tips for Native Grasses, on their webpage. Early spring is the time to plant these seeds so you should begin your preparations now.
More Turf Questions
Cause of yellowing buffalo grass (Bouteloua dactyloides)
June 07, 2008 - We are getting large yellow areas in our buffalo grass lawn and think this is probably due to grub worms. Are grub worms the likely culprit and if so, what is the best way to get rid of them? We don...
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Seeding an established buffalograss lawn to make it denser
May 13, 2010 - We have 5400 sq ft of existing Buffalo grass and would like to know if spreading Buffalo grass SEED would help the existing get more full? I can't seem to find the seed here or the Austin area? And, ...
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Invasive non-native Bermuda grass in lawns
July 30, 2007 - Hello Mr. Smarty Pants. My yard here in southwest Austin is the only lawn with Bermuda Tif 419 grass. I am surrounded by neighbors with St. Augustine. I upgraded to this hybrid Bermuda for a number of...
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Compare Natives to Lawn for Carbon Footprint Benefits in Durham, New Hampshire
September 22, 2010 - Are there carbon sequestration rate tables for turf (lawn) and bushes, shrubs, trees? I want to compare the carbon footprint benefit of lawn versus the same area put into native plantings.
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Native buffalograss in sandy loam
April 19, 2008 - I am in the Austin area and want to plant Native Texas Buffalo Grass in sandy loam from the Colorado River bed. Will this work?
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