Native Plants
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Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
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Monday - October 08, 2007
From: Austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Grasses or Grass-like
Title: Winter expectations for Buffalograss (Bouteloua dactyloides)
Answered by: Nan Hampton and Joe Marcus
QUESTION:
I planted some buffalo grass (from seed) in April of this year. I’ve got a nice patch now, though it’s starting to brown up some. I’m wondering what to expect from this patch over the winter- will it all go brown? Should I mow the patch at some point during the fall or winter so that new, green growth in the spring can grow up through the existing clumps? Thank you.ANSWER:
It will turn brown with the onset of winter. You will probably want to mow it to a height of 3-4 inches in late winter/early spring to remove the ragged old growth before the new growth gets started. Otherwise, you don't really need to do anything with it over the winter. It will start to green when the rain and warm temperatures come in the spring.More Grasses or Grass-like Questions
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November 20, 2007 - We have planted more than 150 cordgrass plants (spartina bakeri) along the edges of the small pond at our condominium complex to try to prevent any further soil erosion between the buildings and the p...
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Source for nitrates and phosphorus (P205) for lawn care
July 04, 2008 - I recently supplied soil samples from my back yard to my local extension here in Austin. I have a hybrid Bermuda turf grass (TIF 419) that has had its share of ups and downs, and wanted to assess the ...
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Native grasses for East Texas that require no mowing or watering
June 16, 2010 - What native grass can I grow in deep East Texas that would require no supplemental watering and no mowing?
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Should wait to trim Inland Sea Oats until all seeds have been dropped from Austin
March 18, 2011 - Regarding Inland Sea Oats: I trimmed the stalks that have lost all the seeds. Should I trim the rest of the stalks or wait until all seeds have dropped?
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Erosion control in West Union IA
June 22, 2010 - Erosion control and native grasses/plants for steep, shady slope in northeast Iowa.
We are building a house in northeast Iowa (near West Union in Fayette County). The road that was graded to the ho...
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