Native Plants

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Tuesday - March 20, 2012

From: dallas, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Turf, Grasses or Grass-like
Title: Need help with lawn that was sodded with Buffalo Grass in Dallas, TX.
Answered by: Jimmy Mills

QUESTION:

I had buffalo sod put down last March. It greened up beautifully until weeds just about covered it up. I tried hand pulling. My landscaper showed up with something that appeared to damage the buffalo grass as much as the weeds. Continued hand weeding. This spring I have massive weeds again. There is still some buffalo grass there, but it will be completely eradicated if I do not find something to kill the unwanted grass and weeds. apprx 2000 sq feet of sod. Help! What can I put on it.

ANSWER:

Mr. Smarty Plants is sorry to hear you are having trouble with your Buffalo Grass. It holds promise for an eco-friendly lawn when the installation is successful.

You didn’t mention the names of the weeds you are battling, so without that information, I am at a loss as what to recommend to put on it. I suggest that you contact the folks at the Dallas County office of Texas AgriLife Extension who can look at the lawn, identify the weeds, and suggest possible treatments. In addition, you can get more information from our How to Article on the planting and care of Buffalo Grass.

Dr. Mark Simmons, the Director of our Ecosystem Design Group, offers these observations on Buffalo Grass sod:

1. sod often is a great way to import weeds (particularly nut sedge)

2. Sod is usually installed on poorly prepared ground which leads to buffalo turf which is weed prone