Buffalograss

Kiowa Conservation District
PO BOX 688/ 7519 E. Hwy 86, Franktown, CO

303-621-2070 ext. 101

Helping People Help The Land in Elbert County Colorado

Color Picture	Buffalograss Buchloe dactyloides Examples of buffalograss lawns. Native to southern Great Plains, Texas, Arizona, and Colorado. A warm season, low growing, perennial sod-forming grass. Grows up to 4" high. Spreads rapidly by surface runners and forms a dense matted turf. Leaves fine, grayish-green during growing season turning to light straw color when plants mature. It is the dominant species of much of the short-grass region of the upland areas of the central Great Plains.
Preferences	Adapted to a wide range of soils and climatic conditions. Often found in native stands of blue grama and often survives in a nearly pure stand with extreme overgrazing. About half of the plants in nature are female and produce seed burrs; the others are male in function and produce pollen. Good cold and drought tolerance.
Uses	Provides excellent ground cover. Relatively easy to establish and can be used for low maintenance turf. Ideally suited for erosion control on range and pasture with heavy soil. Widely used for forage. Withstands heavy grazing better than other grasses native to the Great Plains region. It is a very palatable grass, but very low growing.
Planting	Drill seed about 1/2" deep in pure stands. Use a firm seedbed. Better establishment when using a protective cover of non-volunteering crop, stubble or mulch. Tall growing plants can over-top buffalograss and reduce stands.