May Time To Talk About Warm Season Lawns, Zoysia, Bermuda and Buffalo and How To Care For Them

by Glennon Kraemer

Lawn/Turf Spceialist

G.R. Robinson Seed & Service Co

8674 Olive St

St. Louis, MO 63132

314-432-0300

gmmseed@sbcglobal.net

                                                                                                  

May is the best time to make your first applications to your warm season grasses. Until soil temperatures reach 60 degrees consistently, you are not going to get a whole lot of activity out of any of the warm season types. Your edges will green up faster then the rest of the yard! The most common types of warm season grasses are: Zoysia, Bermuda and Buffalo. They all have unique chacteristics and cultural needs. Below are the basics for all three.

Zoysia:

Mow at 1-2”. Be careful mowing at the height, because you can find water pipe covers and tree roots very easily and your lawn mowers crank shaft might not like either one of those. This grass loves to be mowed short (compared to cool season grasses) and will fill in much better when mowed at this height. Dense turf crowds out weeds, which allows you to use less herbicide! (This rule can be applied to all turf grasses) You will perform 20-25 cuts a year.

Fertilize with a high nitrogen fertilizer (35-3-5 or 22-0-0) or an organic (Milorganite, etc) on May 15-30^th and again July15-30^th. Apply ¾-1 pound of nitrogen per 1000 ft. sq. Highly visible lawns can get an application of Ironite (granule iron) in late August if you want to keep it greener longer into the fall.

Establishment: You can establish zoysia by seed, plugs or sod. You should seed at 1-2 pounds per 1000 ft. sq on BARE ground. Use a starter fertilizer (13-25-12) and water every day for 2-3 weeks. Plugs should be planted 4-6 per square foot and sod laid is like carpet. Water every day mow after 2-3 weeks or when you can’t lift it up. Don’t seed after July 1^st and don’t use plugs or sod after August 1^st (if possible?). You want these plants good and established before winter sets in!

Miscellaneous: Core aerate or power rake during the growing season = May to August. Apply grub control only if needed in late June. Water any time of the day, (unlike cool season grasses which need to be watered in the morning) 1-3 days a week after they are established. Fungicide use is almost non existent. When spraying weeds, read the label carefully! You can’t spray too early in the season because you may damage the grass. Spot spray only!

Bermuda:

Mow exactly like zoysia. Again, be careful mowing this short and NEVER mow cool season grasses this short consistently!

Fertilizing is a lot like zoysia, but a little more intense. I like to recommend fertilizing 3-4 times a year starting in mid May to mid August. Bermuda needs more nitrogen in a given year then zoysia does.

Establishment: This can established by seed or sod. Same seed rate (1-2#’s/1000 ft. sq.) as zoysia. Commercial customers can use “sprigs”, but it’s hard for me think of this as practical for home owners?

Miscellaneous: Some people ask, “What’s the difference between zoysia and Bermuda?” I tell them that if they can pick up a runner in July and it’s 10-12” long…you have Bermuda. Bermuda is much more aggressive in growth habit and its stolons (above ground roots) grow much more rapidly then zoysias. They both can be established with out even trying. If your neighbor has it and you have full sun, it’s only a matter of time before it makes its way into your yard. (I joking tell my students it’s easy to get rid of…just buy a new house)

Buffalo:

Mow like the others, but only about 5-6 times a year! (Read the rest of the article before you get too excited)

Fertilize, at the most once a year, with organics or a simple 12-12-12. (Continue reading)

Establishment: Again, available in seed or sod. I don’t know of any vendors with “plugs” or “sprigs”, but they could be out there?

Miscellaneous: I just described the perfect lawn, right? Not really. Buffalo never looks like what I would call a “perfect lawn”. You can see an example of Buffalo grass growing along the raised median just north of the History Museum in Forest Park. You will never mistake Buffalo grass for anything growing at Busch Stadium or in a golf course fairway. To each his own. If less mowing, watering and fertilization is what you want, you may consider it. If a nice, smooth lawn is your expectation, stay away from it.

Any good lawn care program starts with soil testing. If you haven’t done one lately, do it. Soil testing helps us make better lawn care decisions and will help prevent you from getting a “free” lime application from lawn care companies that only want your money. If some lawn care company wants to give you something free, tell them you want aeration free! Nothing is free, except this advice. Remember, it’s just grass!