The yard is on the south side of the house and I have 2 crepe myrtle trees planted in the back yard about 2 ft from the west wall. I am mainly wondering if this task is going to be as easy as people make it sound (tilling about 2-3 inches of dirt, broadcasting the seed, covering them with some soil and keeping them moist)? How long will it take before there is a lawn that can be walked on? I believe that I will need a pound of seed is that enough? When is the best time to plant them for this location? I was thinking of intermixing some wildflowers good or bad idea? I am sure that I will think of more questions later. Thanks in advance for any reponses.

~Scott

It does not tolerate any shade.
Will not grow in sandy soils, needs dense clay soils
Cannot be used in high traffic areas

Now to answer some of your questions.

First I need to ask a question. Is the seed you intend to buy Treated or Not?

Treated seed is important to seed rates. If treated 1 pound is about right for 500/ft2. If not you will need about 4 pounds. Treated seed germination rate is around 80%, non treated is down around 20%.

Planting time is April for you, and it will take a full growing season to fill in and must be left undisturbed as it is very slow to germinate, establish itself, and fragile.

To answer your question. I believe that I am going to be buying treated because it says the germination rate is 80%.

As far as the shade goes I watched the amount of sun that it was getting today and it was getting at least 6 hours.

As for the soil I might need to amend it then. I thought that buffalo grass grew pretty much in any kind of soil except good soil for other grasses.

For the moment we have a 14 month old and a small dog. Both of who will be staying off of the area. Later on though I was hoping to be able to play and hang out in the grass. Curiously what do you mean by high traffic?

Thank you for the planting time info?

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/archives/parsons/turf/publications/ buffalo.html

Secondly, seeded buffalo tends to go wild after a few years. That means it thins out and allows all kinds of weeds in. Also the seed head and flower stalks shoot up faster and higher than the grass blades. That sort of defines one of the characteristics of a weed. The Tech Turf variety of buffalo from the Turffalo company does not have this characteristic. It has short seeds and flowers. Tech Turf also spreads much faster than most varieties so is more resistant to wear and tear. It only comes in plugs.

High traffic means young dogs (romping, chasing, digging, and patrolling) and children playing sports (swingset, teeter totter, baseball, etc.). Older dogs are not so much of an issue. We had a pug that wore his own path in the lawn traveling from the patio to the gate.

If you have crepe myrtles, you will have bare ground underneath to the east, north, and west sides of the trees.

Also, never till in preparation for turf. Tilling is for gardens and I have a good argument against that, too. Tilling before you seed or sod turf will lead to a bumpy lawn within 3 years. Just say "no!" to tilling.

1. Shade Tolerance. Buffalo grass has no shade tolerance. It needs clear view of the horizon from East, South, to the West. So if you have trees or privacy fence, any areas they cast shade will be free of Buffalo Grass.

2. Soil requirement. IT thrives in dense clay soils, and will not survive in sandy soils. Granted I do not live in Lost Wages, but have been there many times and have noticed the area really does not have soil. It is more of a granite gravel and rubble, and very alkaline PH.

3. Wear or Traffic Tolerance. It does not have a high tolerance for wear and traffic. Such a small area of 500/ft2 with a child and dog can likely be a problem.

4. Range. If you look on the map its range is that narrow strip right down the middle of the country known as the High Grass Plains where the Buffalo roam. What is unique about that area is the altitude, soil type of being a heavy clay soils, and not a tree in site from the wind swept plains.

1 can be used (kicking a ball back an forth, laying down and looking at the stars/clouds)
2 doesn't need to be mowed weekly (I have enough chores),
3 doesn't need to be watered daily,
4 can stand up to the vegas heat

If I remember correctly the Vegas area only has one Sod Farm called Valley Sod. They carry two types of sod. Bermuda for the lower altitudes and valley, and Fescue blends for higher elevations. Reason I bring that up is because Sod Farms only grow varieties that will work for a particular region.

Honestly I do not know if Buffalo would work or not in Vegas. I am south of you in Prescott Valley. Here there are a couple of lawns with Buffalo grass but we are at 5800 feet elevation where it is much cooler. Down in Phoenix valley I have not noticed any Buffalo lawns but Phoenix is a huge city so I have not seen a lot of the city. For those that actually have lawns in Phoenix, it is Bermuda.

Try this go to local nurseries or call local landscapers and get their input. Won't cost you anything except some time and maybe some gas.

Oh and what about mixing in clover with grass. It used to be used all the time from what I recall and have read.

Texas I think that you last post on here was meant to be for someone else. Probably Outatime80's post about zoysia.

Clover is a good idea but might need more water than you like. Dutch white clover attracts bees to the white flowers - lots of bees. It grows to 4-6 inches high and stops growing. If you like the growing habit, it is very low maintenance.

Anyone have any experience with any of those. They did have a couple of Bermuda Grasses. I dig the idea of not having a dead looking lawn all winter without overseeding but don't want it to do the same thing during the summer.

Ask them what kind of Grass they are smoking.

I tend to agree with TexasWeed regarding TF in the Las Vegas area, but I guess with cool dry nights, and plenty of water it could be done, especially with a midday watering for ten minutes to cool the grass down during the hottest months. However, just because something could be done, doesn't mean you should be doing it.

I have seen TTTF used in the California Sonoran Desert (the HOT one). The Mojave Desert is cool beans compared to the Sonora Desert, so you have a half a chance. It will take a lot of care with watering. Also you should know that TTTF requires reseeding in the fall to fill in any spots that thinned out during the summer for whatever reason(s).

I guess I will be calling around tomorrow.

If it stays green during the summer he has Bermuda, and over seeds it in the fall with a Rye/Fescue mix to have a green lawn in the winter.

1 - It doesn't need horizon-to-horizon sun. My lawn gets part morning shade from some big trees to the east and south and it's actually doing a bit better (taller, silkier) in those areas.

2 - UV Verde can handle the heat just fine. See the link.

3 - I don't know about traffic. All we have is quail running across it. If it was lightly played on by a child and a small mostly indoors dog, it might do just fine.

3 - Soil doesn't need to be heavy clay, it just can't be pure sand.

As for the watering and mowing, it's taking 1/2 the water of Bermuda and doesn't really need to be mowed.