One of the best things about having a Buffalo grass seed lawn is that it is extremely low-maintenance. It requires less water, mowing, and fertilizer than other grass varieties, and therefore requires less time: great news for someone with little free time to spare! Yet one trade-off to this hands-off approach is that Buffalo grass is much less traffic tolerant than other varieties. It is more likely to become damaged from someone walking or playing on it, and it is also less likely to repair itself once it is damaged. We would not recommend planting a lawn with Buffalo grass seeds if your dream is to use your lawn for recreation with your kids or pet. If that is your objective, please take a look at our other grass seed types to find a species better suited to your needs.
Although this grass species is less able to resist and repair traffic damage, there are several preventative measures you can take to strengthen your lawn against this inevitable stress.
- Be particularly careful of traffic during the winter, when the grass is dormant and more susceptible to injury.
- Avoid repeating paths of traffic on the lawn, so as to give the area time to repair and to “spread” damage evenly across the lawn. If the path is unavoidable (such as to a garden or bench), consider putting in runners or stepping stones, which will be more atheistically pleasing than thinning grass.
- Cut the lawn as long as possible. This will provide more visible plant growth to absorb the damage as well as produce deeper, stronger roots.
Watering deeply and infrequently will also produce the deeper roots needed for the Buffalo grass to repair faster.- Fertilize your lawn correctly. Too little, and the grass will not have the nutrients to rebuild itself. Too much, and the grass will grow quickly with shallow roots and little resistance. (Potassium in particular will help encourage this lawn to re-grow and repair.)
- One of the biggest damages from traffic is soil compaction, which makes it difficult for roots to grow. Aerate your soil often to prevent this problem.
Being aware of the possible problems and working to prevent them from even happening will go a long way in keeping your Buffalo grass seed lawn healthy and injury-free.
