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PostPosted: Mon May 24, 2004 9:17 pm 
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Joined: Mon May 24, 2004 9:05 pm
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Location: Grand Prairie, Texas
I am building a house on a one acre property and would like to plant buffalo grass. My concern is that I understand buffalo grass does not do well beneath shade trees. This will be an issue for about 50% of the lawn. Should I consider a different landscaping beneath the trees, or is there a particular type of buffalo grass that will do okay in shade?


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PostPosted: Thu May 27, 2004 1:38 pm 
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Joined: Thu May 27, 2004 1:26 pm
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Location: Dallas, TX
I love buffalo grass! Your property might require filling in with something else in the shady areas, though.

Buffalo grass needs a lot of sun. How well it will do under trees depends on how much sunlight gets through the trees. If the branches have been trimmed high and some light filters through the branches, the shade will shift throughout the day and the ground beneath may get more sunlight than one would think.

You might consider planting something more shade tolerant under the trees. Your shade-tolerant groundcover and the sun-loving buffalo grass could slug it out for dominance of the transitional area, but that wouldn't be a look that would be pleasing to a fan of a finely manicured lawn. Buffalo grass is always going to look a little wild and woolly, anyway, so it's probably not something you would be considering if a finely manicured lawn is your goal!


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PostPosted: Thu May 27, 2004 3:47 pm 
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Joined: Thu May 27, 2004 1:26 pm
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Location: Dallas, TX
I just ran across something Howard wrote which is relevant in regard to mixing groundcovers for shady areas with grass for sunny areas.

http://www.dirtdoctor.com/radio.php?id=423

"Horseherb will grow out into the light to the point where there's enough direct sun to grow buffalo grass. The two plants work well together."

Horseherb (calyptocarpus vialis) is an interesting plant. When I first purchased my house, I found horseherb growing in the lawn. I thought it was wonderful stuff and put in considerable effort trying to identify it. I asked my dad, who usually knows about such things, and he snorted and said, "it's a weed" and suggested a spray to kill it. I had no intention of killing it! I later found it recommended by the garden writer Sally Wasowski, who points out that although some consider this versatile native plant to be a weed because it outcompetes grass in the shade, "that's what I thought everyone wants a shady groundcover to do."

Horseherb can be mowed at the same height as turf grass.


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PostPosted: Tue Jun 01, 2004 9:44 pm 
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Location: San Antonio,TEXAS
If you can't come up with at least 8 hours of direct sun per day in the summer, buffalo will not last very long. It needs full sun, all day, every day. It does best on south sides of buildings.

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