We Have Buffalograss Answers

We Have
Buffalograss
Answers
Why should
you choose
Buffalograss?
It was native Buffalograss the settlers
drove their wagons over when they
crossed the Missouri River heading west.
It was on these Buffalograss prairies that
the Native Americans found buffalo that
provided them with food, clothing and
implements for their ceremonial rites.
Buffalograss is the only turfgrass that
is native to North America and at one
time, it was prevalent from Canada to
Mexico. Today, this great grass is making
a comeback!
Pressures that range from water conservation to the demand for low maintenance
lawns are bringing Buffalograss back
into the picture in a big way as landscape
architects, golf course superintendents,
landscape contractors, and homeowners
seek the many attributes this fine turfgrass offers.
For the Pioneer Plaza in Dallas, Michael
S. Kendall, ASLA, (American Society of
Landscape Architects) noted that Buffalograss was used for several reasons.
“The entire theme of the project was to
be native and Buffalograss was native to
this part of the country before civilization
moved in. Besides that, we wanted the
grass to grow just as high as it wanted to
and let the people create natural paths.”
He added, “Within the family of grasses,
Buffalograss gave us the look we wanted,
demands one-fourth the amount of
water, and doesn’t need to be mowed. It is
also a tough grass that grows in hard soils
which is what we had on the site. We’re
extremely pleased!”
Water conservation was one of the prime
reasons why Larry Clark, ASLA, vice
president of Bender, Inc. of San Antonio, chose Buffalograss at La Cantera,
the development in which Fiesta Texas
is located. “We chose Buffalograss for all
the areas outside Fiesta Texas because it
is a beautiful grass without irrigation. In
many places irrigation was not feasible,
especially along the parkway and medians running through the development.
Besides that, the low fertilizer needs
attracted us because the area is in the
Edwards Aquifer recharge zone and heavy
fertilization can cause problems,” Clark
Stated. Buffalograss’ low maintenance is
a beneficial attribute to highway departments when considering vegetation types
for projects.
Dr. Milton C. Engleke, Professor of Turf
Grass Breeding, Genetics, and Management at Texas A&M University, states
“Buffalograsses are absolutely the most
drought tolerant grasses available to turf
managers. The species avoids drought
and severe heat by entering dormancy
until sufficient moisture is available to
sustain growth. The shallow root system
and stoloniferous growth permits the species to take maximum advantage of brief
summer rains.”
Why Buffalograss? Because it answers the needs of those who deal
with the design, planting, and maintenance of turf grasses because of
its drought tolerance, rapid growth, ability to cover quickly, and its low
maintenance characteristics.
LARGE COMMERCIAL PROJECTS Low maintenance and less water requirements make Buffalograss the preferred
turf grass for large commercial projects.
These projects range from large
corporate campuses to solar
farms. Buffalograss is far preferable above Bermudagrass, St.
Augustine grass, or fescue in
commercial settings due to the
lower input and maintenance
requirements.
PARKWAYS AND MEDIANS
- The fact that it is virtually impossible to get water to parkways
and medians, the need for these
areas to be green with normal
rainfall, and the need to reduce
maintenance costs to near zero
gives Buffalograss the “edge”.
Should you use seed or sod?
If cost is no object and instant green is a requirement, then sodding is
the only way to accomplish the feat. In instances where cost is of the
essence seeding Buffalograss is the solution. Buffalograss seeded lawns
are less than 5 percent the cost of sodded Buffalograss lawns. In addition to the cost difference in seed and sod, the labor involved in installing the sod is an expensive venture that doesn’t exist when seeding
Buffalograss. The labor involved with seeding Buffalograss can vary
depending on the type of installation method. Seeded Buffalograss
can be sewn with a grass drill, broadcasted, or hydromulched
into place as long as the seed bed is firm (not compacted). In
any instance the cost of installing seeded Buffalograss is far less
than the cost of installing sodded Buffalograss.
GOLF COURSES – The
“roughs” can be just that with
Buffalograss. Recently, golf course
designers and superintendents are opting
to use Buffalograss in the fairways primarily because of its low water requirements,
according to Bill Campbell of BDC, Inc.
BDC is currently using Bamert Seed Company’s TopGun Buffalograss seed at The
Field of Greens Golf Course in Council
Bluffs, Iowa. In the Midwest and
Southwest, US water, or lack thereof,
is often a limiting factor to turf
grass aesthetics. Buffalograss
will stand up to weather
extremes throughout…
whether its heat, cold, or
drought.
JOGGING TRAILS
AND PARKS – Areas
where irrigation is nonexistent and maintenance by city crews is at
a premium are ideal for
Buffalograss. Standing only
six inches high, the grass is not too tall to
be left un-mowed in a park. When planted
along jogging trails, the un-mowed look of
Buffalograss offers great aesthetics for the
joggers or cyclists to enjoy.
Why are Bamert Seed Company’s
Buffalograss varieties special?
RESIDENTIAL – More and more
homeowners are discovering Buffalograss.
Gone are the days when everyone felt
the need to spend valuable resources to
have a beautiful yard. In many areas, city
watering requirements have reduced irrigation rates for lawns to the point many
traditional turf grasses will not survive.
In addition to the water expenditure of
traditional lawns, time is also a valuable
resource invested in many traditional
lawns. Buffalograss offers a solution to
the high-input costs of traditional lawns.
With Buffalograss you can expect a green
and aesthetically pleasing lawn in areas
with an average rainfall that exceeds 12
inches per year.
Bamert Seed Company, one of the largest
native grass seed producers in the United
States, is proud to lead the industry in the
release of the first two turf-type seeded varieties of Buffalograss – TopGun and Plains.
Both varieties were entered in the National
Turfgrass Evaluation Trials. In these trials
the varieties are grown out and compared
with seeded and sodded varieties in 22 locations throughout the United States. TopGun and Plains excelled in all categories,
especially in color and density ratings.
TopGun Variety
TopGun is a high quality turf variety. The
dark green color, quick spreading, and short
growth make it a desirable turf-type Buffalograss.
TopGun is the first Buffalograss to be
approved under the Plant Variety Protection Act (PVP) and is certified by the Texas
Department of Agriculture. In the National Turfgrass Evaluation Trials, TopGun
received a “high” rating for its leaf
TopGun 2 Variety
TopGun 2 is a unique high quality turf-
Recommendations and Specifications
Seeding Rate:..........................................2-4 lbs. per 1,000 square feet
Days to Emergence:...............................7 to 21 days
Days to Establishment:..........................60 to 90 days
Where to Plant:......................................Areas receiving 6-8 hours of sun per day.
All soils except sand.
When to Plant:.......................................When surface soil temperatures average
above 60 degrees F.
How to Plant:.........................................Cover seed with ¼” to ½” of soil
(via drill or broadcast)
Watering: Establishment:.......................Frequent light waterings
Mature grass:......................... Heavily soak less frequently
Fertilization:........................................... 15 lbs. of 13-13-13 per 1,000 square feet per year
Herbicides: First year .............................None
Thereafter:...........................Products labeled for Buffalograss
Mowing Height:....................................2-4 inches for best results
type Buffalograss developed by Bamert Seed
Company and the University of NebraskaLincoln. TopGun 2 has shown to have
outstanding performance in turf plot test by
the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. This
new variety has taken and enhanced those
genetics found in the original TopGun
making it the ideal turf-type Buffalograss.
TopGun 2 was developed for its dark green
appealing color, rapid and long spreading
stolons, height, frost tolerance, and maturity. TopGun 2 has shown to maintain 100%
of its color as compared to those varieties
that are completely dormant and brown.
This new and better variety has proven to
have excellent frost tolerance and keeping
its color, making it the eye appealing, longer
lasting, low maintenance turf-type Buffalograss.
Plains Variety
Plains is a taller, greener, faster spreading
variety of Buffalograss that was released by
Bamert Seed Company. Its upright growth
of 5 to 7 inches aggressively shades out
weeds and other competing grasses. Being
slightly taller and having a more extensive
root system makes it more desirable for
roadsides and also in low maintenance areas
for erosion control. In the National Turfgrass Trials, Plains was rated highest in color,
spring green up, and frost tolerance.
Other Native Grasses
Buffalograss is not the only native grass produced by Bamert Seed Company. Bamert
Seed Company also produces Bluestems,
Grama Grasses, Indiangrass, Kleingrass,
Lovegrass, Switchgrasses, Wheatgrass,
Forbs, and miscellaneous other grasses.
Bamert Seed Company can also supply
your food plot and cover crop needs. Jerry
Williams of Landscape Design, the contractor who planted Bamert Seed Company’s
TopGun at Pioneer Plaza said, “We have
bought a number of native grass seeds
from Bamert Seed Company and we will
continue to do so.”
Our History
It all started in 1951 when Carl Bamert began producing native grass seed for the farmers who had put their
land in U. S. government’s sponsored “soil bank” program. This program required participants to take land
out of crop production and plant it in grass. The farmers were paid for the land they did not plant in crops.
Sideoats grama was the first native seed crop Bamert
Seed Company planted and sold. Not only does Bamert
Seed Company produce the seed on their farms, they
utilize state-of-the-art custom-engineered cleaning and
processing equipment.
With the Food Security Act of 1985 came the Conservation Reserve Program [CRP]. This program made highly erodible land eligible to be planted back to native
grasses to prevent further erosion. Bamert
Seed Company had the types of grasses
needed to meet the requirements of
CRP. During the 1980’s Bamert
Seed Company began producing
Buffalograss and today they are
the largest Buffalograss seed
producer in the country.
Bamert Seed Company
furnishes Buffalograss
seed to customers
throughout the United
States...from Disney
World in Florida to
homeowners on the
coast of California.
1897 County Road 1018
Muleshoe, TX 79347
800.262.9892
806.272.5506
Fax 806.272.3114
natives@bamertseed.com
www.bamertseed.com