Buffalo grass can be planted out at most times of the year in Australia.
However, regions differ as to the best time of year to plant new Buffalo lawns, and this is usually based on climate, rainfall, winter and temperatures.
Planting a new Buffalo lawn at different times of the year will also impact the amount of lawn care provided including such points as watering the lawn regularly during its establishment period.
Spring is a brilliant time of the year to establish a new Buffalo lawn.
Lawns are coming out of semi-dormancy and are beginning to grow again. Meaning the new turf can send down new roots much quicker than in winter.
The weather is still fairly mild and warming up slowly as the new Buffalo lawn becomes more established. During this season it can also cope better with the increasing heat as summer arrives, and should be fully established by the onset of summer.
Planting a new lawn in spring also means the newly laid turf will need far less regular watering during its establishment. Watering times would be once or perhaps at most twice a day, both of which can be fit around a busy work schedule. And of course, if there are plentiful rains, watering can be forgotten for a few days.
For more information, read our spring lawn care guide.
Buffalo can, of course, be planted easily in summer. However, there are some extra considerations when doing so.
During its establishment phase, while the new turf is setting down roots, the roll-on lawn will need to be kept moist at all times and cannot be allowed to dry out from the heat. If the new Buffalo lawn dries out during establishment, the turf can easily, and very quickly, die, with little chance of being saved. This is because it still has no root system to support its growth in its new home.
In reality, the hotter the weather…the more we need to water the new Buffalo lawn every day until it’s established. This can equate to watering several times a day for the first few weeks after laying the new Buffalo lawn. Of course, as the weeks go by, this watering can be slowly reduced.
Therefore the main problem for planting a new Buffalo lawn in summer is that we must be able to water the new lawn several times a day during the peak heat periods.
Other than that, Buffalo grass will establish the fastest when planted in summer, as this is it’s peak growing season.
For more information, read our summer lawn care guide.
Autumn is also a great time of the year to plant a new Buffalo lawn.
We’re out of the heat of summer, so we won’t need to water the lawn as often. Also, the new lawn will be under far less stress than if we planted in the middle of summer.
However, when planting our new lawn in autumn, we want to ensure it grows to be as established as possible before the onset of winter. And the colder the winter, then the more established the new turf will need to be before winter arrives.
So for regions which experience colder winters, you must plant the new Buffalo lawn as early in autumn as possible to ensure it is well established.
For warmer regions like Queensland and Western Australia, there is far less rush or urgency, as the winter weather does not get cold enough to cause any major issues to the new turf.
However, the colder weather does slow down growth even in these regions and can still cause some possible damage to the new lawn. Therefore it would still be wise to establish the new Buffalo lawn at least before the worst of the winter arrives. Do this, and you’ll achieve the best results for your new Buffalo lawn over its first winter.
For more information, read our autumn lawn care guide.
Planting new roll-on Buffalo grass lawn in winter is a terrible idea for all the colder regions of the nation. So it would probably be best to wait a few more weeks until spring arrives. Instead, use that time to prepare the lawn soil and spray out or remove any weeds which are growing in the new lawn area. All of these things will do wonders for your new Buffalo lawn when you plant it in spring.
Because winters in Queensland and Western Australia are so mild, compared to other areas of Australia, you can plant your new Buffalo lawn all the way through autumn and even into early winter without any real issues arising. Of course, the lawn will also need far less water during establishment at these times.
In most cases, you can also safely plant the new Buffalo lawn towards the end of the winter months with ease, and without worry. However, the homeowner should always be aware of the weather conditions at the time to ensure the coldest part of the winter is indeed finished.
The only exception to this rule would be to try and avoid planting the new Buffalo lawn in the coldest parts during the middle of winter, even in Perth and Brisbane.
It’s much better to do the soil preparation and weed killing during this time and wait a few more weeks for the worst of winter to be over. This will give you the best opportunity for success when planting your new Buffalo lawn.
For more information, read our winter lawn care guide.
For more fast facts and Q&As on our Buffalo varieties –
Read more about the features, benefits and pricing of Buffalo Lawns, or check out our handy Quick Lawn Selection Guide
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