Questions we get asked time and time again centre around growing Sir Walter grass seed. Can it be done? Where can I buy Sir Walter grass seed? How can I grow Sir Walter from grass seed? But, here’s the thing…DNA Certified Sir Walter soft leaf buffalo grass CANNOT be grown from seed.
Typically, turf varieties which are classified as drought tolerant grasses cannot be grown from grass seed. Those able to be grown from seed are usually cool season grasses such as fescue, bluegrass and rye and aren’t often suitable in most areas of Australia. Cool season grass varieties that can be grown from seed are best left to cooler parts of Europe and North America. In south east Queensland we need to install and grow warm season grasses, and better again, we need to have turf that has been specifically designed and bred for our climate and local conditions. You should be looking at a Couch, a Zoysia or a Soft leaf Buffalo lawn and one that tolerates and thrives in Queensland’s sub-tropical climate (and our often drought conditions).
Why are you looking to grow Buffalo Lawn from seed?
Many varieties of buffalo grasses, such as DNA Certified Sir Walter, can seem like an expensive lawn choice, and we understand why people look for buffalo grass seed to grow their new lawn from as it seems like it should equal a lower cost to start a new lawn. Growing any lawn from seed can actually end up being a false economy – the prep time, the soil additives, the seed, the water, the time, the effort – when you could just have an instant buffalo lawn installed and have it established, ready to be enjoyed, in about two weeks. Considering the germination time of many lawns from seed (not to mention losing so much seed and seedlings to birds) it’s a bit of a no-brainer. But if you are still not convinced and are still considering trying to grow a buffalo lawn from grass seed, there’s a few things you should know…
Buying Buffalo Grass Seed
As a variety of lawn, buffalo grass has always been an extremely poor turf to grow from seed and this is why buffalo grass has always been grown on turf farms and then sold in the form of rolls or slabs of lawn. Even on turf farms, the new buffalo grass crop is grown from runners left in the ground from the previous harvest and is not grown from seed. This is also why buffalo turf is comparatively a little more expensive – turf farms are unable to produce as much buffalo turf as some other varieties. In most instances, the returns from sowing buffalo seed are so low that the probability of getting any type of worthwhile result using this method would take a very long time, unless the sowing method were undertaken using a very large quantity of seed.
So, the best way to grow a new modern soft leaf buffalo lawn is to use rolls or slabs of instant lawn, plant runners or to plant sprigs of buffalo grass called plugs. Besides this, all the best modern soft buffalo grasses are licensed under proprietary license and with this in mind, if you do find any Buffalo grass seed for sale, it would only ever be a poorer, older style buffalo lawn type, and if purchased and grown, would only ever result in very poor propagation and a lower quality of turf than other modern soft leaf buffalo types. For example, Sir Walter DNA Certified soft leaf buffalo turf is grown under license with Lawn Solutions Australia. Only their accredited growers, such as Daleys Turf, are certified to grow and distribute Sir Walter.
Why can’t Sir Walter be grown from seed?
The seed that Sir Walter DNA certified lawn produces is male and therefore sterile and not economically viable to be grown from. Professional turf farms, like Daleys Turf, also need to grow Sir Walter turf from a cutting. This lawn variety can only be grown from a vegetative material such as stolons or turf. Sir Walter DNA Certified lawn has been specifically designed to resist disease, pests and fungi as well as being shade, heat, salt and drought tolerant. And, it’s created to remain lush and green all year round. This turf has been available for over 20 years now and it remains the best lawn for Australian climates – even with the water restrictions, extreme heat and flooding rains it has to endure at times. Even while under attack from weeds, invasive lawns and pests, Sir Walter DNA survives and thrives – definitely worth the time to install and establish an instant lawn rather than using inappropriate lawn seeds.
And there’s more…
While many people put down grass seed in order to fix bare patches in their lawn, it isn’t necessary when you have Sir Walter DNA Certified turf; it’s self-repairing. And, when you employ a good lawn care regime – mowing, watering, and fertilising, bare patches don’t occur often. As long as the soil pH and nutrient levels are fine, the lawn will repair itself.
Where can you get Sir Walter Buffalo Lawn?
Daleys Turf are part of a network of over 60 licensed growers throughout Australia. All Sir Walter DNA Certified turf growers must be licensed to do so and comply with strict quality control conditions which are enforced to protect the quality of soft leaf buffalo Sir Walter DNA Certified Turf. A certificate of authenticity should be supplied with each purchase of turf to ensure the premium grass supplied is genuine DNA Certified Sir Walter.
Contact the Daleys Turf team for further information on buffalo turf or to order your new lawn.
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