Date of planting effects on seeded turf-type buffalograss

Establishing seeded buffalograss [Buchloe dactyloides (Nutt.) Engelm.] is often difficult because improper timing can result in weed interference or stand failure. Research was conducted to determine optimal buffalograss seeding dates and growing degree day (GDD) requirements for 'Cody' and 'Texoka' buffalograss establishment. Both cultivars were seeded monthly at 10 g burs m^-2 from April through October in 1995 at the John Seaton Anderson Turfgrass Research Facility near Mead, NE, and at the Greenville Research Farm at Logan, UT. The soil types at the Nebraska and Utah sites were Sharpsburg silty clay loam (fine, montmorillonitic, messic Typic Argiudoll) and Millville silt loam (coarse-silty, carbonatic, mesic Typic Rendoll), respectively. The percentages of buffalograss and weed cover were rated visually on a 0 to 100% scale. Buffalograss density was determined by tossing either a 0.1- or 0.2-m² quadrat into the plot and counting the number of plants in the quadrat. The experimental design was a randomized incomplete block design with three replications. Location, buffalograss cultivar, and planting date were treatment factors. The optimal seeding time for buffalograss at the Nebraska site was late April through June and at the Utah site, late April through July. August, September, and October planting dates at both sites did not result in successful stands. The negative relationship between the percentage of weed cover and the percentage of buffalograss cover implicated weed interference as a factor limiting establishment. Our results indicate that to ensure survival and establishment of buffalograss in regions where soils freeze during the winter, at least 1000 postplanting GDD are required before cessation of growth in the fall.