We live in the Denver area and are moving to a house that has no lawn at
present. I want to plant some grass seed mix over this fall and winter, so it
sprouts by spring, but we DO NOT want Kentucky Bluegrass that requires a lot of
water and mowing.
I've heard of native grasses like Buffalo but there are supposedly pros and
cons to it, like it sprouts up late and dies off early. They say to mix it with
other kinds so that they sprout early and stay later. Ok, what kinds?
We're looking for a lawn that we can water once a week and maybe mow once a
month, and it would still look good? That would be great. Can we do that?
What seed mixes should I look for, for that, which would grow well in Denver?
I'm not sure that there is a turf type that meets all of your requirements. All
will require equal amounts of water initially, until well-established, but few
can only be mowed once a month and still look good. There are several types of
turf that are considered low-water grasses, including buffalograss and tall
fescue, that will work here in Denver. You can read about them at:
http://www.colostate.edu/Depts/CoopE...s/turfchoi.htm
Colorado State University, where different turf types are extensively tested to
determine their suitability for this area, has a webpage on starting new lawns:
http://csuturf.colostate.edu/Pages/newlawn.htm
And there are seed companies that specialize in turfgrass seed specific for
this area (also have a much lower weed seed count than most popular brands).
I've purchased my seed from Rocky Mountain Seed Co (only because they are
located the closest to me), at 1325 15th St., Denver, CO 80202 303-623-6223
but Arkansas Seed Company has a good reputation too.
Give our Denver Extension Office a call and they will be glad to send you a
list of preferred seed blends. 720-913-5278. To see examples of some of these
grasses, visit the demonstration garden at Denver Water Department where they
have plots of each, showing them both mowed and not mowed.
And for any other gardening questions, see:
www.denvermastergardeners.org
sed5555