According to the Sunset Western Garden Book, buffalo grass is best suited to Sunset zones 1-3, 10, and 11. Whidbey Island is Sunset zone 5. While the Sunset book does not address 'Legacy' in particular, you may find that this grass is not the best choice for your location.
The Washington State Extension in Puyallup created a ranked list of good turf cultivars for Western Washington.
Additional information, from the Extension, about turfgrass.
Season
All Season
Date 2007-12-06
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I am looking for general information on lawn care, lawn renovation, lawn fertilizer and alternatives to pesticides.
Here is information from the web pages of Seattle Public Utilities. An excerpt:
Fertilize Moderately
Use "Natural Organic" or "Slow-release" fertilizer
These fertilizers release nutrients to feed the lawn slowly, and less is wasted through leaching or runoff into our streams. Look for the words "natural organic" or "slow-release" on the bag.
Fertilize in September and May
With slow-release or organic fertilizers, you can fertilize just twice a year, in mid to late May and again in early September. If you choose to fertilize only once, the fall application is most important because it helps the grass grow new roots and store nutrients for next year’s growth.
How much to apply
Washington State University (WSU) recommends that home lawns receive 3 to 4 pounds of nitrogen (in a balanced fertilizer) per 1000 square feet of lawn each year. Grasscycling can supply at least one-quarter of that. Split the rest between the May and September applications. Avoid fertilizing in the early spring because it makes lawns grow too fast (unless your lawn needs help recovering from disease or insect damage.) Wait until May.
Mow better
Grasscycling returns valuable nutrients to the soil every time you mow! Mow high, mow often and leave the clippings to see results.
Fertilize for a healthy colored lawn
Healthy lawns are a medium green color (top), depending on the variety of grass. The darkest green turf (bottom), which many people strive for, is not in fact the healthiest turf. Overfertilized lawns are more prone to disease, thatch buildup, and drought damage.
Test for calcium deficiency
Soils west of the Cascades are often low in calcium. Apply lime in the spring or fall if a soil test shows a calcium deficiency or acid soil conditions (pH less than 5). Call WSU Cooperative Extension (206) 296-3900 for information on soil testing and their Home Lawns bulletin."
This document may also be useful.
Here is information from Washington Toxics Coalition on lawn fertilizers. An excerpt:
Lawn Fertilizers
Avoid “weed and feed” or any mixture of fertilizer with an herbicide or other pesticide. Such pesticide mixtures encourage overuse and inappropriate use of pesticides. (For more on weed and feed, see the next FastFacts.) Also avoid lawn fertilizers with a high percentage of water-soluble nutrients. They are more likely than organic or slow-release fertilizers to be a source of water pollution.
Choose a high quality organic fertilizer with a balance of nutrients appropriate for your soil. For example, in Western Washington, WSU Cooperative Extension recommends lawn fertilizers with NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium) in a ratio of 3-1-2. This could include 3-1-2, 6-2-4, 9-3-6, and so on. Consult local cooperative extension agencies for a recommendation in your area. You may also want to get a soil test to determine better what your soil conditions are and whether adding lime would be beneficial to adjust the soil pH. Soil tests are available through the University of Massachusetts.
Phosphorus is a serious pollutant of lakes in certain locations and its use may be regulated or discouraged. If that is the case in your area, look for low-phosphorus or phosphorus-free fertilizers.
For more information on fertilizers, see our fact sheet, Choosing Fertilizers for the Lawn and Garden (35kb PDF file).
If you would like to renovate your lawn, this is something you could do in the fall. Local garden writer Ann Lovejoy describes her method in The Handbook of Northwest Gardening (Sasquatch Books, 2003):
- Mow the existing grass as short as possible.
- Spread 1 inch of clean crushed quarter-ten gravel (not pea gravel) evenly over the entire surface.
- Spread 1 inch of compost over the gravel.
- Top-seed with a regionally appropriate blend if the lawn is thin and spotty.
- Wait 6-7 weeks before mowing again.
Should you decide to start afresh, here is information from the Master Gardeners website which discusses grass seed for Western Washington gardens.
What Grass Seed Grows Well in Western Washington?
To establish a lawn in western Washington, choose a combination of turftype tall fescue grasses and turftype perennial rye grasses. A mix that adds up to about 90% of these two grass seed types will grow well in either sun or light shade in western Washington. Turftype perennial ryegrass takes full sun and stands up to traffic. Turftype tall fescues are adapted to shadier locations. In combination, the mix works for a lawn in average light conditions. Mixes containing fine-leaved fescues or chewings fescues will also establish well. Fine-leaved fescues offer bright green color, and will take some shade, but do not take heavy use.
Many commonly-grown grass types from other areas of the United States will not thrive in western Washington's cool, dry summer climate. AVOID mixes with high concentrations of Kentucky blue grasses. DO NOT PLANT Zoysia, bermuda, dichondra, centipede, carpetgrass, St. Augustine, or mondograss. Buffalograss isn't suitable for western Washington, though it may thrive in eastern Washington.
Soil Conditions for Planting a New Lawn:
Establishing a new lawn successfully depends more on the preparation of the ground before planting than on whether the lawn choice is seed or sod. Lawn failures are often caused by poor soil conditions under the roots. Many times soil surface left for planting after new construction is infertile subsoils, with rocks, lumps, and building detritus left in it. The texture may vary from sands and gravels to heavy, poorly drained clay areas. The best soil texture for a lawn is a sandy loam, containing 60%-70% sand and 30%-40% combined silt and clay.
If the soil isn't well-drained, do not try to amend a heavy clay by dumping sand into it. Adding sand doesn't work, nor does adding gypsum. Amend the soil with organic material, which will help in creating better structure. Use compost, manure, aged sawdust, ground bark, or other organic (previously living) materials. Spread 2 inches on top of the ground and work it in thoroughly 6 to 8 inches down. Getting it completely incorporated is important, because spots of organic material in clumps may decompose and cause a low spot in the finished lawn. Rake away clods and remove large rocks and litter.
Minnesota University Extension offers the following information on best practices for caring for a shoreline lawn and garden, which includes using compost as lawn fertilizer. An excerpt:
"If possible avoid the use of chemical fertilizers. Native vegetation does not require the application of additional fertilizer. Use caution if applying fertilizers to lawns and adhere to the following guidelines:
Have your soil tested to determine how much fertilizer is needed and minimize the use of chemical fertilizers; soil test sample bags are available through the county offices of the University of Minnesota Extension Service.
Use compost or manure; this is preferable to chemical fertilizer. However, these also have the potential to damage water quality if used in excessive amounts.
If chemical fertilizers are used, select slow-release (water insoluble) forms; see recommendations for fertilizing on next page.
Water your lawn after fertilizing, but do not allow excess water to run off into surface waters.
Sweep up any fertilizer spilled on hard surfaces such as walks and driveways, instead of washing it off.
Use extra caution when applying fertilizer near surface waters; do not spread fertilizer within 75 feet of surface waters or wetlands; use a "drop" spreader and not a "cyclone" spreader to minimize the possibility of getting fertilizer directly into the water.
Never apply fertilizers to frozen ground.
Leave a natural vegetation filter strip of grass, trees, and/or shrubs next to the shoreline; another option would be to construct a berm along the shore."
You may find this general information about compost, from the City of Seattle Public Utilities and the Saving Water Partnership, of interest.
Here are additional links to lawn care methods. The first three are from the Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides:
Taking Care of Your Lawn without Using Pesticides.
Dealing with Dandelions.
Pesticide-Free Techniques for Dealing with a Mossy Lawn.
Choosing Fertilizers for the Lawn & Garden.
Read your "Weeds"--A simple Guide to Creating a Healthy Lawn.
Season
All Season
Date 2007-04-20
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Our backyard (which is flat and no pine trees) has hundreds of tiny mushrooms throughout the grass. Our front yard (which has a slight slope and one large pine tree) has many huge mushrooms. Otherwise, we have good looking grass. We have lived here for a very long time without ever seeing this problem. I know one answer is to "sweeten" the soil with lime. Should we do this now, in the fall, or at what time of year? Should we remove the mushrooms or let them be? Any other suggestions?
According to Growing the Perfect Lawn by Tom Ogren, mushrooms in a lawn normally indicate too frequent watering (not much to do about that here in fall!) or poor drainage. Perhaps your lawn has become compacted over time and needs aeration?
I do see a reference to lime being added to lawns to make it easier to control
mushroom growth, in Gardening with Ed Hume: Northwest Gardening Made Easy.
Hume says dolomite lime can be applied in either spring or fall at a ratio of 40
pounds per 1,000 square feet.
Season
All Season
Date 2007-10-22
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We would like to put in a new lawn around a home where there were mostly weeds. The soil is very a heavy silt because it is river bottom land. I have access to free sand; however, I've heard conflicting advice regarding adding sand to clay -- some say yes, others no. I also have access to a large supply of free horse shavings/manure from a horse stable. Would those shavings be good to add to the soil to help lighten it and add nutrients? I don't want to go to the expense of bringing in topsoil if I don't have to. What are your suggestions.
Adding sand to clay soil is not recommended as a way of lightening
the soil, as it "may create a concrete-like structure", according to the
booklet Ecologically Sound Lawn Care for the Pacific Northwest by David K.
McDonald. Linda Chalker-Scott addresses the reasons for this in depth in "The
Myth of Soil Amendments Part II".
Instead of adding sand, David McDonald recommends trying to till in compost. At least
two inches of compost tilled into the
upper six to eight inches of soil is recommended, but four inches tilled into
the upper twelve inches is preferable . Try to avoid doing this when the soil is
waterlogged, as it may damage the soil structure.
Composting the horse manure and shavings you have access to could be a feasible
way to obtain the compost to till into the soil. Whatcom County's WSU extension has
an extensive discussion of how to compost and use horse manure.They recommend curing such compost at least a few weeks before application, and
suggest that one to three months is a good, typical composting time in summer or
three to six months in winter.
Alternatively, according to David McDonald, if there are a few months of warm
weather between autumn and seeding time, you could simply till the fall leaves
and grass clippings into your soil. Depending on your planned schedule, this could be very
easy. (You can find McDonald's full booklet "Ecologically Sound Lawn Care for the
Pacific Northwest: Findings from the Scientific Literature and Recommendations
from Turf Professionals" online as a very large PDF.)
Another option might be to consider some sort of groundcover if you discover
that establishing a lawn is an excessively extensive project. Carex species or
possibly Juncus phaeocephalus phaeocephalus are more naturally adapted to heavy
soils in wet areas than lawn grasses and so may be less work in the end. Though
they would not be appropriate for a heavy traffic area, they would be grasslike
in structure. Sagina subulata might be more amenable to heavy traffic.
Season
All Season
Date 2008-05-14
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I'm looking for a type of lawn grass that is fairly drought-tolerant and will do well in our area (Seattle). Any suggestions?
One of the best resources for local information about lawn seed selection and general maintenance is David McDonald's Ecologically Sound Lawn Care for the Pacific Northwest. It is available in print form as well as online from the City of Seattle. In it, he recommends a mix of turf-type perennial ryegrasses and fine fescues (such as chewings, creeping red, and hard fescue) for their flexibility in a range of local garden conditions. Ryegrasses thrive in full sun, and fescues take sun but will tolerate some shade. He also suggests ecolawns (sometimes called ecoturf) which mix grasses, clovers, yarrow, daisies, and other small flowering plants, because they tolerate dry sites, do not need fertilizer, and generally require only monthly watering. They also need mowing less frequently.
Season
All Season
Date 2009-10-23
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