Soft Leaf Buffalo Turf
Soft Leaf Buffalo grows well in South East Queensland & ticks the boxes for low maintenance and weed resistance.
What is Soft Leaf Buffalo turf?
Soft Leaf Buffalo is the most frequently sold buffalo variety in the world. This is mainly due to it having all the qualities of a buffalo grass, but a low maintenance upside.
As the name suggests, this grass offers a soft leaf making it a great choice for a family-friendly backyard. It is a champion grass in the shade. Soft Leaf Buffalo grows slower, neater, and less invasively than other buffalo varieties. That means less work and more time enjoying your yard and lifestyle!
Is Soft Leaf Buffalo grass suitable for you?
If you’re looking for a lovely year-round vibrant green colour in your yard, you’ll be stoked with Soft Leaf Buffalo turf. It’s an excellent choice if you suffer from allergies, live in a drought-prone area, have a shady space to turf, or simply love the prestigious look of broad leaf buffalo varieties.
This is a highly durable turf, making it ideal for young families where afternoons and weekends are all about running around outside. Its soft leaf makes it comfortable to run all over too. It grows slowly though, so be prepared to give it love and attention while it’s new and establishing. If your new Soft Leaf Buffalo does get damaged, it will be quicker to replace a section rather than wait for it to repair itself.
One of the main advantages to choosing Soft Leaf Buffalo is it requires less maintenance than its competitors. It grows slower, more uniformly, less invasively and with less thatch than Sir Walter – that means less mowing!
If your yard gets more shade than sun during the day, Soft Leaf Buffalo turf might be for you. All grasses need sunlight to survive, but due to its broad leaf, Soft Leaf Buffalo can thrive with as little as 3 hours of sun a day. It also loves full sun.
Living in South-East Queensland you’ll appreciate the drought tolerance of this variety. Soft Leaf Buffalo will need plenty of water to establish, but once its deep roots are down, this variety will be an efficient water user. It is best to water deeply in the mornings every 7-10 days in summer and less in winter. Shady areas will require less water than full sun areas.
This turf is an ideal variety for the busy family or homeowner with shady yard spaces who has better things to do than mow but appreciates a showcase lawn.
Features & Benefits
- Soft Leaf Buffalo offers high shade tolerance
- Medium to high drought tolerance, once established
- High durability but a slow grower, so may need to be replaced if damaged
- Its low seed head makes it an allergy-friendly turf
- Fabulous vibrant colour even through winter
Soft Leaf Buffalo Installation Process
Already picked up your buffalo grass and have it ready to go?
Get ready to turf by finishing off all other landscaping and properly draining the area.
Work out where you want to install your new Soft Leaf Buffalo grass. Measure the area and ensure that the grass will be able to get that 3-4 hours of sunlight each day.
Timing is key: Be mindful of delivery lead times. At least three days’ notice is great for ordering turf!
Get prepped –Spray all weeds, and remove sticks, debris, etc. Till and level the existing soil or perhaps you may need to order in some soil/underturf – 75-100mm is optimal.
You can add some lawn starter fertiliser with water crystals to the prepped soil to give your new turf a kick along, but it’s not essential.
Please note: Rain may delay a harvest. If this happens to your delivery, we will contact you asap to organise another delivery day that suits you.
Delivery day! Lay your turf as soon as possible when it is delivered.
• Prepare to lay the turf working off a straight edge in the direction you will mow it.
• Lay an edge strip around your area. This will allow for easy cutting in the final stages.
• Continue laying turf offset in a brickwork pattern from your header course.
• Use a spade or sharp knife to cut any pieces as necessary.
• Keep the slabs tight up against each other. Do not let the slabs overlap.
• Immediately water the lawn, even as you are laying it.
• For best results, roll in your new lawn immediately after laying it.
• Continue to water it to give it a very good soak.
Trim the excess turf. You can do this by trimming the corners and any excess with a large sharp knife or spade. Try and get these edges as smooth as possible and be sure to watch out for your fingers!
Water the turf, we recommend giving the turf a good soak over the first week and then following our watering tips year-round.
Note: To ensure your grass is installed at its healthiest state, we recommend installing your Soft Leaf Buffalo lawn immediately after delivery.
For our complete guide, check out our Soft Leaf Buffalo lawn installation
How do I take care of my Soft Leaf Buffalo grass?
Watering
Water – it’s the golden rule for your new grass. The soil below your freshly laid grass should be moist constantly throughout that four to six-week establishment period.
The amount of watering will depend on when you’ve laid your new grass. The warmer months might call for more frequent watering and the cooler months slightly less. If you’re lucky enough to get some rain on your new buffalo lawn, less watering will be required.
Mowing
You can get mowing your new buffalo grass once it establishes – roughly four to six weeks after it’s laid, depending on growth. For your first mow, though, be sure to use a high setting on the mower deck. It’s just about giving the grass a small trim this time.
Once your grass is established, you can mow it shorter. The ideal height for Soft Buffalo Grass is 20 to 50mm in full sun or 50 to 70mm in a shady area.
Fertilising
This low maintenance turf only calls for a few fertilisations each year. We recommend fertilising two to three times a year – particularly if the turf starts losing its distinct emerald green colour.
Especially leading up to those cooler South East Queensland months, we recommend giving your grass a quick feed with a slow-releasing, organic fertiliser. A good rule of thumb for buffalo grass is:
- Fertilise in early April (before the cool weather hits)
- Fertilise in mid-Septemeber (when it begins warming up)
- If necessary, fertilise mid-summer
Temperature and Climate
While Soft Leaf Buffalo does grow well, even in frost, it is a warm season grass. It’ll establish faster in the warmer months.
Ready to give Soft Leaf Buffalo a go?
We always put your needs first. We can deliver your new turf to your home or business or you can come and pick it up from our turf farm. Whichever you choose, you can rely on our friendly team for prompt service.
Pick up
You can collect your turf from our farm at 33 Kennedy Road, Wivenhoe Pocket. If you decide to pick up your turf from our farm, we will contact you to arrange a suitable collection time once your order has been placed.
Delivery
We aim for our delivery purchases to be fulfilled within two business days. However, this does depend on factors such as weather, turf availability, and other external circumstances.
Soft Leaf Buffalo Pricing
| Price per sqm | $12.10 |
|---|---|
| Shade Tolerance | 5/5 |
| Drought Resistance | 3/5 |
| Weed Resistance | 4/5 |
| Durability | 4/5 |
| Maintenance Level | Low |