Can I grow Sir Walter Buffalo from seed?

Many a lawn owner will compare the price of instant lawn to that of seed when choosing what to line their garden with. Seed is certainly cheaper, but it does require a great deal of patience, skill and luck with the weather to get a perfect lawn from. Nonetheless, with price such a factor in home landscaping decisions, the following question inevitably pops up:

“Can I grow Sir Walter DNA Certified Buffalo turf from seed?”

The simple answer to this question is no, you cannot. But this isn’t some arbitrary rule that lawn suppliers have made up in order to make you spend more. The truth is that the turf suppliers can’t grow Sir Walter from seed either. There are a few reasons for this, which we’ll go through now.

Warm season grass growth

To begin with, it’s important to understand that most warm season grasses, such as Sir Walter, primarily grow through spreading. This is when stolons and rhizomes (creeping stems) reach out from the grass into new territory, instead of releasing seeds to grow in distant pastures. Cool season grasses, on the other hand, don’t spread through these stems, but do release seeds.

Sir Walter’s DNA

While Sir Walter does produce a seed, it is male and sterile. This is as much a part of the grass’s genetics as its incredible drought resistance, its beauty and its ease of maintenance. The only way to grow Sir Walter is to allow it to spread over an area from an initial cutting.

The issue of overseeding

Many lawn veterans might then ask ‘what if I need to overseed the bare patches in my lawn?’ In truth, bare patches rarely – if ever – occur in Sir Walter. And if they do, it’s just a matter of getting the grass healthy again, at which point it will spread back over the bare area and bring it to life again.

So, in summary: No, you can’t buy Sir Walter from seed; it must be purchased as an instant lawn solution. But this does ensure that you’ll get a terrific patch of turf that you’ll be able to enjoy straight away and for decades to come