Palmetto® Buffalo – At home in every home

There are a variety of positive attributes that make Palmetto Buffalo a great choice for many homeowners throughout Australia.

1. Low maintenance levels

For your lawn to look good and have less frequent mowing, Palmetto turf is the best choice Buffalo.

Palmetto Buffalo needs 14.3% less mowing than Sir Walter Buffalo and 7.7% less mowing than Shademaster Buffalo.

In fact, Palmetto turf can be left a lot longer without any maintenance or mowing and won’t grow too tall, untidy or be invasive compared to other Buffalo varieties.

In studies, after about 20 weeks Palmetto Buffalo was 49.05mm lower than Shademaster Buffalo and 51.55mm lower than Sir Walter Buffalo.

Palmetto turf was also found to be more uniform and less invasive than other Buffalo varieties.  A Palmetto lawn is also easier to mow because it has less thatch.

2. Best winter colour

Palmetto has the best winter colour for a low maintenance turf.

Over a two-year evaluation, Palmetto turf had a rating of 55% better winter colour than Sir Walter Buffalo and a rating of 158% better than Shademaste

A lawn care & maintenance routine for a Palmetto Buffalo lawn should include:

Mowing Your Palmetto Lawn

With Palmetto grass, mowing is not a chore.

During warmer months it is recommended that you mow Palmetto every 7-10 days during warmer months and every 3-6 weeks in colder months.

When it comes to cutting your Palmetto lawn.

Cut your Palmetto grass to between 20mm to 50mm in full sunny/lighted shaded areas and between 50mm and 70mm in heavier shaded sites.

Watering your Palmetto Lawn

Proper watering immediately after installation will ensure your Palmetto grass becomes well established and encourages a deep and vigorous root system.

Begin watering your new Palmetto grass within a half hour after it is laid and apply 2 to 3cm of water so that the soil beneath the lawn is very wet.

Ideally the soil 7 to 10cm below the surface of the Palmetto should be moist, if not, you need to apply more water.

For the next two weeks, keep the soil below the Palmetto turf moist with daily (or more frequent) watering, especially during hot, dry periods.

As the Palmetto grass establishes its new roots into the soil you can check the moisture depth with a screwdriver or sharp tool by pushing it into the grass. If it is hard to push the screwdriver into the Palmetto turf, then it requires water.

Watering your Palmetto in the early morning allows it to take advantage of the daily start of the grass’s normal growing cycle.

Once Palmetto’s roots are fully established water thoroughly only when needed – such as when a slight wilting is visual. Palmetto can be watered once every 7-10 days during summer (on sandy soils more often) and much less in cooler months. In fact, infrequent, deep watering promotes a healthy Palmetto lawn.

Fertilising Your Palmetto Lawn

When it comes to fertilising your Palmetto lawn.

The use of a complete fertiliser is recommended for your Palmetto twice a year .

Once in April and once in September. At other times of the year, use a slow release fertiliser.

If Palmetto needs a quick green-up, then use a fertiliser high in nitrogen to promote a lush green lawn.

Weed Prevention & Control

Weeds may be green, but they are plants growing where they’re not wanted within your lawn.

Weeds can take any form and can vary depending on where they grow and typically produce large numbers of seeds, assisting their spread.

Unfortunately, weeds are often excellent at surviving and reproducing and are commonly the first plants to colonise and dominate.

Due to Palmetto’s dense growth, it is harder for weeds to invade the lawn.

However, if weeds infest your Palmetto grass, hand eradication is advised before seed heads develop or apply a suitable weedicide.

Pest Prevention & Control

Palmetto grass has a high resistance to pests.

It is recommended, however, to watch for Lawn Grubs (for example Web Worm or Army Worm) and African Black Beetle in your Palmetto and if found apply suitable pesticides.

Common Lawn Diseases for Palmetto

When disease attacks your lawn, control can be difficult unless you know how to identify lawn diseases and understand the causes and prevention behind them. Is it Dollar Spot or Fusarium Patch?

The main disease to affect Palmetto can be Brown Patch – however, it is very rare.

Brown Patch first appears on your lawn in a circular patch which can range in size from a few centimetres up to a metre in diameter.

Brown Patch is more prevalent in high humidity conditions during spring and autumn.

Control of Brown Patch on your Palmetto lawn is generally with a recommended fungicide.

seek further advice from your local Garden Centre.

Price-wise, Palmetto Buffalo is one of the most affordable high-quality Soft Leaf Buffalo lawns on the market, retailing between $13 and $20 per square metre. 

The price of Palmetto Buffalo is dependent on whether you decide to install the lawn yourself or pay someone as well as the distance your turf needs to travel to be delivered.

If you want a quote on having your new lawn installed, make sure you ask your myhomeTURF supplier for one when getting three quotes.

Where to Find a Palmetto Buffalo Supplier?

Palmetto grass can be found from Queensland down to Victoria and across in Western Australia. Your local Grower suppliers can easily be found with our online supplier locator tool. 

Maintenance: Palmetto grass grows slower than other Buffalo varieties, therefore less mowing and less maintenance.

Water efficiency: Palmetto’s deep-rooted system means it is an efficient water user and drought tolerant.

Colour: Palmetto is renowned for its dark leaf colour that makes it attractive to lawn enthusiasts.

Wear tolerance: Palmetto has strong-growing runners that grow across the ground, rather than upwards, which creates a dense lawn with solid wear tolerance and a good recovery rate.

Shade tolerance: In high wear areas Palmetto has a shade tolerance of 45% and in low wear sites a shade tolerance of 65%.

Weed resistance: Once Palmetto grass has established a strong deep-rooted system, weeds find it difficult to invade.

• What type of grass is Palmetto? Palmetto is a soft leaf Buffalo grass.
• Is Palmetto a Buffalo grass? Yes, Palmetto soft leaf is a Buffalo grass.
• How do you care for Palmetto grass?  To maintain a good healthy Palmetto grass water twice weekly and less frequently in cooler months and fertilise at least twice a year in April and September.
• What is the best time to plant Palmetto grass? Palmetto turf can be established year-round except in
  cold climates during winter and where it is below freezing. It is suitable in Queensland, New South Wales, the ACT and Victoria.
• Is Palmetto grass shade tolerant? Palmetto grass can tolerate shade of up to 45% on low wear areas and up to 65% on high wear sites. In fact, Palmetto grass has very high shade tolerance.
• Does Palmetto grass spread? Palmetto turf can be left for a lot longer than other varieties with no maintenance or mowing and will not spread or grow invasively.
• How fast does Palmetto grass grow? Palmetto grass, after about 20 weeks grew to 112mm in height, a lot lower than other Buffalo varieties.
• Does Palmetto grass grow in winter? To maintain a green lush lawn in winter mow at a moderate length and use an autumn fertiliser to achieve good colour.
• How often should you water Palmetto grass? Palmetto can be watered once every 7-10 days during summer (on sandy soils more often) and much less in cooler months.
• What is the best length to cut Palmetto grass? Cut your Palmetto grass to between 20mm to 50mm in full sunny/lighted shaded areas and between 50mm and 70mm in heavier shaded sites.
• What does Palmetto grass look like? Palmetto grass has a short broad soft leaf which is dark green in colour and strong, quick growing runners that develop laterally.
• Is Palmetto Buffalo a St Augustine variety? Buffalo grasses such as Palmetto are commonly known as St Augustine grasses in North America.

Bow and Arrow 500mL

Oxafert

LawnPride Maintain 26-2-9 + 3.4 Fe 20kg

Acelepryn GR 10kg