The Grass Doctor

What kind of grass will grow in a drought?

Most of the homes around here have lawns of Kentucky Bluegrass and they end up dying because of a low water supply and hot summers here in Colorado. If I were to start over and plant grass by seed, what is a good kind of seed to buy that will produce grass that grows well in low-water conditions and direct sunlight?

Public Comments

1. First off, wait until the drought is over to plant anything. Ever notice that even when grass looks dead after a drought that the next year grass mysteriously appears. This is all native seed that is indiginous to the area. Instead of spending big bucks on expensive grass seed, do like I do. Being a farmboy, Go to a neighboring farm unless you have your own barn and go up into the hay mow. Get a garbage bag of floor sweepings that is mostly seed anyway and broadcast it on your lawn. Cover it with just enough hay leftovers to keep the seed from washing away and water it lightly for a shot time at night. Bingo. It takes like crazy and you will cuss yourself for the thick lawn that sprung up overnight. Ever see real healthy patches of grass along the highway? It,s all from tractor trailers hauling hay and the seeds that blow off. It is better than anything Scotts turf builder or Ortho ever came up with .
2. Bermuda grass grows well in a drought. I live in Arizona and we don't get much rain, but I have a beautiful lawn. Low maintenance and low water use. I water 3 times a week and mow once a week. Good luck.
3. Colorado ... Buffalograss It needs careful watering to get it established from plugs or sod, but after that, it's pretty indestructible
4. I used to live in Colorado Springs. I seeded my lawn with turf type fescue every year until it took over. It makes a great, thick lawn that is resistant to most of the problems that bluegrass has... including drought!