Buffalo Grass vs Bermuda: Which Should You Plant?
Updated November 12, 2026
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Plant buffalograss if your yard gets full sun, light traffic, and about 25 inches of rain a year or less, which is where Texas A&M says it does best, and you would rather water and mow rarely than keep a lawn green from spring to fall. Plant bermudagrass if the yard takes kids, dogs, and daily wear, or you live somewhere humid and rainy with mild winters, because bermuda handles traffic far better and Texas A&M warns that buffalograss is easily invaded by weeds and other grasses in the high-rainfall areas of East Texas or when it is watered too much. Neither one is a shade grass.
Buffalograss has grown on the Great Plains for centuries, Nebraska Extension notes, and long droughts taught it to use water efficiently. The same guide says it roots three feet deep or more. Bermuda is the workhorse on the other side of the fence. Oklahoma State calls it the best-adapted turfgrass for full-sun areas in that state, thanks to its heat and drought tolerance and its sufficient winter hardiness.
The trade comes down to effort now or effort later. Buffalograss asks for very little once it is in, but Colorado State is blunt that growing it from seed can be labor-intensive and somewhat frustrating, and it spends a long part of the year tan. Bermuda spreads fast by runners above and below ground and wants mowing every few days in summer. Match the grass to your rain and your traffic, and the rest follows.
Quick verdict
Buffalograss wins on water, mowing, fertilizer, and cold hardiness in sunny, light-traffic lawns that get about 25 inches of rain a year or less. Bermudagrass wins on wear, salty soil, and humid, high-rainfall climates like East Texas, where Texas A&M says buffalograss is easily invaded.
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Buffalograss vs Bermudagrass: at a glance
Where it is adapted
Sun requirement
Shade tolerance
Water requirement
Drought tolerance
Traffic tolerance
Cold tolerance
Salt tolerance
Mowing height
Mowing frequency
Annual nitrogen need
How it spreads
Green season
Establishment
Disease potential
Leaf texture and color
APick Buffalograss if...
- You get about 25 inches of rain a year or less. Texas A&M names Central to West Texas, and Oklahoma State names western Oklahoma, where it calls buffalograss the best choice for unirrigated lawns.
- The lawn sits in full sun all day with no trees over it.
- You want to water rarely. Colorado State says an inch every two to four weeks in summer, depending on rain, grows a good-quality buffalograss lawn and discourages weeds.
- Traffic is light or only now and then: a front yard, a side lot, a back lawn without a daily dog run.
- You would rather mow every week or two, or let it grow out. Nebraska Extension suggests letting it set seed with spring bulbs and wildflowers for a natural look.
BPick Bermudagrass if...
- Kids, dogs, or games wear the same paths every day. Texas A&M rates bermuda high for traffic and buffalograss low.
- You get more rain than about 25 inches a year, or you live in East Texas, where Texas A&M says buffalograss is easily invaded by weeds and other grasses.
- Your soil or water runs salty. Colorado State lists saline soils among the places buffalograss is a poor choice, and Texas A&M rates bermuda moderate to high for salt.
- You want to plant from seed with fewer headaches. Oklahoma State lists easy establishment by seed as a strength of Arizona common bermuda, and warns that winterkill in its first winter is the risk, so sow it early in the season.
- You are ready to mow every 3 to 7 days in summer and keep a fertilizer schedule.
Top pick to grow each grass
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How to Tell Buffalograss From Bermuda
Both grasses are fine-bladed and both run gray-green, so color alone will fool you. Dig instead. Take a trowel to the edge of a patch and lift a slice of sod. Bermuda spreads by stolons and rhizomes, and Virginia Tech describes its rhizomes as scaly and sharp. Buffalograss spreads by stolons only, the runners that creep across the top of the soil and root where they touch down. If you find scaly, sharp-tipped runners under the surface, it is almost certainly bermuda, not buffalograss.
Seedheads settle it in summer. Virginia Tech says bermuda sends up 3 to 7 finger-like spikes that fan out from one point, from mid to late summer. Nebraska Extension says male buffalograss plants carry one-sided spikes 3 to 8 inches above the leaves, and female plants hide small burs down among the leaves near the ground. Vegetative cultivars are a solid stand of female plants, Nebraska Extension notes, so a lawn of one shows no male spikes.
Height of cut is a clue too. Virginia Tech notes bermuda is usually kept under an inch as a turfgrass, while Nebraska Extension mows buffalograss at 3 to 4 inches and gives its natural maximum as 4 to 5 inches. A low, tight patch creeping into a taller stand is worth a closer look.
Getting Buffalograss Established
Colorado State says buffalograss has a reputation for being expensive and difficult to establish, and that a long dormant period has made it less popular with homeowners. Newer turf-type cultivars are darker green, denser, and more resistant to weeds than the older ones.
- Seed: Colorado State uses 3 to 5 lbs per 1,000 sq ft, and Nebraska recommends 1 to 2 lbs of burs per 1,000 sq ft. Seed waits for soil temperature: above 55°F in Colorado State's guide, 60°F in Nebraska's. With warm soil and steady water, seedlings show in 7 to 21 days.
- Plugs: Colorado State plants pre-rooted plugs on 12 to 18 inch centers and gets full cover in 6 to 12 weeks, depending on spacing and weather. Nebraska says plugs cost less to install than sod.
- Sod: the quickest and least frustrating route, says Colorado State, though it costs significantly more than bluegrass sod and is harder to find.
Whichever you choose, water it like any new lawn. Colorado State says establishment takes as much water as a new bluegrass or tall fescue lawn, and sometimes more. The water savings start after it is rooted, so plan for that first summer.
Sources
- Colorado State University Extension, Buffalograss Lawns (Fact Sheet 7.224)
- Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Turfgrass Selection for Texas (L-5519)
- University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension, Establishing Buffalograss Turf in Nebraska (G1946)
- University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension, Management of Buffalograss Turf in Nebraska (G1947)
- University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension, Buffalograss Management Calendar (G2178)
- Oklahoma State University Extension, Selecting a Lawn Grass for Oklahoma (HLA-6418)
- Oklahoma State University Extension, Lawn Management in Oklahoma (HLA-6420)
- Virginia Tech Weed Identification Guide, Bermudagrass
Frequently asked questions
Is buffalo grass better than bermuda?
Buffalograss is the better pick for dry, sunny, light-traffic yards, and bermuda is the better pick for busy yards and wetter climates. Texas A&M rates buffalograss very low for water need and high for cold tolerance, and says it is best adapted where rain runs about 25 inches a year or less. The same guide rates bermuda high for traffic and buffalograss low, and warns that buffalograss is easily invaded by weeds and other grasses in the high-rainfall areas of East Texas. Check your rainfall and how hard the yard gets used, and pick from there.
Will bermuda take over buffalo grass?
It can. None of these guides tests bermuda against buffalograss directly, but Texas A&M says buffalograss is easily invaded by other grasses when overwatered or in high-rainfall areas, and Oklahoma State calls bermuda aggressive and says it spreads rapidly by stolons and rhizomes. Colorado State adds that too much fertilizer with too much water invites rapid weed invasion, and that unwatered buffalograss is prone to weed invasion while it sits dormant in summer. Colorado State says deep, infrequent watering discourages weeds, so water about an inch every two to four weeks in summer and keep nitrogen at 2 lbs per 1,000 sq ft a year or less.
How do I tell buffalo grass from bermuda?
Dig a small slice and look for rhizomes, the runners that grow under the soil. Bermuda has them, and Virginia Tech describes them as scaly and sharp, while buffalograss spreads only by runners on top of the soil. In summer, bermuda seedheads are 3 to 7 finger-like spikes fanning from one point, according to Virginia Tech, and male buffalograss plants carry one-sided spikes 3 to 8 inches above the leaves, according to Nebraska Extension.
Does buffalo grass stay green in winter?
No. Colorado State says buffalograss turns brown and dormant with the first hard frost and greens up in mid to late spring, and Nebraska Extension puts its growing season at about five months, mid-May to mid-October. Bermuda goes straw-colored at the first frost too, according to Texas A&M. If you want winter color on either one, Oklahoma State describes overseeding perennial ryegrass in late September or October, and notes it adds mowing, fertilizing, and watering during dry winters.
Does buffalo grass need less water than bermuda?
Once it is established, yes. Texas A&M rates buffalograss very low for water need and bermuda moderate to low, and Colorado State says buffalograss stays green on 1 to 2 inches of rain or irrigation every 2 to 4 weeks in summer. The catch is the first season: Colorado State says establishing buffalograss takes as much water as a new bluegrass or tall fescue lawn, and sometimes more. Budget the water for year one.
Is buffalo grass hard to grow from seed?
It takes patience. Colorado State calls seeding labor-intensive and somewhat frustrating, and says seed will not sprout until the soil warms above 55°F, with seedlings showing 7 to 21 days after that under steady water. Nebraska Extension advises against seeding after August 15 in eastern Nebraska, or August 1 in the west, and calls June 1 a good target date for a full stand by September. If you want it faster, Colorado State says sod is the quickest and least frustrating route, at a higher price.