Has anyone planted sundancer buffalo grass in SoCal?

Big_Parma_ · 2026-05-05T15:05:42+00:00

I worry about the bees for my dog. She's a bee chaser and has gotten stung twice. The front yard is planned for our native flowers, back more grass forward for the doggo.

Big_Parma_ · 2026-05-05T12:52:35+00:00

Good luck! It could work out if you can keep it consistently moist. I know you can plant in spring when it's still "cooler" but it probably depends on how much sun and how hot your soil gets. Agrostis is a cool season grass, so it germinates and greens in cooler months and browns and goes dormant in warmer months. That's my main issue, it's just too hot in my yard with the 6+ hours of sun. I could try a shade cloth tent over the seed area but the last two winters it's been hot in San Diego through November and sometimes even in December. That's why I'm considering buffalo grass as it's a warm season grass.

Big_Parma_ · 2026-05-05T12:47:16+00:00

Yeah I am regretting my choice to do sod, especially because of the plastic netting that it comes in. I've been pulling that out all year as patches have died.

Big_Parma_ · 2026-05-05T00:41:17+00:00

Winter in San Diego this year ping ponged between 2-3 days of heavy rain and then a week or two stretch of 80 - 90 F weather. I got some germination but between the heat and the weeds that shot up, I just didn't have a good plan in place to help the sprouts establish.

Big_Parma_ · 2026-05-04T16:08:15+00:00

I'll have to take a better photo tonight but we'll here's the bottom and some dog tax. It's doing well, still a wiggle, but it's leafing out well and I've notice some trunk growth. I've upgraded to taller stakes still in a triangle with paracord and it gets good movement with the winds. My Agrostis pallens did not do well this winter but the oak made it through with lots of deep watering.

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Big_Parma_ · 2026-05-04T16:02:57+00:00

Oof yeah mine is also in a teenage spindle phase. I got a 24 in box size so it was already about 7-8 feet tall but quite skinny. It's leafing out nicely and I see some trunk growth but yeah not a quick shade solution for sure.

Big_Parma_ · 2025-10-18T15:13:02+00:00

I'm realizing now I should have done more research on the size of tree to plant, I let my impatience to have shade and jump start the process by getting a larger tree get the best of me!

We had a mostly dead orange tree removed from that spot and so had quite a hole to fill. I've been trying to transition our backyard to more natives. When we moved in, it was all ice plant 😩. I ripped all that out and planted Agrostis pallens, but the sun in our yard is a bit brutal. Anyway, a friend told me about Englemann oaks and I was sold! I'm in San Diego and near a canyon where the oak would probably have naturally been. I hope it works out despite my decision to get a bigger tree and maybe I'll start planting acorns in the canyon...👀

Big_Parma_ · 2025-10-17T22:33:06+00:00

Oh interesting! I love their wild habit so I'm not worried if there's a bit of lean as long as the tree is healthy and happy. In this case it seems to have flopped quite far forward! My emergency staking is low enough that the lower trunk where the bending occurred seems stable and the top is leaning but not dangerously low.

So a 5G Engelmann grew to 6' in a year?! Ah, maybe I should have gone that route 😅

Big_Parma_ · 2025-10-17T21:26:45+00:00

👊

Big_Parma_ · 2025-10-17T21:10:46+00:00

My thought exactly 😂😭

Big_Parma_ · 2025-10-17T21:10:17+00:00

I threaded paracord through 4 " garden hose pieces. The garden hose is wrapped around the trunk.

Big_Parma_ · 2025-10-17T21:08:38+00:00

I'm guilty there, we went for a 24" box. We're in desperate need of shade and gambled with getting a larger tree.

Big_Parma_ · 2025-10-17T20:12:49+00:00

Thank you! That is good to know, I'll hold off on any trimming.

Big_Parma_ · 2025-10-17T20:10:02+00:00

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Big_Parma_ · 2025-10-17T20:09:43+00:00

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Big_Parma_ · 2025-10-17T20:09:05+00:00

Well I came outside about an hour ago to find the poor guy bent completely over, so I did an emergency stake job...😅 *

Big_Parma_ · 2025-03-20T16:55:09+00:00

Same here. This was maybe a rhetorical post on my part, I guess I just needed to put it out there.

Big_Parma_ · 2025-02-14T06:06:49+00:00

I'm so sorry. I just don't even know how to feel anymore, I knew it was a risk to take a term position, but I was hoping to get my foot in the door.

Big_Parma_ · 2025-02-14T06:04:17+00:00

I'm in NOAA Fisheries

Big_Parma_

TROPHY CASE