Provisioning

• develop technical information in relation to the adaptation of the available buffalo grasses (Stenotaphrum secundatum) to water, light, nutrition, wear, and herbicides
• assess weed control methods, as this is a common problem for turf managers and homeowners alike
• monitor the adaptation and management of the grasses in a range of different environments
• determine the grouping of closely-related cultivars.

• Examination of attributes, such as rate of lateral spread in relation to air and soil temperatures, and detailed stolon and inflorescence measurements, of 19 Stenotaphrum secundatum cultivars grown in spaced plant trials.
• Recording of turf pests or disease outbreaks.
• DNA profiling of turf cultivars.
• Collection of data on clipping weights, visual quality and colour, disease incidence, turfgrass density, weed invasion and thatch development in relation to fertiliser and mowing treatments.
• Collection of data on turfgrass responses (quality, colour and percentage bareground/wear) to wear and recovery from wear. The experiment will be run in different seasons under 50% shade.
• Screening of a range of unregistered herbicides for broadleaf and grass weed control and rating of the level of any plant damage caused by the treatments. Initial pot trials in 50% shade will be followed by field trials in full sun, which will examine seasonal effects.
• Comparative trials of buffalo grass cultivars, and in some locations kikuyu (Pennisetum clandestinum), ´Wintergreen´ (Cynodon dactylon), sweet smother (Dactyloctenium australe) and ´Shadegro´ (Panicum laxum), in shaded environments. Light levels and soil and air temperature data will be correlated with measurements of plant growth.
• Following establishment of the trial, lysimeters will be used in the second year to measure water usage of buffalo grass cultivars Sapphire, Kings Pride, Matilda, Palmetto, Shademaster, Sir James, Sir Walter, ST-26, ST-91, TF01, WA common buffalo and Wintergreen green couch in response to three different irrigation treatments.
• In the third year, data will be collected from the lysimeter study to determine the capacity of turf to recover after various periods of drought. A second lysimeter trial will investigate the effect of mowing height on turf water use and quality for two contrasting species.
• The tolerance of buffalo grass to alkaline soil conditions and the ability of the grass to access micronutrients such as iron and manganese will be investigated on an alkaline soil in Western Australia.
• Demonstration sites have been established with TAFE colleges, public open space managers and private developers in and around Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne. The sites will provide information on the adaptation of the grasses for specific uses and feedback will be provided by practicing turf managers on the effectiveness of management guidelines developed from the project.

• Alan Duff, Principal Experimentalist
• Matt Roche, Senior Research Scientist
• Cynthia Carson, Senior Extension Horticulturist.

• Redlands Research Station
• University of Western Australia, Perth
• Various public and private sites across Australia.

The zoysia grasses are noted for their extremely high resistance to wear, but are very slow to recover if damaged.

Like green couch and kikuyu grass, the zoysias produce underground rhizomes that will invade adjacent garden beds if not controlled.

Vegetatively propagated cultivars maintain good colour during winter, unlike the older seeded types (of Z. japonica), which are highly winter dormant and will turn brown even where there is no frost.

• Z. japonica – Palisades
• Z. tenuifolia – Temple grass

Buffalo grass (Northern Australia), broadleaf carpet grass, cow grass (Singapore, South-East Asia), tropical carpet grass.

Known speciality lawn products

Variant:

• Whitsunday White, a variegated form of A. compressus, is sold in tropical Queensland for use as a ornamental lawn.
• Shadetuff, which is a mixture of A. compressus and common green couch (Cynodon dactylon), is being sold as sod in North Queensland.

Naturalised in Australia and the Pacific Islands, favouring sub-humid and humid tropical and sub-tropical areas. Also naturalised in the Philippines, Indonesia, west tropical Africa, South Africa and India.

Very little selection and breeding work has been conducted.

Very coarse

Description

The naturalised form in South East Queensland has wide (averaging 10.4-13.0 mm) shiny dark-green leaves with wavy margins. Stolons are thick and oval (diameters approximately 3.5 and 2.5 mm) in cross-section, with hairy nodes. The leaf blade length averages 24.2-30.0 mm on the fourth visible node from the stolon tip. Shallow rooted. Keeled leaf sheath with a fringed membranous ligule separating the leaf shealth from the leaf blade. Forms a dense lawn, spread by stolons and short rhizomes. Produces prolific seed heads on tall stalks throughout the year.

Use

Tropical lawns, parks, golf roughs and commercial premises.

Mowing height

30-50 mm. The upper end of the height range can be used in winter.

Unlike other grasses, broadleaf carpet grass can cope with scalping. This is a big advantage during protracted periods of high rainfall in the wet tropics. Even after a couple of weeks of rain and excessive growth, broadleaf carpet grass can be mown easily and without scalping damage.

Some mowing activity is directed at the control of the many seed heads, which stick up above the leaves. Needs frequent mowing to maintain an attractive lawn surface.

Method of propagation

Vegetative (runner, cuttings or plugs). Can be grown from seed, but this not readily commercially available.

Preferred soil types

Soils must hold some moisture. Does not perform well on sands unless frequently watered. Loams and clay loams are preferred. Tolerates soil compaction caused by high intensity tropical rainfall. Not tolerant of water logging. Survives under low fertility conditions. Has a low phosphorous requirement. Optimal pH range 5.5-6.0 (acid). Iron chlorosis can develop pH >7.0 .

Comments

This species can take over moist, shaded parts of the yard, forming a dense dark-green sward.  For this reason, it is often regarded as a weed in southern Queensland, but most north Queenslanders regard it as a valuable turfgrass. Can invade higher quality turf such as green couch (Cynodon dactylon).

Excellent

Cold

Poor. Frost will kill the top growth, however the plants will eventually recover with the onset of warmer conditions. Leaf colour and condition can deteriorate in winter in subtropical areas, where broadleaf carpet grass is also one of the last grasses to come out of winter dormancy.

Shade

Very good shade tolerance to 50%. Also copes with protracted tropical cloud cover during the annual wet season. Maintains condition, but is more difficult to establish in shade.

Drought

Commonly found in high rainfall areas, having poor drought tolerance. Needs to be well watered as drought-stressed leaves fail to recover. This can lead to an uneven blend of well-watered green leaves and brown drought-stressed leaves.

Salinity

Poor salinity tolerance (less then 4 dS/m)

Wear

Poor wear tolerance. Recovery poor in shaded conditions.

Herbicide sensitivity

Tolerant of diclofop-methyl, halosulfuron-methyl, MCPA + dicamba mixes (these vary, check individual labels). Susceptible to bromoxynil and DSMA.
Exercise extreme caution when reading chemical labels. Buffalo grass refers to Stenotaphrum secundatum on almost all labels. Axonopus compressus is normally referred to as carpet grass.

• Attacked by sod webworm (Herpetogramma licarsisalis) in wet weather. Also susceptible to armyworms and white curl grubs.
• Subject to brown patch caused by Rhizoctonia solani.

• Sea Isle 1
• Sea Isle 2000
• Velvetene
• Sea Spray