Calendar · Minneapolis MN · Burlington VT

Buffalo Grass care calendar for zone 4

Cold continental winter with a meaningful growing season April–October. Cool-season grasses dominate; buffalo grass viable in the western half (semi-arid). Snow mold is a real concern: last mow of the year should drop the lawn to 2–2.5 inches before the first hard freeze.

Buffalo grass is the native short-grass-prairie species: the only warm-season grass that survives zone 4 winters, and the only low-input lawn grass adapted to the Great Plains. It's drought-tolerant, low-fertility, and naturally short (6–8 inches unmowed), but it doesn't take traffic well and goes dormant fast in cool weather.