Buffalo grass surprises

[meggie]

We installed buffalo grass sod on the one acre lot around our new home last October. It looked good immediately with no transplant brownout. However, I think it was late fall we got lots of weeds and spent many hours weeding it - although we had killed all the weeds and graded/scraped the lot well before installation.
This spring it came in lush, earlier than expected. However, again, many many weeds that we have spent multiple weekends pulling.
The real surprises: it does good in partial shade - on east side of house with several mesquites and medium size native trees. So well in fact that it measures 16 inches high ther - this buffalo grass that I thought never got more than 6-8". And the runners it produced are even longer. This is a problem for us, as we planned never to mow it. No kids or dogs that need to walk on the lawn.
We're getting to the point that we will probably try mowing it - will need to borrow a mower! I'm wondering how it will work, with the length it is. Of course, the grass is fine, and bends over ...
I don't want to cut it too short - how adjustable are most mowers?
This is 609 buffalo grass.

[northwesterner]

You posted this question in early summer. It's almost October now. How did that Buffalo grass do over the summer, and did you end up mowing it?

Northwesterner

[meggie]

Yes and no: We did mow the grass in the shady back, once, not long after I posted. It was easy to do, with our neighbors riding mower. Now it is long again - I would guess 10"+

We managed not to mow the grass in the hot, sunny, front, although it could have used it, we didn't feel it was mandatory. As the summer got hotter and drier, we did water it, perhaps as often as every 2 weeks. It is quite yellow/brown looking; it would have welcomed more water. We expect it would do better in a year with a more normal rainfall.

It does need a fair amount of maintenance to keep from taking over the flower and mulch beds if you don't mow it. I don't have edging but it's runners would come over the edging anyway.

Nevertheless, buffalo grass is still the best choice in my book.

[Tony M]

I wonder if some of that vigorous growth you saw was from bermuda grass that snuck in? Does it all haave the little oblong seed heads?
Tony M

[meggie]

It definitely is all buffalo grass, no bermuda! We have worked VERY hard at weeding...