Scott there are a few things you need to know about Buffalo Grass.

It does not tolerate any shade.
Will not grow in sandy soils, needs dense clay soils
Cannot be used in high traffic areas

Now to answer some of your questions.

First I need to ask a question. Is the seed you intend to buy Treated or Not?

Treated seed is important to seed rates. If treated 1 pound is about right for 500/ft2. If not you will need about 4 pounds. Treated seed germination rate is around 80%, non treated is down around 20%.

Planting time is April for you, and it will take a full growing season to fill in and must be left undisturbed as it is very slow to germinate, establish itself, and fragile.

Thanks for the response Texas.

To answer your question. I believe that I am going to be buying treated because it says the germination rate is 80%.

As far as the shade goes I watched the amount of sun that it was getting today and it was getting at least 6 hours.

As for the soil I might need to amend it then. I thought that buffalo grass grew pretty much in any kind of soil except good soil for other grasses.

For the moment we have a 14 month old and a small dog. Both of who will be staying off of the area. Later on though I was hoping to be able to play and hang out in the grass. Curiously what do you mean by high traffic?

Thank you for the planting time info?

Go read this.

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/archives/parsons/turf/publications/buffalo.html

The very last part of the link from TW says that it can get by with 1 inch of water per week. The dirty secret there is that most grass can get by with 1 inch of water per week. You aren't saving water by going with buffalo.

Secondly, seeded buffalo tends to go wild after a few years. That means it thins out and allows all kinds of weeds in. Also the seed head and flower stalks shoot up faster and higher than the grass blades. That sort of defines one of the characteristics of a weed. The Tech Turf variety of buffalo from the Turffalo company does not have this characteristic. It has short seeds and flowers. Tech Turf also spreads much faster than most varieties so is more resistant to wear and tear. It only comes in plugs.

High traffic means young dogs (romping, chasing, digging, and patrolling) and children playing sports (swingset, teeter totter, baseball, etc.). Older dogs are not so much of an issue. We had a pug that wore his own path in the lawn traveling from the patio to the gate.

If you have crepe myrtles, you will have bare ground underneath to the east, north, and west sides of the trees.

Also, never till in preparation for turf. Tilling is for gardens and I have a good argument against that, too. Tilling before you seed or sod turf will lead to a bumpy lawn within 3 years. Just say "no!" to tilling.

Well what I was hoping to point out in the link I provided are some concerns I would have in the Lost Wages area, and the intended use.

1. Shade Tolerance. Buffalo grass has no shade tolerance. It needs clear view of the horizon from East, South, to the West. So if you have trees or privacy fence, any areas they cast shade will be free of Buffalo Grass.

2. Soil requirement. IT thrives in dense clay soils, and will not survive in sandy soils. Granted I do not live in Lost Wages, but have been there many times and have noticed the area really does not have soil. It is more of a granite gravel and rubble, and very alkaline PH.

3. Wear or Traffic Tolerance. It does not have a high tolerance for wear and traffic. Such a small area of 500/ft2 with a child and dog can likely be a problem.

4. Range. If you look on the map its range is that narrow strip right down the middle of the country known as the High Grass Plains where the Buffalo roam. What is unique about that area is the altitude, soil type of being a heavy clay soils, and not a tree in site from the wind swept plains.

If not buffalo grass what would you all recommend. I pretty much want a lawn that:

1 can be used (kicking a ball back an forth, laying down and looking at the stars/clouds)
2 doesn't need to be mowed weekly (I have enough chores),
3 doesn't need to be watered daily,
4 can stand up to the vegas heat

No grass exist that meets all those demands. Bermuda is the best option for Vegas, but it needs mowed once or twice a week.

If I remember correctly the Vegas area only has one Sod Farm called Valley Sod. They carry two types of sod. Bermuda for the lower altitudes and valley, and Fescue blends for higher elevations. Reason I bring that up is because Sod Farms only grow varieties that will work for a particular region.

Honestly I do not know if Buffalo would work or not in Vegas. I am south of you in Prescott Valley. Here there are a couple of lawns with Buffalo grass but we are at 5800 feet elevation where it is much cooler. Down in Phoenix valley I have not noticed any Buffalo lawns but Phoenix is a huge city so I have not seen a lot of the city. For those that actually have lawns in Phoenix, it is Bermuda.

Try this go to local nurseries or call local landscapers and get their input. Won't cost you anything except some time and maybe some gas.

No you did not mislead me. Andy brought up a good point. It is just way too early for CG, even in California, especially San Fran, or are you inland toward Sacramento?

You might check with some local ranchers to see which grasses grow for them. Then report back here. There may be some pasture grasses you can use which can be controlled to get the lawn effect. The trick is to figure out which of the pasture grasses do well in LV. For example one of the guys on this forum does very well in Salt Lake City with a blue grama mix of native pasture grasses. But blue grama might not do well in LV. Need to know that first. The county agriculture extension agent would know, too.

Again thank you every one. Looks like I will be calling a few places to get some info. When I am driving around I will look out for lawns and see what they have. Mowing every week just seems like a task that I do not want to do.

Oh and what about mixing in clover with grass. It used to be used all the time from what I recall and have read.

Texas I think that you last post on here was meant to be for someone else. Probably Outatime80's post about zoysia.

The prairie grasses do not need to be mowed weekly.

Clover is a good idea but might need more water than you like. Dutch white clover attracts bees to the white flowers - lots of bees. It grows to 4-6 inches high and stops growing. If you like the growing habit, it is very low maintenance.

I stopped by Star Nursery today. I was driving by and figured I could start my asking around. They recommended that I go with a Tall Fescue so that the lawn is green year round. When asked about it tolerating the heat of our summers I was told that there are new fescues that can. I walked around the store and looked at the types that they have there. There was Water Saver Tall Turf Fescue with RTF, Kentucky 31, Dr. Q's Emerald Carpet Grass, and The Rebels Premium Tall Fescue.

Anyone have any experience with any of those. They did have a couple of Bermuda Grasses. I dig the idea of not having a dead looking lawn all winter without overseeding but don't want it to do the same thing during the summer.

Fescue in LV?

Ask them what kind of Grass they are smoking.

Last year there was a thread in this forum from someone in the Mojave/Death Valley area that was growing tall fescue. http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/lawns/msg0618530411114.html

I tend to agree with TexasWeed regarding TF in the Las Vegas area, but I guess with cool dry nights, and plenty of water it could be done, especially with a midday watering for ten minutes to cool the grass down during the hottest months. However, just because something could be done, doesn't mean you should be doing it.

The first rule of gardening successfully is to select plants which are adapted to your climate. Second rule is to plant them at the right time. If you seed TTTF now you would be violating both rules.

I have seen TTTF used in the California Sonoran Desert (the HOT one). The Mojave Desert is cool beans compared to the Sonora Desert, so you have a half a chance. It will take a lot of care with watering. Also you should know that TTTF requires reseeding in the fall to fill in any spots that thinned out during the summer for whatever reason(s).

I was kind of thinking the same thing about the Fescue. I think it is what my neighbor has. He does patching every year and over the winter it stayed green, granted this winter has been mild for us. I have still seen quite a few lawns that were dormant the whole winter, I am guessing that those were the bermuda grasses.

I guess I will be calling around tomorrow.

My guess is your neighbor over seeds his Bermuda grass every Late September/October time frame just like the golf courses do. In the summer does it burn out or stay green?

If it stays green during the summer he has Bermuda, and over seeds it in the fall with a Rye/Fescue mix to have a green lawn in the winter.

Piling into this late ... texas-weed is misinformed on several points, and I have the lawn to prove it.

1 - It doesn't need horizon-to-horizon sun. My lawn gets part morning shade from some big trees to the east and south and it's actually doing a bit better (taller, silkier) in those areas.

2 - UV Verde can handle the heat just fine. See the link.

3 - I don't know about traffic. All we have is quail running across it. If it was lightly played on by a child and a small mostly indoors dog, it might do just fine.

3 - Soil doesn't need to be heavy clay, it just can't be pure sand.

As for the watering and mowing, it's taking 1/2 the water of Bermuda and doesn't really need to be mowed.

Here is a link that might be useful: Buffalo grass in Phoenix AZ, 4 summers experience