Best grass seed to lay down in desert?

Question

I live in the high desert (antelope valley) in California. It is ususally very dry, hot and in the winter it can get pretty cold. What is the best grass seed to plant for this such climate. We also have female dogs in the back yard and I've heard their urine kills some types of grass. Please help..... Thanks :)

Answer 1

You could also try buffalo grass, I don't know how well it would do at high altitude, but it is a very drought-tolerant grass.  

It will only grow to 3 or 4 inches tall, and does not, therefore need to be mowed, so you are reducing your carbon footprint right there.  

It will spread fairly well.

When it gets water, it will turn a bright green, then dry to brown during a drought, and green right back up.  It really tolerates hard grazing from sheep, cattle and horses.

You can buy seed both as buffalo grass and as buffalo turf.

Answer 2

Try some bermuda grass and zoysia. Both are drought tolerant. Zoysia is more expensive and the bermuda is available in seed form.

Amazoy zoysia grass is available by mail direct from the grower (www.zoysiafarms.com). An order of 1,000 plugs (enough for a 1,000-square-foot lawn) and plugger planting tools sell for approximately $50 — a small price to pay for a lush, professional-looking lawn year after year!