Empire Zoysia vs Sir Walter Buffalo: Which Suits Your Brisbane Yard?

Zoysia vs buffalo comes down to sun and upkeep. Choose Empire Zoysia if your lawn gets at least 5 hours of direct winter sun and you want less mowing, water and fertiliser. Choose Sir Walter buffalo if it gets less than that, or if kids and dogs need the fastest summer repair. At Hancey’s both cost $15.50/m².

Key facts: Empire Zoysia vs Sir Walter at a glance

Zoysia vs buffalo: the quick answer

• If the lawn gets less than 5 hours of direct winter sun (south-facing yards, under trees, beside a two-storey house), choose Sir Walter.
• If the yard gets 5 or more hours of winter sun and you would rather mow less often, choose Empire Zoysia.
• If kids and dogs will run the same track every day through summer, choose Sir Walter for faster self-repair.
• If you live near the water at Redcliffe, Sandgate, Maroochydore, Caloundra or Noosa and get salty wind, lean towards Empire.
• If you want the lawn that copes best with being left alone (a rental, a holiday house, a slope) and it gets the sun, choose Empire.

Cost: turf price vs what you spend over five years

Most zoysia vs buffalo comparisons start with price. At our farm that part is easy: we cut both to order at Woodford and sell both at the same price. The better question is what each lawn costs you to run once it is down.

Supply, delivery and installation

Empire Zoysia turf is $15.50/m² and Sir Walter buffalo turf is $15.50/m². The minimum turf order is 50 m². Turf delivery across Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast is estimated at $200, and professional laying has a $440 minimum. The turf calculator shows turf, delivery and installation as one total before you order.

Worked example: a 100 m² backyard

Soil preparation and underlay are the same job for both grasses, so they don’t change the comparison. On day one, the two lawns cost the same. Put your own measurements into the calculator for an exact figure.

Ongoing costs: where the difference shows up

• Mowing: in a Brisbane summer, Sir Walter usually wants a mow about once a week to stay tidy. Empire grows more slowly and is usually fine every two to three weeks. If you pay a mowing contractor, that gap adds up over five summers.
• Fertiliser: we recommend about one feed a year for Empire. Sir Walter’s licensor, Lawn Solutions Australia, recommends three feeds a year for buffalo: spring, summer and autumn.
• Water: both need regular watering while they establish. After that, Empire can get by on natural rainfall through most dry spells. Sir Walter also handles dry weather well once established.
• Renovation: buffalo builds thatch over the years and may eventually need a hard mow or dethatch. Empire is low-thatch.

Over five years, Empire is usually the cheaper lawn to own, but only if the yard has the sun it needs. If it doesn’t, an Empire lawn that thins out in shade and has to be patched costs more than a Sir Walter lawn that would have coped.

Shade: how many hours of sun does each grass need?

This is the question that should decide most yards. Lawn Solutions Australia gives buffalo a minimum of three to four hours of direct sun a day. Empire copes with about 40–50% shade, and we plan on 5 hours of direct sun for it. Our threshold is simple:

• 5 hours or more of winter sun: either grass will do, and Empire is the lower-upkeep choice.
• About 3 to 5 hours: choose Sir Walter.
• Under about 3 hours: no warm-season turf will stay thick for long.

One caveat: these are figures for normal family use. If the lawn will take heavy daily wear, such as a dog running the fence line, give Sir Walter at least 4 hours rather than 3.

In south-east Queensland the hours that matter are winter hours. The sun sits low in June and July, so a south-facing backyard, or a strip beside a fence or two-storey house, can go from full sun in December to very little in winter. Count the hours of direct sun on the lawn itself on a clear winter day, not in summer. For a step-by-step way to measure your yard’s sun, read our guide to shade-tolerant turf for Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast.

Why sources quote different sun hours

• Some sources give a shade percentage and others give hours of direct sun, and the two don’t convert neatly.
• A lawn nobody walks on survives on less light than a lawn with a dog on it every day.
• Summer and winter figures get mixed up. A yard with plenty of sun in January can get far less in July.
• “Survives” and “stays thick” are not the same thing, and minimum figures usually mean survives.

Mowing and maintenance

Here is how the two compare through the year on a typical Brisbane or Sunshine Coast home lawn. Treat the intervals as a guide: rain, fertiliser and how neat you like the lawn all change them.

Sir Walter’s 30–50 mm range comes from its licensor’s mowing guide. For both grasses, never take more than a third of the leaf off in one cut, and keep the mower blade sharp so the leaf tips don’t brown.

A note on the “2–4 mows a year” figure you may see for Empire: that applies to roadside and erosion-control work, where nobody minds a longer, shaggier sward. A home lawn you want to look neat will need regular mowing in the growing season, just much less often than buffalo.

Thatch: Empire is naturally low-thatch. Sir Walter builds a spongy layer over several years; mowing regularly at the right height slows it down. Fertilising: one good feed a year keeps Empire green and helps it resist rust. Sir Walter does best with a feed in spring, summer and autumn. For a full year-round plan, see our Empire Zoysia care guide.

Wear, kids and dogs

Both are hard-wearing lawns. The difference is how fast they fix themselves. Sir Walter’s runners fill worn patches quickly through the warm months, so it is the safer pick for a yard where kids kick a ball in the same spot every afternoon. Empire’s branching runners also recover well from wear, but in the cooler months it repairs slowly, so a worn track made in winter may stay until spring.

Neither grass is immune to dog urine. Watering the spot soon after helps either lawn. For more on choosing turf for pets, read the best turf and grass for dogs in Queensland.

Water, drought and Queensland weather

• Dry spells: once established, Empire is the more drought-tolerant of the two. Sir Walter also handles dry weather well. See drought-tolerant turf for Brisbane for watering tips.
• Humidity and rust: in a humid SEQ summer, Empire that is short of nutrients can show rust (an orange dust on the leaf). It is mostly cosmetic, is more common while the lawn is establishing, and a feed usually sorts it out.
• Frost: Empire tolerates frost down to about -12°C and recovers well after the first mow. In frost-prone spots like the Lockyer Valley and west of Ipswich, expect some winter browning on exposed lawns of either grass.
• Salt: Empire is more salt-tolerant than buffalo and copes with low to moderate salinity, which makes it the better of the two for windy bayside and beachside blocks.
• Clay: on new estates such as North Lakes, Springfield, Ripley, Logan and Caloundra South, the soil under the lawn matters more than the variety. Good site and soil preparation gives either grass a fair start, and our guide to turf selection for new builds covers the rest.

Look and feel

Sir Walter has a broad, soft leaf and a deep green colour, and it feels cushioned underfoot. Empire has a finer leaf and grows into a dense, even carpet that looks manicured when mown regularly. In early spring Empire sends up small purple seed heads; they are sterile, and mowing removes them. Both grasses slow down in winter. Kept well fed, Empire holds its colour well through the cooler months.

Downsides of each

Empire Zoysia

• Needs more sun than Sir Walter, and thins out in heavy shade.
• Repairs slowly in winter, and establishes best when laid between spring and autumn.
• Can show rust in humid weather if it is underfed.

Sir Walter buffalo

• More mowing through a Brisbane summer.
• Builds thatch over the years if it is not mown regularly.
• Some broadleaf weed killers damage buffalo, so only use products labelled safe for buffalo lawns.
• Like most warm-season lawns in SEQ, it can be hit by lawn grubs and armyworm in late spring and summer, so keep an eye out for browning patches. Our lawn grubs and armyworm guide explains what to watch for.

What about Sir Grange, Zoysia australis or other buffalos?

Sir Grange and Zoysia australis are other zoysia varieties sold by other growers. We don’t grow them, so we won’t compare them with Empire in detail here. The broad zoysia vs buffalo trade-offs in this article (more sun, less mowing and less feeding for zoysia; more shade tolerance and faster summer repair for buffalo) are a reasonable starting point, but check each variety’s own specifications. If you were looking for Palmetto, we no longer grow it; Sir Walter is our soft-leaf buffalo. If your yard gets full sun (at least 7 hours a day) and you want a lower-cost lawn, Wintergreen couch is $7.00/m². Compare all three on our turf varieties page, or read kikuyu vs buffalo and how to choose the right turf.

Our recommendation by yard type

Still not sure? Tell us about your yard when you ask for a quote. We grow both at Woodford and have no reason to push one over the other. If you would rather have it laid for you, see our turf installation service.

Frequently asked questions

Ready to choose?

Measure your yard, count your winter sun hours, and the choice usually makes itself. Use the turf calculator to work out how much you need, then order Empire Zoysia or Sir Walter buffalo, both $15.50/m² and cut to order at our Woodford farm for delivery across Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast. Want it laid for you? Ask for a free quote.

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