# What kind of bermuda is this?



## BermudaBen (Aug 28, 2019)

I ordered blackjack bermuda from Seed Ranch and received a bag of "Certified Maya." I was a little upset at first, but researched and read that it was an improved version of blackjack, so I didn't send it back and decided to sow it. It has been 4 months now and it hasn't performed the way the blackjack did in just a few weeks last fall. I've done everything I know to do, fertilizing, mowing every other day, modifying watering schedules, etc. I pulled this today because the more I look at it the less I believe it's a hybrid. Can anyone confirm that this _might_ be a hybrid? I'm thinking it's just common bermuda that I WAY overpaid for. Thanks in advance for the insight.


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## Redtwin (Feb 9, 2019)

My opinion only... unless you are putting PGR on it or you have 18-inch hands, that is definitely a hybrid.


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## BermudaBen (Aug 28, 2019)

@Redtwin Thank you, normal hands and no PGR yet. lol Maybe I'm just scrutinizing the Maya too much. I often find myself standing on the lawn shaking my head in shame. Overall, I'm not completely disappointed in the progress, but I've had no help from the grass.


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## Redtwin (Feb 9, 2019)

Take some pictures and start a journal. Put something with "Maya" in the title and the others with that particular cultivar will chime in with help.


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## sam36 (Apr 14, 2020)

Well it is not common that is for sure. Just because something is an "improved" variety doesn't mean everything about it is "improved". I am more familiar with Monaco which replaced Riviera but even between those two from what I've read there are some growth rate and "establishment" differences (Monaco being slower).

I am curious why you went with blackjack though? Seems everyone on here pushes for arden15.


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## BermudaBen (Aug 28, 2019)

@sam36 I did a lot of research on all the popular varieties and liked the texture, color, and lateral growth results of blackjack. The biggest benefit was the price. I definitely would have gone with arden15 if it wasn't for the price. It would have cost me about $400 for arden15 and blackjack was about 30% of that. In hindsight I should have spent the money upfront. I've spent a WHOLE lot more trying to get the maya to perform and I'm still not happy. The blackjack is actually pretty good stuff for the price (I previously purchased 10lb of it), but the maya does not want to spread. It's stemy, scraggly, and has allowed every type of weed and grass to come in and grow right over it. I wish I knew what I know now, things would have been much different.


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## Chocolate Lab (Jun 8, 2019)

@BermudaBen We had a long thread on Maya last year... Ktgrok and I both used it and weren't happy with it, either. We both thought the same thing you did, that it seemed leggy and thin. The Monaco I used in my front yard was almost the total opposite, very thick and dense (plus better color).


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## BermudaBen (Aug 28, 2019)

@Chocolate Lab I believe I read that thread and commented to see how Ktgrok's lawn was doing. I have just about had it with the Maya. I'm heavily debating spraying it all down with glyphosate and starting over with something more hearty. So you like Monaco? I've heard good things about Royal Bengal as well, which has some Blackjack in it. If I decide to do this, I want to make certain it will be nothing like my Maya experience.


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## Chocolate Lab (Jun 8, 2019)

@BermudaBen Love the Monaco. Not the finest blade but very thick and dense. Made my manual reel mower start washboarding in only a couple of months. Great dark green color also. One benefit I didn't even realize is it does well in droughty situations... Just saw that in a UC-Bakersfield study the other day.

But part of why I ordered it was the cold tolerance, which I can use here in the transition zone. Depending on where you are you may not need that at all.

One thing I do recommend is to not skimp on the seed cost. There are so many other expenses with this whole process (besides the effort) that you might as well get one of the best ones. Arden is of course great also and seems to be very popular on here.


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## BermudaBen (Aug 28, 2019)

@Chocolate Lab Thanks for the details! I have definitely realized the costs along the way. I've probably spent close to $1000 on fertilizers and herbicides, just this year, trying to get the Maya to thrive. I don't believe I would have had to spend nearly that much on more popular variety like P77/Arden15, Monaco/Riviera, or Yukon. I have learned a lot of lessons this year. I've been racking my brain wondering how Maya got such high NTEP scores.

I'll call first to see if it's acceptable, but I'm planning to visit one of the NTEP sites in northern Georgia to make a good visual choice for a seeded variety. I'd love to get an idea of what pure samples of each variety look like. Maybe I'll be lucky and can have a chat with one of the employees there and see what they'd recommend, off the record.

I'm wondering if I can mix in another similar variety, or if I really need to kill it all and start over. It doesn't look terrible, but I'm just not happy with it. I've spent way too much time and money to have a scraggly lawn.


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## ocean-front (Jun 21, 2020)

I put down Royal Bengal seed after scalping my 419.Reason was RB is more salt tolerant than 419,filled in and blended well.That was in June so I am still waiting to see how it looks in a year of growth.I called Hancock seed and explained my situation and environment,DIRECT OCEANFRONT and this was their recommendation.I tried a small section of blackjack to repair a place near the bulkhead and it took forever to germinate and was leggy.I called them and explained the problem and they sent me some RB to overseed the area and put a 15% coupon on my next order.Cant beat that for customer service.


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## Chocolate Lab (Jun 8, 2019)

@BermudaBen That would be so cool to see the NTEP plots in person! Hope they let you do it. Maybe even take some pics?

And I just saw your journal... Great job. I don't know, but if you're like me and a lot of us you wont be happy until you get it the way you want it. I know I've said, "I'm not doing all this again" only to start basically over the next year. Sometimes a winter break recharges those batteries.

And imo it wouldn't be a difficult refresh with the work you've already put in... Just glypho (if you even had to do that), expose the soil and sow.


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