# Darkest genetic color -seeded bermuda varieties



## cglarsen (Dec 28, 2018)

Of all of the seeded varieties on the market which is considered the darkest green?

Rep at Hancock seed said Yukon was darkest but looking at NTEP trials it seems more middle of the pack. She said Yukon is darker than Princess 77 /Arden 15.

La Prima looks pretty dark to me and is Royal Bengal and Dune blend. Need help deciding on a mix to be reel cut at 3/4 inch or so. Dark color and uniformity being most important characteristics.


----------



## ENC_Lawn (Sep 9, 2018)

Not sure which "seeded" variety is the darkest.

But here is a picture of Princess 77 Bermuda next to Centipede.

This pic is late October.

HOC is about 1 inch.


----------



## cglarsen (Dec 28, 2018)

ENC_Lawn said:


> Not sure which "seeded" variety is the darkest.
> 
> But here is a picture of Princess 77 Bermuda next to Centipede.
> 
> ...


That's pretty stuff. I guess my question now is Yukon any darker?


----------



## ENC_Lawn (Sep 9, 2018)

@Tellycoleman has Yukon Bermuda.

Maybe he can provide some guidance.


----------



## Tellycoleman (May 10, 2017)

From what I have herd Arden is darker. Yukon is dark as well but not being able to use quinclorac in arsenal of weed control during establishment makes it harder to establish. But you can cut yukon very low. Ive done greens height.


----------



## Darth_V8r (Jul 18, 2019)

I one time seeded half my yard with princess and half with Yukon. The Yukon came in much better and eventually took over. This was in Phoenix when I used to live there.


----------



## DFW245 (Jul 23, 2021)

I'm surprised this doesn't have more hits. Looks like I'm on a Necro tear. Sigh....well I'd really like to get to the bottom of this. As Tahoma 31 has just been recommended as a very dark blue-green color. Not 100 on if it's purely sod or not.


----------



## Mightyquinn (Jan 31, 2017)

Yes, Tahoma 31 is a hybrid which means you cannot get seed from it. Only sod, sprigs or plugs.

Celebration and TifGrand are the two darkest varieties of Bermuda that I know of. I can't speak for Tahoma 31 but I have heard good things about it.


----------



## DFW245 (Jul 23, 2021)

Mightyquinn said:


> Yes, Tahoma 31 is a hybrid which means you cannot get seed from it. Only sod, sprigs or plugs.
> 
> Celebration and TifGrand are the two darkest varieties of Bermuda that I know of. I can't speak for Tahoma 31 but I have heard good things about it.


Interesting and thanks for the clarification. Looks like I was wrong to recommend to Tahoma 31 as it is a non seeded variety only. Well as for darkest im not entirely sure, but Ive heard Monaco is rather dark and resembles celebration. Ive seeded some myself and will report over time with color


----------



## Movingshrub (Jun 12, 2017)

Any reason you only want a seeded variant?


----------



## DFW245 (Jul 23, 2021)

Well really, this thread was created about seeded varieties lol but more seriously, my lawn is only about 750sq ft. Sod is just unrealistically expensive for how much space I have. Unless I can fill the yard for less than $200. Plus call it curiosity also. Would simply just like to know.


----------



## Amoo316 (Jul 8, 2021)

A pallet of sod usually covers about 500ft2. I bought a pallet of Tifblair Centipede this year for $110. For reference a 5lb bag of Tifblair Centipede is $140 this year (in spring when I purchased). I would legit Sod 750ft2, even if you can only buy 1 pallet at a time


----------



## DFW245 (Jul 23, 2021)

Amoo316 said:


> A pallet of sod usually covers about 500ft2. I bought a pallet of Tifblair Centipede this year for $110. For reference a 5lb bag of Tifblair Centipede is $140 this year (in spring when I purchased). I would legit Sod 750ft2, even if you can only buy 1 pallet at a time


Is there any particular reason why you would? Not knocking just asking. And I suppose I should've also mentioned, I'm kind of a tweaker..the good kind I promise lol. I like to put hard work into something to see it pay off. So seeding kind of scratches that itch for me. Plus it would literally burn my eyes to only sod partially. At least with seed I can give the excuse it didn't germinate or spread well. With Bermuda prices for seed, 8lbs of Monaco was about 120ish maybe 130. That's cheaper and way more than I need for 750sqft. So price again is a concern.


----------



## Amoo316 (Jul 8, 2021)

DFW245 said:


> Is there any particular reason why you would? Not knocking just asking. And I suppose I should've also mentioned, I'm kind of a tweaker..the good kind I promise lol. I like to put hard work into something to see it pay off. So seeding kind of scratches that itch for me. Plus it would literally burn my eyes to only sod partially. At least with seed I can give the excuse it didn't germinate or spread well. With Bermuda prices for seed, 8lbs of Monaco was about 120ish maybe 130. That's cheaper and way more than I need for 750sqft. So price again is a concern.


I'm a "tweaker" as well (assuming I read your definition correctly). Few reasons I would sod if I could:

1. You want to maximize color/drought/stress/green up....etc. Sod beats seed in every single NTEP trial I have seen.

2. Seeding kinda sucks. You can spend weeks meticulously preparing the perfect seedbed, have all your sprinklers set perfectly, timers, the whole nine yards, and it takes 1 downpour to ruin a large portion of that work. I've done it enough on my property. It's rewarding at the end, but it's very painful most of the time.

3. I would rather save for 3 months or 6 months or even if it takes you a whole year, and legit get the absolute best possible grass in your opinion, then "settle" for a seed. Especially so if you're meticulous and "tweaky". How often are you going to look at every little imperfection and think about the what ifs?

Like I get it, everybody has a different financial situation, but your amount of property is covered by 1.5 pallets of sod. There is legit no way I would make any compromises on 750ft2 unless there was absolutely no other way.

EDIT: To not sound like a hypocrite because I'm a seeder myself, I did so because sodding my property would cost $20K just for the sod. I've slowly been building on what I had when we moved in. Trust me, If I could spend even $5-7K and sod my property with a quality Bermuda, this place would be a dust-bowl next spring. The reward in sodding comes in the quality of your install and your sanding...etc.
We sodded the 500ft2 by our pool this year as a bunch of factors kept leading to failed seeding attempts in that specific spot. I seeded a 7Kishft2 entire front yard one year, but couldn't get seed to take in a 500ft2 are around the pool over multiple seasons.


----------



## DFW245 (Jul 23, 2021)

Amoo316 said:


> DFW245 said:
> 
> 
> > Is there any particular reason why you would? Not knocking just asking. And I suppose I should've also mentioned, I'm kind of a tweaker..the good kind I promise lol. I like to put hard work into something to see it pay off. So seeding kind of scratches that itch for me. Plus it would literally burn my eyes to only sod partially. At least with seed I can give the excuse it didn't germinate or spread well. With Bermuda prices for seed, 8lbs of Monaco was about 120ish maybe 130. That's cheaper and way more than I need for 750sqft. So price again is a concern.
> ...


I suppose that mostly makes sense. I think the only part you lose me is the sod winning in all NTEP. I guess things like color and blade thickness are things that matter to me alot. Even tho Monaco is on the thicker side 🙄. Basically if I could have a darker colored variety like tahoma 31/celebration and a blade about as thin as Arden 15 with the same green up and cold tolerance as Arden 15...I'd be good n set. Honestly may be easier to look into zoysia. Can't remember the cultivar. But then again my back yard is about 1700sqft or so. I guess for me sod just takes alot of the work out of it. Don't get me wrong, there's still work to be done. And plenty of it. Just all the manual labor of seeding actually appeals to me. Side note: I also own a late 90s Honda that I tweak and tune and change alot of parts on. Even tho it'll never hit 500hp unless I boost it, the tweaks I've made kind of show a bit of my character in it so to speak. That kinda applies here. Can I say if this fails that I'd go seed again? Probably not. I'd have to do more research on the sodded varieties. To be certain anyway. But thanks for all your info. Shed a bit of light on things so that helps.

But again, that part of curiosity I have. Just wondering how dark the seed can get really.


----------



## Amoo316 (Jul 8, 2021)

DFW245 said:


> But again, that part of curiosity I have. Just wondering how dark the seed can get really.


For reference, look at the shot of the Centipede by the pool in my lawn journal from this week and compare it to the centipede above or in my Field. Same exact kind of Centipede, different points in fertilization.

That centipede in the foreground is from seed., background is from sod, it's just on a big fert push atm, hence the dark green color.


----------



## DFW245 (Jul 23, 2021)

Gotcha. Nice yard btw. So essentially any grass can appear darker for a period of time correct? Given the right set of circumstances. So I guess there's no true way of knowing what seed cultivar is genetically the darkest, just naturally speaking. Given a slight bump in feet, the color can shift


----------



## Amoo316 (Jul 8, 2021)

DFW245 said:


> Gotcha. Nice yard btw. So essentially any grass can appear darker for a period of time correct? Given the right set of circumstances. So I guess there's no true way of knowing what seed cultivar is genetically the darkest, just naturally speaking. Given a slight bump in feet, the color can shift


Essentially yes, but there is a limit. The Bermuda I'm working on overtaking the centipede is noticeably darker at the same fert level.

So if you get something like Monacco and seed it, you are going to be able to dial it in and get it dark, but those same inputs would make a genetically darker grass just a touch darker. Now is it enough difference to make a difference?????


----------



## DFW245 (Jul 23, 2021)

Amoo316 said:


> DFW245 said:
> 
> 
> > Gotcha. Nice yard btw. So essentially any grass can appear darker for a period of time correct? Given the right set of circumstances. So I guess there's no true way of knowing what seed cultivar is genetically the darkest, just naturally speaking. Given a slight bump in feet, the color can shift
> ...


Goodness, just realized my autocorrect. ugh. I mean Fert, not Feet lol

Yeah that makes sense. I definitely went with Monaco and will try my hardest to dial it in and darken it. I guess my line of thinking was, what is the most genetically dark seed out there so my efforts to slightly darken further would be more efficient i suppose? Was looking for a Pine tree sort of green. Like a darker green but it looks like that may only be found through sod.


----------

