# Narrowing down bermuda types



## gijoe4500 (Mar 17, 2017)

I already know that I'm putting down emerald zoysia in the front yard. That decision was not really in my hands at all. but I'm trying to figure out specifically which cultivar of bermuda will be going down in the back. I've narrowed it down to tifway, tifsport, and tifgreen.

I'm leaning towards tifsport, because it supposedly stays green longer, and greens up faster. Which means, where I live, I may be able to keep it green and awesome year round.

Thoughts? Small yard, not much over 1000 sq/ft. Sees like foot traffic and does see pet usage. Currently scalping at 0.5" and mowing at 1", but will be changing that as soon as I can. Would like to maintain around 0.5".


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

If I was starting with a blank canvas, I would definitely select something more sexy than tifway.


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## gijoe4500 (Mar 17, 2017)

Ware said:


> If I was starting with a blank canvas, I would definitely select something more sexy than tifway.


Maybe some Tifway II? LOL


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## Mightyquinn (Jan 31, 2017)

I would go with a dwarf bermuda like Champion or Miniverde if I was going to do it all over again. I am sure if you get with one of your local courses you can get there plugs from their greens when they aerate and use them. Best of all it's FREE!!.


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## gijoe4500 (Mar 17, 2017)

Mightyquinn said:


> I would go with a dwarf bermuda like Champion or Miniverde if I was going to do it all over again. I am sure if you get with one of your local courses you can get there plugs from their greens when they aerate and use them. Best of all it's FREE!!.


How would those handle being grown a little longer? I don't have a greens mower, and don't know when i'll be picking one up. And I'm going to lay sod, no matter what it is. I don't want to wait for it to spread. I want instant good looking full lawn. :bandit:


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## Mightyquinn (Jan 31, 2017)

gijoe4500 said:


> Mightyquinn said:
> 
> 
> > I would go with a dwarf bermuda like Champion or Miniverde if I was going to do it all over again. I am sure if you get with one of your local courses you can get there plugs from their greens when they aerate and use them. Best of all it's FREE!!.
> ...


I've been curious about that myself about a higher HOC on ultra dwarf bermuda. I was playing golf today and the course has Champion bermuda greens and it looked like the collar around the green was the same kind of grass as it was VERY fine bladed but cut at a taller height obviously. I wasn't aware you didn't have a greens mower and that sod was the only solution. It is something I would like to experiment with down the road.

As far as sod choices go, I would go with TifSport, TifGrand or Celebration. As they are all newer breeds and have a darker green color than Tifway or Tifway2.


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## gijoe4500 (Mar 17, 2017)

I wish I had a greens mower. But it's not in the cards right now. And probably won't be for a few years. Just can't justify the costs right now


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## Mightyquinn (Jan 31, 2017)

gijoe4500 said:


> I wish I had a greens mower. But it's not in the cards right now. And probably won't be for a few years. Just can't justify the costs right now


I was by no means trying to push you into one, just wasn't aware and I'm sorry for that. What kind of mower do you have BTW?


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

Regional performance is something else to consider. I'm a big fan of Latitude 36 for my region.


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## gijoe4500 (Mar 17, 2017)

Mightyquinn said:


> gijoe4500 said:
> 
> 
> > I wish I had a greens mower. But it's not in the cards right now. And probably won't be for a few years. Just can't justify the costs right now
> ...


No worries! I do want one. And one day, it'll happen. Just not yet. Currently rocking a great states manual reel, but will probably pick up a used McLane. Or a TruCut if I can find a solid deal on one.


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## tigertailbell (Mar 13, 2017)

How much sun does the area get? Tifgrand is supposed to take a little shade better than others


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## tigertailbell (Mar 13, 2017)

Btw, I have 9,000' of emerald and 1500' of tifgrand.


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## gijoe4500 (Mar 17, 2017)

tigertailbell said:


> How much sun does the area get? Tifgrand is supposed to take a little shade better than others


It gets quite a bit of sun. Enough that I don't need to worry about shade tolerance.


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## gijoe4500 (Mar 17, 2017)

tigertailbell said:


> Btw, I have 9,000' of emerald and 1500' of tifgrand.


How does the emerald comare to tifgrand, looks wise? Do you prefer one over the other?


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## Iriasj2009 (Feb 15, 2017)

gijoe4500 said:


> tigertailbell said:
> 
> 
> > Btw, I have 9,000' of emerald and 1500' of tifgrand.
> ...


Tifgrand is noticibly darker next to tifway and a tad courser. I'd prefer tifway over tifgrand and celebration if my soil ph wasn't so high. I've seen a guy with tifsport and I was amazed by the color and texture. That'd be my choice of turf. Tifgrand and celebration are similar in color but celebration having a more blue green color. If I were you, I'd go with tifsport. have you considered checking them out at the turf farms for yourself?!


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## gijoe4500 (Mar 17, 2017)

Iriasj2009 said:


> gijoe4500 said:
> 
> 
> > tigertailbell said:
> ...


I have. And I am going to. But am doing prelim. Research right now. If there was something obviously wrong with one or two of them that I was overlooking, you guys would let me know. Lol


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## Mightyquinn (Jan 31, 2017)

Iriasj2009 said:


> gijoe4500 said:
> 
> 
> > tigertailbell said:
> ...


I put a pallet of TifGrand down in my yard several years ago in some shaded areas(most of it has thinned out but comes back during the peak of Summer) and I always thought that it had a finer leaf blade than Tifway but using a groomer on the lawn to keep the lawn plants young may produce better results. But I agree with Iriasj, that Tifsport would be my choice too from everything I have researched.


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## gijoe4500 (Mar 17, 2017)

That's kind of what i've found too, MQ. Everything I've read so far keeps pointing me back to Tifsport. Holds up to traffic well, fills in super thick, and can be maintained anywhere, successfully, from 0.25"-1".


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## Iriasj2009 (Feb 15, 2017)

Mightyquinn said:


> I put a pallet of TifGrand down in my yard several years ago in some shaded areas(most of it has thinned out but comes back during the peak of Summer) and I always thought that it had a finer leaf blade than Tifway....


I would take mightys word since he has them next to each other.


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## southernguy311 (Mar 17, 2017)

Tifgrand. Do it


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## gijoe4500 (Mar 17, 2017)

southernguy311 said:


> Tifgrand. Do it


That does look pretty nice. Might have to bump it up higher on my list. Give it a good look when i'm looking at the tifsport.


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## Mightyquinn (Jan 31, 2017)

I don't think you can go wrong with either Tifgrand or TifSport. I think Tifsport will be a little tougher to find though. I am also curious at what the price comparison is?


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## tigertailbell (Mar 13, 2017)

Emerald > Tifgrand > 419
My emerald is 90% green where the Tifgrand and Tifway are about 70%. 
The biggest problem I have with the emerald is it quickly becomes very dense and thick, too thick.


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## gijoe4500 (Mar 17, 2017)

tigertailbell said:


> Emerald > Tifgrand > 419
> My emerald is 90% green where the Tifgrand and Tifway are about 70%.
> The biggest problem I have with the emerald is it quickly becomes very dense and thick, too thick.


How does the emerald handle being mowed low? I'd love to get to were I can maintain my backyard at 0.5".


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## tigertailbell (Mar 13, 2017)

Mine is @ .5" right now, but last year I gave up and kept it @ 1" . 
Top growth isn't really an issue. The grass literally gets so thick that the reel/groomer cannot mow it all (I'm mowing with a 26" Jacobson). 
This year I'm going to try to use a power rake several times during the summer and hopefully keep it manageable


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## gijoe4500 (Mar 17, 2017)

tigertailbell said:


> Mine is @ .5" right now, but last year I gave up and kept it @ 1" .
> Top growth isn't really an issue. The grass literally gets so thick that the reel/groomer cannot mow it all (I'm mowing with a 26" Jacobson).
> This year I'm going to try to use a power rake several times during the summer and hopefully keep it manageable


Nice. How does it feel underfoot at that height? Nice and soft?


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## tigertailbell (Mar 13, 2017)

gijoe4500 said:


> tigertailbell said:
> 
> 
> > Mine is @ .5" right now, but last year I gave up and kept it @ 1" .
> ...


Oh yea, the definition of carpet grass.


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## Spammage (Apr 30, 2017)

I'm still waiting for someone to go all in on Tiftuf. I've ordered some plugs to play around with a little, but the reviews so far say it could be a game changer for shade, cold, and even drought tolerance.


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## Movingshrub (Jun 12, 2017)

Spammage said:


> I'm still waiting for someone to go all in on Tiftuf.


Done.

I am 6 months in to my TifTuf lawn. I'm very eager to see when/how it comes out of dormancy next spring, relative to the other Bermuda lawns in my area, and curious to see if it continues to spread into areas with less sunlight.


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

I think Bunnysarefat also installed TifTuf.


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## jayhawk (Apr 18, 2017)

Tifftuff color is holding up, unlike 419 at this moment in atlanta.


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## trc (Jun 23, 2017)

Atlanta just went dormant


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