# 6-7 hrs direct sunlight/day plenty for tifgrand/tiftuf?



## Kberg84 (May 20, 2020)

So I'm going back and forth deciding which Bermuda (tifgrand/tiftuf) I want in my front yard. Had a 30+ yr old oak tree taken down and stump grinded couple week ago due to roots making me nervous and to allow more sunlight in. There is other oak tree in the front yard on the side limiting half of the yard to receive sunlight from roughly 7:30am-1:30-2ish. Curious from anyone that has either tifgrand or tiftuf, will it do well with roughly 6-7 hours sunlight? Like the fact that tiftuf is aggressive with rooting, recovering and drought tolerance but love the dark shade of green tifgrand has and the "shade tolerance" that's being advertised. Any help would be greatly appreciated.


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## anthonybilotta (Aug 11, 2018)

My tiftuf gets sun from 11-6 and thrives. The area of my yard that only gets 4 hours the grass is growing, but less dense than other areas of my yard. 7 hours should be enough.


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## Kberg84 (May 20, 2020)

@anthonybilotta The area of your lawn that only gets 4 hours....did it take longer to root when you laid the sod? How long have you had tiftuf?


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## anthonybilotta (Aug 11, 2018)

Kberg84 said:


> @anthonybilotta The area of your lawn that only gets 4 hours....did it take longer to root when you laid the sod? How long have you had tiftuf?


My lawn is 3 years old. Took the sunnier portions about 10 days to root. Took the shady area almost 4 weeks. Overall, it's thriving and to someone who knows nothing about grass, they can't tell the difference. Pictures below

4 hours of sun 


7+ hours



Overall:


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## Kberg84 (May 20, 2020)

@anthonybilotta lawn looks very good. What is your hoc?


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## jayhawk (Apr 18, 2017)

Having tifgrand, no problem.


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## Kberg84 (May 20, 2020)

jayhawk said:


> Having tifgrand, no problem.


What kind of shade does your Tifgrand deal with? Would you be able to post some pictures?


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## Tellycoleman (May 10, 2017)

You must also take into consideration that Large Oak trees are defiantly alleopahic in nature making growing any kind of grass extremely difficult even with a lot of sun


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## Wfrobinette (Feb 3, 2019)

Tellycoleman said:


> You must also take into consideration that Large Oak trees are defiantly alleopahic in nature making growing any kind of grass extremely difficult even with a lot of sun


I've got oaks in the back and the grass grows just fine.


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## Kberg84 (May 20, 2020)

Wfrobinette said:


> Tellycoleman said:
> 
> 
> > You must also take into consideration that Large Oak trees are defiantly alleopahic in nature making growing any kind of grass extremely difficult even with a lot of sun
> ...


Did your area area in the back yard that only gets 4-5 hours of sun ever fill back in?


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## Wfrobinette (Feb 3, 2019)

Kberg84 said:


> Wfrobinette said:
> 
> 
> > Tellycoleman said:
> ...


No. it has not. It's been frustrating. I've got about 20 sqft total in 2 spots that just won't grow laterally. its not receding either. I'm going to try some plugs


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## Kberg84 (May 20, 2020)

@Wfrobinette how long did you have it growing in the 4-5 hours of shade before scalping? and top dressing? and it thinning out? Do you think it would have still been doing fine had you not done that to the area?


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## cglarsen (Dec 28, 2018)

My tiftuf has been really weak areas that receive any significant shade. I'm testing Tahoma in same areas to see if any appreciable difference.


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## Kberg84 (May 20, 2020)

cglarsen said:


> My tiftuf has been really weak areas that receive any significant shade. I'm testing Tahoma in same areas to see if any appreciable difference.


Significant shade....how many hours of direct sunlight would that be roughly?


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## Wfrobinette (Feb 3, 2019)

Kberg84 said:


> @Wfrobinette how long did you have it growing in the 4-5 hours of shade before scalping? and top dressing? and it thinning out? Do you think it would have still been doing fine had you not done that to the area?


 I leveled too soon. Should have waited a full year.

I suspect that it probably would be looking good had I waited until this year. .

I see people here wanting to do a second or third level within months of each other. I'm not even doing my second level this year. It will be next year before I attempt it. I'm not sure these folks really understand what settling is.


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## 1FASTSS (Jul 11, 2018)

Tellycoleman said:


> You must also take into consideration that Large Oak trees are defiantly alleopahic in nature making growing any kind of grass extremely difficult even with a lot of sun


I agree, while its not impossible its not ideal!

I have a 50ft oak about 10ft off property line in the neighbors from yard. Canopy blocks most my sun til about 1:30pm...Grass gets around 4hrs of sun in the winter and anywhere from 6-7 in the summer...its finally filling back in now but the roots from the oak are shallow and compete with the grass and just thin it out...my thins area seems to be from oak tree roots vs the amount of sun it gets but other factors hurt it. Like Telly said, oaks by nature kill everything under them. If you like grass then you typically don't like trees anywhere around. I'll try and get a pic later.

"shade" labels in Bermuda don't mean much IMO....I got Celebration because it was the best/cheapest choice I had at the time that wasn't SA grass...


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## ladycage (Aug 12, 2019)

I just got some tiftuf in the backyard and it is doing great, even the area directly under a tree. The area under the tree isn't as green and vibrant as the other areas though. I wanted tifgrand but I couldn't find any, so I just add iron to the tiftuf and it looks great. Making sure it great enough water in the beginning is key I think.


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## Kberg84 (May 20, 2020)

@ladycage how long have you had tiftuf and how many hours of sun do your shaded areas get?


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## ladycage (Aug 12, 2019)

Ive only had the tiftuf for about 2 months, my shaded area is still getting about 6 hours of sun. We haven't had any really hot days here in ATL yet but once it gets hot I'm sure that the tiftuf will really start to spread like crazy. Bermuda loves heat.


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## Kberg84 (May 20, 2020)

@ladycage I'm torn between Tifgrand and tiftuf....if TT can do well under those conditions I'd like to get it but I keep hearing Tifgrand is the most shade tolerant and I also like the dark green shade


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## ladycage (Aug 12, 2019)

I heard that tiftuf is more shade tolerate but tifgrand is a darker color. I really wanted tifgrand but no place had it in stock so I reluctantly bought the tiftuf but I am actually so happy that I did. The color is really nice and if you add iron you can darken it if you like.


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## ladycage (Aug 12, 2019)

tiftuf without iron


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## NewHomeOwner (Apr 11, 2020)

Kberg84 said:


> So I'm going back and forth deciding which Bermuda (tifgrand/tiftuf) I want in my front yard. Had a 30+ yr old oak tree taken down and stump grinded couple week ago due to roots making me nervous and to allow more sunlight in. There is other oak tree in the front yard on the side limiting half of the yard to receive sunlight from roughly 7:30am-1:30-2ish. Curious from anyone that has either tifgrand or tiftuf, will it do well with roughly 6-7 hours sunlight? Like the fact that tiftuf is aggressive with rooting, recovering and drought tolerance but love the dark shade of green tifgrand has and the "shade tolerance" that's being advertised. Any help would be greatly appreciated.


My tiftuf is roughly a month old. I have a spot below a cypress tree that gets a lot of shade. It's maybe 100sqft. But... It's done far better than I was thinking it would do.


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## Kberg84 (May 20, 2020)

NewHomeOwner said:


> Kberg84 said:
> 
> 
> > So I'm going back and forth deciding which Bermuda (tifgrand/tiftuf) I want in my front yard. Had a 30+ yr old oak tree taken down and stump grinded couple week ago due to roots making me nervous and to allow more sunlight in. There is other oak tree in the front yard on the side limiting half of the yard to receive sunlight from roughly 7:30am-1:30-2ish. Curious from anyone that has either tifgrand or tiftuf, will it do well with roughly 6-7 hours sunlight? Like the fact that tiftuf is aggressive with rooting, recovering and drought tolerance but love the dark shade of green tifgrand has and the "shade tolerance" that's being advertised. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
> ...


Any chance you have pictures? How much sun would you say the TT under the cypress tree gets? Take it longer to root than sunny areas?


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## Bermuda_Triangle (Sep 20, 2019)

@anthonybilotta The TifTuf that only gets 4 hours of sun; is that morning, noon, or evening sun?


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## Kberg84 (May 20, 2020)

Bermuda_Triangle said:


> @anthonybilotta The TifTuf that only gets 4 hours of sun; is that morning, noon, or evening sun?


Good question. I was wondering that same thing. I'm assuming 4 hours of mid day sun is more beneficial to grass than 4 hours in the morning or 4 hours in the evening?


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## Bermuda_Triangle (Sep 20, 2019)

@Kberg84 I will need to do some research. I know the morning sun at a lower elevation provides less UV-A and UV-B rays.

I have a PAR Meter. It will be a few days but I can take some measurements and let you know. You have me curious now.


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