# Tifway 419 or Tif-Tuf?



## Gopwh2020 (Apr 6, 2017)

I'm biting the bullet, abandoning seed, and laying down new sod in my front yard. The yard faces due west and is about 1500 sq.ft. No trees other than a Japanese Maple I planted a couple of years ago. The quote for the Tif-Tuf is only $100 more than the 419 quote. Is there any strategic advantage in the Tif-Tuf? Is it that much better than 419? Thanks.


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## Movingshrub (Jun 12, 2017)

I'm confident this is going to come across fan-boy like.

I definitely am not receiving a kickback from the TifTuf growers. Keep in mind, I sprigged my lawn for financial reasons.

TifTuf is significantly more shade tolerant (keep in mind, it's still bermuda) than Tifway 419.
TifTuf is more resilient to winter kill damage than Tifway 419. 
TifTuf greens up sooner and stays green longer in the season.
Color and blade width of Tifway and TifTuf are similar.
Better drought tolerance than Tifway 419, Prince 77, Celeberation, and Lat 36.
TifTuf uses 30+% less water than Tifway while maintaining a better quality turf.
Superior traffic tolerance to Tifway, Tifgrand, Tifsport, Patriot, Celebration, and Discovery
Sod strength is superior to Tifway 419
It establishes and recovers quicker than Tifway 419.

http://georgiacultivars.com/images/uploads/documents/TIFTUF_RELEASE.pdf

http://tiftufbermuda.com/the-science/

To me the contenders are TifTuf, Tifgrand, or Lat 36.

I think the choice comes down to where you live in the country (temperature/weather/climate), expected use, amount of forecasted shade, and anticipated HOC.

I cannot think of an area where Tifway outperforms TifTuf, so I can't really think of a reason to pick Tifway over TifTuf.

If you're going to be cutting with a reel mower below 1", Tifgrand might merit consideration.

If you don't want to have to cut frequently, Discovery should be considered.


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## Movingshrub (Jun 12, 2017)

@Bunnysarefat Care to chime in?


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## BigWu812 (May 25, 2018)

https://youtu.be/xb4oRryDIA0


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## BigWu812 (May 25, 2018)

This video was why I went with Tif Tuf.


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## Colonel K0rn (Jul 4, 2017)

I heard a rumor that @Ware would replace his 419 with TifTuf/Grand if given the opportunity


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

Colonel K0rn said:


> I heard a rumor that @Ware would replace his 419 with TifTuf/Grand if given the opportunity


I would actually probably use Latitude 36 - not that the other two aren't great options.


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## Movingshrub (Jun 12, 2017)

I'd think Tifgrand would be the better option if you're going reel low. Also, TifTuf doesn't seem to behave quite the same as some of the others when dosed with Primo. On the TIFTUF RELEASE url, the PDF talks about cutting frequency and turf quality under primo. According to their study, primo doesn't do much to control growth and (if I'm reading the chart correctly) doesn't help quality for any of the Bermuda grasses. With that being said, I didn't check the amount applied per 1k.


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## Bunnysarefat (May 4, 2017)

Movingshrub said:


> I'd think Tifgrand would be the better option if you're going reel low. Also, TifTuf doesn't seem to behave quite the same as some of the others when dosed with Primo. On the TIFTUF RELEASE url, the PDF talks about cutting frequency and turf quality under primo. According to their study, primo doesn't do much to control growth and (if I'm reading the chart correctly) doesn't help quality for any of the Bermuda grasses. With that being said, I didn't check the amount applied per 1k.


Man I dunno, I've done 1 application of generic primo and got outstanding growth suppression. I applied 10 days ago and have cut one time at 11/16" and I didn't even fill up one clipping catcher basket. It literally stopped growing.


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## Movingshrub (Jun 12, 2017)

Bunnysarefat said:


> Man I dunno, I've done 1 application of generic primo and got outstanding growth suppression. I applied 10 days ago and have cut one time at 11/16" and I didn't even fill up one clipping catcher basket. It literally stopped growing.


I applied at 0.38oz per 1k and also put down 0.20lb of N at the same time. I felt like it slammed the brakes on my growth as well.

I'm just remarking on my understanding of one of the charts in the TifTuf Release URL I linked above.

If I'm reading the chart correctly, it looks like Discovery + Primo could be cut once a month.


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## Bunnysarefat (May 4, 2017)

The only real benefit I see to 419 is that I thinn you can take it to a darker green than TifTuf. But as has been detailed on the forums, you can manipulate the green color with iron, PGR, etc.

There's also the whole "certified 419" and regular 419. I saw that when I was shopping, didn't look into it too much. My best guess/understanding is that 419 readily mutates and has mutated so many times that there are "unpure" strains of 419 floating around. Of course, that could mean they are better or worse than the original.

I would go with TifTuf for this reason alone, and this was what eventually led me to go with TifTuf, while I never really planned on depriving my lawn of adequate water, it's nice to know that if a severe drought hits then watering less and still maintaining a decent lawn is an option available to you.


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## kur1j (Jul 2, 2017)

I would love to replace my 419 with an alternative. But hell this stuff isn't going anywhere. Maybe for the next house.

@Ware Why 36 over TiffTuff?

No love for Champion G12?  I would love to see someone do that at home haha.


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## CorgiTurf (May 27, 2018)

Tuff does green up sooner than tifway. My sod farm close to me has each on either side of the main entrance, which was very evident during transition. 
They told me to stay away from Tifgrand when I asked about it. They sell it and told me it was taking forever to green up from dormancy.


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## Thor865 (Mar 26, 2018)

Tifgrand all the way. (Biased)


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## FATC1TY (Jul 12, 2017)

I have options of Grand, Tuf and 419.

I'd probably be looking at Tifgrand if I end up going with new sod and re shaping my landscaping in the future.

For your price difference I'd just get the TIfTuf honestly.


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## jayhawk (Apr 18, 2017)

Movingshrub pretty much nailed it. Tifgrand if you like a wee bit darker green or want the option to go REEL low. It's lower input than 419. 
I prefer the look of tifgrand under .5.

Tuff if recovery time or stress tolerance is more important.


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## Guest (Jun 1, 2018)

kur1j said:


> I would love to replace my 419 with an alternative. But hell this stuff isn't going anywhere. Maybe for the next house.
> 
> @Ware Why 36 over TiffTuff?
> 
> No love for Champion G12?  I would love to see someone do that at home haha.


When I reached out to Grady Miller at NCSU here in raleigh I asked specifically about lat36 and tiftuf. He stated both would look good in any application but lat36 has greater potential in high end lawns and golf course settings. I couldn't easily get lat36 to try so I went with tiftuf to try a small plot before deciding. I don't think either is a bad choice and as he stated both are excellent hybrid Bermuda's.


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

BigWu812 said:


>


Holy $&@" this might be what I put down in my back yard if the Zoysia keeps struggling lol


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

firefighter11 said:


> ...I couldn't easily get lat36 to try so I went with tiftuf to try a small plot before deciding. I don't think either is a bad choice and as he stated both are excellent hybrid Bermuda's.


Basically this - regional proximity. I'm much closer to a Lat 36 farm. I don't know where the closest TifGrand would be.


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## Gopwh2020 (Apr 6, 2017)

Thanks everyone for your great input. I think I'll pull the trigger on the Tif-Tuf in the next day or so. I'm waiting to hear back from one or two more quotes. I'll document and post pics as the summer progresses.


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## Movingshrub (Jun 12, 2017)

@Ware
http://www.tifgrand.com/growers.html

The map may be out of date. The place in Paris, TN doesn't carry Tifgrand anymore but they do carry Lat 36.

If you ever road trip to Coosa Valley Turf Farms in Alabama for Tifgrand, let me know.


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## Colonel K0rn (Jul 4, 2017)

Hell, after watching this, I wish I would have gone with TifTuf... that might be changing soon.


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## Bunnysarefat (May 4, 2017)

I will do a better job this year documenting the wear and injury recovery of the various events we have on our lawn (birthday parties etc.) Last year on sod less than 2 months old we had my sons birthday party with a 50x10 foot slip n slide and bounce house and the grass totally recovered in like 2 weeks if I remember correctly. I was shocked. We did that twice in the same spot and the recovery was incredible. Like it it never happened.


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## jayhawk (Apr 18, 2017)

Super Sod installed this test plot of Tiftuf bookended with Tifway 419 directly across form Mercedes - Benz Stadium (here in Atlanta). This photo was taken last week, and Tiftuf stands out like a sore thumb when compared to the heat stressed Tifway 419. https://t.co/m9OWMuHUoY https://twitter.com/TurfGrass_Group/status/997572248109273089?s=17


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## Iriasj2009 (Feb 15, 2017)

jayhawk said:


> Super Sod installed this test plot of Tiftuf bookended with Tifway 419 directly across form Mercedes - Benz Stadium (here in Atlanta). This photo was taken last week, and Tiftuf stands out like a sore thumb when compared to the heat stressed Tifway 419. https://t.co/m9OWMuHUoY
> 
> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/997572248109273089


Thanks for sharing. I'm thinking about doing tiftuf on my backyard next year but I hope I'm able to get my hands on it.


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## Gopwh2020 (Apr 6, 2017)

Quick follow up...Do the pallets of sod come with tags indicating what type of sod it is? I'm getting it from a reputable company and don't expect there to be any bait and switch but just wanted to see if there would be any markings to confirm I'm getting Tif-Tuf. Thanks everyone. Looks like mid-June for installation.


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## jayhawk (Apr 18, 2017)

The ones I've been around here in Atlanta have a flag saying 'certified abc.'


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## Movingshrub (Jun 12, 2017)

If it's in GA, there should be a certified blue tag, I think.


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