high cutting bermuda turf

QWERTY – posted 01 September 2005 09:31

Anyone know which variety looks good when cut relatively high like 2 inches? It seems all the studies are conducted at .5 inches or 1 inch which is unrealistic for most homeowners. It’s impossible unless you own reel mower and somehow keep the yard level enough to get clean cut.

tommy – posted 01 September 2005 12:16

Believe it or not, Tifway 419 is actually pretty excellent looking at higher,(homeownwer- rotary mower users) type cutting heights. It will however need to be renovated (scalped)once a year -under this kind of maint……but other than that, its pretty “bullet proof”. Most of the improved seeded type bermuda’s are also good with higher cuts , but they have many more un sightly seed heads compared to a hybrid like Tifway. A neighbor of mine planted ‘Yuma’ Bermuda last year, and its cut at 1-1/2, twice a month…….and it actually looks pretty good! There’s some seed heads from time to time, but its still a pretty good looking lawn.

QWERTY – posted 01 September 2005 19:20

Hmm.. I wonder which variety of Bermuda I have in the front yard. Any idea what they typically use to sod in dallas-ftworth area? They look coarse type bermuda and they produce high numbers of seedheads apparently from lack of nitrogen (they went away after I applied 27-3-12 fertilizer and they started to green up more). My next door has much finer type of variety. He bags his clippings so his front yard is starving for some nitrogen badly! I suppose I could call the builder but he’s also the idiot that left all the rocks behind and sodded right on them!

grassnut – posted 02 September 2005 10:26

Seed heads are a sign of stress. Keeping your Bermuda properly mowed, irrigated and fed, can greatly reduce the amount of seed heads. I had Yuma, which had very few seed heads and now I have Princess which produce almost no seed heads.

Thanks,Brad

tommy – posted 02 September 2005 12:11

Your in an area that could have any number of Bermuda types in use……but a check of local sod growers might help you narrow down your search. ‘Tifway’ is used throughout the south, but there are also many other types of bermuda used in transitional areas like yours. Your weather is such that night time lows in the winter drop low enough to damage certain hybrids at times.