tifsport bermuda vs. zoysia (meyers/el toro)

tngrass – posted 12 April 2002 07:03

I have a new house in the Nashville area. I want a warm-season grass as I am tired of the endless watering and brown-ness of fescue in the summer. I want a green lawn in the summer, and brown in the winter does not bother me. I have been extensively researching bermuda vs. zoysia for about 2 years now, and am yet to come to a clear conclusion. I have reduced the bermuda choice down to tifsport. I have someone coming in to do all the site prep—killing off the weeds, tilling the soil, and he is bringing 5 truckloads of topsoil in and grading. I will be laying the sod myself. I have about 10,000 sq. ft. of yard. My home faces east, so in the morning, I get direct sun from 7 to about 1 p.m., and the back gets full sun from noon until sunset. No other shade to speak of. I like zoysia, but the nematode problem scares me. That and the fact that I only have a rotary mower scares me about zoysia. I would hate to sod with zoysia ($$$$$) and then lose the investment. Someone also told me you can only sod zoysia on a bed of sand. Is that true?

Bermuda is what I am leaning towards but I fear that the grass may be too “prickly” and not soft enough to walk barefoot on. I also wonder if the amount of sunlight is enough for bermuda, or would zoysia do better with the sun amounts expected.

My other questions regard mowing height. What is the range of mowing heights I can perform on these sods?

Does anyone have any opinions on these or personal experiences with these grasses and can help? Like I said, I have done so much research, but still am yet to make a decision.

Thanks for helping!!!!!

Josh – posted 15 April 2002 08:24

It sound like eiter grass would work in your situation. If your lawn does not receive any shade from trees through out the day then you should not have a problem with bermuda. Tifsport is an excellent grass choice. I has shown to exhibit higher cold tolerance than most other tif type bermudas. Tifsport is one of my company’s biggest sellers for sports field as well as home lawns. With adequate water you will not have a problem with the texture of this grass. Zoysia on the other hand does tend to get a bit prickly as it begins to dry. Tifsport can be mowed as low as 1/2 inch with a reel mower. Most home lawns are mowed at about 1 to 1 1/2 inches with a rotary mower. Either grass will grow on a wide range of soil types,not just sand. You will find it much easier to maintain adequate soil moisture if you “do not” plant this grass on sand. If you have any further questions feel free to contact me by email at: re******@tu**************.com.

We do have retail sales locations in your area if you need a source for what ever grass you choose. Call 800-388-6112 and they can connect you with the store nearest you.

josh

tenngrass – posted 15 April 2002 13:15

Thanks. I checked my yard, and I actually get more sun in the front and in the back. I will drop you an email and contact your company about grass availability when I prepare to do this (about 4 weeks).

Renay322 – posted 20 April 2004 10:35

I have Bermuda in frontyard and Zoyia in my backyard. The Zoyia is much better than the Burmuda. It is likes full sun but grows just as well in the shade. It doesn’t require alot of cutting, It chokes out weeds much better than Bermuda. It is like walking on a carpet. It cost a little more than Bermuda but I made my money back in time and water bill. I am seriously thinking about replacing the bermuda front yard with zoysia.

Here is a link that will give you alot of information to make your decision.

http://www.pattenseed.com/info-chsel.html

skillingsworth – posted 26 April 2004 11:19

I have bermuda and it is very easy on the feet.

mchap – posted 19 May 2004 18:26

I live in Hollywood Fl and installed 4000 sq ft of Tifsport going on one year ago. It was delivered in terrible condition. My experience with Tifway 419 assisted me in bringing the “beat up” sod back to life. I had Tifway 419 for 5 years and decided to redo the front yard. I am very pleased with the results. The grass is amazing and grew in very quickly. This grass does require FULL SUN. Even partial shade will affect the appearance and the thickness.

I am currently mowing every 2 days at 1/2 inch in order to maintain the “ball park” look. I lucked into a used Jacobsen 22 inch walk behind greens mower. Search around your local golf courses for a used mower. It will make all the difference in the world and will give you the ability to stripe your yard.

I love the grass and I have had -0- problems. It is listed as high maintenance but it is well worth the time and effort. You will love it if you decide to install it for your lawn.

Alex_in_Fl – posted 22 May 2004 06:22

Empire zoysia is a wide blade zoysia and is easily cut with a regular mower… just keep the blades sharp which you should do anyway for any grass.