what kind of bermuda to use?

chad h – posted 19 June 2005 15:52

I live in northwest Tennessee. I am wondering which type of bermuda would be the best to seed my yard in. I have about 5 acres to seed the pH is about 6.0 to 6.5 throughout lawn, the soil is very compact (alot of clay in soil), the entire yard is in full sun throughout most of the day. If anyone can offer any opinions on the best and most economical route for establishing a yard of this size i would appreciate it.

turf r us – posted 20 June 2005 05:35

5 acres is gonna cost you plenty so get ready for a major bill, even in common bermuda which we can get in Texas for about $2.30/lb. Call up Hogan Seed Co. in Tennessee, where I got my Zoysia seed. He specializes in golf courses and other large facilities so he would probably give you a quantity discount, he even beats internet prices. He quoted my $5.00/lb. for a bermuda mix although I forgot to ask what’s in it. Rate at no more than 1lb./1000 s.f. You’ll need around 215 lbs. You can write me for his telephone # at <

Fr********@ne******.com











> or get it from a Google search.

Good luck

Friend – posted 20 June 2005 07:17

Hey, the best way to do your lawn would be to do aound 10,000 to 15,000 sq.ft. around your house first.then look at doing the rest of it in stages,because it takes around 27,000 gal. of water to equal 1″ of rain fall per ac. if you have to water it by hand you will find it a lot easier to do just part of your yard than trying to seed all 5 ac. and trying to water all 5ac. common bermuda will be the a good choice for the $$$ you can use a blend but will cost you more. good luck..

turf r us – posted 20 June 2005 11:00

Yeah, there’s no way he could hand water 5 acres, mama nature is gonna have to do the job. Unless he has plenty of soil moisture, that seed will just sit there dormant until a good rain falls.

chad h – posted 20 June 2005 13:13

thanks for all the advice. which variety of bermuda is probably best suited for my lawn if i were to do it in stages. i need something that will tolerate the heat and some drought tolerance but will also do okay in winter. does anyone have any suggestions “Yukon” or any other particular varieties? does anyone have any experience with T10 bermuda? i know seeding zoysia is very expensive but is that an option? thank you for all the help.

Friend – posted 20 June 2005 14:22

try looking on www.penningtonseed.com

I dont think zoysia would be a good choice{just me}. if you want a good lawn around your house try a blend. now if you want the back forty to look like a pasture try NK 37 giant bermuda and common bermuda mix 60 % common and 40% giant bermuda ..

Friend – posted 20 June 2005 14:35

Sorry here are some more web site to look at.www.seedland.com

www.dkseeds.comTry this web site for some one in your area.www.hydroseeding.org

turf r us – posted 20 June 2005 20:16

Even though Bob Hogan sells thousands of pounds of seed a year to commercial enterprises, he said today that it would be OK for me to give out his phone number in a forum such as this. He will take good care of an individual such as yourself. He has a blend that might work for you, one that I am going with consisting of Mirage, Savannah, and either Sundevil or Southern Star as the final (minor) addition, as Mirage and Savannah are the largest addition in the blend. Cheap too. I’m looking for drought tolerance as nature will have to take care of my blend’s moisture needs, and this particular blend is the ticket for that according to my research and the recommendation of Mr. Hogan.

Being in Tennessee you shouldn’t have to worry about drought tolerance though. This blend has good color, disease resistance, yada, yada. Bermuda has the tendency to go dormant with decreased water, that pop back when moisture returns to ‘normal’ levels.

Yukon or Transcontinental should be a great choice too as will Rivera but more expensive than Bob’s recommendation and I’m not sure you’ll gain anything. Kicker for these growers is finding a strain that makes lots of seed. Just because its expensive doesn’t mean it’s good, may mean it is a poor seed producer.

Make sure to choose a selection from Common versus one of the newer hybrids – Princess, Savannah, Riviera, Transcontinental, Yukon, Sun Devil, Mirage, etc. all fit that bill. Forget the Lowe’s and Home Depot specials (Yuma, Saharra, etc.) Bob’s number is 615-384-1231. Just tell him the pest from Fredericksburg referred you. You won’t find a nicer gentleman or more knowledgeble person when it comes to turfgrass that won’t try to sell you enough seed to go 4 lbs/1000 s.f. just to make a buck. In fact, Bob will tell you that anything over 1 lb. of bermuda/1,000 s.f. is a waste of money.

Good luck……

Turfmiester – posted 20 June 2005 20:38

Sprig it. It will come in a lot quicker. Or check on a discount for sodding part and sprigging the rest.

wrangler – posted 20 October 2005 14:12

I am with turfs r us. Look at the NTEP ratings on Riviera for your area. You will need to plant in warm soils 65 degrees or more May / June.