Popular Types of Bermuda Grass Explained

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If you are considering Bermuda grass for your lawn, you’ve likely discovered that there’s options!

While Bermuda grass is generally low maintenance all around, there are some different variants to consider. These considerations could be partly based on growing zone, but also traffic (durability) and even appearance.

Bermuda grass has a finer bladed appearance that homeowners love. Bermuda grass is a more attractive choice than St. Augustine or zoysia grass. The homeowner choosing bermuda grass will not worry about how much maintenance it will require. Bermuda grass has many advantages, including its ability to withstand high temperatures, droughts and traffic, as well as its speedy recovery from injuries.

So what are the different types of Bermuda grass?

Common Bermuda Grass

The South Carolina native Bermudagrasses (Cynodon species), are also known as wiregrass. They are most commonly used on high-quality lawns, golf courses, tennis courts and athletic fields. Bermudagrass can also be used to stabilize roadsides and create pastures. It can be grown as a single species or in combination with other low-maintenance grasses.

They are used where high-quality, fine-textured turf is required for sports activities. Bermudagrass can also be used on a lower management scale in areas where a vegetative covering is required to prevent erosion but where establishment and long-term maintenance techniques are not available.

Bermudagrass is a native African grass that thrives in fertile soils. However, it is now common throughout the Southeast United States.

Common Bermudagrass can withstand drought, is tolerant to many soil types, and can be fertilized and mowed correctly. Common Bermudagrass can produce ugly seedheads but is still used frequently on home lawns because of its ease of establishment.

Common Bermuda can be grown from either seeds or sprigs. With intensive management, it will produce a high-quality turf. The hybrid Bermudas are far better.

Hybrid Bermuda Grass

Hybrid Bermuda grass, as the name implies, is cultivated and grafted to produce more desirable grass characteristics than natural Bermuda grass. These include higher shade tolerance, greater compact growth, resistance to diseases, and deeper green colors.

These interspecies crossings result in hybrid Bermudagrass varieties that produce sterile seeds. Therefore, they must be propagated by vegetative means such as sprigging or sodding.

The most common use of hybrid bermudagrass on sports fields and golf courses is for lawn maintenance. Hybrid bermudagrass requires more management inputs than a standard or improved common bermudagrass grass lawn.

Hybrid bermudagrass varieties can be grown with good cultivation practices and will produce a better quality lawn with less disease problems than other varieties.

Celebration Bermuda Grass

Celebration Bermudagrass is a popular choice for homeowners because of its deep blue-green color. It also has the advantage of being drought resistant, wear tolerance, drought tolerance, and shade tolerance.

Celebration Bermudagrass finishes best in both. Celebration Bermudagrass can be found on both professional golf courses and sporting fields in the United States as well as internationally.

Tifway 419 Bermuda Grass

This is the most sought-after and popular sports ground cover over the past four decades. It is dense and has a high potential for recuperation.

It’s also extremely hard because it will go dormant only after repeated winter frosts, but will become green again once the temperature reaches 45 degrees Tifway, a fast-growing variety. This includes root establishment, growth rate and spreading.

TifGrand Bermuda Grass

The beauty of this hybrid Bermuda grass is great for lawns because it can maintain its gorgeous leaf appearance even in the most difficult soil conditions. TifGrand Bermuda grass has a reputation for retaining its lush green color even in low nitrogen conditions.

This hybrid Bermuda grass isn’t pollinated and is more resistant to disease than other Bermuda grasses.

TifGrand is a fast-growing grass that can withstand shade well. TifGrand lawns should be mowed once they reach a height of two inches, according to lawn-care professionals.

Princess 77 Bermuda Grass

Princess 77 is a newer, “high quality” fairway type certified bermudagrasses. It was created from a private breeding program. Its dense texture, good color, and low mowing height make it a popular choice in warm-season areas of the Southern US for sports fields, parks and stadiums, as well as for home lawns.

Tifway II Bermuda Grass

Tifway II, a Tifway mutant, was created in 1984 to improve frost tolerance and nematode tolerance. It is similar to Tifway, but has increased seed heads and shoot density. Tifway II is suitable for moderate maintenance.

If you have the time and resources to maintain them, Tifway II and Tifway II can create beautiful yards.

Yukon Bermuda Grass

This Bermuda grass is a fine-blade Bermuda variety that can be found on many courses around the world. It has a rich green color that is visually appealing. Yukon grass can be mowed at a height of 1/4 inch because it is a lower-growing variety.

This Bermuda grass variety can be used for turf applications, as it has a seeding rate between 2-3 pounds per 1000 feet. Yukon Bermuda grass can sprout in 7-10 days if it is given the right soil temperatures, moisture, and nutrients.

It can be found in all of the North Tennessee and Florida growing areas.

Latitude 36 Bermuda Grass

Latitude 36 is a high-quality NTEP bermudagrass that offers excellent traffic tolerance and tensile strength. It also has a finer texture then NorthBridge Bermudagrass.

Latitude 36 often has a greater visual appeal than other bermuda grasses.

Tifton 85 Bermuda Grass

This hybrid is a cross of Tifton68, one the most drought-tolerant Bermuda pasture grasses, and PI 290884.

It is taller than other Bermuda grass hybrids. It has darker roots, longer stems, and wider leaves. These characteristics make it more suitable for larger pastures.

TiffTuff Bermuda Grass

TifTuf Bermudagrass was designed to be drought-tolerant. TifTuf Bermudagrass may be the right choice for homeowners who live in areas with dry, long summers.

This fine-textured bermudagrass uses 38 percent less water than similar bermudagrass cultivars. It is also more tolerant to shade and will stay greener longer than other grasses. TifTuf, like most bermuda grasses in the United States, will thrive in the Southeast climates.

Further Reading on Bermuda Grass Lawncare & Varieties:

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