The Bermudagrass Master Guide: Why a "Cold-Hardy" Cultivar Still Lost 80% of Its Turf in One Kansas Winter

Does a "cold-hardy" bermuda survive a hard transition-zone winter?

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Kansas State researchers rated winter injury on May 25, 2018: Tifway 100%, Latitude 36 80%, NorthBridge 75%, Patriot 70% (K-State Turf, 2018). The guide's Chapter 5 names Latitude 36 and NorthBridge as the best insurance against winterkill in the transition zone.

Operation

Applied to a 5,000 sq ft lawn, 75% to 80% injury is 3,750 to 4,000 sq ft of turf that must regrow or be replaced. NorthBridge, the less injured of the two, still left only a quarter of the lawn intact.

What to do differently

"Cold-hardy" ranks cultivars against each other. It does not make a lawn winter-proof. On the northern edge of bermuda's range, pick Latitude 36 or NorthBridge over Tifway, and budget for patching after a severe winter. K-State saw almost no injury on seeded Yukon, though at a different site.

Cost if you don't

Sod Tifway on the northern edge and one hard winter can take the whole stand. Re-sodding price per square foot varies by region and is not published in these sources. Get a local sod quote and multiply it by your lawn's square footage before you choose.

How much water does TifTuf actually save on a 5,000 sq ft lawn?

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UGA Extension says studies show TifTuf uses "approximately one-third less water" (Bulletin 1533-1). UGA's 2016 release puts it at 38 percent less than Tifway (UGA CAES). NC State recommends about 1 inch of water a week for growing bermuda (AG-431).

Operation

One inch over 1,000 sq ft is 623 gallons (Appendix B of the guide; NC State rounds it to 640). A 5,000 sq ft lawn takes 3,115 gallons for that inch. One-third less is 2,077 gallons. 38 percent less is 1,931 gallons. Half would be 1,558 gallons.

What to do differently

Plan TifTuf irrigation savings at one-third to 38 percent, which is 1,038 to 1,184 gallons a week on this lawn. Do not cut water in half. Adjust from there by watching for drought stress, because UGA publishes a use figure, not a TifTuf watering schedule.

Cost if you don't

Water at half and the lawn gets 373 to 519 gallons less each week than the research says it uses. That is roughly a fifth to a quarter of its need, every week of the season.

Your own number depends on rainfall and soil. Our lawn watering calculator runs the same gallons-per-inch arithmetic for your lawn size.

How low can you mow bermuda with a rotary mower?

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NC State: bermuda performs best at 3/4 to 1 inch with a reel mower, and heights below 1 inch "require a reel mower and very level ground" (AG-431). With a rotary, NC State recommends 1 to 2 inches and says to remove less than one-third of the leaf per mowing (Carolina Lawns).

Operation

Cross the height floor with the one-third rule, and you get the height at which you must mow again:

What to do differently

If you own a rotary, the 3/4-inch "best" height is not yours to use. Set the deck at 1 inch or higher. At 1 inch, mow before the grass reaches 1 1/2 inches, which NC State says means at least twice a week at low heights.

Cost if you don't

NC State says a rotary works only with sharp blades "set as low as possible without scalping." It defines scalping as excessive leaf removal by close mowing that "results in a brown, stubbly appearance."

Look up your own grass and mower in our mowing height guide. For equipment, see mowers for bermuda lawns.

How many hours of sun does a bermuda lawn need?

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In a UGA trial under heavy hardwood shade, TifTuf and Celebration kept acceptable quality down to 5.5 hours of filtered sun per day after 6 years. Both perform best with 8 or more hours (UGA Bulletin 1533-1). Mississippi State adds that those two are "by no means shade tolerant" (MSU P2892).

Operation

Compiled across both bulletins: 8 hours or more is where UGA says bermuda performs best. From 5.5 to 8 hours, only TifTuf and Celebration have published trial results. Below 5.5 hours, neither bulletin names a bermuda that held acceptable quality.

What to do differently

Count the midsummer hours of sun on the shadiest part of the lawn before you choose. Below 5.5 hours, compare zoysia grass or St. Augustine grass instead.

Cost if you don't

MSU lists what shade does to bermuda: elongated stems, weakened rhizomes, lower density, and less root mass. Thin turf under trees is the predictable result.