Suggestions for bermuda seed similar to U-3 sod

14 years ago

This is my first post to the forum, although IÂve been reading for quite a while now. IÂve already learned so much valuable information. Thank you for all your contributions that make this forum so great!

HereÂs the situation: We rented a brand new house for about a year before deciding to buy it in December 2008. We live on a large easement lot at the back of the development, so the builder/landlord only installed U-3 sod on a portion of the backyard (probably about 4,000 square feet). The remainder of the backyard (about 15,000 square feet) has never been graded and contains a mix of various weeds, fescue, and common bermuda.

We fertilized and watered our sod this year, so itÂs in great shape. However, there is a very obvious "line" between the sodded and unsodded portion of the backyard due to the differing grass colors and heights. WeÂve decided to have the remainder of the lot graded and renovated in the spring, but weÂre still in the process of deciding what type of grass to plant.

We know that the ideal solution is to install the same type of sod (U-3) on the remainder of the lot. The problem is that our lot is pretty big and weÂre going to have to install a pretty expensive irrigation system to maintain the lawn. WeÂd rather not invest money in both the irrigation system AND the sod so we can reserve our funds for other house projects we have planned. To save some money, weÂre considering sowing bermuda seed on the remainder of the lot, but weÂre concerned that it will still have a different color and appearance than the U-3 sod, which would totally defeat the purpose of the renovation. To minimize the difference in appearance, weÂre thinking about overseeding the U-3 sod with the same bermuda seed used on the rear portion of the lot. (Heresy, I know!) Please note that IÂve read numerous warnings on this forum against overseeding hybrid bermuda sod, so I realize this isnÂt an ideal solution.

HereÂs what IÂd like to know:

1) Is U-3 bermuda available in seed form? I read somewhere that it is, but further research seems to indicate that itÂs not.

2) If we overseed the bermuda sod, what problems can we expect? What are the cons?

3) What type of bermuda seed would provide the closest match to U-3 sod in regard to color and appearance? I realize that no bermuda seed will provide a perfect match for hybrid sod, but IÂd appreciate some seed suggestions.

By the way, weÂre living in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, in Zone 6B.

Thanks in advance!

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Comments (3)

neilaz
14 years ago
You may have seen this already but here it is:
True U-3 is almost non-existent these days - the variety was not sterile, so it outcrossed with whatever local common or wild type bermudas lived around it and seedlings took over many of the sod farms. Dr. Taliaferro at Oklahoma State University did a collection trip among midwest sod farms several years back and grew out samples of all their claimed "U-3" bermuda to compare to a USDA reference plant sample. About 95% of the collected sod samples being sold as U-3.
were no longer actually the real U-3 variety.
If you have an old U-3 stand that you want to seed over, Yukon is a good choice, as long as you seed over the entire area, not just the bare spots. The two will blend together well and long term the Yukon will spread more dense and push out most of the U-3. If seeding just the bare spots in a U-3 lawn then yes you would see a difference in varieties. But this may be true even if seeding with commercial U3 seed currently on the market..

Also Cimarron Valley sod says they have seed yet "Seed of U-3 bermudagrass is offered for sale, but produces a turf with less uniform texture than one from sod or sprigs"
texas_weed
14 years ago
I agree Yukon is your best choice, especially in your area. You timing is also great because Yukon seed is kind of difficult to obtain, so getting in your order now should be perfect so you can have it ready next May or Early June for planting.

Try Hancock Seed Company.

Next best bet would be Riviera.
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Would Yukon or Riviera get me anywhere remotely close? What about texture? I want something that won't feel too terribly scratchy to walk on barefoot. I grew up with horribly course bermuda and don't want anything remotely similar. That was probable due to poor or incorrect maintenance by keeping it cut to high allowing the stolons to grow vertically rather than horizontally. Yukon and Riviera are good improved common Bermudas. They are not as good of quality as Tifway-I (aka 419)but good non the less. By quality I mean fine texture and color. 419 has finer leaf, and a dark green emerald color. You have two challenges right now with Yukon and Rivera. One is you are running out of time to get it planted. 2 I have not checked lately, but supplies are tight with Yukon and Riviera and may not be available. Usually you have to order them in Winter for a fallowing summer plant. If you can find them, buy both and blend them. Texas-weed, are you not still farming sod? No I turned it all over to my family, retired, moved to Prescott AZ and now the superintendent at a local golf course.
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Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks for your quick responses. Honestly, IÂm amazed to receive 2 answers that actually match regarding the seed variety. That doesnÂt happen very often in online forums! YouÂve made our decision a lot easier.

@ Neilaz: Thanks for the information about U-3 crossing with common bermuda. I had no idea it wasnÂt sterile. After doing a quick web search, I found this study that I thought IÂd post in case other readers reference this thread later: http://crop.scijournals.org/cgi/reprint/41/4/1184.pdf.

@ Texas-weed: I appreciate the tip on where to buy Yukon seed and your suggestion to buy it early. Good to know!

It sounds like youÂre both suggesting that we go with Yukon even though U-3 seed may be available through Cimarron Valley Sod. Is this because U-3 is a lower-quality variety?

Also, out of curiosity, do you know whether Yukon bermuda produces seedheads that stick up above the grass like U-3 does?

Finally, should we expect any problems if we overseed the sod?

Thanks again!

Suggestions for bermuda seed similar to U-3 sod

Comments (3)

neilaz

texas_weed

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Suggestions for bermuda seed similar to U-3 sod

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neilaz

texas_weed

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