Thanks TW. I found this study over shade tolerance. Interesting to see that Princess 77 and Rivera do fine under shade condition. Summary. Bermudagrass and zoysiagrass are two of the most commonly used turfgrass species on golf course fairways and tees in the southern U.S. Shade from trees is common on golf courses and limits turfgrass growth. Additionally, turfgrasses are often subjected to traffic, which damages turf. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effects of shade and traffic on bermudagrass and zoysiagrass cultivars. Five cultivars of bermudagrass and seven cultivars of zoysiagrass were maintained under typical golf course fairway conditions. Plots were grown in either full sun or were shaded with a 50% light reducing fabric. The cultivars containing the highest coverage after two years of growth in continuous shade were Cavalier, Diamond, Meyer, Palisades and Zorro zoysiagrass, as well as Princess 77, and Riviera bermudagrass. The cultivars having the lowest coverage in shade were Patriot and Tifsport bermudagrass and Zenith zoysiagrass. Princess 77 and Riviera bermudagrass, as well as Cavalier, Meyer, and Zorro zoysiagrass had the highest coverage when trafficked regardless of shade treatment. Selecting cultivars well-adapted to shade and tolerant of trafficking will help golf course and sports field managers improve playing conditions while reducing maintenance inputs and costs. Here is a link that might be useful: Shade and Traffic Tolerance of Bermudagrass and Zoysiagrass � Year 2 Results

Correct, bermuda wins. I tried that. Bemuda definitely wins. While the zoysia I used is fairly aggressive, it cannot compete with bermuda in dry conditions. Zoysia is subject to problems that make it go dormant for up to 12 months. When that happens, it is wide open territory for the bermuda to move in.

A properly sharpened and set up reel mower will always give a better cut than a rotary. Reel mowers cut like a pair of scissors, the grass is cut by a moving blade against a stationary bedknife. It also gives more even results as the bedknife holds the blades up while they are cut as opposed to being hit by a spinning blade with some lift provided by a suction effect from the blade. After I cut my lawn with a rotary I usually have some missed blades. Reel mowers are the only ones that can cut very short, so if you want to have a fairway for a yard, then you need a reel mower. A bumpy yard however, will give an uneven cut at low heights (the yard will look even, but the grass on mounds will be shorter and in the dips will be longer), and scalping can occur, but this is also true of rotaries too. Rotaries, if their blades aren't very sharp will tear grass blades, so you get ragged edges, which isn't great for grass, although a poorly sharpened reel can have its issues too.

I don't want to use Roundup because I want to stay organic. On the positive side, I think the glyphosphate in Roundup binds to the soil, and doesn't travel far from the application spots like 2,4-D does, but glyphosphate isn't considered an organic way to control weeds like white distilled vinegar, is it? No Round Up is not considered an organic product. As to binding to the soil is a bit of an overstatement. It degrade in just a few days. Round is systemic ((contact) herbicide and is absorbed through the leaves and stems of plants. To mu knowledge there is no organic methods other than mechanical to control Bermuda. Well boiling water will kill what is above the ground, but not what is below the surface. Not sure about using vinegar, it may get the top growth like boiling water, but will not touch the Rhizomes unless you drench the ground which I think would kill the soil along with the plant.