[Jersey Devil]

Hey all,
Any thoughts on having a Bermuda grass lawn along the Jersey Shore? I'm in Zone 7B, and some quick research on the Internet has uncovered some interesting info regarding using Bermuda grass in the transitional zone between cool-season and warm-season grasses.

My lawn is a total mess, and will likely need a full renovation. It's a full southern exposure, and get steaming hot. My soil temps measure about 87F to 90F @ 3-inches in depth and just a degree or two less at 4-inches deep. My soil is mostly dark sand with a pH of about 5.5 to 6.0 after being amended with lime. My lawn hasn't had any care other than mowing for the 8 years previous to my buying the property last June (2016).

Just looking for some thoughts on trying something different.

Thanks,
---Brian

PS--- I was able to keep a hanging basket of petunias until Christmas last year.....that's how warm my front yard stays!

 

[Ware]

I've heard it can grow there. Thriving may be a different story though. Have you seen any around you that you could observe?

If it is something you are serious about, I would do some serious research on cultivars that adapt well to your region, as not all bermuda is created equal. Latitude 36 comes to mind as a cultivar that is supposed do well further to the north...

 

[Jersey Devil]

Ware,
Thanks for that information.

Interestingly enough, my neighbor has zoysia grass in his backyard, and it's in a shaded location. He loves it! About two or three years ago he bought around a hundred plugs and planted them in a strip of bare dirt / sand. Now the strip is totally overtaken by the zoysia grass. His only complaint is that it's brown from about late November through early June. His exposure is true north and in shade, so as far as I can tell it's doing what it's supposed to do!

I've not done too much in-depth research, yet, but will certainly do so over time. I figured I'd post my thoughts here to try and learn from you experts out there!

Thanks again,
---Brian

 

[Spammage]

Meyer zoysia likely is what your neighbor has and would exhibit similar or slightly better cold tolerance than even Lat 36 bermuda. I would seriously consider a TTTF lawn if I lived in your area. I like green grass to much to have it brown for 1/2 the year.

 

[Jersey Devil]

Meyer zoysia likely is what your neighbor has and would exhibit similar or slightly better cold tolerance than even Lat 36 bermuda. I would seriously consider a TTTF lawn if I lived in your area. I like green grass to much to have it brown for 1/2 the year.

Thanks for your reply.
I agree, a brown lawn for half the year would suck.....maybe a mix of perennial ryegrass and Bermuda grass would be better?

Any thoughts on that combo??

 

[Spammage]

The two don't blend together well and I'm guessing the rye wouldn't do well with the soil temps you are indicating. If you are talking about having a bermuda lawn that you overseed annually with perennial rye, that might work, but you will likely have to use Certainty or Celsius to kill off the rye in late Spring every year to aid in the transition and would then need to reseed again by around Labor Day to allow the rye enough time to establish by winter. Timing might be difficult to pull all of that off and keep the lawn nice.

TTTF can take the heat and cold with the only real issue being susceptibility to Brown Patch. I guess it also has a reel susceptibility in that it won't tolerate close mowing.

 

[chrismar]

There's a guy on the other site (Abyss, i think) who grows bermuda in Philly.

 

[samjonester]

@Jersey Devil where did you land on this? I've got a bermuda front lawn that I've decided to experiment with over the next couple years: https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=3111