Bermudagrass Varieties: Common, Improved Seed, and Hybrid Sod

Common Bermudagrass (Seed)

• Lighter green, coarser leaves.
• Produces abundant seedheads after mowing.
• Aggressively invades flower beds.
• Drought-tolerant; economical to establish.

Improved Seeded Varieties

• 'Riviera' (Seed Research of Oregon): multi-clonal, deeper green, sod-like density. Distributor: Athens Seed Co. (706-769-2712).
• 'Princess 77': dense, low growth similar to Tifway 419 sod. ~$25/lb from Seedland.com. Former agent Don Morris reports great success.

Hybrid Sod (Sterile, Vegetative Only)

• Tifway (Tifton 419): dark green, medium-fine texture, excellent drought tolerance, frost-resistant (longer fall color, earlier spring green-up). Used on football fields.
• Tifway II: denser, more frost-tolerant, earlier green-up, slightly better quality.
• Tifsport (Tifton 94): emerald green, holds color late fall, low-growing, rapid spread, traffic-resistant.
• Tifgreen (Tifton 328): fine, soft, dense—premier putting green grass.
• Tifdwarf: ultra-dwarf mutant of Tifgreen; for golf greens only.

Hybrid vs. Common

Hybrids offer: better disease resistance, higher density, fewer seedheads, finer texture, superior color. But they require more intensive maintenance (frequent fertilizing, close mowing, edging, dethatching). All improved bermudas originate from the UGA/USDA breeding program of Dr. Glenn Burton.