Since you are in KS I will give you the best reason, COLD WEATHER TOLERANCE, Yukon has the best cold weather tolerance of the two and possible the best of all the Bermuda varieties.

IMHO you are too far north for Bermuda grass, but if you had to try one Yukin is the best bet.

Thanks for the input, texas-weed. Cold-weather tolerance is a plus, but I'm only about 35 miles from the Oklahoma border. I've had a Bermuda lawn for almost 30 years since living here and this stuff is hardly in the class of the new breeds they've come out with the last 10-15 years.

You are welcome, I will give you one more reason, Riviera is being taken off the market. It failed commercially.

Hi everyone,

I would like to start this thread up again. I have Princess in my Houston lawn and it looks very good. It does not look like tif419 like the adds say, but it is a very nice lawn. What I would like to know is what is the best (or for lack of a better description, what looks closest to tif419)? Does anyone have any close up pics of Princess, Yukon, Riviera.... to compare? I know that it depends on your location as to what would work best for you, but I'm curious about the overall quality. Also, I saw an online store that still sells Riviera, so maybe they decided not to take it off the market?

Thanks,
Brad

Yukon is a good choice. Can you find any seed?

Bshudson,

Of the common seeded varieties, Princess is the finest texture and darkest color of them all. So looking at any of the other common types is a waist of time if you are not happy with Princess.

The only way to get something that looks as good as Tifway-I (aka 419) is to get Tifway-I or Tifway-II via sod only.

Sorry, I know that is not what you want to hear. But the fact is none of the common types can match the quality of the hybrids.

Hey guys,

Thanks for the responses.

firstandgoal,

Nope, can't find Yukon seeds. Not sure why, but apparently they're not going to available this year. Seems like I saw a blend with yukon though.

texas-weed,

I agree, the seeded types are not as nice as tiff. You don't see many Bermuda lawns (at least front lawns) in the Houston area. So when a fella in a neighborhood close to me put tiff419 in his front lawn it stood out like a sore thumb (a very nice sore thumb). I wish more people would use something besides St. Augustine (but I digress....)

I guess my main thought was to see what is the best quality out of the seeded types and maybe you're right about Princess. I hear different people's opinions about Yukon, Riviera and Princess and I can only speak for Princess. I'd be interested in seeing pics of actual lawns using the different types and not just some far away shot of a fairway. I'll try to get a picture of my Princess lawn tomorrow.

Thanks,
Brad

bshudson,

Sorry for the confusion, I was responding to the OP (cold weather tolerance) and did not see your post for some reason. Some kind of glitch, I guess.

Yeah, I would have to lean towards Princess as far as best quality for seeded bermuda.

lou_midlothian_tx,

I'm on the south side in the Clear Lake area, but it's pretty much the same all over. Any house built in the last 15 years comes with 2 trees in the front and none in the back. They also come with st. augustine sod in the front and the back cost extra. I don't have any thing against st. augustine, but Bermuda (to me) makes for an awesome lawn. Most people's first words when they walk in my back yard is "Wow, it's a freaking golf course". Of course it's not close to a golf course, but they're expecting another run of the mill st. augstine. Each to his own and luckily we have many choices.

Thanks,
Brad

Brad like I said Princess is the finest texture and darkest color of the seeded Bermuda types. While Riviera and Yukon are fine varieties, they are a step down in quality from Princess.

I do know SA is the primary grass in Houston, but that has to do with the annual rainfall, and most importantly it is dirt cheap in that area. However Houston's climate is perfect for Bermuda (hot, sticky, and miserable) and all the sod farms in the area carry it.

If you really want Tifway-I or II but budget is a concern consider this. Buy just one pallet, cut plugs, or shred it into sprigs, and plant it. By late summer or early fall it will completely cover your yard. It involves sweat equity, but if you are willing to do the work and that is what you want...

I hope it's okay to piggy-back on this old thread, but I'm looking at the same ones, so...
But for me different concerns, as I'm in Tampa area. So, though Yukon's cold-hardiness is not a concern, reading up on it there didn't appear to be a downside. Is there one?
And I haven't seen anything except that one needs full sun for Bermuda, but is one variety more forgiving re: that? We do have one tree in our front yard (where St. Augustine Seville is doing fine). But fungus, chinch bugs and drought got the rest, which has very good sun exposure, and I don't have a sprinkling system. I know they won't look the greatest side-by-side, but the easement will be all Bermuda, and the kids play on the front (and we'd like to be able to play croquet) in the sunny front part, so we were going to do that anyway.
Is it possible the Bermuda would survive and take over the St. Augustine under the tree? And if so, is one variety better than the others for that? Otherwise, drought-tolerance, traffic-hardiness, and a shorter dormancy time are the concerns. Thanks much!