Picture this, you’re sitting around the campfire enjoying a beverage with friends and the

conversation turns to your lawn, not you new 85” TV. You knew this was coming, your

friends walked up on your tightly mowed lawn and each one of them bent down to see if

it was real. “How is it possible that your lawn looks like this?” With a coy smile and a

little white lie, you say I always wanted to be a Golf Course Superintendent, I went down

quite the rabbit hole of turf management articles.

 

“So, what’s the key to a good lawn in the desert?” The answer is clearly two-fold. One, variety selection, and two, you have

read enough to be dangerous. It’s unlikely that after reading a few articles you’re on the

GC Supers level of turf knowledge, but with the right variety and information you could

have the nicest lawn in the neighborhood.

 

Now that I have your attention let’s be serious for a minute. Would you buy a TV with

1960’s technology? You know, one of those 32” TV’s that weigh 500 pounds, doesn’t

even have a remote and the color looks like that of a Commodore 64 computer. I dated

myself with that reference, but you got the idea. Technology advances every day in

electronics, and it also advances in the turfgrass world. There are turf breeders and

researchers all over the world trying to develop grass that uses less water, are

genetically resistant to disease and insects, have the darkest green color, are heat/cold

and drought tolerant, and can be maintained at a variety of heights. Now look outside

your window at your lawn. Are you using 1960 technology or is your lawn on par with

your new 8k HD TV. Don’t get me wrong, some of the greatest grasses ever bred were

developed in the 60’s and are still used in golf courses today but that doesn’t mean they

are the best choice. A full grass conversion isn’t always top of mind for homeowners,

although it should be when you start thinking about ways to conserve water.

Turfgrass research and development is not a short process. Breeders are in the labs

and fields crossing varieties, looking for positive attributes, failing more often than

succeeding, and watching grass for years before even discussing them with sod

producers. After developing new varieties, they are sent to sod producers to grow their

own test plots and analyze them for their needs. As a sod producer I often analyze 10

different grasses each year and while I find a lot of great attributes, I don’t always find

the right attributes for us. What is great in Georgia, may not be great in Arizona and

California. If we decide a particular grass is going to be one we would like to produce,

we take the next step of securing a sod licensing agreement and start planting a field.

This is not done on a whim. We generally have been looking at these grasses for a few

years so by the time it hits our field many of these varieties have been in trials for 10

years or more. I bring this up because we often hear people say I’m nervous to try a

grass that might not work in Arizona/California. I can tell you with certainty that if our

farm produces the grass, it has been tested extensively and is right for the climate.

Okay, enough analogies about TV’s and turfgrass. I want to talk about grasses you

should be looking at now. The standbys are still very good, but there are new ones that

are better.

 

Starting with the newest variety out of UC Riverside, developed by Dr. Baird, is

Coachella Bermudagrass. I want to start with the obvious, it was developed in the

desert region of California. Most of the grass produced today comes from the south or

east coast so having a west coast variety is a big step. Since it was developed in

California you know that water conservation is one of the top characteristics he was

looking at when breeding. Coachella Bermudagrass uses 15-25% less water than

traditional bermudagrasses like Tifway 419 or Midiron. If you have a cool season lawn

such as Tall Fescue it uses 40% less water. As cities reduce water allotments and

drought continues, it’s important to use a grass that can survive long periods of low

water use. What is another way to reduce water usage? How about not overseeding in

the fall? Coachella provides excellent winter color retention. While it won’t stay green

year-round in all areas, it does significantly close the gap. This past winter it did not go

fully dormant as temperatures stayed mild and the color was fantastic. This was not the

case for the older varieties as they quickly lost color as we dropped into the 50’s at

night. Coachella has a dark blue green color, fine leaf blade making it ideal for golf

courses, athletic fields, landscaping, and home lawns. It can be maintained from .300 to

over 2 inches. Coachella Bermudagrass has recently been used at The Farm’s Golf

Course in Rancho Sante Fe, and at Big Canyon Country Club in Newport Beach.

Download the Coachella spec sheet here: CoachellaBermuda.pdf

 

The second grass we will look at is Tahoma 31. Tahoma 31 was developed by

Oklahoma State University, and it gets its name from the Native American, Tahoma,

which means frozen water. It has the best cold tolerance of any grass on the market

allowing it to grow anywhere from Chicago to Phoenix. Tahoma is second is none when

it comes to providing a pristine playing surface, golf course fairway or home lawn. With

its dark green color, fine leaf texture, and wide range of mowing heights from .125

inches to 2 inches it is one of the best grasses on the market. Similar to Coachella and

Tiftuf that we will discuss later, it uses 20% less water than traditional Bermudagrasses.

The deep root system, aversion to drought, pest and disease resistance you will find

that it can be used in virtually any turfgrass situation. Tahoma is one of the best

bermudagrasses for minimal shade but does prefer full sun. Tahoma has been a favorite

of professional athletic fields and golf courses for the last few years, and we will

continue to see it used more in the future. You can find Tahoma 31 at the City of

Scottsdale civic center and sports complex, Dodger Stadium, Salt River Fields,

Camelback Ranch, and Desert Mountain Golf Club.

Download the Tahoma 31 spec sheet here: Tahoma 31 Bermuda (1).pdf

 

Tiftuf bermudagrass was developed out of the University of Georgia turfgrass with water

savings in mind. It was selected for superior drought and wear tolerance with turfgrass

quality front of mind. Tiftuf is part of the smart drop certified water savings program and

has consistently been shown to use 15-25% less water than Tifway 419 or Midiron. The

fine leaf texture and dark green leaf blade are just a couple of the other reasons

professionals have chosen to use Tiftuf in new jobs. With its superior late fall color this

is another grass that you could forgo overseeding with and reduce the dormancy period

to just 2-3 months. This grass tolerates a mowing range between .500 and 2” making it

ideal for reel or rotary mowers.

 

Download the Tiftuf spec sheet here: TifTuf (1).pdf

 

There is nothing quite like that feeling of watching every person that walks around the

neighborhood bend down to touch your lawn to see if it’s real. Now that you have the

perfect lawn, all that’s left to do is go shopping for those all white New Balance and

watch your friends get green with envy.