zoysia or bermuda for west texas lawn??? (how much, costs)

[karabeth05]

we just cleared some land to turn it into our yard area and we're ready to order some sod but we can't decide which grass to get! the local nursery recommends both bermuda grass (TIFF 419 or celebration) and zoysia (el toro, empire, or empress). there is a little bit of shade so i'm hesitant on the bermuda, but the kids are going to be running around playing in the area a lot so i'm hesitant on the zoysia...and that's where we're stuck. we'd like something soft, easy to maintain, and hardy since it's pretty darn dry and hot out here (surprise surprise ) and we don't mind forking over the extra for zoysia if it'll be worth it. any suggestions?

[brendiej]

No one has posted to your question, so I will give it a shot. First, bermuda likes dry heat. We have a great bermuda hybrid (tiff) that is beautiful and fairly soft in our yard. We can walk on it barefoot and it is comfortable with few weeds. It stands up to our dogs and needs an average amount of care and water. It is not hard to grow (we started from sod as well). From what I understand, zoysia grass is also heat tolerant and stands up well to traffic, but it costs more and takes longer to establish, but needs less general care as far as fertilizer. We had to do a little research to pick our grass, too.
You may want to post in the Garden forum or search grass comparisons on the internet to see exactly what you can expect of both.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

How much shade? Bermuda can tolerate some shade. The key is, if there is at least some winter sun, and several hours daily in summer, it can do OK. Also, is the shade solid or more like "mottled" shade from light foliage? Bermuda will wear much better than zoysia if you can get it to survive in that location.