Seeding Bermuda Grass Is Only 50% Cheaper than Sprigging Tahoma 31

Caleb Phillips recently posted his project of Tahoma 31 sprigs. He used 3 pallets (each range 400-500 square feet so we’ll say around 1,350 square feet) to cover 8,500 square feet. So he stretched it 6.3x and it turned out great.

Cost of Tahoma 31 Sod

I paid $275 for a pallet of Tahoma 31 from Buena Vista Turf Farm in DFW.

Cost of Quality Bermudagrass Seed

LaPrima is a good option for half-decent seed.

Here’s the math and cost per 1,000 sqft, not including top dressing.

Method	Rate	Unit cost	Cost per 1,000 sqft
Seed	2 – 3 lbs. per 1,000 sqft	$11.20 per lb	$22.40 – $33.60
Sod	159 sod sqft (0.35 pallet) per 1,000 sqft	$275 per pallet	$96.25

Once you add in the cost of peat moss to top dress, that cost of seed creeps closer to sod.

• Peat volume needed: 20.83 cubic feet (to cover 1,000 sqft with 1/4 inch thickness)
• Cost per cubic foot of peat moss: $6.67 (since a $20 bag covers 3 cubic feet)
• Total cost per 1,000 sqft: $138.89

You could top dress with compost bags from Lowe’s:

• Cost per cubic foot of compost: $2.44
• To cover 1,000 sqft with a 1/4 inch thickness, it would cost approximately $50.83.

Or you could cut costs by going to SiteOne and getting a cubic yard dumped into your truck for about $33.

• Cost per cubic foot of compost: $1.19
• To cover 1,000 sqft with a 1/4 inch thickness, it would cost approximately $24.85.

So realistically, when compared to sprigging Tahoma 31, seed is only about 50% cheaper. Would you pay twice as much for a hybrid Bermuda grass that is more cold-tolerant, drought-resistant, has a finer texture, offers improved turf density, boasts faster recovery from wear and tear, requires less water, and is more shade-tolerant than common Bermuda?