Question
I would like to redo my current lawn this spring. I am in Phoenix, AZ and most often people recommend SOD. I would like to take a Seed approach if possible. Where in this country can I find a person/information who knows where I can buy extreme warm weather seed for my summer lawn? I have tried several places here in the Valley and to my surprise, I get the SOD response. Any suggestions on not only getting good information on Seed, but also what kinds of grass look nice and hold up well in the extreme heat in Phoenix?

Answer
On matters of seed and sod I consult Seedland.com.  My experience has found them to be informed and direct.  I'm a person who likes to study every facet of a subject before making a decision, down to the finest minutiae.  In many cases, though, that's just not what you need - and I think this is one of those cases.  While I plead inexperience with growing grass in Arizona, I do know a lot about grass and I happen to agree with them that if you have the water needed, Bermudagrass is the most popular lawn grown in Arizona.  98 of the world's Bermudagrass is growing in Southern California and Arizona.  Here's why, according to Seedland:

"While parts of Northern Arizona lies in a transitional zone, the cool season grasses (Fescue, Ryegrass, Bluegrass) will struggle to survive the hot summer temperatures when planted... Because of the high summer heat stress, warm season grasses are the primary grasses planted in Arizona."  You can read the full paragraph at Seedland.com (http://www.lawngrass.com/states/arizona.html), which posts a state-by-state guide.  Bermuda LOVES scorching heat - the kind that will fry eggs.  If you walk outside the morning early and tell your grass there's going to be a heat wave that day, and listen carefully, you can actually hear the grass cheering for you.

Now, why is everyone trying to talk you into sod instead of seed?

Well, Kenn, Bermudagrass being such an economic goldmine for grass sellers, private laboratories all over have been competing for ways to make it even better.  Bermuda for example may revel in extreme heat.  But if you grow trees and shade that hot grass, you'll watch it fizzle practically overnight - because Bermuda CANNOT survive without a full sun blazing overheat to bake it.  So there are some very new breeds of Bermuda available, just like there are some terrific new types of Kentucky Bluegrass and other grasses, that are better than anything you could buy even 10 years ago.  One that is getting a lot of press is Princess Bermudagrass.  Princess is notable for its finer blades and deeper green coloring.  There are some other very popular Bermudagrass "inventions" that are now available and they CANNOT produce seed because they are STERILE.  These are ONLY available as sprigs, sod, plugs, etc.

If you want to check the numbers, go to the National Turfgrass Evaluation Program website (http://ntep.org/data/bg97/bg97_00-4/bg9700t01b.txt) and look down the Arizona column for Bermudagrass.  "Princess" takes the cake there, in their trials at least.

Seedland of course will sell you the seed you are looking for.  I prefer to buy grass seed on the internet because the grass I'm looking for is just not sold in my area anywhere.  Note please you should not plant Bermuda until MARCH.  This is determined by experts and I think it is basically written in stone so PLEASE do not go out and buy first rate grass and then plant it now.

You will get a lot of guidance from your local Arizona extension service (http://www.ag.arizona.edu/extension/counties/) if you contact them - click over your county and you're in business.

I think you should obtain soil samples and have them professionally analyzed, which they will also do for you - some states charge a modest fee for this which I think is worth its weight in gold.  These tests - if they're good - usually come back with a lot of technical gobbledygook; if do get one of these write to me and I'll translate.

If you REALLY want to do this right - I don't know how serious you are about your grass, I do get a little carried away - you can consult expert Charles Martin, a soil biologist who can guide you on intelligent lawngrowing:

Terra Biotics, Inc.
3000 Raymond Reed Blvd
Deming, New Mexico 88030
(877) 519-8873 and (505) 545-1313
[email protected]

They will guide you to a thorough analysis of your soil and what you can do to grow the most beautiful lawn in the most beautiful earth you ever did see.

This probably sounds like hocus pocus to you.  Hopefully I have a modicum of credibility here - I did tell you where to buy your Bermudagrass, no?  And I will answer any future questions you have as well.  It's all about Intelligent Gardening.  You don't need a PhD in biophysics for that.  Just a few basic rules.  I'll save you money, I'll tell you that much.

And while I'm selling things here I would like to recommend a book by a fellow gardener and columnist, Jeff Lowenfels, called "Teaming with Microbes: A Gardener's Guide to the Soil Food Web".  Amazon.com discounts it at $16.47.  Your grass will love you even more.