Tifton-85 in North Central Texas

[Andrew]

Hello,
I'm going to be sprigging Tifton 85 this spring on 40ac. Does anyone have Tifton 85 and, if so, is it as good as all the literature say it is?

Any comments would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Andrew

 

[Texas PaPaw]

Andrew

I think there is a field of Tif 85, 4-5 miles west of Hillsboro on south side Hwy 22. The last time I drove by there was a sign with the owners name. Just don't remember his name. If you're over there, you may wish to check it out.

Read lots of good things about tif 85, but no actual experience with it. Supposed to be more digestible than other bermudas.

Hope this helps.

Regards

Brock

 

[BC]

Tifton 85 will work in your area. It has been grown all the way up to Gainesville area.

There is a fellow close to Canton that sells 85 sprigs. He goes all over planting bermuda grass

 

[stelg]

I have a brother in law who plants coastal and Tifton 85. He has tifton on 90% of his 100 acres. He has sold tifton sprigs to Capital Land and Livestock for the past 3 years. He is located in Rockdale, Texas. I sure he would sell you some sprigs. His sprigs are weed free. That makes a big difference when planting.

 

[Tod Dague]

I have some 85 and I like it a lot. My only concern would be soil moisture. If you've got it sprig if not wait another year.

 

[BC]

Tifton 85 has shown to be more drought tolerance than Coastal or the seeded bermudas. Better animal performance too. It is a good grass for the south.

 

[Andrew]

Hello,
Thanks for the reponses. I will go look at the field on Hwy 22 which is pretty close to my pasture.


I got help from the USDA to plow, sprig, fertilize and to fence a portion and dig me a new tank and fix another one. I already got the gentleman that's going to do the plowing and sprigging lined up.

I just never even seen tifton-85 in person. I'm also required to keep the cows off of it for 1 year so that's going to be a bit tough. Luckily, I lease an adjacent 40 acres.

Thanks for the replies.

Andrew

 

[Just_a_girl]

I was just reading some information on Tifton 85.

I understand that it is more digestible and does well here in the south. But Why would you select Tifton 85 over Bermuda, isn't it more expensive and require much more attention?

Sorry about the questions....I'm just trying to gain some useful knowledge. I'm sure that we will have to sprig our pasture due to the loss of bermuda.....

And if you have a reliable website with information that you trust about the Tifton 85, please post it.

Thank you.....

 

[Andrew]

I honestly didn't choose Tifton 85. It was my extension agent who said I should have it as it would give the best results. He then put me in contact with a USDA office and because of my situation and location, was approved under a special program and I will end up with almost free grass.
I consider myself very lucky and I guess I just happen to call the right people at the right time.

Nevertless, I spoke with a neighbor that says he's tilling over his coastal to sprig Tifton because someone else he knows is doing real well even in this drought.

However, I have not seen it with my own eyes and only have second hand information and reading material.

Andrew

 

[Just_a_girl]

That's wonderful that you will be able to do this.
Please remember to do another post when your Tifton 85 starts taking off. I read that it has a very quick growth. And I'd be interested to hear how it is working for you.

I don't think that I have ever seen it either, just been reading your post and the replies.

Thank you for the reply.....

 

[txag]

in our experience, the Tifton 85 is a little harder to establish than some of the other bermudas (coastal, jiggs). it seems to be a little more drought-tolerant than the jiggs but less than the coastal. i realize the plan you're following is requiring the cattle be kept off, but we had better coverage (spreading instead of upward growth) on the Tifton that the cows were left on & grazed versus the place with no cattle. good luck.

 

[dcara]

One of my neighbors ( a very experianced old farmer) did 40 acres of T85 4 years ago with the USDA. They also required that he put down certain fertilizer at certain times. Came up real nice the first year, but only about half came back the second year. He was never able to find out why.

 

[johndeerefarmer]

http://www.noble.org/Ag/Research/Forages.htm

The Noble foundation has good info on forages. They have been testing Tifton 85 for several years.
From my reading Tifton is slightly higher in protien (.3%) but harder to get started and less cold tolerant.

Researchers have been trying for years to create a grass better than Coastal, they are not having much luck.

 

[Just_a_girl]

http://www.noble.org/Ag/Research/Forages.htm

The Noble foundation has good info on forages. They have been testing Tifton 85 for several years.
From my reading Tifton is slightly higher in protien (.3%) but harder to get started and less cold tolerant.

Researchers have been trying for years to create a grass better than Coastal, they are not having much luck.

thanks for the website...

 

[buckaroo_bif]

Don't know about Tifton, I sure like Midland 99.