Tifton 419 is the standby hybrid bermudagrass, the same tough turf used on ballfields across the South. It knits into a dense, fine-bladed, deep green lawn that stands up to foot traffic, heat, and drought, and it resists disease well. It browns out in winter dormancy, then greens back up each spring.

It needs full sun, a solid 8 hours a day. Water new sod daily for the first two to three weeks, then taper off; an established lawn wants about an inch of water a week, rain included, on ground that drains.