Nitrogen Required for Newly-Sodded and Established Bermudagrass Fertilized By Slow-Release and Soluble Fertilizers.

Tifway 419 bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. × C. transvaalensis Burtt-Davy) is a warm-season turfgrass extensively used in many areas in the southern United States and requires greater quantities of nitrogen (N) than many other turfgrasses. However, N rate requirement of bermudagrass as influenced by establishment phase and fertilizer type has not been sufficiently investigated. The objective of this study was to determine the N rate required for newly-sodded and established bermudagrass using either slow-release or soluble fertilizer and to determine the influence of season in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Treatments were arranged in a split-split plot design with establishment phase as whole-plots, N source as sub-plots, and N rates as sub-sub plots. Nitrogen was applied in two-month cycles at rates of 0, 49, 147, 245, 343 kg ha^-1 yr^-1 using polymer-coated urea or granular urea. Turf quality, reflectance (NDVI), and thermal imaging was recorded every week, before and after harvest. Tissue samples were collected every two weeks and analyzed for N.