needed no more than once a week. When turfgrass shows signs of wilt, irrigate deeply and infrequently to wet the entire root system. Fertilization FLoraTeXTM bermudagrass has a low nitrogen requirement, being exceeded only by Texturf 10 among bermudagrass culti- vars. Thus, nitrogen requirement for an acceptable quality turf would be in a range of 1 to 2 pounds of nitrogen per 1000 square feet per growing season. One pound of nitrogen per 1000 square feet annually would produce an acceptable qual- ity turf on most soils. A surprising cover can be maintained even under no nitrogen fertilization on fertile, fine textured soils that are not prone to leaching. If only a single annual application is to be made, a complete fertilizer with minor ele- ments such as a 16-4-8 should be applied in early May to mini- mize seedhead production. Monitor need for phosphorus and potassium by soil testing annually. Since bermudagrasses are used primarily for sports activi- ties, fertilization programs are often formulated to provide high turf quality during the season. Heavier rates of fertilizers can be used to keep turf healthy and vigorous. High fertilizer rates, however, will produce a faster thatch buildup than low fertil- izer rates and may also predispose a turf to more insect and disease problems. Additionally, the amount of mowing and watering increases with the amount of fertilizer used. Although FLoraTeXTM bermudagrass will respond to high rates of nitro- gen fertilizer, use of excessively high nitrogen rates on this grass would be environmentally irresponsible. Mowing FLoraTeXTM bermudagrass has consistently produced an ac- ceptable quality turf in both Florida and Texas at a cutting height of 1 inch, but it may be mowed from 0.75 to 1.5 inches. Higher cuts are preferred to take advantage of its superior rooting depth and mass. Do not remove more than one-third of leaf area at any mowing. Clippings should not be removed. Turf may be mowed with either a well adjusted reel mower or a sharp, well balanced rotary mower. Reel-type mowers are best because they cut grass blades cleanly as leaf blades pass between the reel and bed-knife. Since FLoraTeXTM bermudagrass produces seedheads from May through July, weekly mowing during this time is required for removal of seedheads. Thatch Control There should be no need for thatch control methods such as core cultivation, vertical cutting, or top dressing on FLoraTeXTM turfs, especially if cultured under low maintenance conditions. Pest Problems Several pest problems such as insects and diseases may af- fect FLoraTeXTM turfs, especially if grown under a high main- tenance program. Diagnosis and recommended treatment of pest problems are available from your local county Coopera- tive Extension Service office. Literature Cited 1. Anonymous. 1981. Palm Beach Pesticide Report. Florida Green (Winter): 15. 2. Baltensperger, A.A. 1961. Evaluation of bermudagrass varieties and strains. Report on turfgrass research. Ari- zona Agric. Exp. Stn. Rep. 203:3-14. 3. Beard, J.B. 1973. Turfgrass Science and Culture. Prentice- Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ. 4. Beard, J.B. 1990. Developing water conserving minimal maintenance turfgrasses and cultural systems. Texas Agric. Exp. Stn. Final Rep. p. 19-21. 5. Beard, J.B., S.M. Batten, and A. Almodares. 1981. An assessment of wear tolerance among bermudagrass culti- vars for recreational and sports turf use. Texas Turfgrass Research 1979-80. Texas Agric. Exp. Stn. Progress Rep. 3836:24-26. 6. Beard, J.B., S.M. Batten, and G. Pittman. 1981. Com- parative low temperature hardiness of 19 bermudagrasses. Texas Turfgrass Research 1979-80. Texas Agric. Exp. Stn. Progress Rep. 3835:21-23. 7. Busey, P. 1986. Bermudagrass germplasm adaptation to natural pest infestation and suboptimal nitrogen fertiliza- tion. J. Am. Soc. Hort. Sci. 111(4):630-634. 8. Butler, G.D., Jr. 1961. Variations in response of bermudagrass strains to eriophyid mite infestations. Re- port on turfgrass research. Arizona Agric. Exp. Stn. Rep. 203:15-19. 9. Dudeck, A.E., C.H. Peacock, and T.E. Freeman. 1985. Response of selected bermudagrasses to nitrogen fertili- zation. p. 495-504. In F. Lemaire (ed.) Proc. 5th Int. Res. Turfgrass Conf., Avignon, France. 1-5 July. Inst. Natl. de la Recherche Agron., Paris. 10. Dudeck, A.E., S. Singh, C.E. Giordano, T.A. Nell, and D.B. McConnell. 1983. Effects of sodium chloride on Cynodon turfgrasses. Agron. J. 75:927-930. 11. Johnson, A.W. 1970. Pathogenicity and interaction of three nematode species on six bermudagrases. J. Nematol. 2:36-41.