For drainage, turfgrass is often established on sand-based soils, which are typically nutrient-deficient and require supplemental fertilization. The objective of this study was to determine the optimum N–P–K fertilizer ratio for establishing bermudagrass from sprigs in sand.‘FloraDwarf’and ‘Tifdwarf’bermudagrasses [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. x C. transvaalensis Burt-Davy] were sprigged on a United States Golf Association (USGA) green [85 sand: 15 peat (v/v)] in Aug. 1996 at the Univ. of Florida’s Envirogreen in Gainesville, Fla.‘TifEagle’bermudagrass was sprigged on a USGA green [85 sand: 15 peat (v/v)] and ‘Tifway’bermudagrass [C. dactylon (L.) Pers.] was sprigged on native soil at Clemson Univ. in Clemson, SC in May 1999. Treatments consisted of fertilizer ratios of 1N–0P–0.8 K, 1N–0P–1.7 K, 1N–0.4 P–0.8 K, 1N–0.9 P–0.8 K, and 1N–1.3 P–0.8 K applied based on a N rate of 49 kg· ha–1/week for 7 weeks. Growth differences were apparent among cultivars. A 1N–0P–0.8 K or 1N–0P–1.7 K ratio is insufficient for optimum growth of bermudagrass during establishment, even when planted on a soil high in P. Increased coverage rate with additional P was optimized at a ratio of 1N–0.4 P at all four sites. Increased coverage with P was greatest on the sand-based greens, probably due to the very low initial P levels of the soils. On two of the sand-based greens, P in excess of a 1N–0.4 P ratio decreased coverage rate. study was to determine the optimum ratio of N–P–K fertilizer for establishment of ‘Tifdwarf’,‘FloraDwarf’,‘TifEagle’, and ‘Tifway’bermudagrasses on high sand-content soils and a native sandy loam.