Magazine - Drought Tolerant Grasses from Environmental Turf

By Editor in Industry News on 20th Nov 2007 6:00

Here is a press release from the latest turf show in America, a sign of things to come for the dry Australia perhaps?


SAN FRANCISCO, CA (Monday, November 12, 2007): At the Annual Conference of the American Society of Landscape Architects held in San Francisco last month, the cost and availability of water to irrigate landscapes was on the minds of attendees. Florida-based company Environmental Turf addressed those concerns with environmentally friendly turfgrasses that save drinking water supplies while also providing green lawns, golf courses and sports fields for families to enjoy.

The company's six turfgrass varieties offer solutions to landscape architects, golf course architects and others looking for low water use alternatives. These live, natural turfgrasses survive in warm-season and transition zone climates on less water than traditional grass varieties. Two of Environmental Turf's varieties, sold under the brand names SeaDwarf® Seashore Paspalum and Aloha® Seashore Paspalum, may be irrigated with effluent or even seawater right out the ocean.

• SeaDwarf®: So salt tolerant that salt water may be used for irrigation, SeaDwarf® is the industry's leading seashore paspalum variety. SeaDwarf® can be irrigated with seawater right out of the ocean. Effluent or reclaimed water may also be used for irrigation. (Potable water may be utilized as well, but it is not necessary.) Designed for use on golf courses, sports fields and high-end home lawns, SeaDwarf® Seashore Paspalum use up to 50% less water that would generally be used on a golf course grassed with bermudagrass. SeaDwarf® is the only true dwarf Seashore Paspalum variety. This premium fine-textured turfgrass variety may be mowed lower than other varieties, down to a 10th of an inch or lower. It creates fast putting greens and high-quality golf course fairways, tees and roughs. Salt may be used to kill weeds on this grass, as opposed to using harsh chemicals.

• Aloha®: Developed by the University of Florida, Aloha® Seashore Paspalum can also be irrigated with virtually any quality of water source, from potable to effluent, even seawater under proper maintenance. Aloha® may use as little as 50% of the water used on a bermudagrass golf course. This semi-dwarf variety makes for highly-durable sports fields; golf course tees, fairways and roughs that stripe naturally; and lush, high-end home lawns. Salt may be used to kill weeds on this grass, as opposed to using harsh chemicals. Aloha® resists the green bug aphid, eliminating the need to spray chemicals to kill this insect pest.

• UltimateFlora™ Zoysia: This lawn grass is drought tolerant. Developed by the University of Florida, UltimateFlora™ Zoysia has natural defense systems built into the grass that allow it to survive for periods without water. It was tested by the University to go as long as two weeks without any irrigation. Medium-bladed and soft underfoot, UltimateFlora™ Zoysia was developed by the University of Florida to replace St. Augustinegrass in home lawns and common areas. It requires less water and less fertilizer than St. Augustine. It is fairly salt tolerant, though not as salt tolerant as SeaDwarf® or Aloha®. UltimateFlora™ Zoysia resists the chinch bug insect which allows it to address another common problem of St. Augustinegrass.

• Hammock™ Centipede: Mow this extremely low maintenance lawn grass as little as six times a year. Very slow growing, Hammock™ Centipede requires very little water and little fertilizer to stay green. It was developed by the University of Florida.

• PristineFlora® Zoysia: Developed by the University of Florida, PristineFlora® Zoysia requires less water and less fertilizer. PristineFlora® Zoysia is highly shade tolerant. It may be used for golf tees, golf fairways, croquet courts, high-end residential lawns and ornamental areas.

• DeltaShade™ St. Augustine: An improved St. Augustine that is highly shade tolerant, highly cold tolerant, DeltaShade™ St. Augustine has a semi-dwarf leaf blade.

Based in Avon Park, Florida, Environmental Turf works with researchers and universities all over the world to develop environmentally friendly grasses for use in home lawns, common areas, sports fields and golf courses. These grasses contribute to modern landscape architecture's overall goal of creating sustainable landscapes that use less water and less fertilizer while promoting healthy green spaces.

Environmental Turf licenses sod farms world-wide to produce its environmentally friendly turfgrasses. For more information visit www.environmentalturf.com
or contact
Media Contact:
Stacie Zinn
Cell: 239-398-4224
Office: 239-774-1293
stacie@environmentalturf.com

Read more articles in Industry News, by Editor or from November 2007.