Turfgrass species are numerous and selection of the best species is one of the most important decisions to make, especially for establishing a sustainable playing surface for golf and other sports.
Selecting a grass species adapted to your area that has management requirements you can sustain affordably is important.
Here are some key factors to consider when selecting your turf type:
- Worn areas recover quickly and are traffic tolerant
- Speed of seed germination, growth and establishment
- Ability to grow at various temperatures
- Grass color for aesthetics and soil temperature
- Drought and water tolerance
- Heat and cold tolerance
- Resistance to disease
- Attraction of pests
- Likelihood of being overcome by weeds
- Salt tolerance (increasingly needed at golf courses using effluent water)
The National Turfgrass Evaluation Program collects information on 17 turfgrass species in the U.S. and Canada by conducting trials in 46 locations, collecting and disseminating information about these turfgrass species’ quality, color, density, resistance to diseases, pest resistance; heat, cold, drought and water tolerance; overall growth and tolerance to high traffic and compaction stress.
While some species are more resistant to pest and disease and some species are more tolerant of climate variations and high traffic, none are immune to any of these factors.
Other resources:
www.NTEP.org National Turfgrass Evaluation Program for annual turfgrass ratings and understanding what they mean
www.USGA.org U.S. Golf Association for best management practices and other resources for turf growers, golf course superintendents and managers.
Once you’ve selected your turf, Geoponics products can help to keep management costs low and quality high with products to manage compaction, sodium in the soil and other factors by getting water movement through the soil profile, as well as increasing oxygen, soil biodiversity and microbial diversity. Turf colorants also provide a USGA recommended alternative to overseed that is not only less expensive and demands less water and other resources, the colorants also increase the health of the soil and plant.
Contact us today for more information about our soil surfactants, turf colorants and other products.