to lead many markets and are now established standards in the
industry. Our five newest grasses (Latitude 36 Bermuda, NorthBridge Bermuda, Geo Zoysia, Sunday Ultra-Dwarf Bermuda and
HGT Bluegrass) all had exceptional years. Latitude 36 and
NorthBridge, two outstanding Oklahoma State releases, have
become two of the fastest growing programs in Sod Solutions’
history. Both grasses are on several NFL fields along with many
other venues. The feedback has been very positive at every level.
Several experts have commented that Latitude 36 may be the
grass that replaces 419 as a widely used grass. Latitude 36
outranks 419 in just about every measurable category.
Geo Zoysia is another fast growing turfgrass program. Fine
textured and adaptable to shade, Geo is the “eye-catcher” grass.
At every tradeshow, it’s the sample the crowd moves to. On a
golf course, Geo is unbelievably beautiful and playable. It is
cold hardy and is being expanded from Florida to Texas to
Tennessee. Geo is going to be a major player in the turf marketplace as a high-end, top-quality turf; fitting in perfectly in applications of moderate shade and areas where a fine-bladed grass
is needed.
Sunday Ultra-Dwarf Bermuda made its mark in 2013. Several
golf courses moved from test plots to 18 holes and several are
slated to install Sunday in 2014. Sunday exhibits an ultrafine
playable texture, can be mowed to .100, is genetically stable and
is cold hardy. Sunday has been in development for many years
and is slated for widespread use. Sunday requires maintenance
like any ultra-dwarf but can be maintained with less cost and
effort. The Sunday program will provide top-quality putting
greens to golf facilities across the spectrum; from top ranked
courses to courses managed on tighter budgets.
“Sod Solutions is committed to
developing innovative products including
software for the turf industry.”
HGT is an exciting release from Barenbrug Seed Company and
outperformed many bluegrass this past hot, wet, humid
summer. Multiple growers reported outstanding performance
with little to no disease this year with plans to expand production for 2014. HGT is a top-ranked heat tolerant bluegrass and
as bluegrasses go, it fits in well with the trends of less water and
inputs.
Sod Solutions research programs are in full swing with multiple
projects in progress. Improved zoysias, bermudas, St. Augustines and other species are being evaluated for lower inputs,
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drought tolerance, wear resistance, shade tolerance and other
factors.
Sod Solutions announced a signed agreement with Mississippi
State this year in regard to three improved greens grasses.
These grasses show great promise for extreme cold tolerance
along with fine texture, lower maintenance and consistent dark
color. We see the future of greens selection being “the right
green for the right green.” Instead of “selling” only a single
brand, we see a trend of matching a particular grass for a
particular putting green application. Sod Solutions will soon
have tar